Published on 10/8/2019.
Comments/Board Business
Member Comments: Trustee Biggin complimented the staff on the condition of the Eureka campus grounds. She informed the Board that the KT mid-semester celebration is scheduled for October 24. She also discussed the work of the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) Task Force. The SCFF Task Force is concerned about the insufficient funding of the SCFF and the lack of data integrity in the SCFF. She also mentioned that a common definition of "transfer" was adopted.
President of the Board Emad commented that he was pleased with the signage on the Eureka Campus.
Trustee Mathews attended the budget forum held on the Del Norte Campus and she complimented Julia Morrison on the presentation. She was also pleased to know that the HSU transfer specialist will visit the Del Norte Campus twice a month.
Status of Board of Trustees Requests: There are three board requests that the administration is acting on:
- C.R. History—Cathy Cox has started gathering some information that may be useful in creating the CR History document. It will take a least this academic year to complete this request.
- Update on Board Policy (BP) 7330 Communicable Disease and Vaccinations—The College Council is still reviewing the draft revised BP 7330. I expect to include a College Council recommended BP in the January Board of Trustees agenda.
- Update AP 6620—The Board of Trustees asked me revise AP 6620 to align our fundraising efforts with the potential naming of facilities and buildings. To this end, I asked the Foundation Board to provide feedback on issues in the draft revised AP 6620 related to fundraising and gift giving. I will consider the Foundation’s feedback when I submit the revised AP to the Board through its Ad Hoc Committee (Emad, Dorn and Kelley) for discussion. I expect to forward a draft revised AP 6620 to the Trustees in sometime in the spring semester.
Consent Calendar Action Items
Approve/Ratify Personnel Actions: The Board took action on several personnel related items including the following:
Employee Change of Status
- James Hays moved from the Eureka Campus based Programmer Analyst position to the same position but split between our Eureka and Del Norte Campuses.
- Todd Poletski moved from Custodian I – Evenings to the Custodian I – Dayshift position.
- Margaret Talcott’s status changed from Interim Director for the Adult Education to permanent Director of Adult Education.
New Associate Faculty Appointments
- James Gordon – Nursing – Eureka
- Daniel Perez – Non Credit – Eureka
- Jennifer Rosebrook – Guidance – Arcata High
Resignations
- Charity Holik-Pino, Administrative Office Assistant, Child Development Center – last day of employment October 31, 2019
- Kelley Nolan, Instructional Support Specialist – last day of employment December 20, 2019
- Sheila Richards, Custodian I – Evenings – last day of employment October 4, 2019
Approve Bond Project Status Report: Several rebalanced budget changes (approved at the September Board meeting) were included in this month’s bond project report:
- $6,362 from Updating Career Education Lab Upgrade
- $1,000 from Automotive Technology Lab Upgrade
- $4,749 from Welding Area Cover Expansion
Measure Q expenditures during the month ending August 31, 2019 totaled $12,248. We have less than $700,000 in unspent budget.
Action/Discussion Items
Draft 2019-21 Board Goals: Annually the Redwoods Community College District Board of Trustees established a set of goals that represent its priorities for the year. The Board ordinarily approves annual goals; however, the Trustees agreed to establish two-year goals. The two-year goals provide a focus for the Board and the College and let our community know of issues important to the College as we advance our mission. I included the goals in this article as information.
Monthly Financial Status Report: The monthly financial status report covered July 1, 2019 through August 31, 2019 or 16.67% of the fiscal year. This report showed that we are still planning to transfer funds out of the general fund to the Child Development Center ($90,000), Shively Farm ($94,377), and the OPEB fund ($520,000). It is important to note that the Shively Farm transfer out was reduced. Thank you to Farm Director Silas Sarvinski and Dean Kerry Mayer for helping us reduce our general fund transfer out.
Organizational Reports
Academic Senate: Co-President Gary Sokolow--Co-President Sokolow commented that the Senate is discussing faculty development funding procedures and the Academic Senate's leadership model.
CRFO: President Michelle Haggerty--President Haggerty informed the Board that she and Professor Erik Kramer are going to attend a meeting of independent faculty unions. Topics of discussion include the State's budget, the SCFF, and the new online college.
CSEA: President Tami Engman--President Engman commented that the CSEA membership is going to vote on the successor contract soon. She mentioned that Mark Bernards will serve at the new 1st Vice President of the union. She also noted that Holley Luia is the new Labor Relations Representative for the Humboldt and Del Norte County School Districts.
Administrative Reports
President/Superintendent's Report: My written report included an update on the search of a Police Chief, a brief outline of the review process we are using to review the Board’s draft Vision Statement and Strategic Directions, and recognition for the work done to create the three new degrees. I also noted our effort to salvage material from the buildings scheduled for demolition on the Eureka Campus.
