Call to Order by
Chairperson
The meeting was called to
order at 6:01 p.m.
Roll Call by Secretary to
the Board
Present: Holden, Jeffries,
Patterson, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Absent: Canady, Creamer
Trustee Canady arrived at
6:05 p.m.
Chairperson Jeffries stated
that Trustee Creamer was not able to attend because he is out of
town attending his parent?s 50th wedding anniversary
party.
Additions/Deletions to the
Agenda
Chairperson Jeffries
pointed out that the agenda has been revised and looks a little
different than it used to. The "Additions/Deletions to the
Agenda" item has been added specifically to address some
concerns that Trustee Rasmusson raised in the past regarding Board
members getting items added to the agenda. This is one way to add
agenda items. The other would be to contact the Chair and ask for
items to be placed on the agenda.
Limited Public Comment
regarding Agenda Items
Tom Ferris: I am talking on
item VI. B. 4. That is Wage and Classification Negotiations. The
process we used for negotiations was outstanding. We had 12 people
in the room, with administrators, full-time staff support, college
representatives, and I think anybody walking in the room probably
couldn't tell who was who. We jointly worked together and
developed a good result to the process. This was a difficult issue
to address. It took hard work and creativity. I especially commend
Gary VanKempen, it still isn't over Gary, but I want to commend
the entire group on the effort.
Second thing I would like
to speak to - the document I put in front of you - who we are.
I also represent the part-time clerical and technical unit on
campus. Sometimes these part-time employees are thought of as
people who work five to ten hours a week, and it is a second job
for them. I have a couple items for you. First page indicates that
we have 204 staff members representing a budget that, (figures
have to be updated), almost $2.5 million in payroll. I will have
final figures later sometime. That is $2.5 million payroll with a
mode average hourly rate of $8.50 an hour. You have two sorts of a
group; the entire group works on campus. We have some people,
well, one person who works 6 hours per week, but you won't go too
far through the list and you see many, many people who work 30
hours a week on campus. This is full time work for them, their
livelihood, people that really make things happen for them in the
college. Second page is sorted by their wage. I wanted to point
out the distribution here. I am not negotiating with the Board. I
am just pointing out information to understand who we are. Also,
we have folks in this unit who make it happen at the college. When
you think of a part-timer, you don't think of somebody who has the
sole responsibility of making sure that half a million dollars
gets from the state over to the college. That is what one of our
employees does. They are the magic for the college. You don't see
how it is happening, but they make it happen. That is who we are.
Thank you.
Chairperson and Board
Member Reports
Chairperson Report
Chairperson Jeffries
pointed out that this item (Chairperson Report) is also a new item
on the agenda. The Board reports will be broken into two segments,
the Chairperson report, and the Board Member Reports.
Committee Appointments
Chairperson Jeffries
appointed himself to the Leslie Finance Authority. He appointed
Trustee Creamer and Trustee Holden to the Foundation Board.
I-496 Concerns
This issue was brought
forward by Trustee Rasmusson. Chairperson Jeffries apologized for
not being able to get back to Trustee Rasmusson and he wanted to
make sure the item was included on the agenda so he put it under
his report. He asked if Trustee Rasmusson would address it during
Board member reports.
Trustee Rasmusson agreed.
Presidential Status
Chairperson Jeffries stated
there had been discussion, in recent weeks, in the public about
what the Board intends to do with the interim president. He asked
the trustees to think about a process that they want to employ in
terms of dealing with this issue. He would like the trustees to
contact him and update him on what they would like to do. He
stated it is not something that will be dealt with tonight, but he
would like the trustees to begin thinking about it so they can
take it up in earnest at the October Board meeting. He stated that
he brought the issue forward so the Board could begin thinking
about it. He said he would appreciate calls from the trustees
updating him on what their thoughts are. He will catalog all of
the ideas that are brought to his attention.
GP 306 Annual Board
Planning Process
Chairperson Jeffries stated
this is usually the time in the year where the Board plans how and
what business will be conducted for the coming year, particularly
how they are going to monitor and review activities. However,
since the implementation of the strategic plan will now become
part of the elements of the Board's monitoring reports, it would
be unproductive to begin the process of monitoring reports as has
been done in the past. In a few months the strategic planning
elements should be incorporated into the monitoring reports. He
felt it would be better to set a calendar after this has taken
place.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee
Patterson and supported by Trustee Canady to postpone GP 306 -
Annual Board Planning Process until the strategic planning
elements have been incorporated into the Board's monitoring
report process.
Ayes: Canady, Holden,
Jeffries, Patterson, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Nays:
Absent: Creamer
Motion carried.
LCC Foundation Update
Chairperson Jeffries
reported the Board of Trustees hosted the Foundation Executive
Committee for an informal lunch. Several things came out of the
meeting. There was direction given to the Board by the Foundation
that there was a desire for them to get more involved in
activities. They asked the Board to come back to them with
possible activities they could get involved in. Chairperson
Jeffries has asked the President to provide the Board with
recommendations. The Board will have a follow-up meeting with the
Foundation in October and this will be discussed. There were a
number of statements made about trying to create a greater
dialogue between the Foundation and Board of Trustees with regard
to discussing future direction and how the two boards can work
together.
