October 7, 2025 Minutes of Regular Meeting Retreat
The Board of Trustees of Illinois Valley Community College District No. 513 convened a special session for a Board Retreat at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 in the Board Room (C307) at Illinois Valley Community College.
Members Physically Present
Jay K. McCracken, Chair
Angela M. Stevenson, Vice Chair
Maureen O. Rebholz, Secretary
Everett J. Solon
Rebecca Donna
William F. Hunt
Lynda Marlene Moshage
Members Virtually Present
Members Telephonically Present
Members Absent
Danica E. Scoma, Student Trustee
Others Physically Present
Tracy Morris, President
Mark Grzybowski, Vice President for Student Services
Kathy Ross, Vice President for Business Services and Finance
Vicki Trier, Vice President for Academic Affairs
Tracy Beattie, Executive Director of the Foundation
Others Virtually Present
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
Ms. Stevenson entered the meeting at 2:03 pm.
PURCHASE REQUEST – MIDWEST TESTING SERVICE
It was moved by Mr. Solon and seconded by Mr. Hunt to authorize the administration to enter into an agreement with Midwest Testing Services for the required construction inspection and testing for the Agriculture Educational Building project at a cost not to exceed $29,980.00.
Roll Call Vote: “Ayes” – Ms. Moshage, Dr. Donna, Mr. Solon, Dr. Rebholz, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. McCracken. “Nay” – none. “Abstain” – Ms. Stevenson. Motion carried.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS UPDATE
Dr. Trier provided an update on Academic Affairs items for AY2025-2026. Items include the divisions developing academic plans using the SOAR model; the master schedule; 11 Tenure-Track Faculty (7 new); New Faculty Orientation; the curriculum process and software; Program Review process; accessibility of course materials; competency-based education in industrial maintenance; and session on the results of the Personal Assessment of College Environment (PACE) survey.
Dr. Trier stated the Higher Learning Commission Comprehensive Visit will take place on April 5-6, 2027. The timeline for preparing for the visit include collaborating on a Quality Workshop in June 2025; forming the Steering Committee in June 2025; Criteria Team Orientations in October 2025; Evidence Gathering in Fall 2025; Assurance Argument Development and Editing in Spring 2026; Review with the College in Fall 2026; and submit to the Higher Learning Commission by the submission lock date of March 8, 2027.
Dr. Trier highlighted several achievements in Academic Affairs including new faculty member Keturah Haferkamp receiving a research fellowship award to finish her doctorate degree; Developmental Education Reform (DERA) supplemental co-requisite courses developed by the English department; three Dual Credit courses offered through the Distance Learning classroom/modality with Serena High School; Nursing NCLEX pass rate of 91.3% for May 2025 RN graduates and LPN summer graduate pass rate of 100%; EKG Certification program through Continuing Education has 12 student enrolled; Discover Manufacturing to be held on October 21; cadaver dissection completed by faculty over the summer; and ReadSpeaker was launched in Brightspace.
BUSINESS SERVICES UPDATE
Ms. Ross provided an overview of the Business Services and Finance Division. The FY26 budget for the division includes 54.5 FTE’s and $22.6 million. It includes Directors in the functional areas of Accounting, which includes the Bursar’s Office and Foundation Financials; Auxiliary Services and Purchasing; Facilities; Human Resources; IT; and Security/School Resource Officer, which are outside contracts. Business Services committee responsibilities that fall under the Strategic Leadership and Planning Council include Insurance, Professional Development, IT, IT Security, Colleague Module Leads, Operations, Emergency Management, and Grants Administration Oversight.
Ms. Ross noted FY25 Business Services accomplishments including adding an additional FOIA officer role; added FY25 approved positions in Accounting, Facilities, and Human Resources; finalized the Annexation Agreement for the agricultural building; updated technology in CTC 124/125, CTC Kitchen, and CTC Yoga Studio; completed the Colleague Cloud Migration; Emergency Management training; rolled out a new Retirement Incentive Plan; added an affordable insurance plan and rolled out Online Benefit Enrollment to all employees; and continued work on the Employee Handbook.
Ms. Ross highlighted some of the FY26 Business Services initiatives including completion of the Employee Handbook; formulary changes to insurance plan and evaluating Network enhancements; emergency management drills, division retreat, and quarterly Vector training; update to the wired and wireless network; optimization sessions for Colleague and Self-Service; fresh faculty laptops and evaluate printer consolidation/refresh; and FY26 Project Updates Grant Administration Oversight Committee Activity information was distributed.
STUDENT SERVICES UPDATE
Mr. Grzybowski provided a Student Services update that included updating the Strategic Enrollment Plan Goals, strategies, and tactics; leading Student Services/Academic Affairs with self-service student functions; onboarding the Student Retention Alert Module in Colleague; and developing a Threat Assessment Group; drop for nonpayment work group work to improve communication and reduce the percentage of students dropped for nonpayment; and coordinating and promoting completion of required trainings for Title IX by students and offering optional training for employees on Mental Health Support and Suicidal Behaviors.
