COLLEGE COUNCIL MINUTES

August 14, 2007

 

STRATEGIC PLAN:  Brief reports on council focus for 07-08

 

  • LEARNERS:  Academic Affairs Council co-leaders Schaafsma and Stevens

 

Carol reported on AAC work to design a survey of all faculty members to create an agenda for AAC and to get emerging issues.  In the past there has been no way to make strategic planning items visible to AAC.  Survey results attached.  67% gave us 4 out of 5 in overall learning environment for faculty; many cited a need for cross-division communication.  One short-coming of the survey was that there were not enough part-time faculty responses.  AAC identified four or five things from survey they will continue to talk about (rank order by number of priority votes):

v  Student preparedness

v  Time management

v  Focus for AAC

v  Teaching and learning

v  Low-skilled students

v  Learning disabled students

v  Learning communities

v  Career pathways

v  Information and computer literacy (add to requirements for classes??)

 

  • REVENUE:   Budget – Planning Process:  Huckestein

DATES TO REMEMBER:  August 28 & 29 and Sept 4

Jim noted latest budget was built with 8% increase in mind, we got $1 million more.  Next year of biennium we should know exactly what we are dealing with.  We still have a lot of needs, including buildings that need capital improvements, so we could be augmenting capital funds with operating funds.  What needs should we address in the next year?  Process in next couple of months:  President’s Retreat will focus on Big Ideas brought forward from August 28 & 29 Budget Retreat, then staff will bring those forward to the Board.  One crucial task is communicating Institutional Effectiveness/Strategic Plan/Budget as integrated whole to faculty who mostly see them simply as three different forms coming at three different times.  IE is umbrella, SP is where college is going, departments are the microcosms.  Jim noted that budget is organized by department, rather than program or Strategic Plan, so his staff is trying to address that by adding more information to budget.  Funding by “activity” would connect it more with SP but college is not used to that.  Fred suggested creating an action plan for integrating the three. 

ACTION:  Beth, BJ, Carol, Gary, and Fred will be the small group to work on this, then bring to Budget Team.  Rita asked that group also work to help faculty think more globally. 

 

  • ENROLLMENT:  Enrollment Management Council, Schaafsma for Clemetsen

There are opportunities for growth; we are monitoring how new resources impact enrollment and retention.  We are also focusing on E-learning and how we grow in that area.  CWSI notes that we desire to be at least sixth or higher in the state in E-learning.

 

  • COMMUNITY:  Community Relations Council, co-chairs Hogeland and Malosh

Aligning needs assessment and program reviews:

v  Nimbly respond – analysis to be done on a three-year cycle for three areas of workforce training

v  Integrate community work campus-wide to fit in with what we are already doing

v  Community is much broader than workforce; how are we serving the community? And how do we communicate that we are meeting those needs? (and what does the community want?)

One idea:  Tallahassee CC does glossy insert once a year in the local newspaper, checklist (like a report card).

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION:  What do we know about Linn and Benton Counties and our region?

Linn Co. –

v  Tumultuous situation in Lebanon K-12 school district

v  Growth opportunities – Lowe’s hiring, associated manufacturing growth, and arrival of Western University of Health Sciences

v  Retirements in local industries give us an opportunity as do early retirements nationally where those retirees are coming to community colleges for re-training

v  Chamber director was also fired this week

Patsy and Dawn reported that problems with Lebanon school district will not affect us.

Benton Co.

v  K-12 enrollment is stable

v  Talk of one-stop center

v  Corvallis more likely to support growth of small to middle-sized businesses, not “big boxes”

v  North Albany showing very rapid growth

v  New programs in high schools that could relate to community college.

STATE AND REGIONAL

v  Chemeketa now putting marketing research into programming (lifelong learning for retirees, using Board members in community outreach) building new one stop; hired full time grant writer

v  Growth in Hispanic population – what’s our outreach strategy?

v  Millennials in college

v  Accountability environment

v  Huge change in legislature

v  Transportation and I-5

v  Meth and drug use

v  Opportunities to work with Chemeketa and Lane

 

BOARD AND PRESIDENT GOALS: 

Board has aligned their goals with the Strategic Plan.

 

  • STUDENT LEARNING

Badger Report – Adams, Fugate

Ann and Marsha reported on the plan to have contracted staff issued badges by Feb. 2008, with part-time and non-contracted receiving theirs by May ‘08.  Staff would be required to wear them while at work by the start of Fall term 2008.  Cost would be $6 each.  Should employee be required to pay for lost badge?  Diane and Carol predicted push-back from some employees, both faculty and classified.  College leadership will prepare all staff for this change and give the many reasons for this new policy.  We will talk about it at Inservice.  There are a number of different systems for showing the badge (choice of this would be up to employee).  An associated web directory also brings up the issue of privacy but an intranet could solve that.  We are also investigating the use of different colors for different groups (red for security, etc.)  Carol mentioned that response to those not wearing their badges should be uniform across the college.