Chairperson Jeffries
reported one additional item related to the Foundation. The Lip
Sync is coming up on October 22. Trustee Creamer is Co-Chair of
the event this year. He encouraged everyone to plan on attending
this fun and worthwhile event.
Board Member Reports
Facilities Master Plan
Subcommittee Update
Trustee Patterson reported
that the Facilities Master Plan Subcommittee has been working very
hard over the summer with the College's Master Plan Task Force.
They are studying four different scenarios. Two of the scenarios
contain M-TEC needs, Human, Health and Public Services programs,
and auto-related programs and how they fit into the College's
space needs. He thanked the group that has met very faithfully
almost every Friday throughout the Summer. This was no small task.
MCCA Summer Conference
Trustee Patterson reported
he enjoyed the conference. There was a lot of interaction with
other trustees. There was a special session put together by the
House Fiscal Agency that addressed state appropriations and how
the money flows back to the College. Mike Hanson from the House
Fiscal Agency came to the College last week and spoke with members
of the Board and College administration. It was a very interesting
meeting.
Trustee Holden reported on
the environmental scan project that LCC was commissioned to do by
Michigan Works! and the President. She stated Doug Stites was
highly complimentary of the work that Bill Brown did on the scan.
He was also complimentary on how well LCC is working towards the
M-TEC deliberations given that General Motors is such a gigantic
partner.
Trustee Holden asked if in
the facility study the College is considering an application for a
renovation grant, capital improvement, or state grant.
Chairperson Jeffries
responded that the presentation that Mike Hanson did for the
Facilities Sub-Committee was to help directly with the
appropriations process. However, it gave a dismal outlook in the
sense that bonding cap issues, in terms of how much the State can
give - bond out so there is not a lot of available dollars
there, and it is not an election year. It may be two years or so
before the College actually goes through with the appropriations
process. The goal has always been for the plan to identify what
the specific needs would be and use the appropriations for that.
Trustee Rasmusson reported
the reason he brought up the I-496 issue was to see if the Board
wanted to create an ad hoc committee to look at the effect the
closing of I-496 would have on the College.
Trustee Rasmusson wanted to
look into the question of whether the College is utilizing focus
groups at all in the creation of teaching materials. He recently
saw an example of a focus group that he felt was extremely
effective. He mentioned the College has a relationship with
someone who has competence in this area, Ms. Kelly Rossman.
Trustee Rasmusson wanted to
know if the College has someone participating or a representative
involved with the United Way organization.
Trustee Rasmusson is
hopeful that the president can address each of these issues before
or at the next Board meeting.
President's Report
Informational Items
Strategic Plan Update
Barbara Larson and Lee
Whipple gave the Board an overview of the Financial Balance
Scenario and the strategic plan implementation. (A copy of the
presentation is on file with the official Board materials.)
Trustee Holden wanted to
know when the college was going to do the program review.
President Cunningham
answered it is hopeful that a program review will start sometime
early next year.
Lansing M-TEC
President Cunningham stated
sometime in October the Board will meet with Drs. Michael Moore
and Bill Mothersell, the consultants who have been working on the
Lansing M-TEC process. The specific date is still being worked
out. Christine Lopez will inform the Board when the date has been
set. This will take place in a public meeting. The president, the
consultants, and several faculty members went to visit the Saturn
Plant in Nashville, Tennessee. They went as guests of General
Motors to see how a multipurpose training facility operates. It
was gratifying to look at the facility and know that LCC is
capable of doing that. She also plans to visit the GM LAMP program
and the facilities there. Chris Laverty has agreed to give the
tour, and that date will be worked out in the next couple of days.
President Cunningham stated
that they are hearing very positive things regarding the Lansing
M-TEC and are hoping to get a letter of intent. Everything is
moving in the right direction.
Parking
The College is leasing 100
parking spaces from the City of Lansing. At the time of the Board
meeting there were only 9 spaces left. This will free up space in
the Grand Avenue parking ramp for students. It also alleviates
some of the employee parking difficulties.
One-way/Two-way Streets
Vice-President Larson
reported the City of Lansing has been working with a firm called
Tetro-Tech on a process of studying the conversion of many one-way
streets to two-way streets. There have already been a number of
streets that have been converted. The Board has expressed their
concern about the conversions. Shiawassee is one of the streets
that we were concerned about and has already been converted to a
two-way street. The possible conversion of Grand Avenue and
Capitol Avenue is now being discussed. The concern over Shiawassee
pales in comparison to the possible conversion of Grand and
Capitol. LCC's biggest concern is that the LCC Grand Avenue
parking ramp is designed specifically for entrance from a one-way,
northbound direction. Tetro-Tech has provided the College with a
recommendation on how they think the ramp could be modified. The
College has had parking studies done and there are still great
concerns. The City is supposed to have the final report on
September 29. The College will hire a traffic consulting firm that
will review the report from the standpoint of safety, access of
pedestrians and drivers around the campus.
President Cunningham stated the College will stay on top of this.
