ACCT Summer 2009 by carol kincaid

Q&A: Showcasing America’s Community Colleges | 13 Pitfalls: A Scorecard for Community Colleges Pre congress issue FRANCISC AN

SUMMER 2009

Showcasing America’s

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40th A

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Community Colleges

Dr. Jill Biden’s new role: To highlight the importance of the community college movement

This changes everything.

Boost Efficiency. Increase Productivity. Preserve Resources. Higher education has never looked better. See for yourself at www.datatel.com/look

www.datatel.com/look

Board of Directors

2008-2009 Chair

Arthur Anthonisen Orange County Community College, N.Y.

Chair-Elect Thomas M. Bennett Parkland College, Ill.

Vice Chair Peter E. Sercer, Sr. Midlands Technical College, S.C.

Secretary-Treasurer Vacant

Immediate Past Chair Lynda Stanley Brunswick Community College, N.C.

Central Regional Chair Jean Torgeson North Iowa Area Community College, Iowa

Northeast Regional Chair James R. Perry Union County College, N.J.

Pacific Regional Chair Roberto Uranga Long Beach Community College District, Calif.

Southern Regional Chair Gregory Schuckman Northern Virginia Community College, Va.

Western Regional Chair M. Thomas Perkins Western Nebraska Community College, Neb. Lauren Baker Milwaukee Area Technical College, Wisc. Ken Bartlett Rose State College, Okla. Jeanne-Marie Boylan Bunker Hill Community College, Mass. Denise Chachere St. Louis Community College, Mo. Elizabeth Y. Chen Highline Community College, Wash. Rebecca Garcia Cabrillo College, Calif. Anita Grier City College of San Francisco, Calif. Diane Olmos Guzman Houston Community College, Texas James K. Polk Illinois Central College, Ill. Donald L. Singer San Bernardino Community College District, Calif. Dorothy “Dottie” Smith State Center Community College District, Calif.

From the Chair San Francisco: A Golden Gateway to Future Successes As the 40th Annual ACCT Community College Leadership Congress swiftly approaches, I am struck by how perfect the location is. San Francisco represents America’s gateway to the Eastern hemisphere — a region of the world that is of ever-increasing importance to our daily lives. My focus as ACCT Chair is interconnectedness, which might have seemed too abstract a concept in any other year. But when the U.S. economy began to slow last fall, the rest of the world immediately followed. Community colleges are directly affected by what is happening. Many are seeing record enrollments as students discover the educational value of the community and technical colleges in their own backyards. The federal government has shown unprecedented support — both financial and philosophical — for the community college model and, in particular, job-training programs. And there seems to be more interest than ever from other countries in community-based higher education. Of course, all of this good news is paradoxically challenging for community colleges. How do we meet the needs of more students than ever on reduced state budgets? How do we understand and spend stimulus funds and make them work for us in the long term, not just as a quick fix? How will the inevitability of an increasingly global world affect our community-based institutions? And once we begin to answer these questions, what is the specific role of the trustee in all of this — how do we deal with these challenges without micromanaging? For many, these are desperate times. But desperation draws out the creativity in people, and I am excited about the creativity sure to be on display this October in San Francisco. I’ve traveled a lot this year, and in my travels, this much is clear: for every new question I hear a trustee ask, I hear a new story about creative ways in which people are dealing with new challenges. Last year’s impressive Congress in New York City featured 82 sessions. More than 100 have been selected for the San Francisco Congress, simply because so many impressive proposals were submitted. If you have not already registered for this year’s Congress, I strongly urge you to do so. The event is not a luxury — it is an investment in your college’s future. It has been and continues to be my pleasure and honor to serve as the chair of ACCT this year. I look forward to seeing you in San Francisco. Arthur C. Anthonisen, Ph.D. Orange County Community College, N.Y.

Carmie Lynn Toulouse Central New Mexico Community College, N.M. Celia Turner Mott Community College, Mich. Nancy Watkins Hillsborough Community College, Fla. Ron Winthers, Diversity Committee Chair Burlington County College, N.J.

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Trustee

QUA R T ERLY

The Voice of Community College Leaders

From the President & CEO

Summer 2009

Editorial Team Managing Editor David Conner Marketing & Communications Specialist

Editor Mark Toner Editorial associate Kit Gray

Design & Production www.moirestudio.com – Washington, D.C. Your Opinion Matters contact:

David Conner Trustee Quarterly 866-895-ACCT (2228)

or E-mail to:

acctinfo@acct.org

The TRUSTEE QUARTERLY (ISSN 0271-9746) is published four times per year as a membership service of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). ACCT is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards of public and private community, technical, and junior colleges. Membership is also open to state coordinating boards, advisory boards, and state associations. The purpose of ACCT is to foster greater understanding of and appreciation for community college boards; support boards in their efforts to develop public policies focusing on meeting community needs; help build board governance leadership and advocacy capacity through in- service education and training programs; and support boards through specialized services and programs. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ACCT. Non-members may subscribe to the TRUSTEE QUARTERLY for $60.00 a year and postage outside USA. Third-class postage paid at Washington, DC.

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A Good Challenge For all the challenges that have surfaced recently, 2009 has been a year of extraordinary opportunity. ACCT’s persistent advocacy efforts in Washington have yielded unprecedented successes, and I am happy to report extraordinary interest, cooperation, and support from the current administration — including President Obama himself, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter (longtime chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District in California), and, of course, Dr. Jill Biden, who was interviewed for this issue of Trustee Quarterly. Despite the economy, good news abounds for community colleges and our students. New federal stimulus funds were allocated for community college programs throughout the country. Pell and other financial aid programs have been increased, allowing more students to attend our schools. The Obama Administration recently announced a new plan to support community and technical college-based job-training programs. This is just the tip of the iceberg — the other 90 percent will surface this October 7-10 at the 40th Annual ACCT Community College Leadership Congress in San Francisco. I hope you will be there to see it; icebergs are hard to find these days. We have been perfecting our approach to effective advocacy for the better part of four decades, and this issue of Trustee Quarterly includes an advocacy update from ACCT Director of Public Policy Jee Hang Lee, as well as an introduction to ACCT’s newest publication, The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy. You will find this issue packed with relevant, timely articles on student success, negotiating CEO contracts, creative approaches to meeting student needs, and a great primer on managing an influenza epidemic. Also in this issue are interviews with our esteemed ACCT Congress keynote speakers, as well as a lively editorial on why colleges are in this “mess” from the Chronicle of Higher Education. ACCT has made a concentrated effort to get great content to our members, and there is more than we can fit into the pages of Trustee Quarterly. If you have not visited www.acct.org recently, I encourage you to log on to the Web site for important news and updates. And if you haven’t heard, ACCT recently launched a new blog to highlight activities “Inside the Beltway” that matter to you, including exclusive editorials by Members of Congress. See “News” on p. 6 for more on the blog. I am proud and pleased to welcome many new members to ACCT, including Garrett College (Md.), Lord Fairfax Community College (Va.), National Park Community College (Ark.), New River Community College (Va.), Owensboro Community & Technical College (Ky.), Peninsula College (Wash.), Southside Virginia Community College, Southwest Mississippi Community College, and Victoria College (Texas). I have also had the opportunity to represent U.S. community colleges to other parts of the world, from as far as Jordan, New Zealand, and Australia and as close to home as Great Britain and Canada. As you must know by now, community colleges are more relevant than ever, and I am honored to have the opportunity to work with all of you at this pivotal time. I can’t wait to see you in San Francisco! J. Noah Brown ACCT President and CEO

Contents

TRUSTEE QUARTERLY | Summer 2009

Departments 10 Advocacy Community Colleges Take Center Stage in Administration’s Bold Education Goals J ee Hang Lee

12 Publications The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy

Philip M. Ringle, Ph.D.

40 legal Voluntary Mediation: The Antidote to Uncontrollable Legal Fees Ira Michael Shepard

44 Case StUDY The Role of the Board of Trustees in Labor Negotiations – Finding a New Road Map Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D.

16 Features

in every issue 1

From the Chair

From the President & CEO

4 News

22 Showcasing America’s Community Colleges Q&A Dr. Jill Biden’s New Role

Narcisa A. Polonio

13 Pitfalls: A Scorecard for Community Colleges

FRANCISC AN

ACCT Leadership Congress Keynote Speakers: Challenges and Opportunities for Community Colleges

48 Advisor

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45 Interface

16 Negotiating the CEO Contract Dr. Desna L. Wallin

38 Searches and Retreats

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20 Around the Regions

Making Student Success a Priority Evon Walters, John Gardner, and Mary Swing

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34 Online Degrees: Evolve to Meet New Demands Jan Baltzer

Preparing for a Pandemic Richard Dittbenner

25%

Cert no. SW-COC-001551

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Welcome New ACCT Members!

News

East Mississippi Community College

Mississippi Garrett College

Maryland Hazard Community & Technical College

Kentucky Marshall Community & Technical College

West Virginia Lord Fairfax Community College

Virginia National Park Community College

Arkansas New River Community College

Virginia Owensboro Community & Technical College

Kentucky Peninsula College

Washington Solano City Community College District

ACCT and AACC Urge Congress to Pass Legislation to Help Community College Students In July, ACCT and AACC issued an official joint statement in support of HR 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. The statement, signed by ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown and AACC President and CEO George R. Boggs, reads: On behalf of the presidents and trustees of the nation’s more than 1,200 community colleges, we commend Chairman George Miller and the House Committee on Education and Labor for their foresight in providing desperately needed funding for community college modernization and programs. Community colleges all across the country stand ready to meet the challenge given to them by President Obama to increase program completion and graduation rates. Our colleges are also the “economic engines” that will assist in the nation’s economic recovery. In order to accomplish the ambitious but important goals set out for them, community colleges will need the support that will be provided by this historic legislation. HR 3221 represents the largest single infusion of federal assistance to community colleges and their students in the colleges’ more than 100-year history. Given the current economic downturn and consequent record unemployment rates, enrollments at community colleges across the country are soaring even as states have cut support. The funds provided by HR 3221 will help community colleges to maintain and improve programs as they work to provide educational and workforce training programs to millions of students. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure final passage of this landmark legislation, and we look forward to implementing its provisions to the benefit of our students and communities across the nation. To download the official statement, go to http://bit.ly/aHM2R. For a joint ACCT/AACC letter of support addressed to Chairman Miller, go to http://bit.ly/N2QnZ.

California Southside Virginia Community College

Virginia

Acct deadlines Application to Serve as Associate Committee Member in 2010 October 16, 2009

Southwest Mississippi Community College

National Legislative Summit

Mississippi

Early Bird Registration, January 8, 2010

Spartanburg Community College

Trust Fund Board Grant

South Carolina Victoria College

Texas

December 4, 2009

Board of Directors Candidate Nominations January 6, 2010

Diversity Committee Candidate Nominations January 6, 2010

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National Legislative Summit Hotel Registration, December 4, 2009

Amendments to the Bylaws July 1, 2010

Director-At-Large Candidates July 1, 2010

Submitting Resolutions July 1, 2010

Visit www.acct.org for more information.

President Obama Announces Major Initiative for Community Colleges On July 16, President Barack Obama visited Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, to make a historic announcement about community colleges. “Today, I’m announcing the most significant down payment yet on reaching the goal of having the highest college graduation rate of any nation in the world,” President Obama stated. “We’re going to achieve this in the next 10 years. And it’s called the American Graduation Initiative. It will reform and strengthen community colleges like this one from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools President Barack Obama makes a historic announcement need — and the results workers and about community colleges at Macomb Community businesses demand. Through this plan, College in Warren, Michigan, on July 14, 2009. we seek to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade. Not since the passage of the original GI Bill and the work of President Truman’s Commission on Higher Education — which helped to double the number of community colleges and increase by seven-fold enrollment in those colleges — have we taken such a historic step on behalf of community colleges in America.” The American Graduation Initiative is comprised of four programs. The funding as proposed by the Administration is $12 billion over 10 years. According to the White House’s fact sheet, the initiative will create: • The Community College Challenge Fund: The Challenge Fund, $9 billion over ten years, will provide competitive grants to community colleges and states to build partnerships, expand course offerings, improve remedial and adult education, innovate and expand proven reforms, and provide support services. • The College Access and Completion Fund: The Completion Fund will support efforts to increase college graduation rates and close achievement gaps, including those at community colleges. The College Access and Completion Fund was proposed in the President’s FY2010 budget request at $2.5 billion over five years. • A Fund for Community College Facilities: President Obama is proposing a new $2.5 billion fund to catalyze $10 billion in community college facility investments that will expand the colleges’ ability to meet employer and student needs. The resources could be used to pay the interest on bonds or other debt, seed capital campaigns, or create state revolving loan funds. • The New Online Skills Laboratory: This program, funded at $500 million over 10 years, will support grants to create new open-access online courses. The Departments of Defense, Education, and Labor will work together to make the courses freely available through one or more community colleges and the Defense Department’s distributed learning network, explore ways to award academic credit based upon achievement rather than class hours, and rigorously evaluate the results. The Administration is working with Congress to use the savings from the conversion of the Federal Family Loan Program to the Direct Loan program to support the American Graduation Initiative. For full details and the latest developments, go to www.acct.org/advocacy/latest. Keep up to date with the latest action in Washington by signing up for ACCT’s LAW E-Alerts by e-mailing publicpolicy@acct.org with “LAW Alert” in the subject line.

ACCT Blog Brings Trustees ‘Inside the Beltway’ ACCT is excited to announce the launch of Community College News from Inside the Beltway, its new blog to highlight legislative activity in Washington. n addition to legislative and ACCT updates from the nation’s capital, the blog features occasional guest editorials from high-profile individuals who support community colleges. Recent guest bloggers included Congressmen John B. Larson (D-Conn.) and Tom Latham (R-Iowa). The new blog serves as a platform to report brief summaries of meetings attended on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, as well as related information, including ACCT’s lauded Latest Action in Washington news alerts. Readers can choose to receive daily summaries of all posts automatically by e-mail, share posts with others, and comment on all posts. We welcome and look forward to your comments on the blog, and we hope that you will use it to stay up to date. Go to www.communitycollegebeltwaynews. blogspot.com and bookmark Inside the Beltway today! T RUS T EE Q U A R T ER L Y s u m m e r 2 0 0 9

ACCT President Speaks at International Events ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown was invited to speak at the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Community and Technical College Education Symposium in Amman, Jordan. Held in June, the two-day conference provided education leaders, private sector representatives, and government officials the opportunity to exchange ideas about global economic trends impacting postsecondary education, share information about the U.S. community college and vocational education system, and highlight educational innovations taking place in the region. Ministers of Higher Education from across the BMENA were invited to send delegations of five individuals representing their ministries, academic

ACCT President J. Noah Brown joins international peers on a virtual panel to discuss the unique role of community colleges in economic recovery and sustainability.

community, and private sector to participate in the conference. A number of NGOs and private-sector representatives from the region and the United States also attended. For more information, visit bmena.state.gov. Also in June, Brown spoke on a panel of international higher education leaders for the New Zealand Institute of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP) “Skilling NZ’s Recovery” conference. Brown spoke about the unique role of community and technical colleges in economic recovery and long-term sustainability. His co-panelists included community and technical college leaders from the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, the Association of Colleges (United Kingdom), and TAFE Directors Australia, all of whom were broadcast to the New Zealand conference from their home countries.

