November 20, 2012 Minutes of Regular Meeting

The Board of Trustees of Illinois Valley Community College District No. 513 convened a regular session at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 20, 2012 in the Board Room (C307) at Illinois Valley Community College.

Members Physically  Present

Dennis N. Thompson, Chair
Melissa M. Olivero, Vice Chair
Michael C. Driscoll
Larry D. Huffman
David O. Mallery
Britney Burkart, Student Trustee

SECRETARY PRO-TEM

In the absence of Leslie Englehaupt, Dr. Driscoll volunteered to serve as Secretary Pro-Tem.

APPROVAL OF AMENDED AGENDA

The administration requested that Action Item 18. – Faculty Appointment – Anthropology & Sociology Instructor be removed from the agenda.  It was moved by Ms. Olivero and seconded by Dr. Driscoll to approve the amended agenda, as presented. Motion passed by voice vote.

PUBLIC COMMENT

None.

CONSENT AGENDA

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Burkart to approve the consent agenda, as presented. Motion passed by voice vote. 

The following items were approved in the consent agenda:

Approval of Minutes – October 9, 2012 Audit/Finance Committee Meeting and October 16, 2012 Board Meeting

Approval of the Bills - $1,626,194.36

Education Fund - $840,023.69; Operations and Maintenance Fund - $95,204.29; Operations & Maintenance (Restricted Fund) - $252,844.00; Auxiliary Fund - $159,810.70; Restricted Fund - $234,654.33; Audit Fund - $10,000.00; and Liability, Protection and Settlement Fund - $33,657.35

Treasurer’s Report

Personnel

Approved the stipends for the pay periods ending October 6, 2012 and October 20, 2012.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Dr. Corcoran gave a construction update prepared by Cheryl Roelfsema.  Regarding Phase 1, the geothermal field and detention pond have been seeded; trees have been planted; and stone cropping installation has begun. Roofing is complete except for punch list items; metal (zinc) panel installation and the Trespa composite facade installation will begin in approximately one week. On the Peter Miller Community Technology Center’s second floor, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work continues; heat pumps and rack were delivered last week; and East-end drywall is 65 percent complete. The first floor East entrance will be closed-in very soon; the building will be heated next week; and HVAC ductwork to the outside air units is in progress. Regarding Phase 2, the new maintenance building concrete floor, stoops and approach have been poured; the East addition concrete masonry unit west wall is complete; electrical switch-over to the new transformer and gas meter installation is planned for later this week; and demolition of Building 10 will begin after Thanksgiving. The project remains on schedule.  Last month Mike Phillips reported the voter registration drive was a success.  A voter registration table was available on Spirit Day and in the Lobby the week of September 24 and again on October 8.  The deputy registrars also registered students in their offices and in the Library. Mike wanted to be sure to recognize Joanne Jalley, Sherri Popurella, Kathy Sramek, Tracy Morris, Sue Mertel, and the local Tea Party group coordinated by Jim Jarka for working at the tables. Overall, Mike and his colleagues registered 224 voters this fall, bringing the grand total since 2002 to approximately 2300 voters!  Haiku Horror Stories is a new book available from Amazon.com and soon it will be available in hard copy. What makes this book especially interesting is that it was written by Carey Burns with illustrations by Jill Hejl. Dr. Corcoran congratulated Carey and Jill on their collaborative efforts and hopes the book is a great success.  Dean Marianne Dzik provided a number of exciting updates involving students and staff in her English, Math and Education division:  Kim Radek, Adam Oldaker, and Delores Robinson recently received the good news that one of their Sigma Kappa Delta students, Ali Braboy, has had her abstract submission chosen for a roundtable discussion of the topic "Reopen the Book to Fantasy Worlds" at the Sigma Kappa Delta national conference in Portland this spring. Congratulations to Ali Braboy on a job well done!  Diane Christianson and Jill Urban-Bollis presented a workshop at last month’s meeting of the Illinois Community College Faculty Association on "Education Candidate Dispositions: Assessing Professional Dispositions and Behaviors in Career Programs."  Jill Urban-Bollis has received Charlotte Danielson Training through the LaSalle County Regional Office of Education, which will lead to her assisting the ROE in presenting workshops on this evaluation model to the Oglesby School District and the Streator High School District.  Diane Christianson is now a National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation site reviewer.  She recently participated in a site visit to McDowell Technical Community College's Childhood Education Program in Marion, North Carolina.  Ericka Ratcliff, an actor from the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, visited Nora Villarreal's Honors Shakespeare class via Skype on November 9.  Students were able to engage in a question-and-answer period with the actor.  Jeffrey Cramer, Curator of Collections at the Thoreau Institute in Lincoln, Massachusetts was a digital presenter in Adam Oldaker's American literature class on November 16.  Mr. Cramer talked about artifacts that belonged to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.  Professor Oldaker met Mr. Cramer this past summer while attending a National Endowment for the Humanities event in Concord, Massachusetts.  Mark Brown recently participated in a program at Heartland Community College in celebration of National Novel Writing month.  Professor Brown read from his short story "The Iron Door."  He also participated in a radio show entitled Poets' Voices which airs on Peoria station WAZU, 90.7 FM.  Sue Isermann has been reappointed to the NCI Works Board, a testament to her expertise and contributions to the workforce development community. Sue will also represent the College at an upcoming ICCB conference for Illinois community college participants who have received the Pathways to Results (PTR) grants. As an invited panel presenter, Sue will discuss how she and her team applied quality improvement principles to achieve greater equity and access within the Wind Technology program.  From Jamie Gahm’s Continuing Education department, last month 42 passengers participated in IVCC’s “Road Scholar Program” and they called this year’s trip “Exploring Central Illinois on the River.”  Highlights included presentations on river ecology and Native American culture, and a program by Save Our American Raptors. Another bus trip involved an L -P High School 63-year class reunion using our Ed’Venture Program as an opportunity to see the sights near and within the Illinois River.  A special thanks to Jamie Gahm for being part of a group that’s looking to replicate the annual Peoria manufacturing expo sometime soon in the Illinois Valley. Dr. Corcoran also thanked Bev Malooley and her staff for sponsoring a number of activities last year including the most recent Breakfast of Champions and 40 Under 40 events (where Kim Koehler was one of the 40 celebrated).  Many thanks to Kelly Klobucher, of the Hegeler Carus Foundation, for allowing IVCC’s Theatre Department to present the play “The Snow Queen”, directed by Dr. David Kuester, at the Hegeler Carus Mansion last week while the College is under construction. All three performances were sold out. Students participating in the Area Career Center’s CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program visited the campus last week and Dr. Corcoran hopes this will become a regular destination point for all CEO students from this point forward. Working together with the high schools on these kinds of innovative programs is certainly in-line with IVCC’s mission and what is hoped to be achieved within the new building’s Center for Innovation and Opportunity.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Mr. Mallery noted the filing period for the April 9, 2013 election for trustee candidates is Monday, December 17 through Monday, December 24, 2012.  The College is currently scheduled to be closed on Monday, December 24.  Legislation is being proposed in the veto session to address the issue of December 24.  If this is not resolved in the veto session, this item will be discussed at the December board meeting.

