MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT NO. 4 SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. Board Room 2405 E. College Way Mount Vernon, WA 98273 BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Mr. Christon Skinner, Vice Chair Ms. Kathryn Bennett Ms. Lindsay Fiker Ms. Megan Scott O Bryan Dr. Thomas A. Keegan, President & Executive Secretary to the Board I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL AND DECLARATION OF A QUORUM The Vice Chair recognized that a quorum of Board members were present. III. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Arden Ainley, Director of Public Information, introduced the following guests: Gina Wallace, a senior at the University of Puget Sound. Gina is researching a master s in either higher education or instruction; Kent Stanford, WPEA Union President; Kera Wanielista, reporter with the Skagit Valley Herald. Dr. Keegan made the following introductions: New Employee Noemi Rodriguez Program Assistant in Counseling and Career Services. High School 21+ Program Dr. Keegan introduced Jean Markert, lead faculty member and Program Coordinator for the High School 21+ Program. Jean provided an overview of the program, which is a competency based high school completion program for adults 21 years of age or older who do not have a high school diploma or GED. Jean introduced the first graduates of the program.
2 Phi Theta Kappa Theta Upsilon Dr. Keegan introduced Kurt Dunbar, Advisor to Theta Upsilon, and Morgan Young, President of Theta Upsilon. The Theta Upsilon chapter was recognized for excellence at the Greater Northwest Regional Spring Awards Conference. All Washington Dr. Keegan introduced Audrea Woll, the Mount Vernon Campus representative to the 2015 All Washington Academic Team and Lauren Turnbow, the Whidbey Island Campus representative to the 2015 All Washington Academic Team. Board Vice Chair, Chris Skinner, re-presented Audrea and Lauren with the medals they received from the Governor at the All Washington Ceremony in March. IV. CELEBRATION OF TENURE Dr. Keegan introduced Paulette Carter, Nursing instructor, and Justin Henderson, Allied Health instructor, both were awarded tenure at the March 2015 Board of Trustees meeting. Chris Skinner announced that there would be a 10-minute recess for refreshments and celebration of their tenure. It was moved by Kathryn Bennett and seconded by Lindsay Fiker to recess for 10 minutes for the celebration. The meeting was recessed at 4:35 p.m. and reconvened into open session at 4:52 p.m. V. CONSENT AGENDA 1.) May 12, 2015 ; 2.) Correspondence; 3.) Head Start Report It was moved by Megan Scott O Bryan and seconded by Kathryn Bennett to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. VI. COLLEGE REPORTS 1. ASSVC Galen Berger-Fletcher, ASSVC President Mount Vernon Campus, reported the following:
3 Student Tech Fee Review: After gathering feedback from faculty and other members of the campus community, the final draft of the new Student Tech Fee Bylaws is currently up for vote by the Student Tech Fee Review Committee. All changes should be finalized by the end of the quarter. Governing Documents Review: The ASSVC District Legislature has formally approved a set of relatively minor edits to the ASSVC Financial Code to represent the recent changes in the Services & Activities rollover funding process. The ASSVC Bylaws have undergone a major revision over the past several months, and have yet to be voted upon. Next year s District Legislature will present the new documents to the Board of Trustees early in the fall. Mount Vernon Campus Values Dinner: A very successful event was held on June 2, approximately 50 students and faculty were given the opportunity to build new connections and get to know each other outside of the classroom environment. Safety Survey: In order to gauge the level of student safety and knowledge about how to remain safe on campus, a Safety Survey has been developed that will be distributed to all students. Working with the administration to determine the best way to administer this survey, once it is completed the results will be reported to the Board of Trustees. Student Discount Program: To foster a mutually beneficial relationship between the college and local businesses, a Student Discount Program has been developed and implemented. Businesses that participate in this program give a discount of 10% or more to all active SVC students, and in exchange are featured on the ASSVC website as supporters of students. Currently finalizing plans for a sticker to distribute to participating businesses. Five businesses have already signed up, and almost 20 more have recently been invited to participate in the program. Whidbey Island Campus General Technology Fee Survey: To gauge student opinions regarding the new General Technology Fee, a survey about the fee has been distributed to students. Hope to gain insight into what students think of the fee and of the current technology situation on campus. The results so far indicate that most students are quite satisfied with the current technology on campus and moderately satisfied with how their fees are being spent. Seventy percent of
4 2. SVCFT students were not in favor of a new fee, and 76% expressed a preference against a credit cap if the fee were to be implemented. Dr. Keegan reported that Hilda Halliday, SVCFT President, was not able to attend the meeting. 3. WPEA Dr. Keegan stated that Julie Bishop, Library and Archives Paraprofessional 4, was in attendance as a member of WPEA and acknowledged the introduction of Kent Stanford, WPEA Union President, earlier in the meeting. 4. President Dr. Keegan acknowledged the work of Galen Berger-Fletcher, ASSVC Mount Vernon Campus President, and Rocco Strain, ASSVC Whidbey Island Campus President. He stated that both have done an equally impressive job in leading their peers and both are great students. He thanked them for their leadership and wished them all the best in the future. Enrollment Currently at 99% of our annual enrollment goal; expect to be at 100% when the SBCTC runs their final numbers next month. College Capital Projects Mary Alice Grobins, Vice President of Administrative Services, is leading the process of preparing our application for 2017-2019 major capital funding. The application is due in December; Ten colleges can compete for the funding; SVC is one of those colleges; Modeling three projects: o Replacement of Old Main WIC o Replacement of Library MV o New Professional/Technical Building - MV Audit 2013-2014 Financial Statements The College has completed its second round of financial statement preparation for the 2013-2014 financial year. Met earlier this afternoon with the auditors, Mary Alice Grobins, Chris Skinner, Kim Cook, Controller, and Jim Martin, Assistant Controller. Received word that the results of the audit were perfect.
