March 13, 2014 Minutes of Regular Meeting

The Board of Trustees of Illinois Valley Community College District No. 513 convened a regular session at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, 2014 in the Board Room (C307) at Illinois Valley Community College.

Members Physically Present

Michael C. Driscoll, Vice Chair
Larry D. Huffman, Secretary
Laurie A. Bonucci
Jane E. Goetz
David O. Mallery (entered the meeting at 6:22 p.m.)
Everett J. Solon

Members Absent

Melissa M. Olivero, Chair
Taylor A. Gunia, Student Trustee

Others Physically Present

Jerry Corcoran, President
Cheryl Roelfsema, Vice President for Business Services and Finance
Walt Zukowski, Attorney

In the absence of Ms. Olivero, Dr. Driscoll called the meeting to order at 6 p.m.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Solon to approve the agenda, as presented.  Motion passed by voice vote.

PUBLIC COMMENT

None.

CONSENT AGENDA

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Goetz to approve the consent agenda, as presented.  Motion passed by voice vote. 

The following items were approved in the consent agenda:

Approval of Bills - $1,469,023.47

Education Fund - $1,033,727.20; Operations & Maintenance Fund - $166,110.97; Operations & Maintenance Fund (Restricted) - $18,886.76; Auxiliary Fund - $180,608.47; Restricted Fund - $16,597.10; and Liability, Protection and Settlement Fund - $53,092.97

Treasurer’s Report

Personnel

Approved the stipends for the pay periods ending February 8, 2014 and February 22, 2014.

Bid Results – Multi-Purpose Paper

Accepted the bid of $23,377.20 from Midland Paper for multi-purpose paper.

Purchase Request – Fuel for Truck Driver Training Program

Approved to spend an estimated $53,000 for fuel for the Truck Driving Training Program from Sapp Bros., Peru, Illinois and Flying J, LaSalle, Illinois.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Construction update: The general contractor for Phase 1 continues to address warranty issues as they arise.  Phase 2 is at substantial completion except for demolition, re-grading, and seeding. Phase 3 is at design development and the Board is being asked to take action on the funding options this evening. The Building G heat exchanger replacement project has been completed and the sound system project is at the 95-percent-design review stage and ready to go to bid this month.  Glenna Jones advised Dr. Corcoran that Abhijeet Bhattacharya has earned his Doctorate of Business Administration – Global Business and Leadership from California Intercontinental University. Dr. Corcoran congratulated Dr. Bhattacharya.  Per Adam Oldaker, IVCC’s Mu Alpha chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta was recently honored with the Chapter Activity Award at the Sigma Kappa Delta International Convention in Savannah, Georgia. This is a wonderful recognition for the college and the dedicated faculty in the English, Math and Education division. Congratulations to Adam Oldaker, Kim Radek and Delores Robinson in the English department on their fine work.  On March 6, IVCC's TEACH club held a birthday party for Dr. Seuss.  The student group, led by Jill Urban-Bollis and Tina Hardy, welcomed 43 children who enjoyed a wide range of activities. The TEACH club also participated in a polar plunge in Yorkville and raised over $1200 for Special Olympics.  Dawn Wiggins, faculty sponsor for Indefinite Limit, announced upcoming events for the student math organization. T-shirts are being sold to raise funds for a charity and later this month the group, along with SGA, will celebrate Einstein's Birthday and Pi Day.  The event will include a digits-of-Pi contest and a "Pi"e-a-professor fundraiser.  Jennifer Bubb, Kathryn Gibbs, Becky Perkins, Kim Radek, Adam Oldaker, Tracy Lee, and Carly Mayberry attended the annual Assessment Fair held at Moraine Valley on February 21.  Sessions focused on using data to institute college-wide improvements with the overarching goal being student success.  Diane Christianson was elected to the National ACCESS board as a representative of the Illinois ACCESS group of which she is treasurer.  ACCESS supports and advocates for associate degree Early Childhood Education programs.  The Building Trades Expo will be held on the IVCC east campus on Friday, March 28 from 9:30 until approximately noon in partnership with the Starved Rock Associates for Vocational and Technical Education, Illinois Valley Labor Management Committee, and Illinois Valley Building Trades Council. This is a great annual event and hundreds of students are expected to be on campus. Dr. Corcoran thanked the board members who were able to attend the IVCC Foundation’s Irish Night annual fundraiser where approximately $15,000 was raised to support scholarships. Sue Monroe, Donna Swiskoski, David Dodge, Carey Burns and Fran Brolley did a great job of organizing the event and everyone in attendance seemed to have a good time.  Cathy Buck and Cristina Sarabia did an excellent job of coordinating an etiquette dinner for the benefit of IVCC students a few weeks ago. The response was terrific. Thanks to Cathy and Cristina it looks like this could resume being an annual event.  Dean Brian Holloway has played a key role in helping to prepare for the Alex Boye concert to be held in the IVCC cultural centre on March 29.  Mr. Boye is a British-born Mormon singer and actor of Nigerian descent. IVCC is partnering with Starved Rock Country Group on this event and Dr. Corcoran is hoping for more events to follow. The program will begin at 6 p.m. with a local group, Bagshot Row, followed by Mr. Boye. Dr. Corcoran noted it is going to be a great evening and he is planning on a sellout crowd, thanks especially to the work behind the scenes by Dr. Holloway.  The best part about working at IVCC is the getting to know the many fine people that work here on a daily basis. On Friday, April 25 at Grand Bear Lodge, the College will be recognizing employees for years of service, retirement, having been awarded tenure, and two other special categories: (1) faculty nominated for the Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching, including Charles Kwiatkowski, Jim Moskalewicz, Adam Oldaker, Sue Caley-Opsal, Michael Pecherek, Kim Radek, Delores Robinson and this year’s winner, Nora Villarreal, as well as (2) support staff nominated for the Distinguished Service Award including Tracie Klieber, Marlene Merkel, Kelly Obermiller, Frances Whaley and this year’s winner, Jeannette Frahm. Dr. Corcoran congratulated these fine coworkers. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

