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SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
GOVERNING BOARD
UNADOPTED MINUTES
June 3, 2009
- CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting of the Solano Community College District Governing Board was called to order at 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, in the Administration Building, Room 626, Solano Community College, 4000 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield, California 94534-3197, by Board President A. Marie Young.
- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
At the request of Board President Young, Vice President Honeychurch led those present in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
- ROLL CALL
Members Present:
A. Marie Young, President Denis Honeychurch, J.D., Vice President Sarah E. Chapman James M. Claffey Pam Keith Phil McCaffrey Rosemary Thurston Lillian M. Nelson, Student Trustee Tom Henry, Special Trustee Dr. Robert Jensen, Interim Secretary
Members Absent:
None
Others Present:
Ross Beck, Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications Richard Christensen, Ed.D., Director, Human Resources Jay Field, Vice President, Technology and Learning Resources Robin L. Steinback, Ph.D., Vice President, Academic Affairs Judy Spencer, Executive Coordinator, Superintendent/President and Governing Board
4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
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JUNE 3, 2009
Moved by Trustee Keith and seconded by Trustee McCaffrey for approval of the Agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
- COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
Board President Young recognized Máire Morinec, Dean of Health Occupations, who requested to comment on recent events in the Nursing program.
Dean Morinec began by stating that on May 21, 2009, the division had their pinning ceremony and pinned 26 nursing graduates. These students are the product of the entire campus community as they have taken courses in every division on this campus—it takes an entire community to graduate a nursing student. They are currently taking their National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX) review class in preparation for sitting for the NCLEX.
For several years, the Board of Registered Nursing has sent internationally trained nurses who need additional coursework, usually in the areas of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing or Obstetrical Nursing, to various community colleges throughout the state. They have been placed on waiting lists in hopes of getting a slot in one of Solano College’s classes. This summer, for the first time in the College’s history, we have offered Psychiatric Mental Nursing to these nurses. With Dr. Steinback’s blessing, we offered the summer course, thinking we would be able to possibly fill two clinical sections of 10 students each. Dean Morinec reported that we had to open a third section, as we now have 27 students enrolled. These students come from as far away as British Columbia and Southern California. We hope to be able to expand this program and offer Obstetrical Nursing next summer. Dean Morinec stated that the program is expanding, and these opportunities speak well for the reputation of the College.
Board President Young inquired if it would be possible to get a press release on this so the community has an opportunity to hear what the College is doing in this endeavor.
Trustee Claffey inquired as to the data on the pass rate of our students and Dean Morinec reported that we had an 80% pass rate for students who took the NCLEX between January and March of this year (graduating class in December 2008). This is above the state average.
Trustee Chapman inquired about what may be keeping the College from serving more students interested in the high demand nursing programs. Dean Morinec reported that the biggest hindrance for the College in taking more students is getting more qualified faculty. Most of the Master’s prepared nurses who are working in hospitals are rapidly approaching retirement age, and it is more financially feasible to stay in the hospital environment as opposed to going into teaching. We also lack many clinical placements. Nurses cannot be overtaxed with students, and many patients today do not want student care. The economy has affected in-patient surgeries, which limits student placements on the hospital floors. We have great partnerships with local hospitals, but there is significant competition for clinical space in both the private and public hospitals. Board President Young thanked Dean Morinec for her comments.
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an online class this summer. It was simple to fill out a couple fields and he learned that this summer there are 2,818 students enrolled in an online class of some sort. Mr. Field stated he was more interested and curious about what he could know about those students. Again, it was simple to go from this point to discover that out of 2,818 students, only 298 are full-time students; therefore, the vast majority of our online students are part-time. This is an important tool that will move the College forward in a lot of areas.
Dr. Don Mourton gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Banner Recovery Plan (BRP) and began by identifying the organization of the Banner structure. Added to the organizational structure, since the last Board update, was a User Advisory Team (Student), with Ms. Lillian Nelson serving as Chair. Students are the biggest users of this system, and this addition will help identify what some of the student problems are.
Shared with the Board was the BRP Percent of Completion spreadsheet. There have been significant improvements made. We are making good progress in Human Resources. They had been doing hours and hours of work manually that the system can do automatically. Challenges were discovered in financial aid, but we are still moving forward. Students are getting paid and corrective measures are being made. Luminis is a high priority because it affects students registering. A lot of work is going on behind the scenes to improve this system and its processes. Dr. Mourton was pleased to report that we are 98% complete with our MIS reporting system to the state. We do not want to cost ourselves funding because we can’t report correctly or don’t have correct information in the database. Every semester we have to provide the state with a tremendous amount of information on our students and staff and it can be costly when not reported correctly, so this is very much a “positive” in our recovery process.