5 Acknowledged the leadership and work of Mary Alice, Kim and Jim. A full presentation will be made to the Board at their October meeting. We are now on a regular schedule for financial audits, the College will prepare financial statements in the fall and intends to schedule audits for late fall each year. Grants Update Submitted an application for a Title III Strengthening Institutions grant--$2.1 million over five years. o The grant would support the implementation of the new policies that came out of the recent Student Success Summit. Dr. Keegan distributed a handout on the policy changes to the Trustees. Legislative Report New operating budgets have been presented from both the House and Senate. Both chambers would fund cost of living increases for all employees and they agree on the amount of the raises 3% in 2015-2016, and 1.8% in 2016-2017. Hosted two members of the Governor s staff on June 8 for lunch and a tour of the Mount Vernon Campus and the Marine Technology Center. Both staff members believe there will be a budget in place by June 30. If a budget is not in place by June 30, we have a contingency plan for operating summer quarter that would use reserves for funding. Expect that the funds we be reimbursed once a budget is in place; Other news from Olympia: o Molly Keenan has resigned her position as the Director of Boards and Commissions in the Governor s office. Keith Swenson has been named the new director. Dr. Keegan plans to meet with him later this summer. College Advancement SVC Foundation has received more than $1.3 million in donations so far this year; 99% more than last year, which was a record year. Dave Scott and Beverly Havens received the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Staff Excellence Awards this year. The awards comes with a $500 honorarium provided by funds from PSE and matched by SVC Foundation. Marketing strategies: We are now using a new digital technology that delivers our messages via smart phone apps. Individuals are able to click on our ad and come directly to the SVC website. Early results have been strong; a response rate three times the industry average. James Walters, Director of Marketing and Communications, is providing the leadership for this project. Launched a News and Information website where staff will place news and photographs on the site which can then easily be linked on social media.
6 Teamed up with Mount Vernon s Spanish-language, TV-10, to produce a series of Public Service Announcements in Spanish that will begin airing in mid-june. Administrative, Instructional & Student Services Dick Johnson, MV Division Chair for Social Sciences/English, has organized and developed a business class taught entirely in Spanish. The International Programs Office partnered with the Criminal Justice Program to provide a two-week, security-training course to a group of 20 Vietnamese police officers. Mary Iverson, Art instructor, is currently working with her students on painting a mural at Gretchen s Kitchen in downtown Mount Vernon. Dr. Laura Cailloux, Dean of Workforce Education, and staff members attended Boeing s Production Workforce meeting on May 27. Boeing anticipates hiring 23,000 to 29,000 new positions over the next five years. Boeing currently hires 16% of their employees from community and technical colleges; by 2020 their goal is to change that mix to 50% from community and technical colleges. o Boeing has sent out a request for proposals for training programs and we will respond to that request. Recently met with Peter and Susan Janicki, and Don Wick, Executive Director of the Economic Development Association of Skagit County, regarding Janicki s BioEnergy plans, which includes redeveloping the 250 acre Northern State Site into a manufacturing, research, and education campus. They anticipate hiring 1,000 employees within the next five years. We will be working with them on educational programs and facilities. Dr. Laura Cailloux has joined the Island County Economic Development Council Strategic Planning Task Force. The task force will produce a Comprehensive Economic Development plan by the end of the calendar year this will assist us in guiding our program development. The South Whidbey School District has assured us that they would like to house our South Whidbey Center at their high school. We are working on details of the lease. This move will save the college a significant amount of money, and help us to further develop programs with the K-12 system. Under the leadership of Jenny Veltri, Program Manager in Student Services, the recruitment team has developed a communication plan that outlines timelines and services SVC will provide to local high schools. The recruitment staff has met with five local high schools and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. This plan will allow SVC to be more strategic and targeted in its recruitment of local high school students.