TENTATIVE TAX LEVY 2012

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Dr. Driscoll to adopt the resolution approving a Tentative Tax Levy and Tentative Certificate of Tax Levy, as presented.  A schedule was provided illustrating how IVCC’s tax rate has decreased by 25 percent over the last ten years.  Mr. Mallery noted that everything is done to reduce the impact to the tax payers.  The slight increase in this year’s tax levy rate is due to an anticipated decrease in the equalized assessed evaluation (EAV), which boosts the rate.  During the budget process when a decrease in EAV was anticipated, he was under the impression the College was budgeting to hold the tax rate near level, but now the College is budgeting to increase the rate.  He noted it is important to recognize the additional tax is increasing significantly. He has asked before to consider weaning the College off of this additional tax.  This year would have been an opportunity to narrow the increase and hold the tax rate. For that reason, he is not comfortable in voting for the proposed tax levy.  Mr. Thompson noted the College qualifies for the additional tax because it is a downstate school with lower EAV per capita.  The College does not have a way to easily mitigate the amount the additional tax brings in and he believes to lower the tax rate would not be prudent in order to maintain the programs the College presently offers.  Motion passed by voice vote with Mr. Mallery voting nay.

FACULTY RESIGNATION – TARA PTASNIK, ENGLISH COMPOSITION & WRITING CENTER INSTRUCTOR

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Mallery to accept, with regret, the resignation of Tara Ptasnik, English Composition & Writing Center Instructor, effective December 20, 2012, and wish her good luck in her future endeavors.  Motion passed by voice vote.

STAFF RESIGNATION – ROBERT C. MATTSON, DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL  RESEARCH

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Burkart to accept, with regret, Robert Mattson’s resignation as Director of Institutional Research, effective December 10, 2012, and wish him good luck in his future endeavors.  It was noted that Mr. Mattson was the primary employee who effectively and efficiently utilized the software for reports. A support staff person has been trained to run the daily reports and the College is advertising for his replacement. Dr. Driscoll appreciated his hard work and noted that he was critical to the quality of the planning process.  Motion passed by voice vote.

FACULTY APPOINTMENT – SAMANTHA C. WHITEAKER, NURSING INSTRUCTOR

It was moved by Ms. Olivero and seconded by Dr. Driscoll to approve the appointment of Samantha C. Whiteaker as the Nursing Instructor assigned to the Division of Health Professions for the 2012-2013 academic year with placement on the salary schedule at Step B-3 - $39,816.  Dean Bonnie Campbell introduced Ms. Whiteaker.  She is a graduate from OSF St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing with a bachelor’s degree and will soon be finishing her master’s degree in nursing from Lewis University with a focus on nursing education.  She has a true sense of community and this came through by the statements she made.  She lives in the community and she believes it is important to give back to the community and educating nurses to work in the community is an important part. Her objective as a nurse educator is to inspire critical thinking and a love of life-long learning in her students.  She hopes to perform as a nurse educator with a sense of urgency, show compassion, be firm, and to exemplify empathy when necessary.  She hopes to light the spark of education in her students as her nursing instructors lit in her.  Motion passed by voice vote.