Dr. Mourton shared the BRP training/implementation plan, which identified the administrative CORE systems training dates. Dr. Mourton stated that staff is still working very hard; going above and beyond the call of duty, wanting to get it fixed and on schedule.
Trustee Claffey asked for confirmation that, according to the plan presented, it appears the BRP should be completed by December 2009. Dr. Mourton verified that he feels this date is still viable. Trustee Claffey asked Dr. Mourton to advise the Board if the plan starts “to slip in September or October”, which he agreed to do.
- Board Information Requests
Capstone Classes – Vice President Steinback
Dr. Robin Steinback, Vice President of Academic Affairs, thanked the Board for the opportunity to provide them with a status report on capstone classes. At the May 6, 2009, Board meeting, there was a concern expressed that students have been unable to complete degrees in Drafting, Office Technology, and Political Science. A separate concern was voiced that perhaps we aren’t scheduling specific courses in the OT certificate/degree programs that could impede students to make progress toward their degrees.
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Dr. Steinback stated that we are concerned that we do all that we can to ensure there are no structural barriers that might impede normative progress toward completion of educational goals. Dr. Steinback requested that the appropriate deans conduct an analysis of the scheduling patterns of the required and elective courses for each of these degrees for academic years 2007-2010.
In Drafting and Office Technology, the analysis revealed that courses have been scheduled regularly and in a pattern that students have the opportunity to complete their degrees in Drafting and Office Technology in a timely manner. The Dean also indicated that in the case in which students, due to stop-out phenomenon, have been off track, arrangements have been offered to these students to complete the courses in special projects formats with faculty in those areas. Eventually, the courses get scheduled back into the established scheduling block.
Vice President Steinback stated in the case of Political Science it is true that the College has not been scheduling classes that would enable students to complete their degrees. Dr. Steinback advised she is working with the Dean to add classes and was happy to share with the Board that this opportunity to look into these three certificate and degree programs has set the College on an important path this summer, and that is to analyze all of our job direct certificate and degree programs to be sure we are offering classes in a sequence and at a time for students to make progress towards their certificates and degrees. It is our intention that we will publish on our Web site the three-year scheduling pattern so students may use it as a way of planning their lives from semester to semester.
Student Trustee Nelson inquired about the ramifications of when a student gets to the last capstone class and there is the possibility of not always being able to fill it; does the 50% rule apply? Dr. Steinback responded by stating that the College takes into account if a course is one of the final courses in a required sequence to make sure it is offered, even if there is low enrollment. Dr. Steinback stated we take qualitative issues into account when we make decisions about classes. Ms. Nelson also commented on OT 151, which in the Schedule is identified as being an online course, and yet on the Web site it states specifically that it is not to be taught online. Dr. Steinback stated that there are over 1,300 classes in our curriculum archive and apologized that she is not acquainted with each and every class, but commented she would be happy to research the concern and report back to Dr. Jensen the information for him to share with the entire Board.
Trustee Thurston again expressed her concern about students in the Office Technology Program not being able to get the classes they need in their majors and, therefore, being forced to attend other colleges. Since this has been an ongoing problem for maybe four years, it would have been more informative for the report to reflect more than two years. She asked if the report showed all courses offered. Did all of them go or were some cancelled? She also expressed concern about Trustee Nelson's comment about OT 151 being offered online.
Dr. Jensen will follow up on Trustee Thurston’s concerns. Class Registration – Vice President Waits
In the absence of Vice President Waits, Barbara Fountain, Interim Dean of Admissions and Records, reported that in her area we know there are many challenges and many complaints.
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couldn’t provide receipts, and now we can. We didn’t know how to ensure students could pay online, and now we do. There are many more improvements that have been made that are helping students be successful.
Existing concerns are the current budget cuts that hurt staffing. Our ability to complete the Banner Recovery Plan is contingent on our remaining fully staffed throughout this year. The proposed reorganization plan has caused us to lose two positions. Once the BRP is complete, this should not be a problem, but until then, this is a major inhibitor to providing quality service for students.
Ms. Fountain concluded by stating that all of the OAR staff have been working many, many, extra hours for at least a few years to try to provide the appropriate level of service for students and complete the BRP. People are burning out. Most of the people currently working on Banner have had little to no formal training and were never asked to participate during the initial implementation. Ms. Fountain stated that her staff needs the support of the Board to make sure the BRP is successful.