Police Chief Search—The screening committee met on September 16 and narrowed the search to three finalists. Campus interviews have been scheduled for October 9 and 11, 2019. The 11 member screening committee and Police Department staff will interview the finalists. Interested faculty and staff will be able to participate in the interview process via open forums. I want to thank Gary Sokolow, Sandi Petersen, Bruce Emad, Christine Peters, Rianne Connor, William Honsal, Myke Magdaleno, Kintay Johnson and Alia Dunphy for serving on the screening committee.
Update on Draft Vision and Strategic Direction Constituent Review Process—The Board of Trustees asked the President to collect constituent feedback on the Board's draft Vision Statement and Strategic Directions. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC) discussed the feedback process and tasked the leadership of the District's governance bodies (Cabinet, Managers Council, Academic Senate, ASCR and CSEA) with providing constituent feedback to the IEC by November 8, 2019. The IEC will summarize the feedback for the President by the end of the Fall semester. I hope to start the Education Master Plan review/revision process after the Vision and Strategic Directions document is approved.
Recognition for the Three New Degrees—We sent out a press release a few weeks ago announcing the creation of the Environmental Science, Social Justice and Social Work degrees. I want to thank the faculty who devoted time and energy into developing the proposals, collaborating with Humboldt State University (HSU) faculty and administrators and in some cases, meeting multiple times with the Program Viability Committee.
- Environmental Science: Karen Reiss and Maria Friedman did much of the analysis, proposal writing and meetings with HSU.
- Social Justice: Justine Shaw and Michael Dennis worked on a more specific updated proposal, but Dana Maher and Dave Bazard worked on this degree with HSU.
- Social Work: Philip Mancus took the lead on this degree.
I want to acknowledge the work that Angelina Hill, Kerry Mayer, and Dave Bazard are doing to make sure that the three degrees are available for students in fall 2020.
Salvaging Materials from Buildings Scheduled for Demolition—Professor Derek Glavich and Director Steve McKenzie were able to salvage some redwood paneling from the Old Library prior to its demolition. Recognizing that salvaging material from the buildings scheduled for demolition is responsible and environmentally friendly, I authorized Steve McKenzie and faculty in the Construction Technology program to salvage as much of the redwood material over the new few years as possible from the Physical Science, Life Science and Creative Arts buildings.
My verbal comments included a recognition of the work that Ashley Mitchell and Anthony Finck accomplished to make the Farm to Table Dinner and the Shively Farm Day event in September successful. I also spoke to the collaboration summit we had with HSU on October 7, 2019. Forty-two staff and faculty from CR and HSU met to discuss potential areas of mutual interest and collaboration. General discussion topics included: Student Engagement; Career Services|Development|Guided Pathways; Counseling and Mental Health; Intercollegiate Athletics, Recreation and Club Sports; Enrollment and Retention; Joint leadership development and engagement; Administration and Finance; Fundraising, and Advancement, Marketing & Communications.
I want to thank President Jackson for taking the bold step in committing Humboldt State University to a partnership with College of the Redwoods. There is a need for CR and HSU to find ways to better work together to meet our regional goals. President Jackson and I know that not only will a collaboration increase our respective institutions’ ability to meet our education missions; it will also increase student access, learning, and success.
I want to thank the following CR and HSU colleagues for participating in the summit.
College of the Redwood Attendees
- Molly Blakemore, Career Outreach and Marketing Manager
- David Bazard, Dean of Mathematics, Sciences, Behavioral and Social Sciences
- George Potamianos, Dean of Arts and Humanities
- Kerry Mayer, Dean of Career Education
- Rianne Connor, Dean of Enrollment Services
- Ericka Barber, Director, Administrative Services
- Frederick Flores, Interim Police Chief
- Bob Brown, Director, Physical Education and Athletics
- Alia Dunphy, Director, Student Equity and Success
- Roberta Farrar, Director, Nursing
- Catherine Cox, Director, Library and Academic Support Services
- Jordan Hamill, Director, Campus Life
- Wendy Bates, Director, Chief Human Resources Officer
- Marty Coelho, Executive Director, College Advancement and the Foundation
- Joe Hash, Vice President, Student Development
- Gary Sokolow, Academic Senate Co-President
- Michael Dennis, Academic Senate Co-President
- Julia Morrison, Vice President, Administrative Services
- Erik Kramer, Professor of Physics and Mathematics
- Keith Flamer, President/Superintendent
- Kintay Johnson, Director, Special Programs
Humboldt State University Attendees
- Alexander Enyedi, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
- Cyril Oberlander, Dean, University Library
- Dale Oliver, Dean, College of Natural Resources and Sciences
- Donn Peterson, Chief of Police, UPD
- Douglas Dawes, Vice President, Administration and Finance
- Frank Whitlatch, Interim Vice President of University Advancement, Director of MarCom
- Jason Meriwether, Vice President of Enrollment Management
- Jill Willson, Interim Athletic Director
- Kimberly Perris, Nursing Program Director
- Lisa J Bond-Maupin, Dean, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- Mary O Sisay, Vice Provost
- Melissa Hansen, Lieutenant, UPD
- David Montoya III, Associate Vice President of Human Resources
- Shawna Young, Dean, College of Professional Studies
- Kailyn Doyle, CR/HSU Transfer Specialist
- Josh Smith, Director of Enrollment Management & Strategic Marketing & Communications
- Stephen St. Onge, Interim Associate VP for Student Success
- Eboni Turnbow, Interim Dean of Students
- Joy Finney, Administrative Assistant
- Sherie Gordon, Interim Chief of Staff
- Tom Jackson, President
Vice President of Instruction Report: Angelina’s report included the following:
AB 705 Workshop—Thanks to Levi Gill and Nicole BryantLescher, we were one of two colleges that took part in a state-wide webinar hosted by the Chancellor’s Office in partnership with the RP Group and Educational Results Partnership. In the webinar AB 705 in Action! Experiences of Early Implementers, Levi and Nicole educated other colleges about CR’s early changes to curriculum, support structures, and professional development prior to full AB 705 implementation.