None.

STAFF APPOINTMENT – ADAM OLDAKER, INTERIM DEAN OF ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS, AND EDUCATION

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Solon to approve the appointment of Adam Oldaker as Interim Dean of the English, Mathematics, and Education division, with compensation as noted in the March 4, 2014 memorandum from Sue Isermann.  Dr. Corcoran noted that Adam is a great choice and will be a great dean.  Motion passed by voice vote.

STAFF RESIGNATION – DR. TRACY MORRIS, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT SERVICES

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Goetz to accept with sincere regret the resignation of Dr. Tracy Morris, Associate Vice President for Student Services, effective March 28, 2014.  Dr. Corcoran noted that Dr. Morris has been at IVCC for 13 years and the College has moved forward under her leadership.  He wished her success at Illinois Central College.  Dr. Driscoll expressed his best wishes for her.  Motion passed by voice vote.

STAFF APPOINTMENT – INTERIM ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT SERVICES

It was moved by Mr. Solon and seconded by Ms. Bonucci to approve the appointment of Mark Grzybowski, Interim Associate Vice President for Student Services, with additional compensation of $350 per pay period until a new Associate Vice President is employed.  Dr. Corcoran noted Mark has been a wonderful team player and he is looking forward to working with him and is convinced he will do a great job.  Motion passed by voice vote. 

SABBATICAL LEAVE REQUEST – DIANE CHRISTIANSON

It was moved by Ms. Goetz and seconded by Dr. Huffman to approve the sabbatical leave for Diane Christianson for the 2014 fall semester.  Said leave to be governed by the conditions stipulated in the agreement between the American Federation of Teachers Local 1810 and the Board of Trustees of Illinois Valley Community District No. 513.  Dr. Huffman applauds the reason for the sabbatical.  It certainly is something that will benefit the students.  He had concerns with the troubled financial situation.  The administration has given assurance to Dr. Huffman that the cost to the College is very minimal.  He recommended moving forward with what we can afford and take into consideration the priorities used in the budget.  Motion passed by voice vote.

TEMPORARY SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Solon to recommend temporarily re-assigning responsibilities during the period that Ms. Isermann is the interim Vice President for Learning & Student Development as follows:

Danielle Stoddard – Grant Coordinator ($2,500) effective 3/1/14 to 9/1/14; assuming responsibility for the Perkins Grant, PTR Grant and the iNam Grant.

Steve Alvin – Leadership of the IVCC Curriculum Process (one hour of overload); responsible for the Curriculum Process including chair and coordinating the monthly Curriculum Committee meeting, preparing documentation for ICCB, and working with faculty, Deans, Adult Education, and Continuing Education on new courses and program proposals.

Dr. Rose Marie Lynch – AQIP accreditation ($50 per hour for less than 29 hours per week); responsible for directing and overseeing the entire AQIP accreditation process.

Dr. Driscoll was happy to see that the College has people behind the strategic planning process (AQIP) and resources to drive a quality process.  Motion passed by voice vote.

DUAL CREDIT TUITION ADJUSTMENT

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Bonucci to approve increasing tuition for dual credit high school students to 60 percent of the standard tuition rate, effective with the summer 2014 semester.  Dr. Huffman noted that this is one of the items that the College needs to look at in the decline of revenues.  A small increase is appropriate and the College may need to continue to look at this in the future.  Ms. Goetz believes it is still a great bargain for the students and it is fair the students pay a little more.  Dr. Corcoran did have discussions on the increase of tuition with the superintendents from schools that represent the greatest number of students taking dual credit courses.  Motion passed by voice vote.

INTER-DISTRICT COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ILLINOIS VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND HEARTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

It was moved by Ms. Bonucci and seconded by Mr. Solon to approve the Inter-district Cooperative Agreement between Illinois Valley Community College and Heartland Community College, as presented.  Dr. Morris noted that ten or eleven years ago one of her first tasks was to have conversations with Sauk Valley Community College and Illinois Central College to develop an inter-district cooperative agreement to provide students the option of attending either community college at the in-district tuition rate where a high school has two different community college districts within their high school district.  The recommendation with Heartland Community College will serve the students in the edges of the Fieldcrest and Woodland school districts.  Dr. Morris indicated another inter-district cooperative agreement may be coming forward next month.  Motion passed by voice vote.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF OTTAWA

It was moved by Mr. Solon and seconded by Ms. Goetz to approve the intergovernmental agreement with the City of Ottawa, as presented.  Motion passed by voice vote.