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News Ed Secretary Duncan Announces Grant Competition for Displaced Workers U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited the Milwaukee Area Technical College in Wisconsin in June to announce a $7 million special competitive grant to establish innovative and sustainable community college programs that prepare displaced workers for second careers. The first-of-its-kind grant program will be used to develop national models that can be replicated across the country, especially in communities where auto workers have lost their jobs. Accompanied by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Milwaukee Area Technical College Acting President Vicki Martin, and Manpower Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Joerres, Duncan called upon Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the institutions of higher learning, private and public Obama Administration’s support of community nonprofit organizations, and other agencies to colleges at the 2009 Community College National propose model programs for training adults to Legislative Summit in February. pursue family-sustaining second careers. “Education is the catalyst for a strong economy and the means by which adults will reinvent themselves and rebuild the industrial cities that have been the foundation of our nation,” Duncan said. “The Obama Administration is committed to supporting auto communities and workers who have been displaced from their jobs. Community colleges are invaluable resources for adults seeking to acquire new skills that are needed by employers.” For more information about the FIPSE program, visit the Department of Education site at http://tinyurl.com/jdunz.

ACCT VP Receives National Award from Dominican Republic President On June 27, Dr. Narcisa A. Polonio, ACCT’s Vice President for Education, Research, and Board Leadership Services, was honored was honored by Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez for her outstanding leadership in the field of education. Domican Republic Education Secretary Melanio Walls expressed that “today we [recognize] the merit, the commitment, and the imperishable legacy of those who have assumed the educational profession as a distinguishing seal of their lives, trusting that education is Polonio and President Fernandez. the most expeditious route to expand on incommensurate talents and potential.” Dr. Polonio was born in the Dominican Republic. Her family relocated to the South Bronx neighborhood of New York when she was 11 years old to seek a “better life.” Without English-language fluency, she was unable to enroll in a U.S. public school until the age of 12; however, her passion for education led her to earn degrees from Foothill Community College (Calif.), San Jose State University, Stanford University, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she earned her Ed.D. A former president of two community colleges, she has served on several higher education and other boards and has taught at various institutions, including Harvard University. ACCT’s Board of Directors and staff congratulate Dr. Polonio on this prestigious honor.

ACCT Initiative to Focus on Global Partnerships ACCT Chair Dr. Arthur C. Anthonisen eloquently discussed the interconnectedness of today’s education systems, economies, and cultures at last fall’s ACCT Community College Leadership Congress in New York City, just as the United States was beginning to feel the effects of the global economic crisis. That theme will be reflected not only by this October’s ACCT Congress, but also in the association’s programs and services as we move into a globally interconnected future. As part of his theme and focus, Anthonisen called for the creation of an ACCT Task Force on Global Priorities & Partnerships (also known as the ACCT Global Task Force). The purpose of the task force is to review ACCT partnerships and activities relating to global exchanges and understanding and then develop recommendations for the ACCT Board of Directors regarding the creation of a

framework and guidelines for: • Assessing and evaluating future opportunities for partnerships and activities relating to fostering global understanding and exchange of community college governance; and • Determining the relevance of such partnerships and activities to ACCT’s mission to support through education and advocacy the mission of community college governing boards. The ACCT Global Task Force held its first meeting on April 6. Task Force members were able to focus quickly on key issues and possible areas of focus consistent with ACCT’s mission and partnership. The task force plans to conduct a Web-based survey on the number and type of global programs offered by community colleges. Ph.D. candidates will help collect and analyze survey data in order to increase the

knowledge and understanding of the breadth of programs and services offered by community colleges. Task force members include: Thomas M. Bennett, Global Task Force Chair and ACCT Chair-Elect, Parkland (Ill.) College; Dr. Arthur Anthonisen, ACCT Chair, Orange County (N.Y.) Community College; J. Noah Brown, Ex Officio member and ACCT President and Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Richard Carpenter, Board Member, CCID, and Chancellor, Lone Star College System, Texas; Dr. Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO, Institute of International Education; Dr. Madeleine F. Green, Vice President of International Initiatives, American Council on Education; Judy Irwin, Director of International Programs and Services, American Association of Community Colleges; and Marlene M. Johnson, Executive Director and CEO, NAFSA - Association of International Educators.

7 REASONS TO ATTEND THE SAN FRANCISCO CONGRESS 1. SURVIVE (AND THRIVE) DESPITE THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN—Learn new ways to cope with and navigate the educational landscape during today’s turbulent economic times and achieve success in an increasingly global economy. 2. INTERACT WITH MAJOR FOUNDATIONS THAT INVEST IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES—Connect and establish relationships with leaders of major national foundations and philanthropies in attendance, and learn about their interests and priorities in supporting community colleges.

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10.10.2009

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ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY Navigating the Educational Landscape During Turbulent Times

The 40th Annual ACCT Community College Leadership Congress is an important platform for networking, continuing education, and promotion that should not be missed by any community college trustee, president or other advocate interested in weathering the financial storm and coming out ahead. MORE INFORMATION //

3. MEET GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND LAWMAKERS—The ACCT Congress is regularly attended by high-ranking officials from the Department of Education and other influential government offices. 4. INTERACT WITH CORPORATE LEADERS—Interact with members of ACCT’s Corporate Council and other leaders who have a vested interest in community colleges. 5. GET UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THE STIMULUS PLAN AND FEDERAL PRIORITIES AND LEARN HOW THEY CAN BENEFIT YOUR COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY—Knowledgeable public policy experts will be at your disposal to guide you through federal funding processes. 6. PROMOTE AND GAIN NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR YOUR COLLEGE— Promote your college’s programs and activities. 7. BE PROACTIVE IN HELPING YOUR COMMUNITIES—Take part in the only national meeting that focuses on giving community college trustees, presidents and other advocates the information and tools you need to assure success.

www.acct.org / events / annualcongress / 09

QUESTIONS? // CALL 202-775-4667 OR E-MAIL CONGRESS@ACCT.ORG

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News Model Standards of Good Practice for Trustee Boards In Support Of Effective Community College Governance, the Board Believes: n

That it derives its authority from the community and that it must always act as an advocate on behalf of the entire community;

That it must clearly define and articulate its role;

That it is responsible for creating and maintaining a spirit of true cooperation and a mutually supportive relationship with its CEO;

That it always strives to differentiate between external and internal processes in the exercise of its authority;

That its trustee members should engage in a regular and ongoing process of in-service training and continuous improvement;

That its trustee members come to each meeting prepared and ready to debate issues fully and openly;

That its trustee members vote their conscience and support the decision or policy made;

That its behavior, and that of its members, exemplify ethical behavior and conduct that is above reproach;

That it endeavors to remain always accountable to the community;

That it honestly debates the issues affecting its community and speaks with one voice once a decision or policy is made.

Adopted by the ACCT Board of Directors, October 2000. * The term “board” refers to a community college board of trustees or appropriate governing authority.

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Rep. Larson Introduces Community College Technology Access Act Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, joined 15 other members of Congress to introduce the Community College Technology Access Act of 2009, HR 2060. The legislation would allow community colleges to open the doors of their technology labs and provide computer skills training to workers and the public. “By broadening their mission, community colleges have the potential to be a hub to train our workforce for the jobs of the future,” Larson said. “With this legislation, we are helping them fulfill their potential and boost local economies around the country.” The legislation would provide funding to community colleges that offer technology training and open their computer labs to the public for at least 30 hours each week. Then-Senator Barack Obama included a similar idea in his platform during his campaign for the presidency. ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown spoke in support of the legislation, noting that it would “enable the nation’s community colleges to extend service to their communities by allowing workers to retrain or retool their computer skills. Community colleges are on the ACCT President Noah Brown introduces the Community College Technology Act of 2009 alongside members of Congress. front lines in our communities and constitute economic engines that are vital to turning around our economy and promoting prosperity.” “Through this legislation, community colleges will able to reach out to those who need access to technology, realizing their mission of service and responsiveness to their communities,” Brown said. “ACCT is pleased to support this critically important legislation, and we look forward to its passage and eventual funding by Congress.”

Past ACCT Chair Kitty Boyle Elected CCATT President The first annual meeting of the Community College Association of Texas Trustees took place June 13 on the campus of Austin Community College. Statewide officers were elected for the coming year: President Kitty Boyle, Dallas Community College; Immediate Past President Roberto Zárate, Alamo Colleges; Allen Kaplan, President Elect, Austin Community College; Treasurer Molly Beth Malcolm, Texarkana College; and Secretary Pete Saenz, Laredo Community College. At Large Directors elected were: Trey McCampbell, Del Mar College; Lydia Santibanez, Temple College; and Nicolas Dominguez, El Paso Community College. CCATT’s mission is to unite and mobilize community college trustees to work with

CCATT 2009 Executive Board (Left to Right): Pete Saenz, Laredo Community College; Lydia Santibanez, Temple College; Allen Kaplan, Austin Community College; Molly Beth Malcolm, Texarkana College; Trey McCampbell, Del Mar College; Roberto Zárate, Alamo Colleges; and Kitty Boyle, Dallas Community College.

the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) in advocating for and further advancing education, education-related legislation, and increased recognition of the impact of community colleges on the economy of Texas. During the 81st session

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of the Texas legislature, the new statewide organization testified before the Texas Workforce Board and the Legislative Budget Board, in addition to logging many individual visits and contacts with legislators on issues of importance to community colleges.

ACCT L I F E T I M E M E M B E R S H I P

Do you have board members getting ready to retire? Are you looking for ways to recognize them for their hard work and dedication? Don't let them go without an ACCT Lifetime Membership!

7 Reasons to Give a Lifetime Membership

1. Giving outstanding and retiring board members a Lifetime Membership to ACCT is a way to thank them for their service, recognize them among their peers, and ensure an ongoing interest in your college. 2. Lifetime Members receive complimentary registration to all ACCT meetings, including the Annual Congress and the National Legislative Summit after retiring from their local boards. 3. Lifetime Members receive all of ACCT's award-winning publications, including Trustee Quarterly magazine and the Advisor and From the Desk of ACCT newsletters. 4. Lifetime Members are recognized publicly in Trustee Quarterly, on the ACCT Web site, and more. 5. The Lifetime Membership program supports and promotes ACCT's continuing trustee education and professional development. 6. Colleges that purchase Lifetime Memberships can deduct the expense from taxes, to the fullest extent allowed by law. 7. It's just a nice thing to do—and hasn't your retiring trustee earned it?

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For applications or assistance, go to www.acct.org/membership/lifetime/honor-trustee.php or contact the ACCT Membership Department by telephone at (202) 775-4667 or e-mail acctinfo@acct.org.

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advocacy

Community Colleges Take Center Stage in Administration’s Bold Education Goals

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President Barack Obama makes historic announcement in support of community colleges at Macomb Community College in Michigan To increase access and help students pay for college, Congress also included in the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) a new American Opportunity Tax Credit for 2009 and 2010, which will provide a tax credit of up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition and related expenses paid during each tax year. Under this new tax credit, taxpayers will receive a tax credit based on 100 percent of the first $2,000 of tuition and related expenses (including books) paid during the taxable year and 25 percent of the next $2,000 of tuition and related expenses. Forty percent of the credit would be refundable. These changes will allow countless more college students to attend and pay for college. But America cannot reach the 2020 goal with just the students currently in the educational pipeline. The next phase of the administration’s effort is focused on

reaching displaced workers and adults, and the Obama Administration has a made a series of announcements and speeches that emphasize the profile and importance of the nation’s community colleges in this effort. The administration’s focus on community colleges has been both prominent and public. In May, Obama called community colleges “one of America’s most underappreciated assets.” He added, “These schools offer practical education and technical training, and they’re increasingly important centers of learning where Americans can prepare for the jobs of the future.” The President went on to describe a remarkable new initiative: “I’m asking Dr. Jill Biden, a community college professor who’s devoted her entire life to education — and who happens to be married to

During his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama laid out a bold education goal for the country: “By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” Since this statement, the Obama Administration has been actively pursuing legislative and regulatory efforts to reach this goal and ensure economic prosperity. While the goal is explicitly geared toward post-secondary education, the administration is also taking a look at the broad spectrum of education, from pre-K to lifelong learning. In his address, the president outlined a major proposal to make significant changes to the Pell Grant program. The program would be converted into a mandatory “entitlement,” with guaranteed increases in the maximum each year, determined by adding 1 percent to the Consumer Price Index. This change would ensure that students would know that the Pell Grant was secure and would increase based upon the cost of living each year. Another pillar of the administration’s plans is the creation of a College Access and Completion Fund that provides grants to states to design innovative programs that increase enrollment and completion. Both of these changes would be funded through the savings realized by eliminating the Federal Family Education Loan Education Loan (FFEL) Program. Instead, all new loans would originate through the Direct Lending Program, with estimated savings of $87 billion. Earlier this year, Congress included budget reconciliation language in the FY2010 budget resolution allowing lawmakers to pass legislation to implement this major change without overcoming a Senate filibuster. Congress is working now to implement these changes with a deadline of October 2009.

by Jee Hang Lee

Obama’s College Education Challenge “I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community

the vice president — to lead a national effort to raise awareness about what we’re doing to open the doors to our community colleges.” Most importantly, on July 14, President Obama made an announcement at Macomb Community College in Michigan, outlining the largest single federal investment for community colleges in history. “I’m announcing the most significant down payment yet on reaching the goal of having the highest college graduation rate of any nation in the world,” he said. “We’re going to achieve this in the next 10 years. It’s called the American Graduation Initiative. It will reform and strengthen community colleges like this one from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need — and the results workers and businesses demand. Through this plan, we seek to help an additional five million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade.” The initiative totals $12 billion. Some $2.5 billion is allocated for community college facilities modernization. Another $9 billion over 10 years will go to Community College Challenge Fund that will provide competitive grants to community colleges and states to build partnerships, expand course offerings, improve remedial and adult education, innovate and expand proven reforms, and provide support services. Finally, $500 million over ten years is allocated to support grants that will create new open-access online courses. At the time of this article, the House Education and Labor Committee passed its budget reconciliation bill, HR 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, which supports the President’s initiatives, including

converting the FFEL Program and using the savings to increase the Pell Grant maximum, and supporting the American Graduation Initiative at $9.5 billion ($2.5 billion in FY2011 for community college facilities modernization and $7 billion in competitive grants to community colleges and states). The bill is expected to pass in the House, although there may be some modifications. Senate deliberation will be difficult and it will be incumbent on community college supporters to be vocal in their support for the bill. Additionally, Congress and the administration are slated to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (better known as No Child Left Behind) and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) during the 111th Congress. WIA will provide the administration and Congress another opportunity to increase the role and participation of community colleges. With these major changes on the horizon, community colleges across the country will be in line for significant resource increases. Increased resources will bring increased scrutiny, but community colleges are ready to meet the challenges outlined by the President and bring economic prosperity to their communities. Please follow this crucial legislative process through ACCT’s LAW E-Alert and Inside the Beltway Blog, http:// communitycollegebeltwaynews.blogspot. com. To sign up for the LAW E-Alerts, email publicpolicy@acct.org with “LAW Alert” in the subject of the e-mail.