New Free Drop-in Writing Assistance—Free, drop-in writing assistance is now available for any student in any class. Faculty from multiple disciplines (English, Arts, Humanities, Social Science, and STEM) are providing assistance. The Academic Support Center is publishing drop-in hours based on the discipline of the faculty assisting the hours.
ESL Task Force—An ESL Task Force (aka Task Force) was formed to explore different ways to provide support for students in transfer-level coursework whose native language is not English. The Task Force (composed of the following dedicated members: Peter Blakemore, Nicole BryantLescher, Kristy Carlsen, Cathy Cox, Laurel Jean, Ken Letko, Jonathan Maiullo, George Potamianos, Manuel Saavedra and Margaret Talcott) recommended that English language learners be directed to newly-created sections of the ENGL-1A support lab (ENGL-1S) that are specifically designed to support students in transfer-level composition who are working to develop English proficiency. This approach complies with AB 705 and recent guidelines issued from the Statewide AB 705 Task Force. The Task Force hopes to offer this support in spring 2020.
Vice President of Administrative Services Report: Julia’s written report included information relative to the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) and the State’s budget outlook. In our discussions of the College’s Final 2019-20 budget, we noted that funds appropriated for the SCFF were insufficient to support its costs in 2018-19. Most recent estimates show that the Governor and Legislature would need to appropriate an additional $103 million to fully fund the California Community College System in 2018-19. We expect to know our final 2018-19 apportionment by December 2019.
The State signaled a mixed budget revenue projection for 2019-20. The Department of Finance’s (DOF) August 2019 Finance Bulletin showed that revenue for fiscal year 2019–20 showed that July revenues exceeded budget projections by $533 million. However, the State’s General Fund revenues for August fell short of the May Revision forecast by $250 million.
Vice President of Student Development Report: Joe’s written report informed the Board that the Multicultural Center (MCC) held a California Native-American Day Celebration on Friday, September 27. During the month of October, the MCC will hold an Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration on October 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a Dia de Los Muertos and a historical overview of the 'Day of the Dead' and an artistic activity on October 31 at 11:00 a.m.
Joe noted that we will join Humboldt State and the Humboldt County Office of Education to sponsor and conduct "Equity Summit 2019" on Friday, November 1. This year's summit topics will include Local/tribal perspective, social justice in education, implicit bias, homelessness, racial equity, LGBTQ issues, supporting immigrant families and micro aggressions. Thank you to Wendy Bates for providing the funds to pay our participant fees for the summit.
Joe also noted that our women's soccer team posted a 4-2-1 record and was recognized by receiving votes in the state poll of women's community college soccer teams for the first time since the beginning of the program in 2002.
Executive Director of Foundation Report: Marty commented that the Foundation will review AP 6620 at a future meetings. Marty's written report noted that:
- The Foundation Board met on September 18. Scholarship Coordinator Sheila Hall presented an annual summary of CR’s scholarship program for 2018-19 and noted that the Foundation’s scholarship office processed nearly $398,000 in external scholarships and $122,000 of CR funded awards.
- The Foundation Board accepted a $10,000 grant from the Berg Foundation for the Redwoods Room & Board Scholarship Fund. One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) has been raised to date and the program is fully funded for two years
- In 1997, the College received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Education to match $250,000 funds raised by the CR Foundation. These funds were used to establish twenty-three (23) endowed accounts. After twenty years (20), the Challenge Grant funds were to revert to the Foundation unless stipulated up front that a given account was to remain in place. Research is underway as to which accounts could be repurposed for a new matching gifts campaign and which accounts will need to remain in place.
- The Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee will be meeting before the November board meeting to finalize the strategic plan and to make a recommendation to the Foundation Board on prioritization of fundraising projects.