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Published on 12/6/2016.

I want to provide a summary of the key takeaways from today’s board meeting for those of you who were not able to attend in-person or view the meeting via live streaming.

 

Under Board Business, the Board elected new officers for 2017-18.  The following board members will take office in January. Trustee Sally Biggin will be the new President of the Board. The Vice President of the Board will be Trustee Carol Mathews.  Rounding out the slate of new officers will be Trustee Bruce Emad as Clerk of the Governing Board.  

 

The Trustees also approved travel to the 2017 Effective Trustee Workshop on January 27, Legislative Conference on January 29-30, and the ACCJC Conference on April 4-7.  I will work with the Trustees to identify who will attend the conferences.  

 

By Board action today we welcome several new colleagues to the District and a few current employees will transfer to new positions.  Ashley Mitchell will be our new Manager of the Eureka campus Café and Foodservice operation. Tamara Wolski will serve as the Manager of Adult Education.  Sean Patton will begin service as our new Gardener on February 1, 2017.  Prudence Ratliff will move from the Business Officer Manager position to the Director of Community Education effective January 1, 2017.  We also welcome several new associate faculty to our college community:

 

·         Paul Blake, Administration of Justice – Eureka

·         Tom Dewey, Administration of Justice – Eureka

·         Billie Furuichi, English as a Second Language – Noncredit – Del Norte

·         Drake Goodale, Administration of Justice – Eureka

·         Michelle Hartzell, Restaurant Management – Eureka

·         Bill Honsal, Administration of Justice – Eureka,

·         Rhett Imperiale, Administration of Justice – Eureka

·         Alison Kinney, Interdisciplinary Basic Skills - Noncredit – Eureka

·         Eric Losey, Administration of Justice – Eureka

·         Catherine Ory, Drafting – Eureka

·         Thomas Valterria, Administration of Justice – Eureka

 

The Board reviewed several Board Policies and Administrative Procedures as a first read including a procedure related to smoking and tobacco.  I am going to recommend that the Board approve designating CR as a smoke and tobacco-free environment at the January board meeting.  If approved, the District will be smoke and tobacco free as of the beginning of spring semester.

 

The Board approved my recommendation to grant sabbatical leaves to Karen Reiss, Ruth Rhodes and Michelle Haggerty.  Also, our substantive change proposal to offer more than 50% of nine degrees and four certificates via distance education modalities was supported by the Board.

 

Resolution No. 704: Supporting and Respecting All Students was approved by a majority vote of the Trustees today.  I am including the language of the resolution below:

 

RESOLUTION OF THE GOVERNING BOARD OF THE

REDWOODS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

SUPPORTING AND RESPECTING ALL STUDENTS

 

WHEREAS, College of the Redwoods serves approximately 5,000 students every semester, some of whom are members of an immigrant or diverse community; and

 

WHEREAS, the Redwoods Community College District recognizes the value that our immigrant and diverse student populations have in creating an engaged national citizenry; and

 

WHEREAS, the Redwoods Community College District continues to recognize the rights of all

students and their families, regardless of immigration status, family structure, gender expression, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status; and

 

WHEREAS, the Redwoods Community College District embraces and supports all its students, regardless of race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, immigration status, gender or sexual identity and orientation; and

 

WHEREAS, the 2016 presidential election has caused fear, uncertainty and concern among our student and employee populations; and

 

WHEREAS, the Redwoods Community College District Governing Board believes that civil and human rights are deeply rooted in the fabric of democratic and principled societies; and

 

WHEREAS, prominent among College of the Redwoods’ beliefs are to treat one another with dignity, trust and fairness, appreciating the diversity of our community, students and workforce and to positively engage our College community in developing a deep appreciation of, and collegiality among, all cultures; and

 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that College of the Redwoods is and will continue

to be a safe environment for all students, faculty and staff; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Redwoods Community College District Governing

Board stands united with the California Community Colleges and the Community College

League of California in support of a diverse and inclusive environment for all students, including

those from traditionally underrepresented economic, social, and racial/ethnic subgroups, who

choose to better their lives through education.

 

PASSED and ADOPTED this 6th day of December 2016, by the Governing Board of the

Redwoods Community College District.

 

____________________________________

Redwoods Community College District

Clerk of the Governing Board

 

I want to thank the Trustees for the work they do for the District.