APPROVAL OF TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING ADVANCED PROFICIENCY  CERTIFICATE

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Burkart to approve the Truck Driver Training Advanced Proficiency Certificate, as presented.  Mr. Thompson recently heard an advertisement on the radio looking for a number of truck drivers.  He is hoping this will be a push for the program.  The new certificate program will be eligible for students seeking financial aid.  Mr. Thompson was impressed with the list of classes for the program, specifically computer keyboarding applications, a warehousing course, and introduction to business, all of which will provide enhanced skills. Motion passed by voice vote.

TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING AGREEMENT – SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY  COLLEGE

It was moved by Dr. Driscoll and seconded by Dr. Huffman to approve the 3.5 year agreement with Sauk Valley Community College to provide Truck Driver Training instruction at Sauk Valley Community College.  Motion passed by voice vote.

PROPOSAL FOR REQUIRED STUDENT ATHLETE HEALTH INSURANCE

It was moved by Ms. Olivero and seconded by Mr. Thompson to approve the proposal requiring student-athletes to carry and provide proof of primary insurance coverage through the procedures described, effective Fall 2013.   The question was asked if a student does not carry health insurance or if it lapses, will the student lose his/her athletic waiver.  This was not included in the proposal, but will be added to the policies and procedures that each student athlete is required to sign.  Mr. Mallery did not feel the College should be responsible for up to $1,000 of the deductible.  The $1,000 is under the College’s umbrella policy, which is part of the College’s liability program.  Mr. Mallery believes the proposal would be strengthened without the College’s $1,000 obligation.  Dr. Huffman noted that the proposal is the direction the Board asked the administration to pursue and he believes the College should work through the proposal and review it in a year or two and make revisions at that time, if necessary.  Motion passed by voice vote.

PROPOSAL RESULTS – FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS

It was moved by Dr. Driscoll and seconded by Dr. Huffman to accept the proposal from Total Administrative Services Corp. for Flexible Spending Accounts for the plan year beginning January 1, 2013.  Motion passed by voice vote.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE FILING OF A COMPLAINT TO THE LASALLE COUNTY BOARD OF REVIEW, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE AUTHORIZING INTERVENTION IN PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE LASALLE COUNTY BOARD OF REVIEW

It was moved by Ms. Olivero and seconded by Dr. Huffman to adopt the Resolution Authorizing the Filing of a Complaint to the LaSalle County Board of Review, or, in the Alternative Authorizing Intervention in Proceedings before the LaSalle County Board of Review. 

Student Advisory Vote:  “Aye” – Ms. Burkart.  Roll Call Vote:  “Ayes” – Dr. Huffman, Mr. Mallery, Ms. Olivero, Dr. Driscoll, and Mr. Thompson. “Nays” – None, motion carried.

TRUSTEE COMMENT

Mr. Thompson reminded all trustees who have not completed the Open Meetings Act training to do so and submit their certificate to the president’s office by December 31, 2012.

Ms. Britney Burkart reported the Student Government Association collected money and purchased Christmas items for students in the U.S. and other countries.  Ms. Burkart recently attended the Illinois Student Advisory Committee meeting.  She serves on the outreach committee, a state-wide volunteer service.  At the last meeting this committee chose anti-bullying and anti-suicide as their projects.  Each community college throughout the state chooses how they want to fundraise or promote awareness for the projects.  IVCC will purchase bracelets that state “not on my campus” and either hand them out or charge one dollar.  Money raised will be donated to the Lady Gaga Born this Way Bullying Foundation.  The SGA has a few activities in mind for awareness, but a decision has not been made.

Under Items for Information Dr. Huffman noted the thank you note from Cherished Friends regarding their logo being created by an IVCC student in the graphic arts program.  He stated this is a great outreach for the students to network and a practical experience that builds on the classroom.  The corporations and individuals are very appreciative.  He hopes the faculty continue to encourage their students to have this kind of involvement in the community.

CLOSED SESSION

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Burkart to convene a closed session at 7:25 p.m. to discuss 1) the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body; 2) pending litigation; and 3) closed session minutes.  Motion carried by voice vote.

After a short break, the Board entered closed session at 7:33 p.m.  On a motion by Dr. Driscoll and seconded by Ms. Olivero, the regular meeting resumed at 8:14 p.m.  Motion passed by voice vote.

CLOSED SESSION MINUTES

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Mallery to approve and retain the closed session minutes of the October 16, 2012 meeting.  Motion passed by voice vote.