ACCT Director of Public Policy Jee Hang Lee can be reached by e-mail at jhlee@acct.org or by phone at 202-775-4667.

college or a four-year school, vocational training, or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training, may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country — and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”

President Barack Obama in his Address to Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009

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P u b l i c at i o n s

The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy:

Engaging in Citizen Action to Advance Educational Opportunities in Your Community

ACCT is proud to announce the publication of The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy: Engaging in Citizen Action to Advance Educational Opportunities in Your Community, a new publication created to guide community college trustees through the ins and outs of effective advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. “This publication,” writes ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown in the foreword, “is designed to equip community college trustees with the information and insights to prepare and enable them to be successful advocates on behalf of their colleges. Trustees are accountable to and answer to their communities. When community college trustees fail to exercise their responsibility to be advocates — to be seen as the face of their colleges in their community — fewer students gain a foothold in the new economy, businesses lose a critical workforce education partner, and community and state economic development suffers.” ACCT Vice President for Research, Education, and Board Leadership Services Narcisa A. Polonio adds that the book is “dedicated to maintaining the tradition established by the thousands of trustees who, since the creation of the community college system in America, have engaged in citizen action to advance educational and workforce opportunities for their communities. We acknowledge and celebrate the last 50 years of growth and success as community colleges became an integral part of American higher education.” This publication serves as a tool for new trustees and presidents, as well as a refresher for experienced leaders. Section I provides an introduction and 12

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This updated publication was inspired by the thousands of citizen trustees and advocates who in the past, present, and the future have given, now give, and will give freely of their time on behalf of our nation’s community colleges. The goals of this publication are to offer practical information about how best to advocate for colleges and, through sharing experiences, to capture effective advocacy practices throughout the country. definition of advocacy. Section II covers advocacy at the national level, Section III covers state-level policy efforts, and Section IV addresses effective local-level advocacy. Following these overviews are articles that detail the creation of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Community College Caucuses, profiles of two state-based advocacy efforts, and a case study to serve as a tool to encourage discussion. Also included are a glossary of Congressional terms, descriptions of important Congressional committees, an overview of the federal budgeting process, advocacy resources and links, and legislative worksheets and meeting tips.

THE TRUSTEE ’S ROLE IN

E F F EC T I V E ADVOCACY Engaging in Advance Educ Citizen Action to ational O in Your Comm pportunities unity

WH AT TRUSTE ES NEED TO ABOU T EX ERC KNOW ISING THEIR VOICES AN D ON BEHA LF INFLU ENCE OF COMMUN ITY COLLEGE S

In the book, ACCT Director of Public Policy Jee Hang Lee walks readers through community college advocacy in the 21st century, with explanations of the Congressional Community College Caucuses, today’s community college legislative agenda, and forward-thinking approaches to community college advocacy. “As the country and local communities work to compete in a global economy,” Lee writes, “community colleges must be engaged and supported as the economic engines that they are in order to maximize the results and ultimately help individuals and communities to strive and succeed in this ever-changing economy.”

Let the LAW work for you The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy is indeed an important one. Make sure every member of your board is equipped to advocate effectively with this book To order, use the order form in this

issue of Trustee Quarterly or download a form online at www.acct.org/resources/ publications/bookstore.php. For more information, e-mail publications@acct. org or call (202) 775-4667.

The Outcome of Effective Advocacy From the very first days of the year, 2009 has proven the importance of community college advocacy. Even before President Barack Obama took office, ACCT’s public policy and communications departments and other community college advocates were working hard to educate the incoming administration about the importance of community and technical colleges to the nation’s education system and its economy. By the time Obama had moved into the White House in January, community and technical colleges were receiving significant recognition from the federal government. The president called community colleges “a great and undervalued resource.” Unprecedented stimulus funds were released to combat the economic recession and, of the money given to the Department of Education, a significant portion was allocated specifically for community colleges, technical education, and job-training programs provided by community and technical colleges. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke in support of community colleges at the 2009 National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., organized by ACCT with AACC. In June, Duncan testified that “community colleges play a huge role in the trajectory of education continuum” and that community colleges “have been a highly underutilized, undervalued resource.” He mentioned the nomination of Martha Kanter, chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in California, to the position of Under Secretary of Education as a “strategic” placement to include community colleges at the federal legislative level. ACCT, along with community college leaders throughout the country, has worked hard to receive this level of recognition in Washington. Why? Because advocacy works.

Timing is everything when it comes to advocacy, but not everyone has time to pay attention to pending legislation day in and day out. ACCT’s Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alerts do the work for you. Since 2008, over 500 new people have signed up to receive ACCT’s LAW Alert e-mails — brief summaries of legislative actions e-mailed to subscribers as legislation happens, giving community college trustees, presidents, and other leaders and advocates time to contact their representatives and exert influence before it’s too late. Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the LAW E-Alert network. To join, simply e-mail publicpolicy@acct.org with “LAW Alert” in the subject of the e-mail. For more information about ACCT’s advocacy services, visit www.acct.org/advocacy.

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Making Student Success a Priority BY Evon Walters, John Gardner, AND Randy Swing

emanding economic conditions and heightened levels of external accountability, especially from regional

accreditors, are requiring community colleges to deal more strategically with helping students meet their

desired learning goals. A central issue in this increasing public scrutiny is student success, which includes but is not limited to the common measures of graduation, transfer, and retention rates. Nonetheless, a 2004

American College Testing (ACT) study of more than 400 public and private community colleges found that almost 28 percent of these community colleges functioned without any strategic goals regarding student retention and tended to attribute attrition to student rather than institutional characteristics. Nationally, this issue has become the focus of such programs as the Achieving the Dream initiative for addressing barriers to student success for low-income students and students of color, the Foundations of Excellence project to enhance the first-year student experience, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s recent philanthropic focus on community college completion rates. Of particular interest to such reform movements has been the success rate of first-year students, who arrive at these institutions with wide-ranging academic abilities, needs, and aspirations. In a 2008 report, ACT found that public community and technical colleges had the lowest first-to-second-year retention rates within higher education, at just 53.7 percent. As discussed below, the trustees of such institutions can help ensure that their organizations are programmatically and fiscally able to meet the needs of these students by providing leadership firmly committed to: • Making data-informed decisions that are student-centered, measurable, and grounded in best practices; and • Ensuring that their respective institutions embrace a planning framework that is focused on comprehensively reviewing all aspects of the organization and which engages the collective input and participation of all key stakeholders. These principles would serve as an anchor in attending to the ultimate outcomes of: • Comprehensively assessing a college’s status and capacity to support student success and; • Based on such an assessment, establishing an informed prioritized strategic action plan that would look to improve student outcomes and student success.

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Establishing a Culture of Evidence Unfortunately, extensive use of data to inform decisions remains more an aspiration than a reality for most colleges and universities. Achieving the Dream and other initiatives aimed at improving student success have found that inadequate data, poor-quality data, and limited capacity for data analysis often hamper improvement efforts. A recent study by the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), for instance, found that most community colleges invest less than one full-time position in data reporting and institutional research. Further, the most common statistical tool available to most community colleges’ IR offices is Microsoft Excel, a simple spreadsheet program, rather than the more powerful and flexible statistical software packages commonly used by four-year institutions. While grant makers and accrediting bodies have increased pressure on colleges to use data for decision making, a process often referred to as a “Culture of Evidence,” many colleges have yet to invest in the personnel, data-management systems, and statistical software needed to understand what campus practices do and do not contribute to student success. In the absence of sound data, campuses are tempted to make decisions with only the thinnest of evidence or anecdotal stories as guides. Unfortunately, many institutions report that investments in national assessment and testing efforts, despite requiring precious fiscal resources and classroom time, have failed to produce actions that improve campus performance. In essence, it is clear that data alone do not drive change. To build campus capacity to gather, manage, interpret, and use data at community colleges, trustees should be prepared to

support initiatives that allow them to grow their own IR talent. Even modest investments in people can provide significant payoffs in using new and existing data to explore and predict student success. Additionally, in moving towards a culture of evidence, trustees can aid in supporting that process by asking the right questions. These questions would include: • Are campus data systems in place to capture and track student learning outcomes — not just student grades? • Does the campus have personnel with the time and capabilities to turn data into information for decision makers? • Are data readily available to faculty, department leaders, and others who make decisions that impact student success? • Do campus personnel seek and use data to prove successes and manage improvement? • Are goals and objectives measurable and linked to data collections? • Has the campus developed a group of peer institutions for benchmarking and comparisons? • Are campus data regularly disaggregated in reports to reveal differences among subgroups (rather than just presented as an average of the whole campus)? • Do campus leaders cite data when announcing changes and new initiatives?

Successful Models for Student Success Unlike their counterparts at most four-year colleges, new students do not tend to enter community colleges at a common age and time, which makes them harder to identify and respond to as a unique cohort. To increase their likelihood of success, leaders not only need access to data, but they also need to study, identify, and target entering students for special interventions. This requires developing a strategic plan for improving the beginning college experience. Two successful national models that use data and a comprehensive review and planning framework as an anchor in developing customized institutional strategies towards enhancing student success are the Foundations of Excellence and the Achieving the Dream initiatives. Since 2004, the Achieving the Dream initiative has worked with 82 community colleges in 18 states to help them to use data to better understand their students’ experiences. The Foundations for Excellence initiative of the nonprofit Policy Center on the First Year of College has engaged 47 community and technical colleges since 2005 in a voluntary, comprehensive self-study that addresses the central question of what colleges need to do to create an excellent beginning-student experience relative to its institutional mission and type of students. Both projects use similar evidence-based self-study and planning processes that intentionally engage a broad representation of campus constituents who work closest with our students. Through their respective processes, they are able to: • Affirm what is working well, while identifying areas of weaknesses and ultimately producing recommendations to address them; • Collect evidence on a wide range of student and institutional

characteristics, policies, and practices pertaining to new, low-income, and students of color; and • Create an action plan for improving new student success and submitting the action plan for institutional governance buy-in and ultimately endorsement by the board of trustees. Key questions that trustees should ask in order to best support such review initiatives include: • What are the institution’s current initiatives to enhance success of new students? • What do we know about the effectiveness of those initiatives? • What actions have we taken based on assessment of those initiatives? • What new initiatives should be taken — both those that would require no new resources and new resources? • For initiatives for which resources currently do not exist, what are possible sources of external funding and what actions have been taken to pursue these? • How do we compare with our peer institutions with respect to pursuit of such initiatives?

Conclusion Trustees can help ensure student success from a policy perspective by insisting on institutional strategic planning that is informed by data and based on input from a wide range of stakeholders. Such a process will result in a student-focused plan that is transparent, measurable, time-bound, and accountable. Resources: Research Development Opportunities: • Online IR certificates from Pennsylvania State University www.ed.psu.edu/educ/eps/ir-certificate • Online IR certificate from Florida State University www.fsu.edu/~elps/he/certresearch.htm • Association for Institutional Research Institute www.airweb.org/?page=995 Organizations: • Achieving the Dream Initiative: www.achievingthedream.org • Foundations of Excellence: www.fyfoundations.org/ • American College Testing (ACT): www.act.org/research/policymakers/reports/retain.html www.act.org/path/postsec/droptables/pdf/TwoYearPublic.pdf • The Association for Institutional Research: www.airweb.org/?page=16

Dr. Evon Walters is executive dean and campus CEO of the Eastern Campus, Suffolk County (N.Y.) Community College. Dr. John Gardner is executive director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College in North Carolina. Dr. Randy Swing is executive director of the Association for Institutional Research in Florida.

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Negotiating the CEO Contract: By Dr. Desna L. Wallin Picture this scenario: The board of trustees has just concluded a lengthy selection process for the right person to lead the college in these challenging times. But all the effort has been worth it because you have finally found Dr. “Almost Perfect.” It’s a great fit for the college, the staff and faculty are enthusiastic, and you are eager for the new leader to begin work. All that stands between the new leader and the job is the employment contract.

Dan page

What the Board Needs to Know T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y su m m er 2 0 0 9

Each year, over 100 trustees and presidents eager to learn more about negotiating the CEO contract participate in an annual Pre-Congress Academy, co-sponsored by the AACC Presidents Academy, which I conduct along with ACCT Vice President Dr. Narcisa A. Polonio. This article is intended to give everyone the fundamentals of negotiating the CEO contract and serves as a primer on negotiations.

The Basics Employment contracts are complex legal documents. Ideally, the college attorney is well-versed in employment law and is competent to draft a contract that meets the unique needs of the board and the new leader. Effective contracts take into consideration the particular needs of the college as well as the life-stage, family, and professional needs of the new CEO. What are the basic elements that the board should be looking for in the contract, whether it is a contract for a new CEO or one to retain a high-performing current CEO? A well-written contract contains four major components: 1) the term of the appointment; 2) the compensation package; 3) the performancereview process; and 4) the separation clause. Let’s look at each of these components in more detail.

Term of the Contract The term of appointment stipulates the period of time covered by the contract. Contract lengths vary, but the most common term of appointment is a three-year contract. While state laws and district practices may limit the ability of boards to define the time and the processes for renewing a contract, there has been a recent shift toward “evergreen” or rolling contracts. These contracts have some provision whereby upon a satisfactory performance evaluation, a year is added onto the existing contract. A multi-year contract with renewable features sends a powerful message to the college and community that the board has trust and confidence in the CEO. It also gives the CEO the latitude that is needed to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions for the good of the college.

Compensation Package Although it is certainly true that a person does not aspire to a community college presidency to become rich, it is a

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fallacy to assume that candidates are indifferent to financial considerations. It is the responsibility of the board to provide a contract with a competitive and reasonable compensation package, including both salary and benefits. Many factors must be taken into consideration, including the size and complexity of the college, salary ranges of presidents within the state and region, the experience level of the new CEO, the cost of living in the area, and community expectations and cultural norms. There are certain benefits that are standard for all or most college employees: health, vacation, personal and sick leave, among others. Other types of insurance may be particularly desirable for a CEO, including increased life and disability insurance. It is more difficult to determine what special benefits would be attractive to the CEO. For example, if the college is in a very highcost area, is the board willing to provide a housing allowance? Most boards provide a leased or purchased college car for the use of the president. A new CEO who has to move a household some distance might need help with moving, relocation expenses, and temporary housing. Other benefits, including housing and country club memberships, may be more controversial, and thus the board needs to be sure that its members will stand behind the reasons for those benefits if they should be questioned by faculty, community representatives, or the press. A variety of possible retention and reward systems may be particularly effective and important to a long-serving CEO. Sometimes known as “golden handcuffs,” these benefits refer to bonus and incentive pay, deferred compensation, annuities, help with insurance post-retirement, sabbatical leave, and 401(k) or 457(b) contributions. Thoughtful boards will discuss all the financial options legally available to them to attract a new leader and to support and retain a high-performing CEO. Since tax laws and state and federal laws are constantly changing, it is critically important to develop these contract components with the assistance of a well-informed and qualified attorney.