This is a major issue for the Board. The last resort would be to
go to City Council. It is critical to have our collective voice be
heard on this issue. She also wanted to thank Mark Latterman for
all of his work on this issue. He has been working with the
College on this issue and helping with the Special Land Use Permit
as well.
Seymour Special Land Use
Permit
Vice-President Larson
reported it is hopeful that this issue will be resolved at the
City Council Meeting on September 19. The permit was tabled by the
zoning and ordinance committee. They asked some questions of LCC
with regard to the Master Plan. Their concern is whether LCC plans
to move beyond the block of Seymour and Lapeer.
Action Items
Approval of Minutes
The minutes for June 29,
2000 and July 10, 2000 were presented for approval. There was one
correction. Mitzi Carol should be listed as being on a leave of
absence. She is listed as a resignation in the minutes.
Human Resources Report
Appointments
Administrative
Margherita P. Clark,
Program Director, Nursing, Careers Division
William F. Minihan,
Production Manager, Performing Arts, Liberal Studies Division
Ronny J. Redman,
Apprenticeship Coordinator, Technology Careers, Careers Division
Faculty
Wanda R. Larrier, Faculty
Member, Communication, Liberal Studies Division
Louise Paquette, Faculty
Member, Mathematics and Computer Science, Liberal Studies Division
Unpaid Leave of Absence
Steve Ziegenhagen, Faculty
Member, Aviation Center, Careers Division
Resignations
Mark Hopkins, Faculty
Member, Mathematical Skills, SAS Division
Patt Hudson, Chair,
Department of Language Skills, SAS Division
Roscoe B. Root, Faculty
Member, Science, Liberal Studies Division
Jerry L. Spangler, Faculty
Member, Aviation, Careers Division
Finance
State Appropriations- President Cunningham stated
that the College received $679,540 in additional state
appropriations and the Board handout outlines the College's
recommendation for distribution of the appropriations.
Trustee Holden asked if the
Board could be given an update on Harry Hill. She would like to
see the number of sections, students, courses, etc., compared to
where the College first started.
Trustee Holden stated LCC
used to have a number of MSU students who would come to LCC for
math skills. She understands that we have an instructor going
there to offer the math class. She imagines that it probably frees
up parking on campus. However, does it shortchange any of the LCC
students by offering the class there?
Vice-President Larson
answered no LCC students have been turned away because of this.
The College is lucky it found an instructor to teach those
classes, and it is a pilot program. It has freed up parking on
campus. It is her recollection that this program will not be
offered in the Spring semester. The College will take a hard look
and see if it will be a go for next Fall.
Trustee Patterson stated he
remembered Lee Whipple covering a lot on the issue of enrollment
drop off. The College loses students at the end of Fall semester.
He wanted to know what the College is doing about retention of
these students.
Provost Wimbish stated one
of the things the College is doing with enrollment management is
integrating the recruitment process. There are initiatives that
are being piloted where the College is very proactive with
students. There is contact made with the students at 3, 6, 9, and
12 weeks to see how things are going. There is an initiative
called "Info Call" which is a system that will allow the
College to be more aggressive in calling populations of students,
for example, financial aid students who have not completed their
paperwork. So, there is a model that she is feeling really good
about. The College is already very proactive with students who are
at risk, so this will expand that and integrate all students, and
look at them all the way through the process. That is the goal.
Chairperson Jeffries asked
if the Board would normally look at budget adjustments and
transfers in the Spring, and instead they are looking at them now.
President Cunningham
answered yes.
Chairperson Jeffries stated
he was very pleased with this. For a long time the Board has been
asking to look at adjustments in real time, instead of quarterly.
He feels this is very beneficial.
Trustee Pelleran asked if
and when the Perkins Grant money is let, if it is not let
retro-actively to July 1, how will that affect the College's
budget?
President Cunningham stated
at that time the College would go back and do some adjusting.
President Cunningham asked
to amend upon acceptance of the President's Report that the
Board allow management to reserve the right to phase-in the
$679,000 based on what happens. There are some things that might
be done immediately. Other pieces may wait until November or
December. Also, the phase in would be aligned with what the
College hears on Perkins versus spending all of the dollars
immediately. She wanted to make sure that the Board has that
understanding and that it is reflected in the minutes.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee
Holden and supported by Trustee Patterson to pull the Wage and
Classification item off of the President's Report to be dealt
with separately.
Ayes: Canady, Holden,
Jeffries, Patterson, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Nays:
Absent: Creamer
Motion carried.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee
Holden and supported by Trustee Canady to accept the President's
Report.
Ayes: Canady, Holden,
Jeffries, Patterson, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Nays:
Absent: Creamer
Motion carried.
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee
Canady and supported by Trustee Patterson to go into closed
session for the purpose of dealing with wage and classification
negotiations.
Ayes: Canady, Holden,
Jeffries, Patterson, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Nays:
Absent: Creamer
Motion Carried.
The Board entered into
closed session at 7:12 p.m.
The Board returned to open
session at 7:30 p.m.
Roll Call
Present: Canady, Holden,
Jeffries, Patterson, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Absent: Creamer
Public Comment
There was no public
comment.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at
7:33 p.m.