    

  • FISCAL STABILITY

                        WDC Update – Cavin

Rita was in DC with our new lobbying staff (given to us by Linn Co. Commissioners).  Lobbyists arranged her schedule and also got her into the Dept. of Labor.  Rita reported that Rep. DeFazio added a $300,000 earmark to the Labor budget bill for equipping of the Science/Health Center; there was no earmark from the Senate side so it will go to committee.   We can get more next year as an earmark as well.  The Dept. of Labor wants to support community-based job training programs. We can also go to Dept. of Ag. for funding as the S/HCP also relates to rural development.  Rita reported that she learned from the lobbyist that some presidents take faculty and Board members back to DC with them every year.

 

 

 

  • COMMUNITY AND COLLEGE RELATIONS

Management Team Development

Rita reported that 45% of our staff is new in the last 5 years, which creates special challenges for managers.  In an effort to support them, she is calling special Quarterly Management Team meetings for all management members at LBCC:  Oct. 12, 2007; Jan. 11, 2008; April 18, 2008; June 6, 2008.  All meeting times are 1 p.m. with locations and topics to be announced.

 

      • DATE TO REMEMBER:  Sept. CC/MESA Workshop
        • 8am, Sept. 18, Marsha Fugate on “Contract Management/Progressive Discipline”

 

Reneé reminded everyone that 9/1/07 is the deadline to make any changes to AR A101 before it is printed for this year.

 

BOARD AGENDA REVIEW  

If you have events you would like Board members to attend, let Rita or Reneé know so they can be added to the Board agenda.

 

BOARD POLICIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

 

            First Reading

                        BP 2050 – Agenda Development and Format

                        BP 5051 – Retainers/Contracted Services

                        AR A004 – Agenda Development Procedure

 

Second Reading

AR E018 – Campus, Division or Department Closure – change “animal care” to “the following departments and functions: Ag. Sciences and animal caretakers”.  – attach to go with Inservice in the fall

                        AR E006 – Personnel Records (elimination of AR)

                        AR E007 – Personnel Records – Contents

                        AR E008 – Personnel Records – Access

                        AR E011 – Retirement

                        AR E012 – Sick Leave

Fred Haynes moved and Kristen Jones seconded the motion to approve all AR’s as amended. 

                        BP 6130 – Leaves of Absence - clarification

                        BP 6210 – Early Retirement-formatting

By consensus, these policies were approved to move to the Board of Education.

 

 

CLOSING THE LOOP

Report on Library/Learning Center remodel  

Kristen reported that demolition work necessitated taking most of the magnolia trees out on the east side of the Courtyard.  Library staff is holding weekly meetings with construction contractors.

Update on Science/Health Center Project

Rita reported that we recently received a $250,000 private donation for the Center.  Dan Lara reported that on Friday, August 24th, a potential contractor is coming to talk about lab design; then this person will meet with Physical Science and Life Science faculty. 

 

SHARING INFORMATION

BJ reported that she met with her COCC counterpart and that they too are remodeling labs.

Patsy reported on two upcoming College NOW activities: gathering of LBCC College NOW faculty reps. to acknowledge their great work and facilitate networking.  We will invite high school College NOW contacts to a late afternoon event with food.  Local high schools are experiencing lots of retirements and replacements don’t always meet our requirements.  11,836 credits were earned from us in 06-07. 

Fred reported on a presentation on megatronics and automation control program, which lots of community members attended.  We are seeking an NSF grant for next fall.

Joel reported that the Benton Center hopes to add 14 parking places. An upcoming Better Bones & Balance training will draw people from all over the state.

Kristen reminded folks that the MESA BBQ at Gary Ruppert’s house on Aug. 23rd – Gary Lanctot will BBQ the salmon.

Taking a straw poll, it was noted that College Council would like to meet in the Fireside Room rather than the Board Room.  ACTION:  Reneé will book College Council in the Fireside Room for 07-08 as often as possible.  Board Room will be alternate location.   Please check the College Council schedule on the Paperless Office  http://po.linnbenton.edu/CC_Calendar07-08forPO.htm.

Marsha pointed out posters around the college regarding new on-line application tracking system.

Diane asked members to refer student disciplinary problems to Bruce and Kristen after Aug. 31st.  “Thanks for the wonderful trip.”

John reported that recently a third-year medical student gave a $1,000 scholarship for use by a pre-med biology student.  The man giving the scholarship had just delivered his first baby.

Jerry announced that Business and Computer Systems just received a $4,000 scholarship from Bi-Mart.

Carol reported on Inservice: closure day is Sept. 11th,: speaker Neil Howe is coming to talk about Millennials going to college.  We will be awarding longevity pins in the spring.  Sept. 12th will be curriculum planning day; 9 to 1, starting in the Forum.