Performance Review CEOs need to understand the expectations of the board. Assessing the performance of the president is clearly the responsibility of the board. It is important that the board

Sometimes known as “golden handcuffs”, these benefits refer to bonus and incentive pay, deferred compensation, annuities, help with insurance post-retirement, sabbatical leave, and 401(k) OR 457(b) contributions.

carry out that responsibility with integrity, transparency, sensitivity, and fairness. Both the CEO and the board need to be clear in setting mutually agreeable goals and timelines, with a clear understanding of the resources available to accomplish the set goals. Most community college CEOs have an annual boardconducted review. During that review, goals of the past year are discussed and new goals for the coming year are formulated. If a particular goal from the past year was not achieved, there should be an opportunity to discuss why and to determine if that goal continues to be important or if it has been superseded by more relevant goals. Many boards reach out to ACCT for assistance in conducting presidential evaluations. In many cases, compensation and the extension of the contract are tied to the CEO performance evaluation. The CEO’s role is a challenging one, and expectations for presidential leadership are very high. It is important for boards and CEOs to agree on the prioritization of goals and objectives, because even the best and brightest CEO cannot accomplish all that needs to be done in an exemplary and timely fashion. A realistic set of goals and expectations provides direction and focus for the CEO and helps to assure that both the board and the CEO are on the same track. ACCT recommends that the board and new CEO participate in a facilitated retreat to establish goals and priorities for the new president within three months of his or her taking office.

Termination Clause All employment agreements end. The termination of an employment agreement, regardless of cause, represents a momentous occasion in the life of a college. If the parting is amicable — retirement, moving to another position after a successful tenure — it is an occasion for celebration and reflection on accomplishments. If the parting is acrimonious — misconduct, conflict with the board, no-confidence vote from the faculty — the resulting bad feelings and bad press can be damaging to the college and the community for years. Thus, it is in the best interest of the board and the CEO to be sure that the process of termination is not overlooked in the employment agreement.

Generally, there are five reasons for termination that should be addressed in the contract: death, disability, resignation, and termination either for cause or without cause. The conditions and consequences of each type of termination should be specified in the contract. Because of the complexity of defining these terms, and the potential long-term financial and legal implications for the college, qualified legal counsel should be involved to protect the interests of both the board and the CEO. A well-written employment agreement sets the stage for a successful presidential tenure. By giving the CEO a reasonable expectation of continued employment for a set period of time, difficult and sensitive decisions can be made without the fear of displeasing a particular interest group and becoming unemployed on short notice. For the board, the employment agreement standards and expectations, and prioritizes work. It gives the board something specific against which to measure the progress of the college under the leadership of the CEO. It is important for both parties to share well-defined expectations and develop a document that shapes the basics of the CEO-college relationship. In the next decade, it will be more important than ever for boards to develop customized and competitive employment contracts to attract and retain high-performing CEOs to lead today’s community colleges.

Beyond the Basics If you have any questions about negotiating the CEO contract, I will be available to help navigate the process at the 40th Annual ACCT Community College Leadership Congress Pre-Congress Academy titled “What Trustees Need to Know about Presidential Contracts and Conducting the Presidential Evaluation” in San Francisco on October 7. I look forward to seeing you there!

Desna Wallin is an associate professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration Policy at the University of Georgia in Athens. She is the author of The CEO Contract: A Guide for Presidents and Boards, published by the American Association of Community Colleges (2007). To order, go to www.aacc.nche.edu.

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Around Regions the

central Region Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin was awarded a $900,000 National Science Foundation grant for its Advanced Technological Education Program. The three-year grant will support the college’s renewable energy certificate program. Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan, formalized three articulation agreements with Eastern Michigan University, allowing students to take up to 94 credits at MCC toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing or technology management at EMU or up to 85 credits toward a bachelor’s degree in business administration. EMU now has articulation agreements with 13 of Michigan’s 28 community colleges. A new Illinois state bill allocates $5.2 million for a “long-overdue expansion” of the Danville Area Community College (DACC) campus, according to the ChampaignUrbana News-Gazette. The college will contribute $1.5 million to support the project. “This is just wonderful news for DACC

and all of the students we serve,” DACC President Alice Jacobs told the newspaper, thanking her local legislators, including state Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville), and state Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign), for continuing to push for the funding over the years.

NORTHEAST Region To better accommodate adult students and address space limitations caused by swelling enrollments, Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts is offering two night classes — very late at night. The Psychology 101 and English 111 courses will both run from 11:45 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. one night a week. “Many people finish work late at night and must be up with their children first thing in the morning,” said John P. Reeves, chair of BHCC’s behavioral science department. “This is the only time they can come to school.The late-night classes come as enrollment at Bunker Hill reached a record 9,800 during the spring semester, requiring the school to offer classes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.on weekends. “And still

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we don’t have enough space,” Reeves said. Carroll Community College in Maryland received a five-year, $1.1 million grant from the state’s nurse support program to develop a “spring start” program to allow nursing students to begin their studies in the spring semester. The grant will primarily fund new faculty positions to accommodate increased enrollments. Increased tuition revenue is expected to support the program once the grant expires. Norwalk Community College President David L. Levinson was formally presented to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during a luncheon at the United Nations. The Connecticut community college president was honored because of his commitment to multicultural awareness and global education, including serving as a board member of the U Thant Institute, an organization launched by the U.N. in 2003 to advance the former U.N. Secretary-General’s vision of a global society. With students from 62 countries who speak 34 languages, “Norwalk Community College’s student body is both local and global,” Levinson noted. “Our students come from across town and around the world. They include firstgeneration college students, immigrants seeking a better life, and international students seeking the American college experience or job training for the U.S. market.”

Pacific Region Owned and operated by Bates Technical College in Tacoma, Washington, KBTC Public Television’s weekly documentary series “Full Focus” won two regional Emmy Awards for historic/ cultural feature segment and special programming. In its third season, the program has received five Emmy awards and 13 nominations. The Seattle Maritime Academy, a part of Seattle Central Community College in Washington, has completed work on an $18.3 million building and a $1.5 million refit of its docks, which are home to a range of recently donated vessels, including a former U.S. Navy surveillance ship valued at $50 million. Six years in the making, the expansion will allow the maritime program to increase in size beyond the 35 students a year it currently serves in a high-demand job sector, college officials said. The College of the Sequoias in California will expand its Puente college-graduation project from one to two classes. Some $75,000 in donations will fund COS’ expansion of the

statewide program, which is sponsored by the University of California system and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. At COS, the newly expanded program will include two 25-student classes, in which a series of courses in English and study skills are taught by the same instructors for a full year. Students are also matched with mentors, given additional work, and have a devoted room on campus with computers to research scholarship and internship opportunities.

Southern Region New River Community and Technical College in West Virginia was awarded a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education as part of its ongoing $2 million, five-year project to implement a distance-learning system for rural Appalachia. Funds are being used to develop an interactive videolearning network across the college’s campuses. Wake Technical Community College has exceeded all eight of the “critical success factor” benchmarks established by the North Carolina Community

College System, receiving the state’s “exceptional institutional performance” rating for the first time. Wake Tech was singled out for two additional success measures: students who transferred into the University of North Carolina system performed as well as or better than students who started college at UNC’s four-year institutions, and its students passed licensure and certification exams at an overall rate exceeding the state average. Central Florida Community College received its largest ever one-time gift — $2.5 million — to build a new campus in Levy County. Donor Jack Wilkinson, a Levy County teacher, will have the campus named in his honor. Community colleges across the state of Virginia hosted a series of public conversations on poverty in July as part of a newly formed poverty task force created by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Elizabethtown Community and Technical College hosted an annual safety conference for the Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges System. More than 150 representatives from the state’s 16 community and technical colleges met in July to discuss various safety issues, from campus violence and pandemic flu to earthquake preparedness.“We’re trying to create a culture of safety and preparedness on our campuses,” said Bob Hammonds, system director for KCTCS crisis management, environmental health, and safety.

western Region With enrollment growing to nearly 20,000 students, Oklahoma City Community College completed an expansion and infrastructure upgrades that increased total space by 30 percent while reducing the school’s energy use per square foot by nearly 35 percent. Improvements to the school’s chilled water plant and an existing thermal ice storage system, as well as new air handlers and controls in selected buildings, were among the most significant improvements. “We’ve been very pleased with the energy savings on the infrastructure improvements,” said OCCC President Dr. Paul Sechrist. “Additionally, as one of the nation’s largest community colleges, we believe it’s important that, in addition to teaching young people about environmental responsibility in our classrooms, we demonstrate it with our actions.” Phoenix College and ChandlerGilbert Community College in Arizona are among several community colleges nationwide to partner with green building consulting

company CleanEdison to offer Building Performance Institute certification and other BPIrelated training programs. “We are thrilled to be offering such impactful training through our partnership with CleanEdison,” said Ruth M. Romano, director of workforce development at CGCC. “Green industry jobs will play a critical role in our nation’s economic recovery, so we are looking forward to providing students with the necessary tools that will enable them to take advantage of the available opportunities.” Members of the new Texas I-35 Green Corridor Collaborative — the Dallas County Community College District, Alamo Colleges, Austin Community College District, Temple College, and the Texas State Technical College System — signed an agreement today in Austin with two key objectives in mind: putting Texans to work in emerging green economy careers and attracting federal stimulus dollars to the region. The group represents an innovative approach to regional job training and a response to the federal stimulus package. Members will share their expertise, experience, and resources to create a collaborative approach to workforce training for high-demand green economy fields such as solar power technology, the conservation and sustainability of existing resources, and alternative fuels. The GCC will apply for federal stimulus money earmarked for renewable energy development.

Around the Regions provides an opportunity to share what’s happening in the states and around the regions. This department focuses on state legislative and budgetary issues, economic development, finance and other regionally significant matters. Colleges are invited to submit brief items to publications@acct.org for consideration. T RUS T EE Q U A R T ER L Y s u m m e r 2 0 0 9

Community Colleges Showcasing America’s

Dr. Jill Biden’s new role:

to highlight the importance of the community college movement Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, has been an educator for the past 28 years and continues to teach English classes at Northern Virginia Community College. Dr. Biden has a long history of activism in her community, and she continues to work to raise awareness on education, military families, and women’s health issues. Given Dr. Biden’s professional experience and passion, President Obama has asked her to help highlight the importance of America’s community colleges, and she frequently visits community colleges and speaks with students, parents, and teachers around the country as part of this outreach. In an exclusive interview, Dr. Biden spoke with Trustee Quarterly about the new awareness initiative and the source of her commitment to the community college movement.

Dr. Biden addresses graduating students at Kingsboro Community College, City University of New York in June.

“By supporting community colleges and encouraging increased community college graduation rates, the Obama-Biden Administration is laying the path to success for millions of Americans, and I could not be more pleased to help spread the word.”

On May 8, President Barack Obama announced that you will “lead a national effort to raise awareness about what we’re doing to open the doors to our community colleges.” What does this national effort entail?

I have always said that I believe community colleges are one of the best-kept secrets in America — and now my job is to get that secret out through various events, outreach, and media. By supporting community colleges and encouraging increased community college graduation rates, the ObamaBiden Administration is laying the path to success for millions of Americans, and I could not be more pleased to help spread the word. I will continue to visit campuses around the country, speak to groups of parents, teachers, and students, and work to increase media attention around the value of a community college education.

You have said that your goal is “to reach out to as many people as possible to explain how this administration is committed to supporting Americans who could benefit from community college educations.” What can community college trustees and other advocates do to build upon your outreach efforts?

If you were serving on the governing board of a community college right now, what would be your three greatest areas of priority?

How do you think President Obama’s recognition of the value of community and technical colleges compares with the attitudes of past administrations? It’s clear from the President’s recent announcement of the American Graduation Initiative that not only does he believe in community colleges — he is willing to commit a landmark federal investment to support them. I believe that community colleges are the way of the future, and President Obama recognizes their importance to the students, their families, and the economy. The President has asked me to spread the word about community colleges, and he has also encouraged me to recruit more teachers.

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ou’ve taught in public schools as well as community colleges, and you have been quoted as saying, “I really feel, especially in a community college, I can make a difference.” In what ways do community colleges have a greater impact on students’ lives than other education systems?

There was never a question in my mind when we moved to Washington, D.C., that I would continue to teach at a community college. I have witnessed firsthand the power of a community college education to change lives, and I think that the smaller class sizes, the nurturing environment, and the personal contact make a difference in supporting students. In my classes, I get to know my students well, and I am able to partner with each of them to help them succeed.

community colleges to get the resources they need to graduate an additional 5 million students in the next decade.

I would say that getting community students into community colleges (and college generally) is one step, but keeping them there and ensuring their success is another. That is why I am so pleased the President announced the American Graduation Initiative in July. As part of that initiative, the President wants

The challenge grants the President announced [recently] are competitive and will only fund programs that have proven outcomes or that will be closely evaluated. Institutions should use this opportunity to find new and better ways to help students succeed and to forge meaningful partnerships with industry.

My first priority would be increasing student retention and completion. While community colleges serve a variety of missions, we cannot understate the importance of graduating students. In response to data showing that the number of jobs requiring at least an associate’s degree will likely grow twice as fast as jobs that don’t require any college, the President set a new national goal of 5 million community college graduates over the next 10 years. And he has shown the administration’s commitment to giving community colleges the resources they need to meet that goal. Access and affordability are also pressing priorities. Community colleges should work with the larger community to identify ways they can serve the potential students in the area by making them aware of their options. Enrolling in a community college can actually be much more affordable than people may think. The President has increased the maximum Pell Grant award to make community colleges a low-cost, high-quality option for many students. The administration is also working to make community colleges affordable for the unemployed by allowing them to continue receiving unemployment benefits while getting job retraining at one of these institutions. Displaced workers can go to www.opportunity.gov to learn more about job retraining options available to them. Finally, affordability and graduation rates mean nothing if education is not high quality. These institutions need to ensure their programs are relevant and meet the needs of all the student populations they serve. Students need to be adequately prepared for their next steps — whether it’s training for jobs of the future, transferring to a four-year university, or working toward an associate’s degree. This will involve innovative curriculum development, and cooperation between community colleges and local, regional, and national industry to develop training programs that will give students the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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ACCT Leadership Congress keynote speakers share challenges and opportunities for community colleges.