Dr. Jensen stated that he is proud of Interim Dean Fountain’s leadership and her team. Banner has made it difficult and painful for all employees on campus. Dr. Jensen suggested that while the District can’t give her all the employees she needs, that we as employees of the District should consider taking turns in working three- and four-hour shifts to augment her staff during peak periods of time. We need to find creative ways to help us get over the hump. Dr. Jensen thanked Ms. Fountain for her candid and honest remarks and for the level her team wants to take OAR to benefit students.
Transportation – Ross Beck
Mr. Ross Beck, Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communication, gave a PowerPoint presentation to the Board on available bus service for the Solano Community College District. He began by stating there is bus service to our three major locations: Fairfield Campus, Vallejo Center, and Vacaville Center.
Mr. Beck reported on the percentage of students coming to SCC from the various areas of our County as follows: North County (28.4%); Central County (38.1%); and South County (25.7%). It was important to note that there are approximately 946 students, or 7.7%, coming to Solano College from out of the county. Contiguous community colleges, i.e., DVC and NVC, do not provide bus service into the Solano Community College District. Mr. Beck recapped what competitor colleges offer in the way of bus service:
Diablo Valley College (DVC) – A call was made to DVC and they stated they do not have their own buses. The DVC Web site did not offer any bus service beyond local transit information.
Napa Valley College (NVC) – A call was made to NVC and they also stated they do not have their own buses. The NVC Web site has a link to the Solano Napa Commuter Information Web site.
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Mr. Beck reported that the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) has connection points with both Contra Costa Transit Authority Services and Napa County Transit Authority Services; therefore, our students have access to going anywhere they choose. Solano County residents can take transit to colleges outside the SCCD. The Solano County Transit map was shared with the Board, which identified services for Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Napa; Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo, that offer connections to Davis, El Cerrito del Norte BART, Pleasant Hill BART; Sacramento, San Francisco, Walnut Creek BART, and Winters. It was also noted that with the current economy, there is the expectation that there will be reductions in some of the service areas. For example, on July 1, 2009, the Solano Paratransit Service, that has been serving the cities of Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, and the County unincorporated areas around these cities, will be dissolved. The responsibility for intercity paratransit service for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) eligible individuals will be handled by the local transit operators serving those communities. Route 20 potentially impacts 35-45 SCC students using paratransit. Transit systems are always changing and challenging.
Mr. Beck thanked Dr. Shirley Lewis, Dr. Jerry Kea, Ms. Teresa McLeod, and Mr. Rob Simas for their input into this report.
A full and complete copy of the PowerPoint presentation is available in the Office of the Superintendent/President and the Office of the Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications.
Trustee Thurston reported that Benicia and Vallejo are proposing to form a transportation district. Her concern is how we can help students get from Benicia to the Vallejo Center. After this district is formed, it will be important to make our voices heard and advocate for a service directly from Benicia to the Vallejo Center and back.
Mr. Beck responded that currently the Solano County Transit goes to the hub of Benicia and a transfer enables students to go to the Vallejo Center.
Dr. Jensen commented in closing that summer enrollment looks like it is up significantly over last summer and that the College is headed in the right direction.
Board President Young thanked the presenters for their reports.
- CONSENT AGENDA – ACTION ITEMS
Board President Young reported the following specific correction to the Regular Meeting Board Minutes of May 20, 2009, as follows:
Page 9, line 34, measure projects, which should read as Measure G Bond Projects.
Page 13, line 33, which will assist in them with the purchase of textbooks, which should read as which will assist them with the purchase of textbooks.
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JUNE 3, 2009
Board President Young advised that she submitted three pages of questions and/or concerns relative to the Board agenda and thanked Dr. Jensen and Special Trustee Henry for their time, who answered all of her questions to her satisfaction.
- ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA
There were no items removed from the Consent Agenda.
