Board Business. New Trustees Kelley and Dr. Deister were sworn in and took their seats at the Board table.  Trustees Dr. Mullery, Emad, and Mathews were appointed to the Audit Committee and Trustees Emad and Kelley were appointed as the Board’s representatives to the Foundation Board.

The Trustees also elected Carol Mathews as the new President of the Board, Bruce Emad as Vice President, and Dr. Colleen Mullery as Clerk for the 2018-9 year.  They will assume their new roles at the January Board meeting.

Personnel.  The Trustees ratified the hiring of Sarah Smith as the Nutrition Associate in the Child Development Center. Also ratified were the resignations of Kyle McCans--Systems Operator, Demetrius Williams--Public Safety Officer, and Na Lee--Administrative Office Assistant with DSPS and the retirement of Professor Bill Hole from Construction Technology.

Sabbatical Recommendation. The recommendation to grant sabbatical leave to Professor Mike Haley (Fall 2018/Spring 2019), Professor Mark Winter (Fall 2018), and Professor Ryan Emenaker (Fall 2018/Spring 2019) was approved.

Ratification of the contract for a temporary VP Administrative Services. The contract with Dr. Albert Harrison with the Collaborative Brain Trust consulting group was ratified by the Trustees. Dr. Harrison, a retired Chief Business Officer with extensive California Community College experience, will have a general scope of work that includes reviewing the current general fund, auxiliary and categorical budgets; reviewing our budget policies, processes and procedures; and providing best practices on aligning the budget processes with planning. The outcome of his analysis will include recommendations for revisions to key documents and/or processes as well as strategies for implementing the recommendations. I am confident that Dr. Harrison will help the District address the findings in the FCMAT Report, continually meet and exceed accreditation standards, and improve the level of trust in the budget planning process.

His background is perfect for the work we're asking him to do for the District.  Dr. Harrison is a retired educator, having served over 38 years in the California Community College system in a variety of positions including:  Interim President of the College of Marin from June to December 2010, Vice President of College Operations for the College of Marin from 2004 through 2013, Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District from 1995 to 1999, Vice Chancellor of Financial Services for Peralta Colleges from 1984 to 1995, and a Professor for Alameda Community College from 1999 through 2004. He’s also a practicing Certified Public Accountant and is the sole owner of a CPA firm located in Berkeley.

Sabbatical Leave Presentation.  Professor Jon Pedicino presented the results of his sabbatical leave. I wish you could have seen the presentation.  It was clear that his leave helped him gain new insights into the science that he talks about every day in class.

Distance Education. Professor Lisa Sayles, our Faculty Distance Education Coordinator, led an extremely engaging discussion on our distance education program and the potential opportunities that lie ahead with the Online Education Initiative (OEI).

Guided Pathways Self-Assessment. The Trustees had an opportunity to review the District's Guided Pathways Self-Assessment document. Guided Pathways is a student success model that focuses on providing clear pathways to education completion and employment, providing accelerated remediation, embedding academic and non-academic support structures throughout a student's program, and promoting student persistence.