Jamie P. Merisotis

President and CEO Lumina Foundation for Education

Jamie P. Merisotis leads Lumina Foundation for Education, one of the nation’s 45 largest private foundations and arguably one of the greatest advocates for community colleges. Under Merisotis’s leadership, Lumina employs a strategic, outcomes-based approach in pursuing its mission of expanding college access and success, particularly among low-income, minority, and other historically underrepresented populations. Before joining Lumina in January 2008, Merisotis founded and served for 15 years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy, one of the world’s premier education research and policy centers. He previously served as executive director of the National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education, a bipartisan commission appointed by the U.S. President and Congressional leaders. Merisotis also helped create the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps), and has served on numerous national and international boards of directors, including Scholarship America, the European Access Network in London, and Bates College in Maine.

How much of Lumina’s efforts relate to community colleges?

A significant portion. Lumina Foundation was established in 2000 and has been a supporter of success in community colleges from the beginning. We’ve spent most of the last few years focusing on this big goal of dramatically increasing the number of Americans with high-quality college degrees and credentials. This big goal has effectively become the President’s goal. We like to think that we made a contribution toward creating the conditions that made that proposal a possibility. 24

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What are your thoughts on President Obama’s initiative?

The initiative is consistent with the Achieving the Dream initiative because it focuses on student success, the need to create a paradigm shift, and on creating incentives for institutions to improve their developmental education efforts to better the first-year experience and to help improve transfer and articulation rates. All of that is exciting and timely, and something the federal government can have a dramatic impact as far as moving the needle. The biggest gap in the public conversation about higher education is that we haven’t really been able to make the clear linkage between workforce development and our postsecondary education system. We’ve been trying to say, particularly in this time of economic crisis, that we don’t need to develop a workforce development system — we already have one. It’s our colleges and universities. And the community colleges are a critical element of that because of the array of opportunities that they provide. So this initiative, this opportunity to have a measureable difference on the nation’s workforce development and having those 5 million more graduates in the pipeline able to contribute to our economic and social health in the country, is very, very encouraging.

Do you think there will be any challenges in getting the initiative passed through Congress? There will be a lot of conversation about the level of resources, about how to successfully measure, about ensuring that the resources are being applied toward creating the conditions for success. That’s the right conversation. I don’t think that the government can really treat this as stimulus funding for community colleges. It needs to be targeted in a different way around success, and that’s what the President has done. The real challenge is going to be to ensure that once it’s passed, the regulations and the implementation stay true to that goal of ensuring student success. That’s going to be hard because we’re facing a long-term economic challenge in this country, and community colleges are really going to be hampered in this environment with a lot more pressure in terms of burgeoning enrollments and fewer local and state resources that they’ll need to do their job well.

What can trustees do to take advantage of new public goodwill and public awareness efforts and maintain the momentum? Trustees have two very good opportunities to help. One is to take part in that public will-building. Trustees tend to be community leaders, and they need to be a part of that advocacy and awareness process in communities. Many colleges and universities in this country miss the opportunity for their boards to be effective advocates. And that means using them as spokespeople in the media, interacting with policy makers, and getting out into the community and really making the case. The other is to meet their fiduciary and other obligations —

to ensure the focus of their colleges is the success of students. That may sound obvious, but as we all know, there is a lot of pressure on colleges to do a lot of different things, and community colleges are asked to play multiple roles — everything from GED training sites to community training centers. Those roles are terribly important, but the focus of the institution needs to be on the academic and social success of students. That means that trustees need to make sure that resources are applied toward making students successful.

How does the Lumina Foundation define student success?

Our definition of student success is measurable, transparent learning outcomes for students. We’re interested in ensuring that students know, understand, and are able to do something with their postsecondary credential. That means being able to demonstrate proficiency both in whatever program the student is in as well as in generalizable skills, such as the ability to analyze problems and express oneself effectively. Both can be measured. It also means we should do a better job of measuring and evaluating the success of student outcomes. Graduation rates are one tool in the toolbox, but the current way in which we measure graduation rates is quite ineffective for a variety of reasons. At the national level, we really only have the capacity to measure first-time, full-time students, who are the minority of students at community colleges. So if we can do a better job of creating graduation-rate calculations, graduation rates could be a better measure. But we have to focus less on that than on the question of what students are learning and what they are doing with that knowledge.

With all of the new pressures from increased enrollments, what can trustees do to maintain the focus on student success and meet the needs that were there before the recession was a factor? Boards are the public conscience of these institutions, and in that role, they need to be the ones who [ask], “Are our programs relevant to the needs of this community or this region?” That’s easy to say and hard to do, because you’ve got the reality of employees and contracts, for example, that you’ve got to work through. But maintaining a focus on workforce relevance is something boards can do particularly well. They can also use their own stature in their communities to elevate the profile of the college. I come across too many community colleges and too many community college leaders who use the line that “community colleges are one of America’s best-kept secrets.” We need to stop being modest about the important role of community colleges. There is some lingering stigma for some people associated with community colleges, which you can see reflected in popular culture, and boards can help de-stigmatize what community colleges do and help elevate their profile within their communities. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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Dr. Gene A. Budig

Professor and Senior Presidential Adviser The College Board

Dr. Gene A. Budig has a unique blend of practical and academic experience to back up his advice on economics and higher education. Before taking on the role of professor and senior presidential adviser, he served as a scholar in residence at the College Board, immediately following two years on the faculty at Princeton University. Dr. Budig served as president of the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs (or, simply, the American League) for six years and oversaw the operations of 14 clubs and the construction of $2.2 billion worth of new ballparks. He was a senior adviser to Major League Baseball, a $5.6 billion-a-year enterprise, from 2000 to 2003. He has headed Illinois State University, West Virginia University, and the University of Kansas, each of which has more than 22,000 students. Dr. Budig is also an accomplished author, having written The Inside Pitch, And More, a book on the economics of baseball, for the West Virginia University Press in 2004, and A Game of Uncommon Skill, a book on leading the modern college and university, published by the American Council on Education Series on Higher Education in 2002. He chairs College Ed, a national program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, designed to increase college attendance. Dr. Budig is a member of the National Commission on Writing in Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Schools and Colleges, and the National Center for Innovative Thought. He credits his community college education as the foundation for everything he has accomplished. 26

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degree I have on my wall. It is a reminder to people who come to the College Board in New York that the community college deserves the recognition it is now receiving. Now is an ideal time to win the general public’s gratitude and lasting favor. This opportunity cannot be passed up.”

You are passionate about the community college model. Where does this passion come from? When I was young, I realized the importance of education, but I was without the resources to pursue it. So I worked at the local newspaper and saved enough money to go to McCook Junior College in Nebraska [now McCook Community College]. It was perhaps the smartest decision of my life. That program led me down the road to the University of Nebraska, where I completed three degrees: the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate. My associate’s degree, which I display in my office in New York, is the only academic degree I have on my wall. It is a reminder to people who come to the College Board in New York that the community college deserves the recognition it is now receiving.

In your book, The Inside Pitch, you describe lessons learned from the economics of baseball. Can you apply any of these lessons to give advice to trustees about the internal economic workings at community colleges right now? I am a co-owner of the Charleston River Dogs, a baseball team that draws 300,000 people a year. There is something to be learned from how minor-league baseball operates: It is a grassroots organization — as is a community college. People understand the team and what it is about, and that explains our enormous success over the years. The baseball team is important to attracting people to this community. All of this is true of a strong community college: it is a factor to individuals looking for places to locate and lay roots.

How have the perceptions of elected officials changed over the years? Any responsible public servant will support the community college movement if that individual understands [its] economic reach and potential. Political leaders are hungry for answers. We have seen this at the state level, where many are now embracing community colleges with enthusiasm. I also would point trustees to a new and encouraging interest in community colleges at the national level. The College Board did a large-scale study on community colleges called “Winning the Skills Race and Strengthening America’s Middle Class: An Action Agenda for Community Colleges,” which received considerable national

attention and had a measurable impact on the views of community colleges by political leaders across the country, at all levels. The President understands well the role of the community college. He gained key insight into their workings during his career in the state senate and, later, in the U.S. Senate. He knew what they stood for and what they meant to the future of his state. There will be no true economic recovery until the political world at all levels clearly understands the fundamental difference that community colleges can provide.

The Obama Administration has shown appreciation for the ways in which community colleges can impact the economy, particularly with job training. Can you think of any specific examples of how community-based job training programs can have a positive economic impact? There will be no true economic development in the United States until we are able to address the shortage of practicing medical doctors. No business or industry will locate in a community without strong health services for employees. There is enormous interest in the College’s Board’s Pipeline Project, which will be implemented by major universities in cooperation with community colleges to identify outstanding students, support them in years three and four [of college], and lead them to admission to medical school with a special interest in general practice. I predict that within six years, this project will be a major piece of the medical solution.

Do you think most community colleges have a good mechanism to measure their economic impact in the community? It is getting better and better with each year. In the past, too many community colleges assumed that the opinion makers around them knew what they were doing. They need to be reminded in forceful terms so they can go out and support the mission. Nothing happens by accident in education. Community colleges have a strong record of employing graduates. Politicians understand this. Business and industry clearly understand this and what it means to the future. But you cannot expect them to be at the forefront if you are not explaining the economic impact. That is an inescapable obligation of community college leadership. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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Dr. Judith S. Eaton

President Council for Higher Education Accreditation

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Accreditation (CHEA), the largest institutional higher education membership organization in the United States, Dr. Judith S. Eaton represents 3,000 degreegranting colleges and universities on accreditation and quality-assurance issues. CHEA is the only private-sector organization that officially recognizes accrediting organizations; at present, some 59 accrediting organizations have received CHEA recognition. Dr. Eaton has spent more than 20 years at community colleges, including serving as chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and president of the Community College of Philadelphia and the Community College of Southern Nevada. She has also served as president of the Council for Aid to Education and a vice president at the American Council on Education. A sought-after speaker on higher education issues both in the United States and internationally, Dr. Eaton currently serves on a range of boards and has authored numerous books and articles on higher education and accreditation topics.

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Because trustees are routinely engaged with students, the community, and the business sector, they are most effective in determining what needs to be done for a specific institution. The higher up you go, the more vanilla and generic things can become.”

What is the biggest issue currently facing community colleges?

The biggest “issue” is the recent and enormous investment of faith and funds that the Obama Administration is making in community colleges. Two-year institutions are being viewed as a vital part of the solution to our economic challenges and essential to a viable future for our country. In my 20 years in community colleges, I have not seen this level of investment, nor this singling out of community colleges. To have the President of the United States saying that investment in community colleges is paramount is — simply — wonderful. It underscores not only the importance of community colleges, but also advances their legitimacy. I do have questions about this intended investment. First, are liberal arts or general education, going to be a part of this? Yes, employers want technical skills, but many surveys show that they want general skills as well. I am a long-time advocate of keeping education balanced, and this requires attention to liberal education, general education, and the liberal arts. And, as others have pointed out, where will the jobs to match the community college training be available as the economy improves? Community colleges have historically played a central role in economic development — working with the local community and the state and forging partnerships with employers and potential employers.

What are the long-term implications of this change in federal policy?

We have all seen the diminution of state and local resources of funding over the years. The recent federal dollars will diminish the pain of this loss, at least temporarily, for which many are grateful. However, if some of these new federal funding streams become permanent and involve channeling federal dollars not only to students, but to operations as well, that could have a transformative effect on the role and positioning of community colleges. Years ago we expressed concern that community colleges would be forced, for financial reasons, to pay more attention to state issues at the expense of attending to local issues. We worried about the impact on our profound commitment to serve local needs. Will we now worry about the federalizing of community colleges, going beyond both state and local needs?

What specific accreditation challenges do community colleges face?

The accreditation challenges faced by community colleges do not strike me as any greater or markedly different from

the challenges affecting all of us in higher education. We need more attention to successful transfer of credit and more partnerships with four-year schools. All colleges and universities are facing challenges around transparency, evidence of student achievement, and accountability.

How have you seen the increased demand for accountability and transparency translate into policy at the state level? States are not only holding colleges and universities accountable, they are expanding state investment in data collection and analysis, becoming more explicit about information on student success, developing longitudinal databases, seeking information about, for instance, successful transfer, graduation, and job placement. Perhaps of greatest significance, more and more states are working together to develop common expectations of accountability, such as using terms that are defined in the same way and collecting the same data. The standard-setting leadership of our institutions has been key to our effectiveness. Because trustees are routinely engaged with students, the community, and the business sector, they are most effective in determining what needs to be done for a specific institution. The higher up you go, the more vanilla and generic things can become.

With the movement toward increased international education, what questions involving accreditation should boards keep in mind? The quality premise upon which accreditation of international activity is built is that the quality of education and the meeting of standards that we experience in the U.S.-based work of our colleges and universities will extend to our international activity. For example, if a college is opening a branch campus in Berlin, what is the evidence that the quality of academic operations is comparable to the home campus in Idaho?

What is the ultimate value of accreditation to institutions?

Accreditation is important and valuable to assist colleges in affirming that their commitment to quality is realized. It is a powerful signal to students and society about the reliability and legitimacy of institutions. It is a valuable opportunity for colleges to address strategic planning, make strategic changes, and build future investment in serving students and society. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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Pitfalls:

A Scorecard for Community Colleges By Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D.

The Chronicle of Higher Education caused quite a stir recently with an article called “13 Reasons Colleges are in This Mess: How Greed, Incompetence, and Neglect Led to Bad Decisions.” The provocative list provides food for thought on what went wrong for some colleges and universities, and an important warning to all higher education leaders. Members of college boards of trustees would be wise to use the list as an opportunity to learn from some dreadful mistakes recounted in the article.