Mr. Grzybowski provided the following department highlights for Student Services. Admissions/Assessment Center: Congratulations to Tom Quigley on the birth of his son. Summer Studstill, Assessment Center Coordinator, is now a certified proctor with the National Testing Association, and IVCC is on track to have our testing center become NCTA certified. Athletics/Student Activities: Continuation of the branding project in the gym. Two students have been added to the membership of the Student Success and Retention Committee. Financial Aid: Awarding and disbursement of student aid was completed on time even though the office has been short staffed. Career Services: Partnering with ONYX on a mentoring project. The Student Etiquette Dinner is schedule for November 12. Counseling: The new Transfer Coordinator has been onboarded and 12 submissions to IAI panels in the Fall 2025 cycle have already been submitted. Kudos to Renee Prine and the Degree Audit Team for updating the student information system with curriculum changes in preparation for annual catalog update. A total of 1,285 counseling appointments were held in June and July. Ottawa Center: The staff is continuing community involvement. Project Success: Received a near perfect score on their recent Grant Writing Competition submission. Student Success: Credit for Prior Learning video completed. Franklin University Pathway Project, a bachelor’s degree completion program, that locks in a tuition rate of $299 per credit hour and includes textbooks and fees. The Swipe Out Hunger Grant allowed the purchase of two additional freezers for Eagles Peak Food Bank.
FOUNDATION UPDATE
Ms. Beattie shared information on the functions of the Foundation including scholarships/student support, campaigns, retiree list/reception, alumni relations, Hall of Fame, Employee Giving Campaign, fundraising events, and donor relations. Foundation accomplishments for 2024-2025 included upgrading the scholarship software, hosted the 100th Gala; launched the Ag Complex Campaign; and the recruitment of five new Board members.
Ms. Beattie provided a comparison of general scholarships from 2024 to 2025 showing an increase in applicants from 408 to 571; scholarships awarded from 275 to 327; and dollars awarded from $329,000 to $377,000. Fundraising income from 2024 to 2025 showed an increase in fundraising income from $58,719 to $91,599; cash contributions from $494,973 to $621,373; and gifts of stock from $10,036 to $22,276.
Ms. Beattie reported 2025-2026 initiatives for the Foundation include the Ag Campaign, awarding scholarships in May, updating Scholarship Agreements, Planned Giving Materials/Planning, and marketing and planning the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary celebration in March 2026.
MARKETING UPDATE
Ms. Duncan shared the Marketing and Communications goals for the department. The Marketing and Communications activations in the areas of event marketing, public relations, social media, influencers, website/advertising, branding, and sponsorships/partnerships were highlighted.
Ms. Duncan highlight the Marketing and Communications Quarter 1 success that included 24 press releases/feature stories resulting in 170 placements in print, radio, online, and 2,376,000 media impressions; 422 social media posts resulting in 11,062 engagements (likes, shares, comments) 1,882 link clicks, 909,310 impressions, and 432,691 reach; 4 carousel ads resulting in 373 link clicks, 86,551 impressions, and 245,361 reach; 56,422 local/digital radio ads resulting in 358,824 media impressions; Summer/Fall registration billboards resulting in 1,465,301 potential views; Invest in Your Future billboards resulting in 85,445 potential views; and website analytics resulting in 5,917 clicks (homepage graphics and admissions page).
STRATEGIC PLANNING DISCUSSION
Dr. Morris provided an overview of the plan that includes sections on the Mission, Vision, and Values; Institutional Goals; Strategic Goals; and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Dr. Morris reviewed the strategic and institutional goals and their objectives. Outcomes on objective successes and those still in progress were discussed for each goal.
Next steps in the strategic planning process are continued work on measurements and targets; revise the tracking tool due to accessibility concerns, and improving communication related to the outcomes.
PRESIDENT’S GOALS UPDATE
Dr. Morris reported on the status of policy updates. Initially, 129 policies needed to be updated in FY24 including 50 that have not been updated since 2010. Of those 50, 76% have been updated. In addition, 60% have been updated to be within the 4-year period. In the last three years, over 70 policies have been updated and several new policies created. Work will continue with updates approved by the Board Planning Committee and then presented to the Board. An update on the objectives under the remaining goals and their status was given.
Dr. Morris provided the potential five Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) currently under review by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee. Those KPIs are Student Academic Success, Student Success and Engagement, Support for Employees, Resource Management, and Community Engagement and Representation. The measures and sources for each KPI were reviewed and discussed.
BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENT DISCUSSION
Dr. Morris presented the results of the Board’s self-assessment completed in Spring 2025. The average score for each of the 8 responsibilities and the individual evaluation and comments made in each area were reviewed and discussed.
DISCUSSION FOR MEETING DATE/TIME FOR 2026
The Board agreed the Board meeting will continue to be the third Tuesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. for 2026. A conflict in June will result in the meeting being changed for that month. A draft of the meeting dates will be shared at the next Board meeting with action being taken in November.
TRUSTEE COMMENT
None
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. McCracken declared the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.