7 5. Board of Trustees/ACT Report Lindsay Fiker, Trustee, announced that at the ACT spring conference, Carl Young, Executive Director of College Advancement, was presented with ACT s Professional Staff Member Award. This is a new award for ACT and Carl was the first recipient. The Board congratulated Carl on the award and thanked him for all of his work on behalf of students and staff. Chris Skinner noted the upcoming dates for Commencement ceremonies: June 17 San Juan Center, 1:30 p.m. June 18 Mount Vernon Campus, 6:30 p.m. June 19 Whidbey Island Campus, 6:30 p.m. (Location: Oak Harbor High School) Chris reported that he attended the recent Whidbey Island Campus Honors ceremony; he stated that Rocco Strain received a number of awards including the Admiral Yates Award, which is the top award at Whidbey Island Campus. Chris congratulated Rocco on behalf of the Board. VII. STUDY ITEM 1. High School Completion Tuition Waiver Dr. Keegan stated that information on the High School Completion Tuition Waiver is presented for the Boards review. The waiver will be brought forth as an action item in October. VIII. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Waiver of Building and Service & Activities Fees for Active Duty Military Personnel It was moved by Kathryn Bennett and seconded by Megan Scott O Bryan to adopt the waiver enacted in HB 1706 allowing the college to waive Building and Services & Activities Fees for active duty military personnel receiving tuition assistance from the Department of Defense. 2. Approval of McIntyre Hall Budget, 2015-2016 The Trustees reviewed the proposed McIntyre Hall Budget for 2015-2016 at their May 2015 study session.
8 It was moved by Kathryn Bennett and seconded by Lindsay Fiker to approve the McIntyre Hall Budget for 2015-2016 as presented. The Vice Chair requested a roll call vote: Kathryn Bennett: yea; Lindsay Fiker: yea; Megan Scott O Bryan: yea; Chris Skinner: yea 3. Approval of Services & Activities Fee Budget, 2015-2016 The Trustees reviewed the proposed Services & Activities Fee Budget for 2015-2016 at their May 2015 study session. It was moved by Megan Scott O Bryan and seconded by Kathryn Bennett to approve the Services & Activities Fee Budget for 2015-2016 as presented. The Vice Chair requested a roll call vote: Kathryn Bennett: yea; Lindsay Fiker: yea; Megan Scott O Bryan: yea; Chris Skinner: yea 4. Approval of Operating & Capital Budgets & Fee Change Approval, 2015-2016 The Trustees reviewed the proposed Operating & Capital Budgets & Fee Changes for 2015-2016 at their May 2015 study session. It was moved by Lindsay Fiker and seconded by Kathryn Bennett to approve the Operating & Capital Budgets & Fee Changes for 2015-2016 as presented. The Vice Chair requested a roll call vote: Kathryn Bennett: yea; Lindsay Fiker: yea; Megan Scott O Bryan: yea; Chris Skinner: yea
9 5. Approval of Board of Trustees Meeting Dates for 2015-2016 Chris Skinner reminded the Board that the suggestion is to hold a December meeting and to not schedule January meeting, this is a change from the current year s schedule. It was moved by Kathryn Bennett and seconded by Megan Scott O Bryan to approve the Board of Trustees meeting dates for 2015-2016 as presented. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSY. 6. Election of Vice Chair for 2015-2016 It was moved by Lindsay Fiker and seconded by Megan Scott O Bryan to nominate Kathryn Bennett as Vice Chair for 2015-2016. IX. PUBLIC COMMENT No requests were submitted. X. NEXT REGULAR MEETING October 13, 2015, 4:30 p.m., Board Room Mount Vernon Campus XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION The Vice Chair, Chris Skinner, stated that the Board would convene into Executive Session to review the performance of public employees. He anticipated that the discussion would take approximately 30 minutes and stated that the Board expected to take action when they returned to open session. RECESSED AT 5:31 P.M. RECONVENED INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 5:42 P.M. CONVENED INTO OPEN SESSION AT 6:37 P.M. XII. ACTION ITEM It was moved by Kathryn Bennett and seconded by Lindsay Fiker to approve changes to President Keegan s contract that extend the term of his appointment by one year to 2020, and to allow a Cost of Living Adjustment should it be authorized by the legislature in the 2015-2017 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
10 MOTIONED PASS UNANIMOUSLY. XIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:41 p.m. Christon Skinner, Vice Chair Dr. Thomas A. Keegan, President Executive Secretary to the Board