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While it is important to learn from the mistakes of the past, it is just as important to learn from successes, to acknowledge systems that work, and identify best practices. As state and local governments adjust to the financial downturn, community colleges find themselves in the position of competing with public schools, municipal services, and other community priorities at the same time that demand is at an all-time high. We see record enrollment in community colleges throughout the country as individuals try to retool and obtain the training and education needed to successfully reenter the world of work. The call to “do more with less” has been heard in community college board rooms across the country. Nevertheless, there is still value in going over the list and providing some insight into what is applicable to community colleges. It would be wise to break down the Chronicle’s “13 reasons” and examine each point’s application to community colleges. Of the 13 mistakes identified (see below), many apply to community colleges, many do not, and some apply only in special cases. Community colleges have avoided some of these mistakes altogether. Even when this is the case, it is still important to identify the reasons why this may be. This article discusses each point with respect to community colleges. Took on Risky Investments — Relevance to Community Colleges: Medium. While many large universities have significant investment portfolios whose collapse during the recession led to large losses, most community colleges do not have comparable investments. However, many

community colleges made the assumption of high returns on short-term investments, and these assumptions were reflected in their budget projections. In this sense, the losses of many community colleges more closely parallel the losses of individual rather than corporate investors. In situations in which local government officials took investment risks, their local community colleges will suffer the consequences with mid-year and/or overall revenue reductions, like other publicly funded services. In these cases, community colleges will be the victims of risky investments made by others — something to keep in mind for the future. Sloughed Off as Trustees — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low to Medium. We find that most community college boards are made up of respected members of the community who serve for the greater good of the community and receive no compensation (or minimal benefits in a few states) for their services. There are cases in which the board may be perceived as “rubber stamping” or, in the other extreme, micromanaging. These exceptions are not the norm. Nor are trustees such as the now-infamous Bernard J. Madoff — a trustee of Yeshiva University — who was cited in the Chronicle article as an example of a negligent trustee. We find throughout the country that boards invite and encourage faculty, student, and community engagement. Most community college trustees see themselves as protecting the community’s investment and representing the interest of the communities where they live. Relied on Cheap Credit — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low to Medium. The capacity to borrow is restricted by law or board policy at many community colleges. Because of these restrictions, many community colleges have been less affected than four-year and graduate universities. Many presidents and boards of trustees have also worked diligently to build reserves. Failed to Play Well with Others — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low. The Chronicle cites as an example tenured faculty members and their unions that refuse to take on higher teaching loads in order to conserve college resources. Many community college instructors teach relatively heavy course loads, and the “community” aspect of community colleges goes far beyond faculty putting in long hours. Community colleges have perfected building collaborative partnerships with business and industry, K-12, and other local partners over the last 15 years. Most community colleges have dedicated significant efforts to ensure the transfer of their students to colleges and universities. Community colleges are well

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summer 2009

A national accountability mechanism represents the most important public policy work community college leaders have undertaken to fulfill their responsibilities around public accountability and transparency.

known for adopting ideas and models that work. However, playing well internally has not always been easy. Space utilization issues are in some cases the result of pressure to schedule courses around the preferences of internal constituencies and often do not reflect marketplace demand or student needs. Community colleges should be vigilant in making sure college resources are allocated in the best interest of students and the community. Overbuilt — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low. The Chronicle article cites “energy-intensive research buildings, swanky residence halls, climbing walls, and Olympicsize swimming pools” among the ways in which many colleges and universities overbuild. “They are like the expensive cars that real-estate agents drive — they project an image of success,” the article states. Few community colleges have been in a position to build for the sake of projecting an image of success. In some regions of the country, community colleges have been very successful at obtaining public support for generous bond initiatives providing resources for numerous buildings and projects. However, these bonds often do not include the funding for operation, staff, and long-term maintenance of these facilities. At some community colleges, aging infrastructure and dependence on outdated or makeshift structures are serious issues. Many colleges compete for limited state capital funds, which often require local matches. The aging community college infrastructure is a major national issue ripe for federal intervention, and these neglected buildings almost certainly do not match boasts of “swanky residence halls.” Bowed to Boosters — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low. The “boosters” in question are typically wealthy donors who support university sports teams and, in turn, receive favorable treatment from the universities. When the economy took a nosedive, the Chronicle article observed, universities were left footing the bills for these expensive sports teams, stadiums, etc. Very few community colleges ever will have the luxury of dealing with this problem. Stumbled at the Statehouse — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low to Medium. In many states, community college presidents and trustees make it a priority to build strong relationships with the statehouse. Throughout the country, many community colleges have created a strong state presence through community college state associations in order to present a joint effort and unified voice to state legislators and governors. For example, New Jersey and Maryland have a long tradition of successfully working closely with legislators. Virginia and Louisiana community colleges are among the examples of chancellors

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and system presidents who maintain strong relationships with legislators to advocate for community college students. And ACCT has spearheaded a major effort to engage the Obama Administration in supporting the community college system nationwide, yielding unprecedented federal support for our colleges. Perhaps because most community colleges have never had substantial private investments to fall back on, the overall tone when dealing with legislators usually is more cooperative than combative. Led with Unchecked Ambition — Relevance to Community Colleges: Varies, but typically low. The reality is that we often judge the success of a college president not by how many students graduate or the quality of faculty engagement, but by the growth in enrollment and addition of new buildings. However, most community colleges have a strong shared governance structure requiring consultation and input from key constituencies. This, coupled with the need to make the case to the board of trustees and/or directly to local or state officials or the voters, often keeps in check any personal ambition that conflicts with the college’s best interest. Failed to Find a Niche — Relevance to Community Colleges: Low. Community colleges have staked out a clear market position as providing affordable and accessible higher-education opportunities. They have been nimble in focusing on the needs and demands of students and the workforce needs of the local community. However, it has been difficult for some community colleges to accept that they “cannot be all things to all people” and to acknowledge the increasing competition from for-profit colleges and online providers. It is important for community colleges to focus on excellence and making the difficult decisions to eliminate programs that no longer meet the demands of today’s world of work. The strengths of many community colleges have been their ties to the local community, the flexibility to quickly develop high-quality programs in emerging fields, the commitment to provide quality liberal arts transfer programs, and the ability to creatively address the workforce needs of the community. By definition, the community college is a niche-based institution designed to meet practical needs, which may explain why so many community colleges find themselves challenged to meet the needs of skyrocketing enrollments during the recession. Ignored Customers’ Needs — Relevance to Community Colleges: Medium. It is important to understand the changing values and desires of students and not take a cookie-cutter approach to understanding their needs. For example, while in some areas students attending senior

institutions are moving away from wanting the dormitory experience, students in rural or large, geographically isolated communities may need community colleges to provide on-campus housing. Other community colleges that want to diversify the student body and attract internal students may also need to provide student housing. As institutions grounded in the needs of their local communities, it is important not to ignore the unique needs of the local population by connecting directly with students and understanding their needs. It is also crucial to examine national and global trends and provide the educational curriculum and experience that prepares local citizens to compete in a global economy. Some community colleges meet their students’ and communities’ needs better than others, but it is important to learn from past mistakes and not overlook future needs simply to meet the current high demand resulting from the sudden enrollment boom. Built Duplicate Centers — Relevance to Community Colleges: Medium. In order to stay relevant and competitive, community colleges often see developing their own high-cost programs in every emerging field as their only option. In some cases, it may be more effective to forge agreements with neighboring community colleges to share facilities and costs for highly specialized technology fields, or to serve bordering communities. It may also make sense for some community colleges to partner with public and private colleges and universities, inviting senior colleges to offer baccalaureate and graduate programs on the community college campus. Many such models have been successful and are proven ventures that expand higher educational opportunities to local communities and foster strong ties between community colleges and universities. With resources more at a premium than ever, now is the time for community colleges to think creatively about sharing resources with others, including other higher-education institutions. Overcommitted Their Budgets — Relevance to Community Colleges: Medium. Historically, many colleges have operated out of necessity on budgets overly committed to operating expenses with very little margin to fund innovation and new programs. Further complicating this potential problem, many did not anticipate the financial crisis and assumed that revenue would continue to increase. During good financial times, it is difficult not to negotiate generous contracts to reward the commitment of faculty and staff. It is good practice to provide financial rewards during good times; however, it is also important to invest in the long-term financial health of the institution and not overcommit institutional dollars to operating

expenses, including salaries. Finally, community colleges would be wise to find ways to leverage any federal stimulus dollars they receive beyond the next year or two whenever possible — and to be sure not to create new programs dependent on this supplemental and temporary income. Stymied Accountability Efforts — Relevance to Community Colleges: High. This item may be the most pertinent to community colleges — not necessarily because they do not make efforts to be accountable, but because they may not have established reliable accountability standards. Community colleges are working on defining a national accountability mechanism. The need to develop a common set of measures for community colleges is of the utmost importance to trustees and presidents. As advocates on behalf of their colleges, trustees work with policymakers at all levels to ensure that their colleges remain both accessible and accountable to the constituencies they serve. Presidents must ensure that external as well as internal audiences understand and appreciate the programs and services provided by their colleges. ACCT, in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and The College Board, is working to establish the framework for a voluntary set of common core standards that, for the first time, will accurately and appropriately describe the wide variety of roles played by community colleges. This project represents the most important public policy work community college leaders have undertaken to fulfill their responsibilities around public accountability and transparency. The development of a voluntary set of standards — built by and for community colleges — will permit trustees and presidents to demonstrate both the value and immense service embodied by their colleges to their communities, states, and the nation. In summary, while community colleges face their own challenges — many of which are not addressed here — many of the concerns expressed in the Chronicle of Higher Education article provide important warnings. Wise trustees will learn from the experiences of colleges and universities that have suffered great financial losses in the economic downturn. Fortunately, the many checks and balances built into the governance structure and the strong oversight provided by local and state regulations have worked to protect community colleges.

ACCT Vice President Narcisa Polonio can be reached at 202-775-4670, by cell phone at 202-276-1983, or by e-mail at npolonio@acct.org.

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summer 2009

OnlineEvolveDegrees to meet new demands

Many community colleges have leveraged online learning technologies to offer hybrid models of instruction, in which students come to campus for some of their learning and at other times interact with their teachers, peers, and information online. Some colleges are now taking the approach a step further by providing complete degree programs online in order to attract new populations beyond their traditional enrollment base.

Taking Occupational Safety Online San Juan College (SJC) in Farmington, N.M., for example, identified occupational safety as an underserved need in the workforce and recognized that many potential learners would not be able to physically attend classes on campus. In response, SJC began offering an online associate’s degree program. Enrollment increased from 105 in four course selections in fall 2008 to 398 in 18 course sections the following spring. “Having these courses online is especially important because people in this profession typically work two weeks on, two weeks off, with 16-hour days,” explains SunGard Higher

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Education’s David Penrose, who serves as manager of online services and senior instructional designer at SJC. “They wouldn’t be able to stick to a regular 16-week course schedule.” SJC’s articulation agreement allows graduates to transfer credits and earn a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety from Texas A&M University–Commerce. This increasingly popular program allows qualified safety professionals who already hold a TEEX Certified Safety & Health Official (CSHO) certificate to earn a college degree while holding down a full-time job. San Juan created the online program with help and guidance from SunGard Higher Education Academic Services. The yearround program takes a year and a half to complete, with every course available twice during each enrollment cycle. “It’s a real revenue maker,” says Penrose. “We can’t produce the classes fast enough to meet demand.” Another way SJC is accommodating its students’ schedules is through “micro lectures” — recorded video lectures that last from 60 seconds to three minutes. The condensed lectures make it possible for students to listen to them in a short amount of time,

Mark Stephen

by Jan Baltzer

as often as they would like. After watching and listening to the lecture, students are given their reading and other assignments. Online courses also focus on problem-based learning with a heavy emphasis on writing. SunGard Higher Education developed a graphic organizer to help subject matter experts create their lectures. “Our online courses are as rigorous and academically challenging as any in-classroom course,” Penrose says. “Making them available online helps us meet the needs of our students while generating new income for the college.”

Building on Successful Hybrid Programs Similarly, Ocean County College (OCC) in Toms River, N.J., is in the process of creating complete online programs for select associate’s degrees. “Our goal is to serve all our stakeholders in the ways that best meet their needs,” says Richard Strada, OCC’s interim vice president of academic affairs. “Already, many of our courses are available as hybrids in which students get a mix of online studies and face-to-face, in-classroom interaction. Because we have already created many online courses, it is not too much more of a stretch to offer complete associate’s degree programs online.” Strada expects that the college will have online associate’s degree programs available for general studies, including education and technology, within a year. In addition to meeting the harried lifestyles of existing learners, the courses are expected to attract new learners and new revenue for the college, without putting added demand on the college’s facilities. “Our facilities are almost to capacity,” Strada explains. “Our distance-learning courses will allow us to keep increasing enrollment without adding expensive facilities. And equally important, we can easily decrease programs if needed. Distance learning gives us that flexibility.” OCC also is exploring ways to capture new enrollment beyond its traditional geographic boundaries. “We are looking at programs that have an increasing workforce demand,” says Strada. For example, the college is exploring programs to meet licensing requirements for alcohol and drug counseling, as well as courses that would enable people working in municipal functions to get certified in areas such as management of resources like landfills and recycling in order to advance their careers. “We believe that the quality of education provided in a virtual environment can be as effective as that provided in the classroom when it is done properly,” Strada says. “By using the available technology, we are meeting the needs of our learners while generating new income for the college.”

New Degrees of Online Learning

is gearing up to offer three complete degree programs online staring this fall. The programs, which are accredited through the Higher Learning Commission, are for business management and an associate’s of arts degree. “Clearly the market demand for online programming is growing, and in order for any institution to stay competitive, it must be at the forefront of meeting students’ needs and expectations,” says Dr. Marsha Drennon, the college’s president. SFCC’s online offerings have grown from six classes in 1999 to more than 100 today. The college made the decision to develop and offer complete degree programs online after SunGard Higher Education Academic Services staff conducted research that identified the online programs as potential revenue builders. “The more we explored the online programs, we realized that they are not just a way of providing convenience to our existing learners, but also a way to create new markets for the college,” said Drennon. Like OCC, SFCC is looking at online programs that will draw enrollment from outside its traditional geographic area while continuing to offer degree programs on campus that serve its traditional population. “We try to identify niches in workforce training in which industries need training for their employees in order to remain competitive but can’t afford to free them up for on-campus training,” says Dr. Brent Bates, vice president for educational services at the college. One possibility is to create an online building materials management program. Another growing area of interest is criminal justice and corrections. “Although we’ve had a steady increase in enrollment, the population of our state is not growing,” explains Drennon. “So we need to look outside the state for ways to continue growing our enrollment. Technology enables us to expand our region of influence as well as keep our mission alive.” San Juan College, Ocean County College, and State Fair Community College share three common strategic factors for their successful online degree programs: • Each began by creating online components to their existing courses before attempting full degree programs. • Each identified underserved needs in the workforce. • Each adapted their curriculums to fit the technology to ensure that online learning is as effective as learning in the classroom. The result is more and better service to underserved populations and new income sources for the colleges.

Jan Baltzer is senior vice president, opportunity management, for SunGard Higher Education.

State Fair Community College (SFCC) in Sedalia, Mo., offers online classes to meet the needs of existing learners who want the convenience of taking some courses online. Now the college

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Pandem Preparing for a

By Richard Dittbenner

The outbreak of the Type A (H1N1) swine

flu earlier this year was a wake-up call to community college leaders in the

U.S. and Canada of the potential dangers of an influenza pandemic. Global health authorities are making progress in combating future influenza outbreaks, but we are not invincible. The most recent large-scale outbreak of an H5N1 avian virus strain a decade ago had a 65 percent fatality rate. The World Health Organization indicates that a global influenza pandemic, most likely avian in origin, is likely — if not inevitable. A pandemic influenza outbreak can strike in up to three waves over several years, causing significant and prolonged disruption to every facet of society. Many people, particularly those at high risk due to existing health conditions, would die before a vaccine could be developed and distributed. In the case of such an outbreak, the governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico project approximately 400,000 deaths in North America, with 207,000 of those fatalities occurring within the United States. Global health authorities are planning for a pandemic on the scale of the 1918 influenza outbreak in the U.S., during which more than 500,000 people died. The 1918 pandemic spread throughout North America and to Europe via U.S. troops on ships sailing to fight in World War I. It eventually claimed 20 million lives worldwide over a three-year period. But today, people could carry an equally virulent influenza virus around the globe by air in a matter of hours or days, as was the case with the recent Type A (H1N1) swine flu, which despite its currently low morbidity rates has been rated a phase 6 pandemic by the WHO due to its rapid spread — the first such global pandemic since 1968.