Mr. Mallery entered the meeting at 6:22 p.m.

COMMUNITY INSTRUCTIONAL CENTER PROJECT – PHASE 3

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Goetz to approve using $270,000 from the Operations & Maintenance fund balance to complete Phase 3.  In FY2013 this fund had a surplus of $443,106 due to reduced utility costs and unexpended contingency funds.  The fund balance in the Operations and Maintenance fund would still be above the 25 percent of annual expenditures that is required by the College’s board policy.  Mr. Mallery noted that the College is paying a higher percentage of the cost on the remaining Community Instructional Center project.  He commended the staff in doing a good job in reassessing their immediate needs and their prioritization in working with the money they had.  A large part of Phase 3 is going to the Student Life Space which was originally in the CTC building but a decision was made that the counseling space would be a better place – an increase in square footage and a better investment.  He asked if the student activity funds could be reprioritized and this money be used for capital improvements.  The students have pledged to pay for the student life space furniture with some of these funds.  Motion passed by voice vote.

BUILDING C LOBBY RENOVATION CAPITAL PROJECT APPLICATION  APPROVAL

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Bonucci to approve the capital project application for the Building C lobby renovation, as presented.  Dr. Corcoran noted that when you assess all of the projects on the wish list, you need to take into consideration those that have the most impact on the students.  Renovation of the lobby will be a first-class opportunity for students to interact outside of classrooms and really take the College forward.  He was pleased that the Facilities Committee supported this project.  Motion passed by voice vote.

PROTECTION, HEALTH, AND SAFETY PROJECT – BUILDING E ACCESSIBLE ELEVATOR INSTALLATION

It was moved by Mr. Mallery and seconded by Dr. Huffman to approve the Building E Accessible Elevator Installation Protection, Health, and Safety project as presented for a total cost of $370,642, and authorize submission of the resolution to the Illinois Community College Board.  Mr. Mallery noted that the staff has prioritized this project and it has come to the top of the list because of its location to the student life space.  The current elevator in the student life space is not large enough to accommodate the ADA requirements.  Motion passed by voice vote.

PROTECTION, HEALTH, AND SAFETY PROJECT – ABATEMENT OF ASBESTOS

It was moved by Ms. Bonucci and seconded by Mr. Solon to approve the Abatement of Asbestos Protection, Health, and Safety project as presented for a total cost of $134,250, and authorize submission of the resolution to the Illinois Community College Board.  Motion passed by voice vote.

2014 ICCTA OUTSTANDING FACULTY AWARD NOMINATION – NORA VILLARREAL

It was moved by Mr. Solon and seconded by Dr. Huffman to nominate Nora Villarreal, English Instructor and Writing Center Coordinator and the 2014 recipient of IVCC’s Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence, to represent IVCC for the Illinois Community College Trustee Association’s Outstanding Faculty Award.  Marianne Dzik noted that Ms. Villarreal is the Director of the Honors Program at IVCC.  The Honors Program was totally redone and this year there was a total of 17 new students in the Honors Program.  This number is high.  Honors project courses were created and the students presented their projects at Honorspalooza.  Marianne stated the projects were unbelievable.  Nora is very good instructor and a very popular instructor.  Nora was one of those students who came to IVCC and didn’t know what she wanted to be.  Her instructor took her under her wing and put her on the path to being an English instructor.  Adam Oldaker stated Nora is a wonderful, supportive colleague.  Marianne is extremely proud of Nora.  Motion passed by voice vote.

2014 ICCTA OUTSTANDING PART-TIME FACULTY MEMBER AWARD NOMINATION – VALERY CALVETTI

It was moved by Ms. Goetz and seconded by Dr. Huffman to nominate Valery Calvetti, Part-time Counselor, for the Illinois Community College Trustee Association’s Outstanding Part-time Faculty Member Award.  Motion passed by voice vote.

TRUSTEE COMMENT

Ms. Goetz noted that Irish Night was a fun evening and thanked those who organized it.

The ICCTA Northwest Region meeting will take place at Kishwaukee College.  Possible dates for the meeting include June 16, June 18, and June 25.  The other colleges in the Northwest Region (Highland, Rock Valley, and Sauk Valley) were leaning towards Wednesday, June 25.  Laurie Bonucci indicated she would attend on the 25^th if she did not have any conflicts and Larry Huffman also indicated he may be able to attend.

CLOSED SESSION

It was moved by Ms. Bonucci and seconded by Mr. Solon to convene a closed session at 6:42 p.m. to discuss 1) the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body; 2) collective negotiating matters; 3) probable litigation; 4) pending litigation; 5) lease of real property; and 6) closed session minutes.  Motion passed by voice vote.