- RETIREMENTS OF STAFF WITH 10 OR MORE YEARS OF SERVICE
(a) Resignation to Retire – Barbara Kelley
Name Assignment Effective
Barbara Kelley Cosmetology Lab Technician May 22, 2009 32 years of service at SCC
It gave Robert Johnson, Dean of the Career Technical Education Division, pleasure to recognize and acknowledge the dedication and work of Ms. Barbara Kelly. “Ms. Barbara Kelley retired on May 22, 2009, after 32 years of service in the Cosmetology Program. Barbara held the position of Cosmetology Laboratory Assistant, but her value to Solano goes way beyond the job she held in the department. I arrived here in October 2004 and pretty quickly I was invited over to the Cosmetology Program in Building 1600 to talk about the program. Some might consider it an orientation to a successful program, but it was so much more. Ms. Kelley laid out for me the income stream from the clinic, student fees collected, and program expenditures from supply budgets and equipment needs from the program, for a number of years. This was within my first few weeks of arrival at the College. Needless to say, I was impressed. Barbara’s efforts in keeping tabs of the budget are well known around the College. Say the words ‘material fees’ in fiscal services and Barbara’s name will come up. I am sure Dr. Jensen can share a few Barbara stories from his short time here. Her efforts in advocating for the Cosmetology Program are incredible and are part of the reason we were able to expand the program into the evening in fall 2005. Barbara has kept very accurate records, and whenever I wanted to know either the revenue of the clinic or what dollar amount was left on an open purchase order, she could tell me. Barbara could be considered ‘old school’ as she never moved to the digital age using spreadsheets, but she could quickly check her notebook and give you a running total of any account in Cosmetology. Barbara served as a classified representative for many years on the College Safety Committee, bringing to the committee issues that impact not only the classified staff but the safety of students, faculty and administration. Her commitment to the College will be sorely missed here. She will approach anyone on topics and issues she deems important with the need for further attention. Holding true to her values, Barbara was relentless in making her points known to increase the awareness of those around her. That tenacity has assisted the Cosmetology Program in expanding its services to the community and deserves recognition. She will be sorely missed here. She cares about Solano College.
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I would not be surprised to see private citizen, Barbara Kelley, at a Board meeting in the future, raising the awareness of those around her of a new concern that needs more attention. As Barbara joins the ranks of the many Solano College retirees, my hope for her is continued good health, adventures untold, and a long and fun-filled retirement. Even though she is not present tonight, I wish to publicly thank Barbara for all she has given to Solano College and hope she enjoys her new future.”
Moved by Trustee McCaffrey and seconded by Trustee Keith to approve the resignation to retire for Barbara Kelley, retroactive to May 22, 2009. The motion carried unanimously.
- NON-CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS – ACTION ITEMS
Administrative and Business Services
(a) Claim for Property Loss, Keenan Claim No. 417099
Ms. Susan Rinne, Interim Director of Fiscal Services, presented a verified claim form from a student for personal property loss sustained on District premises on May 11, 2009, Keenan Claim No. 417099. The claim, as presented, is timely and should be rejected pursuant to Government Code 911.2. A copy of the claim was provided to the Board under separate cover. Ms. Rinne recommended that the claim be denied and referred to the District’s insurance administrators to send the appropriate denial letter.
Moved by Vice President Honeychurch and seconded by Trustee McCaffrey to deny the claim for property loss, Keenan Claim No. 417099, and to refer to the District’s insurance administrators to send the appropriate denial letter. The motion carried unanimously.
Academic Affairs
(b) Request for Approval of Curriculum Actions as Submitted by the Curriculum Committee, a Subcommittee of the Academic Senate
Erin Farmer, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, presented the curriculum actions as submitted by the Curriculum Committee, a subcommittee of the Academic Senate, for March 2008, September 2008, April 2009, and May 2009. Approval is requested as required by the California Community Colleges Systems Office.
Moved by Trustee McCaffrey and seconded by Trustee Chapman to approve the curriculum actions as submitted by the Curriculum Committee, a subcommittee of the Academic Senate, for March 2008, September 2008, April 2009, and May 2009. The motion carried unanimously.
(c) Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour Agreement
Mr. Charles Eason, Director of the Small Business Development Center, presented the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour Agreement, which features young successful entrepreneurs. The tour will start in San Diego and work its way up to Northern California. Solano College has been selected
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have competitive speaking opportunities. The planning and implementation of planned workshops was very successful.
Thirdly, Ms. Whitesell shared with the Board the Web site for the Dorothy Herger Art Gallery at Solano College. It included a description of the gallery and the related class, a listing of past exhibitions, listings of Bay Area and Sacramento museums and galleries (including pertinent information, such as hours, admission, location, etc.), and listings for stores that sell art supplies. Art students now have a valuable resource in that they do not have to search the Internet for information regarding galleries and museums. They merely log onto the College Web site. As the exhibition coordinator for the Herger Gallery, exhibition space in the Library, and at the Vacaville and Vallejo Centers, and instructor for the Art 60 class (Exhibition Design), the challenge now is to keep the Web site updated, as well as prepare a Facebook page for students.