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Worst-Case Scenarios for Colleges

The failure to anticipate the arrival of a pandemic influenza outbreak would almost certainly cause confusion at college, as planning for the continuity of operations and individual planning for students, staff, and family members occur simultaneously. Even a mild outbreak would challenge a college’s ability to provide for the health and safety of its employees, students, and communities. The Hurricane Katrina catastrophe serves as a painful reminder that increased fatalities often are the result of unplanned efforts in the face of life-threatening events. In the aftermath of a pandemic influenza outbreak at a college, scrutiny of the actions of members of boards of trustees — both collectively and individually — is likely to be intense, especially if there are credible allegations that the board’s actions or inaction contributed to the deaths of students or staff members. Any death may be balanced against an examination of whether the college did all in its power to act in a way that was most protective of the student or staff member. Questions that could bedevil the board could include scenarios like these: • Did the college require a healthy employee to come to work on campus where another employee was exhibiting symptoms of the flu, allowing the infected employee to transmit the virus to the healthy one (who was in a high-risk category). Could the employee have worked remotely from home? What is the college’s liability? • What is the liability of the board when a faculty member required a student who was “not feeling well” to come to class after the first pandemic wave instead of allowing the student to shift to a distance-learning mode? If the student was among the first in the community in the second wave of infections, and that student infected other classmates, what is the college’s liability for the harm caused? In both examples, careful and thoughtful pandemic influenza outbreak planning by the college will go a long way in minimizing public scandal and liability for actions and omissions that, in retrospect, could have been avoidable.

mic Questions Trustees Should Ask Now

Trustees should prepare for the potential of future outbreaks by asking questions now. Among the questions to consider: • Does your college have a tightly integrated operations and continuity plan that addresses all aspects of business and payroll operations, including multiple materials and supply vendor back-up, as well as cross-training of all staff in anticipation of widespread absenteeism due to employee or family illness? • Does your college’s plan for academic continuation include maximization of social distancing for all instructional and student service functions, including back-up substitute adjuncts and online instruction for all classes? • Is your college’s pandemic influenza outbreak planning closely integrated with local health and safety planning?

• Depending on the severity of the outbreak, is your residential college prepared to allow students to remain in campus housing for several months? • Is your college prepared to operate its emergency operations structure with continuous updates communicated to the community, students, and staff? By asking the right questions, a board can guide its college to making the best decisions in the interests of its students, staff, and institution. Richard Dittbenner, J.D., is the director of public information and governmental relations for the San Diego Community College District and a crisis management consultant. He can be contacted at rdittben@sdccd.edu.

Measures to Limit the Spread of the Flu Seasonal Flu • Promote hand washing and cough hygiene via group-wide campaigns and modeling by college staff. • Encourage vaccination of staff and students for whom the flu vaccine is recommended. • Persons developing symptoms on campus should be sent home as soon as possible and instructed by appropriate officials not to return until they are well.

Mild to Moderate Pandemic All seasonal flu methods plus the following: • Encourage the use of social distancing at the workplace, on campus, and in the community. • Possible campus facilities closure for a short amount of time. • Possibly implement work shift and location changes to reduce indirect likelihood of exposure (for days to a couple of weeks). • Work with your community flu-planning team to assess whether any additional measures should be taken.

Severe Pandemic All seasonal and mild to moderate flu methods plus the following: • Possible extended campus operations disruption or closures which could range from weeks up to three months. • Promote social distancing of staff and students by reducing social circulation and contacts to the greatest extent possible. This could include canceling college activities and implementation of alternative service delivery methods.

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PRESIDENTIAL SEARCHES The Board Leadership Services staff and consultants of the Association of Community College Trustees are pleased to have assisted in the search for the following community college chief executive officers.

North Country Community College, N.Y. Carol Brown, Ph.D. President Former Assistant to the Chancellor Dallas County Community College District, Texas “The Board of Trustees is very pleased with the process and outcome of North Country Community College’s presidential search. ACCT’s process was efficient and thorough. Dr. Carol Brown is a nice match for the college’s administration, faculty, and students, as well as the local area. We look forward to working with Dr. Brown as NCCC continues to progress forward.” — W. John Friedlander, Board Chair

College of the Mainland, Texas Michael Elam, Ed.D. President Former Vice President, Student Development Daytona State College, Fla. “The challenge for College of the Mainland was to find someone who could lead it to greater achievements in workforce training, academic excellence, and resource development. We believe we found those critical qualities in Michael Elam.” — Bennie Matthews, Board Chair

Bossier Paris Community College, La. Jim Henderson Chancellor Former Senior Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development Louisiana Community & Technical College System, La. “We are extremely pleased with the selection of Jim Henderson as the next chancellor of Bossier Parish Community College. Jim has a strong passion and commitment to technical education and workforce development, and I am certain he will do well in his new role as he works to continue advancing and growing BPCC and providing solutions and opportunities for students and Louisiana’s business and industry partners.” — Dr. Joe D. May, LCTCS President

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LSC-Tomball College, Texas Susan Karr, Ph.D. President Former Vice President, Instruction Ouachita Technical College, Ark. “ACCT and Dr. Walter Bumphus brought Lone Star a full slate of experienced, qualified candidates so that our search advisory committee could recommend candidates who would be the best fit for LSC-Tomball. Dr. Susan Karr was very well received by the students, faculty, staff, and community members who attended open forums. Her administrative and teaching experience and her willingness to be an active participant and leader in the community will make her a strong asset in Tomball and throughout our system.” — Dr. Richard Carpenter, Chancellor, Lone Star College System, Texas

Solano Community College District, Calif. Jowel Laguerre, Ph.D. Superintendent/President Former Vice President, Academic Affairs Truckee Meadows Community College, Nev. “As president of the Governing Board of Solano Community College District, I extend accolades to ACCT — particularly Dr. Pamila Fisher, search consultant — for performing a stellar service in assisting our district with the recent selection process which resulted in hiring Dr. Jowel Laguerre, who is undoubtedly the best choice to steer our institution forward in the 21st Century with a focus on its mission statement, vision, and core values.” — A. Marie Young, Board President

Muskegon Community College, Mich. Dale Nesbary, Ph.D. President Former Vice President and Dean, Academic Affairs Adrian College, Mich. “We are pleased that ACCT provided us with assistance in the search for our college president. Our

success is the direct involvement and hard work of our ACCT consultant, Dr. Marie Kane, and the presidential search committee. We had several tremendous candidates identified by ACCT, and we were able to choose Dr. Dale Nesbary to guide Muskegon Community College now and into the future.” — Dorothy Lester, Board Chair

Hostos Community College, City University of New York, N.Y. Félix Matos Rodríguez, Ph.D. President Former Secretary Department of the Family, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico “President Félix Matos Rodríguez brings an impressive combination of academic and administrative expertise to a highly regarded institution on the front-lines of community college education in New York. He will lead a great college to even greater heights, building on the unique role Hostos Community College plays in elevating the people of the South Bronx and beyond through quality public higher education.” — Phillip Berry, Search Committee Chair; Vice Chair, CUNY

Cochise College, Ariz. J.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D. President Former Executive Vice President, Academic Services

Retreats, Board and President Evaluations ACCT and its consultants are proud to have facilitated board retreats and presidential evaluations for the following colleges: Burlington County College, N.J. Central New Mexico Community College, N.M. City College of San Francisco, Calif. Community College of Philadelphia, Pa. Cumberland County College, N.J. Danville Area Community College, Ill. Harper College, Ill. Joliet Junior College, Ill. MassBay Community College, Mass. Ohlone Community College District, Calif.

Central Wyoming College, Wyo. “The governing board, senior administration, staff, and faculty are excited and pleased to welcome Dr. J. D. Rottweiler as the next president of Cochise College. The ACCT search process produced an exceptionally wellqualified slate of candidates, affording the governing board an opportunity to meet and evaluate the best candidates available, which conversely made the governing board’s final decision challenging. Dr. Rottweiler brings a passion and enthusiasm to the position that is an excellent fit with the Cochise College forward-looking mission of a student-focused, lifelong learning community.” — Jan Guy, Board Chair

San Bernardino Community College District, Calif.

HOW CAN ACCT HELP YOUR BOARD OR COLLEGE? For additional information on ACCT’s Board Services, please contact Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D. at npolonio@acct.org or 202-276-1983.

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legal

Voluntary Mediation: The Antidote to Uncontrollable Legal Fees

We live in a litigious society. Every year, most community colleges spend hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars on legal fees covering five major areas: (1) employment and labor disputes; (2) student disputes; (3) faculty disputes; (4) vendor disputes; and (5) civil tort liability. Unquestionably, some of these expenditures are “the cost of doing business,” and some are essential to ensure that the institution is properly and professionally represented. From the board’s perspective, at what point does the expenditure of legal fees detract from the overall mission of the institution to provide education to its students and essential resources to its community? The board must be vigilant in reviewing overall expenditures year-in and year-out and suggesting alternatives to make sure its resources are spent on students and the community. Quite simply, the board has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the budget is spent on education, not litigation. In addressing this dilemma, board members must also walk a tightrope between micromanaging individual litigation, which they have no ability to do, and suggesting intelligent alternatives when the overall size of legal expenditures begins to detract from the mission of the institution. Each board is obligated to guide its institution to best practices, which address both legal contingencies and reasonable cost. Each board should suggest enhancements in the institution’s

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ability to efficiently and effectively resolve these matters, especially when such enhancements are effective in controlling legal costs with no adverse impact on the college’s mission. The rise of effective alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms and, more precisely, effective voluntary mediation, is one of those “best-practice enhancements.” Sophisticated alternative disputeresolution mechanisms provide higher-education boards with a bestpractice avenue to recommend to their administration. This avenue allows a board to avoid micromanagement of litigation and make a best-practice suggestion which ultimately can reduce the overall size of the litigation budget and contribute to effective dispute resolution. Literature on mandatory arbitration and “voluntary” mediation is essential reading for board members.

Mandatory Arbitration: A Useful Tool, but No Home Run With the assistance of favorable court rulings, arbitration has proliferated and replaced courtroom litigation of legal claims in many areas. While mandatory arbitration of claims has led to great efficiencies, the proliferation of arbitration agreements is controversial, and the U.S. Congress is considering a number of proposals to limit or ban arbitration as a mandatory alternative to courtroom vindication of employment and other individual rights. Over time, arbitration is becoming a less efficient mechanism and has itself become plagued with the same inefficiencies (depositions, interrogatories, and procedural disputes) that once were the sole purview of court litigation. To make matters worse, while an adverse decision in court is appealable,

“It’s from Mr. McGregor. He’s now willing to submit to binding arbitration.”

The Board’s Fiduciary Role in Controlling Legal Fees

by Ira Michael Shepard ACCT General Counsel

Best Practices Sophisticated alternative dispute resolution mechanisms provide an arbitrator’s adverse decision is virtually unassailable on appeal in the absence of graft or corruption. The effectiveness of this alternative dispute mechanism is rapidly diminishing and ultimately may be severely limited through new legislation.

Since mediation involves a self-fashioned, voluntary, and negotiated agreement as a solution, it is not subject to the controversy that surrounds mandatory arbitration, in which individuals feel they are required to forgo statutory remedies.

The Rise of Voluntary Mediation Mediation, however, has developed in many areas as the preferred mechanism of alternative dispute resolution. Mediation allows both sides to attempt to fashion a voluntary solution with the aid of an experienced mediator. The overall sophistication of mediators also has dramatically improved in recent years. The beauty of mediation, when handled by an experienced mediator, is

that the parties, through give-and-take negotiation, design their own solution and avoid the cost and distraction of litigation or arbitration. Litigation is designed to produce a winner and a loser. Nonetheless, litigation often produces two losers. It is common for both sides to be furious about the litigation experience, the result, and the extraordinary expenditure of resources, both monetary and emotional. Mediation enables the parties to work out or negotiate a solution that may not be perfect, but effectively ends the controversy. It also enables the parties to resolve the matter with far fewer carrying costs (i.e., legal fees) that always accompany litigation Since mediation involves a selffashioned, voluntary, and negotiated agreement as a solution, it is not subject to the controversy that surrounds mandatory arbitration,in which individuals feel they are required to forgo statutory remedies. From the governing board perspective, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose by adopting a mediation program as a required step prior to bringing a dispute into court or arbitration. Mediation works most effectively with employment/ discrimination disputes, student disputes, faculty disputes, and vendor disputes, which make up the lion’s share of community college litigation.

higher-education boards with a best-practice avenue to recommend to their administration. This avenue allows a board to avoid micromanagement of litigation and make a bestpractice suggestion which ultimately can reduce the overall size of the litigation budget and contribute to effective dispute resolution. Literature on mandatory arbitration and “voluntary” mediation is essential reading for board members.

Ira Michael Shepard is co-managing partner with the law firm of Saul Ewing, LLP, in Washington, D.C., and ACCT’s general counsel.

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summer 2009

6th Governance Leadership Institute Held in Biloxi, Mississippi The 2009 Governance Leadership Institute in Biloxi focused on proven practices that strengthen the board/CEO relationship, help trustees accept responsibility for holding one another accountable, and provide tools and techniques to the officers of the board.

Trustees and presidents from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas come together in Biloxi

Trustees and Presidents Gather in April 26-28

Mississippi

for 6th Governance Leadership Institute On The Agenda • The role of the leadership team of the board • Job description of the board • Job description for committee chairs • Board/president relationship • Running effective meetings • Handling difficult and controversial issues • Code of ethics • Avoiding common traps • Media relations

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new Governance Leadership Institute just FOR NEW TRUSTEES and their presidents ACCT successfully launched the first New Trustee Governance Leadership Institute, an essential learning experience to orient new trustees with the basics of boardsmanship. This new annual event comes in response to our members’ needs and offers an opportunity for ACCT to assist and provide comprehensive orientation and training for new trustees throughout the country.

New Trustees Gather in

June 12-14

Washington, D.C.

New trustees and their colleges’ presidents from Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming participate in two-day training institute for new trustees

“Outstanding!”

Topics covered include • The history of community college governance • The fundamentals of lay governance • Trustee roles and responsibilities • Fiduciary responsibilities • Understanding leadership and group/team dynamics • Board/CEO relations • Dynamics associated with being “the new kid on the block”

Participants gain new insights about effective board leadership at the Governance Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C.

“Excellent!” “Informative and interesting.” “A must for new trustees!”