Ms. Whitesell thanked the Board for the opportunity to take her sabbatical leave, and also thanked the Sabbatical Leave Committee for not only selecting her, but for the extension necessary to see all the projects completed. She also expressed sincere thanks to Mr. Scott Ota in the IT Department for the support he gave her with her technical needs.
Trustee McCaffrey commented that the Web site was very user friendly. Trustee Keith expressed how very impressed she was with the Web site, commenting it was “fabulous.”
Board President Young thanked Ms. Whitesell for her report.
(b) Sonoma County Office of Education Regional Occupational Program AB 2448 Course Sequencing Plan
Dr. David Redfield, Dean of Math and Science Division, introduced Mr. Steven Jackson from the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOD) Regional Occupational Program (ROP), who presented the AB 2448 Course Sequencing Plan. AB 2448 is a comprehensive piece of legislation impacting ROP administration and operations. Its main focus redirects training and service to better serve high school students by limiting the number of adults served and requiring ROPs to align (sequence) their occupational course offerings with high school and community college courses. The certification of the course sequencing process has been a collaborative effort developed with the input of our secondary and community college partners and reviewed by other workforce development stakeholders involving representatives from government, business and industry, labor organizations and education institutions, both public and private.
(c) First Reading of Amended Academic Calendar for 2009-
In the absence of Dr. Lisa J. Waits, Vice President of Student Services, Ms. Barbara Fountain presented for information the amended Academic Calendar for 2009-10, approved at the June 6, 2007, Governing Board meeting. The amendment reflects changes which note the beginning and ending dates of the 2009 summer session. This item will return to the Board for approval June 17, 2009.
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(d) Proposed Revision of Section 4800.2 of Governing Board Administrative Leadership Group Board Policy 4800
Dr. Christensen presented the proposed revision of Section 4800.2 of Governing Board Administrative Leadership Group Board Policy 4800, which has been revised to include the title of Program Developer, Contract Education and Community Services, as classified management and has received concurrence from the Shared Governance Council and the Executive Cabinet. This item will return to the Board for approval June 17, 2009.
(e) Tentative Budgets and Proposed Time and Place for the Public Hearing and Adoption of the Official Budgets for 2009-
Ms. Susan Rinne, Interim Director, Fiscal Services, presented the tentative budgets and proposed time and place for the public hearing and adoption of the official budgets for 2009-10. The tentative General Fund Unrestricted Budget in the amount of $51,432,920 was presented for information. The public hearing on these official 2009-10 budgets is tentatively scheduled for the Board meeting of September 2, 2009, in the Board Room of the SCCD, Building 600. The Board adoption date is also tentatively scheduled for the Board meeting of September 2, 2009, in accordance with California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 58301. These dates are subject to change and are contingent on the final passage of the state budget. Once the state adopts a 2009-10 budget, the District has 60 days to approve its 2009-10 budget.
Included in Ms. Rinne’s PowerPoint presentation was the budget calendar, calendar for the adoption of the budget, apportionment budget assumptions, and other revenue budget assumptions, expenditure assumptions, a summary of the revenue and expenditures, components of the ending fund balance, and planned deficit spending. Still in the process are evaluations and plans for reduction of unrestricted general fund dollar for co-curricular and categorical programs. What is not included in the tentative budget is state FTES repayment and possible rebenching (working with the state on repayment schedule/plan); audit adjustment from 2007-08 FTES audit, possible Vallejo Center Revenue for Center status, and the unknowns of the state 2009- budget reductions.
Board President Young made the following comment and raised seven questions, which Ms. Rinne answered during the meeting: Education Code Section 70901 and Title V Code of Regulations, Section 58305, requires that a Tentative Budget be adopted on or before the first day of July each year. The item enclosed in the Board packet only contains the Unrestricted General Fund Budget for 2009-10.
A full and complete reporting of the questions raised by Board President Young and answered by Ms. Susan Rinne is available on the Solano College Web site at www.solano.edu (Governing Board – Minutes – June 3, 2009 - Appendix A).
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements.
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17. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:51 p.m.
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BOARD MINUTES.06.03.09.FINAL
__________________________________ APPROVED ___________________________________
A. MARIE YOUNG DR. ROBERT JENSEN
BOARD PRESIDENT INTERIM SECRETARY
SCCD Board minutes are summarized per SCCD Board Policy 1045 and 1046****. To listen to the full deliberation of the Board, please contact the Office of the Superintendent/President within thirty (30) days.