For information on the New Trustee Institute, August 4-6th, 2010 Washington, D.C., visit www.acct.org and click Events. T RUS T EE Q U A R T ER L Y s u m m e r 2 0 0 9

Case Study advancing governance

The Role of the Board of Trustees in Labor Negotiations – Finding a New Road Map

This case is provided as a tool to foster discussion of important governance issues. by Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D.

rustee G. Jones has served as chair of the board of Hope Community College for the last five years and been on the Hope Community College board for a total of 12 years. After a contentious executive session involving upcoming labor negotiations, he reflected on the past stability of leadership at both the president and board level and contemplated how quickly things had changed. The shift in the board had started around two years earlier, after the administration had gone through a difficult negotiation with the faculty union. Hope’s president traditionally coordinated all negotiations with the union, delegating the actual negotiating to the vice president of administration and one of the partners from the college’s legal firm who specialized in labor relations. The president always kept the board informed of all aspects of the negotiations. A compromise was reached to provide a 3 percent salary increase and extend the current contract by two years. The board was split, with two members questioning the way the administration was handling negotiations and expressing concern that they were not receiving all the information they needed to make a fair judgment. Other trustees were concerned that the faculty was receiving what would amount to a 6 percent salary increase over a two-year period during an economic downturn. To complicate matters, the faculty approached the board to ask that their union leadership regularly meet with the board to ensure that trustees would understand its concerns. After significant deliberation and by a simple majority of five trustees, the board decided to follow the administration’s recommendation. The request from the union was dismissed, and the board reiterated that all communication must be through the president and his administration. While the remaining trustees respected the board’s decision, they openly expressed their dissatisfaction. The following year, a long-term trustee lost an election and was replaced by a new trustee whose campaign platform was to strengthen relationships with the union and ensure that it was represented within the board. From that point on, the board changed dramatically. A new tension and a growing mistrust emerged, and it became fairly common for individual trustees to question the administration during the board’s public meetings. Individual trustees also indicated that they received information directly from reliable sources that conflicted with the information being presented to the board. As chair, Jones had hoped that the passage of time would allow things to settle down and the tone of the board meetings to become more positive. In reality, his role as chair had evolved to that of a referee between camps. He could no longer ignore the changes that had taken place within the board, particularly since the administration

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was getting ready to initiate the next round of negotiations with the union as the contract extension was coming to an end. In executive session during the most recent board meeting, the president and his team presented their strategy for initiating negotiations with the faculty union and laid out some possible items for negotiation, including health benefits. The college’s attorney reminded the trustees that the board was meeting under executive session to discuss privileged and confidential information and that the content of these discussions could not be divulged to other parties. This added to the tension, since some trustees felt the remarks were directed towards them. After a considerable argument, one trustee presented the option of the board negotiating directly with the faculty. A discussion ensued regarding the appropriate role of the board in labor negotiations. Three distinct philosophies were expressed: Opinion 1. Handling the labor negotiation is an administrative function and the responsibility of the president and his administration. Direct involvement by the board would constitute micromanagement. Opinion 2. It is part of the board’s fiduciary responsibility to protect the financial investment made by taxpayers, and therefore the board should not delegate this authority to the administration. Opinion 3. The board, as representatives of the community, have a better idea of the community’s needs and would be more effective by having a board liaison join the negotiations and facilitate bringing the two parties together.

Discussion Questions: 1. The chair felt that a new roadmap to conducting negotiations was needed. Who should determine the road map? 2. What is the appropriate role of the board in labor negotiation? 3. What should the chair’s top priorities be? (e.g., building consensus among the board, protecting the administration, identifying new approaches, training for the board and labor relations, etc.) 4. What should the board know about labor law and fair practices? 5. Could this be your institution?

ACCT Vice President Narcisa Polonio can be reached at 202-775-4670, by cell phone at 202276-1983, or by e-mail at npolonio@acct.org.

NETWORK NEWS SUMMER 2009

INTERFACE

A publication of the Community College Professional Board Staff Network in cooperation with the Association of Community College Trustees

Professional Board Staff Network 2008–09 Executive Committee Officers Carol Gregory, President Executive Assistant to the President and Board Rose State College, Okla. cgregory@rose.edu Terri Grimes, Secretary Executive Assistant to the President/Board Highland Community College, Ill. terri.grimes@highland.edu BJ Marcil, Vice President Administrative Assistant to the President/Board of Trustees North Arkansas College bjmarcil@northark.edu Pamela Perkins, Immediate Past President Administrative Assistant to the President Seward County Community College, Kan. pam.perkins@sccc.edu Members-at-Large Central Region Joan Tierney Administrative Assistant Joliet Junior College, Ill. jtierney@jjc.edu Northeast Region Brittany Williams Executive Assistant to the President/Director, Board Serv. Atlantic Cape Community College, N.J. bwilliam@atlantic.edu Pacific Region Robin Lewison Executive Assistant to the Chancellor San Diego Community College District, Calif. rlewison@sdccd.edu Southern Region Sherri Bowen Executive Assistant to the President Forsyth Technical Community College, N.C. sbowen@forsythtech.edu Western Region Debbie Novak Assistant to the College President Colorado Mountain College dnovak@coloradomtn.edu

Standing Strong During Tough Economic Times Members of the Professional Board Staff Network have an unofficial slogan of “It’s what we do.” One of the “things PBSNs do” best is support our presidents and board members during both the good times and the hard times. Recently, I sent an e-mail to all those who support community college presidents and boards encouraging them to attend this fall’s Congress in San Francisco. The reality of the downturn in the economy hit home when I received many replies saying that travel budgets had been cut. Although disappointed, no one complained, instead saying they fully understood and supported the necessary cuts. During my 39 years in higher education, I’ve experienced hard economic times when there were no pay increases and travel budgets were cut, among other challenges. But those hard times passed and better days came — and they will come again. In the meantime, it is so important that those in the role of professional board staff do everything possible to project a positive attitude to those we serve — the students — and to those with whom we work. The Professional Board Staff Network will make every effort to increase our electronic connectivity during these tough times through a PBSN message board currently under construction and through ACCT’s Web site. All materials for the three-hour workshop and the business meeting to be held in San Francisco will be made available to those unable to attend via these two methods. For those planning to attend, your PBSN Executive Committee is enthusiastically planning for the 2009 Congress. For the first time, PBSN will host a Meet and Greet session on Wednesday afternoon to provide an opportunity for members to get better acquainted and review the sessions for the week. Please plan to join us; dress will be casual (or travel wear). The three-hour workshop on Thursday will include presentations on our new message board; improving writing skills; preparation of board agendas and minutes by traditional as well as electronic means; and the transition process from traditional to electronic methods. There will also be 30 minutes for open discussion, driven by participants. During the business meeting on Friday, the 2010 officers will be identified with the election of a secretary and five member-at-large positions. I hope you will consider becoming a part of the PBSN executive committee and come prepared to be nominated for one of these positions. It is truly a wonderful (and growing) experience. (The PBSN By-Laws can be found on the ACCT Web site, at www.acct.org/membership/pbsn/charter.php.) On the following pages, Vice President BJ Marcil provides information about the PBSN’s current executive committee members, who share in their own words the opportunities they have experienced in their higher education careers. We look forward to seeing you or “talking” to you electronically in the near future. Carol Gregory 2009 ACCT PBSN President Rose State College, Okla.

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NETWORK NEWS SUMMER 2009

INTERFACE Your PBSN Executive Committee, In Their Own Words By BJ Marcil, North Arkansas College

BJ Marcil, Vice President Administrative Assistant to the President/Board of Trustees North Arkansas College In these difficult economic times, it often seems like we are all by ourselves, and that no one knows how hard we have worked to get where we are in our careers. As you read on, I want to introduce you to a few members of your PBSN Executive Committee, who will share in their own words how they arrived at their current positions.

Sherri Weddle Bowen Southern Region Executive Assistant to the President, Forsyth Technical Community College, N.C.

I began my career at Forsyth Tech in 1989 as a part-time secretary in the Allied Health Department while attending classes. I received my associate degree and went to work full time at North Carolina Baptist Hospital. In 1993, I applied for the position as secretary to the assistant dean of the Allied Health Division at Forsyth Tech, later moving up the ladder in 1996 to staff associate to both the vice president of community relations and development and the director of marketing and public information. In 2000, I was promoted to public information specialist in marketing. In 2002, I applied for the administrative assistant to the president, and by 2005, I had completed my bachelor’s degree in business administration and was promoted to my current position as the executive assistant to the president. Currently, I am enrolled in the master of public administration program as a distance learning student. I continue to grow as an individual in my career by stepping outside the box. I have obtained a diploma in automotive systems technology, am licensed as an Emergency Medical Technician, and became FEMA certified in 2009. 46

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“I am enrolled in the master of public administration program as a distance learning student. I continue to grow as an individual in my career by stepping outside the box.”

“This is a very rewarding position, always changing and challenging me to keep learning.”

Terri Grimes Central Region Executive Assistant to the President and Board Secretary, Highland Community College, Ill.

My first job was right out of high school at a local cable television office. I ran the camera for some on-air events (ballgames, news shows, etc.) and also worked in the office. I then went to work at a community mental health center as the assistant to the president, where I stayed for 18 years. Then 12 years ago, I came to Highland Community College as the executive assistant to the president and board. This is a very rewarding position, always changing and challenging me to keep learning.

NETWORK NEWS SUMMER 2009

INTERFACE

Debbie Novak Western Region Executive Assistant to the President, Colorado Mountain College., Colo.

I began my professional career in my teens as a waitress. At 21, I attended Northern Illinois University for one year. My next position was data input (back when computers were as big as a room). That led to a typesetting position at a food service organization, which was where I became an administrative assistant. After several years, the company moved out of state. I was asked to relocate, but the timing was not right. I moved to Colorado and worked at an accounting firm, and then my husband and I started our own company. I was a one-person office, doing everything from answering phones to making signs…all while raising two children. After selling the company, I began my career at Colorado Mountain College in the student development office. After one year, the position of executive assistant to the president/board of trustees opened. I applied, and here I am in my dream job. It is very busy, but I can still think about what I am doing, unlike when I owned my own business, and I don’t have to worry about paying the bills.

“I was working with a new president with an exciting vision for the institution. I jumped at the opportunity to be involved in public policy from a higher education perspective.”

Brittany Williams Northeast Region Associate Dean of Human Resources, President and Board Services, Atlantic Cape Community College, NJ.

My professional career began as a newspaper reporter. My primary beat was municipal government, which sparked my interest in public policy. I moved on to a position at Atlantic Cape Community College in the Admissions department in 2001, utilizing my Spanish language skills. I provided bilingual counsel to students from all over the world and served as a designated school official on behalf of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. My background in navigating public policy was very helpful. After several years in the Admissions department, I moved into the President’s Office in an administrative role. I was working with a new president with an exciting vision for the institution. I jumped at the opportunity to be involved in public policy from a higher education perspective. Over the past four years, I earned my MSEd in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania and transitioned from my position as Director of Board Services/Executive Assistant to the President to my present position as Associate Dean of Human Resources, President and Board Services.

“I applied, and here I am in my dream job.” All of us who serve in the role of professional board staff have similar experiences, and we would all agree that we have been afforded amazing learning and growth opportunities by working in the higher education sector. We will highlight other members of the executive committee in the next edition. I look forward to seeing you in San Francisco this fall. T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y S u m m er 2 0 0 9

advisor ELECTION OF BOARD AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Elections for ACCT Regional Directors and Diversity Committee members will be held at the Regional Caucuses and Meetings on Thursday, October 8th, 1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. PST during the 2009 Community College Leadership Congress in San Francisco, California at the Hilton San Francisco hotel. Elections for Director-at-Large will be held on Friday, October 9th, during the ACCT Senate meeting.

2009 Candidates for THE ACCT Board of Directors Regional Director

DIRECTORs-AT-LARGE

(1) Three-year term in each region. Following is the slate of nominees:

(3) Three-year terms. Following is the slate of nominees received as of July 1, 2009.

Central Region — Jeffrey A. May* Joliet Junior College, Ill.

William E. Coleman Jr. Mercer County College, N.J.

Northeast Region — Roberta (Bobbi) Shulman* Montgomery College, Md.

Kathleen (Kay) Pesile* The City University of New York

Pacific Region — Anita Grier* City College of San Francisco, Calf.

John W. Sanders John A. Logan College, Ill.

Southern Region — Vacant**

Gregory Schuckman* Northern Virginia Community College, Va.

Western Region — Robert (Bob) Feit* Southeast Community College, Neb.

Frederick Whang* Tacoma Community College, Wash.

2009 Candidates for ACCT Diversity Committee (1) Two-year term in each region. Following is the slate of nominees: Central Region Moudy S. Nabulsi* Southeastern Community College, Iowa Northeast Region Elaine Johnson* County College of Morris, N.J.

Pacific Region Shauna Weatherby* Clover Park Technical College,Wash. Southern Region Vacant** • Two-Year Term • One-Year Partial Term Western Region John Mondragon* Central New Mexico Community College

*Received the support of their respective Regional Nominating Committee.

**The Southern Region Seeks Candidates for the Board of Directors and the Diversity Committee Kathy Sellers-Johnson, trustee from Louisiana Community and Technical College System, has resigned from the ACCT Board of Directors. Sellers-Johnson held a Regional Director seat on the Board. Currently, there is no declared candidate for this position. An election will take place to fill this seat at the San Francisco Congress Southern Regional Caucus and Meeting on October 8th. In addition, there is a vacancy for a two-year term and a one-year partial term in the Southern Region on the ACCT Diversity Committee. Nominations also will be accepted from the floor for both seats during the San Francisco Congress Southern Regional Caucus and Meeting on October 8th. Nominations will be accepted from the floor in all elections. Nominations must be made by a Voting Delegate from each candidate’s respective institution. The Voting Delegate makes the nomination on behalf of the member board and must provide a letter affirming the member board’s support at or before the nomination.

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ELECTION OF REGIONAL NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Regional Nominating Committee elections will take place during the 2009 Community College Leadership Congress at the Regional Caucuses and Meetings on Thursday, October 8th. Based on the ACCT Regional Nominating Committee structure, each committee consists of five members elected for two-year staggered terms. No more than one member shall be from the same state. The following seats need to be filled for the 2010-11 term: CENTRAL REGION (2) Seats will be available to members from the following states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio. NORTHEAST REGION (3) Seats will be available to members from the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. PACIFIC REGION (3) Seats will be available to members from the following states and territories: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands SOUTHERN REGION (3) Seats will be available to members from the following states and territories: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Bermuda, and Virgin Islands. WESTERN REGION (3) Seats will be available to members from the following states: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

ACCT VOTING DELEGATES FOR ELECTIONS ACCT’s President and Chief Executive Officer will send detailed information to the board chairs of each ACCT voting member district outlining how many voting delegates the college district governing board is entitled to under ACCT’s Bylaws. The number of delegates will be based on fall headcount enrollment of those students taking courses for credit. Each member board should decide who will serve as the voting delegate(s) for the Congress. Voting Members may designate for each voting delegate an alternative who may serve as the voting delegate in the absence of any voting delegate from the same voting member. ACCT does not need to be notified. Upon arrival at the Congress, the voting delegate(s) will need to sign in at the appropriate desk to receive voting credentials.

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