Creating a Culture of Evidence | Reverse Transfer | The ‘Fiscal Cliff’ and Student Success
WINTER 2013
ACareer of Caregiving As a nurse and a community college leader, ACCT Chair Jean Torgeson has found that trusteeship and support go hand in hand.
Board of Directors
2012-2013
From the Chair
Chair Jean Torgeson North Iowa Area Community College, IA
Chair-Elect John W. Sanders John A. Logan College, IL
Vice Chair LeRoy W. Mitchell Westchester Community College, NY
Secretary-Treasurer Robin M. Smith Lansing Community College, MI
Immediate Past Chair Roberto Uranga Long Beach City College, CA
Central Regional Chair Jeffrey A. May Joliet Junior College, IL
Northeast Regional Chair Bakari Lee Hudson County Community College, NJ
Pacific Regional Chair Jim Harper Portland Community College, OR
Southern Regional Chair Randall “Mack” Jackson Midlands Technical College, SC
Western Regional Chair Roberto Zárate Alamo Colleges, TX William E. Coleman, Jr. Mercer County Community College, NJ Colton J. Crane Central Wyoming College, WY Kristin Diederich North Dakota University System, ND Stanley Edwards Halifax Community College, NC Robert “Bob” Feit Southeast Community College, NE Mary Figueroa Riverside Community College District, CA Vernon Jung Moraine Park Technical College, WI Clare Ollayos Elgin Community College, IL Clemon Prevost College of the Mainland, TX George Regan Robeson Community College, NC Dorothy “Dottie” Smith State Center Community College District, CA David H. Talley Palm Beach State College, FL Rafael C. Turner Mott Community College, MI Nancy Watkins Hillsborough Community College, FL
A Living Wage for our Students As a nurse, my chief concern is the health of my patients. And as the economy has slowed over recent years, I have seen firsthand how closely our physical, mental, and spiritual health are tied to financial wellbeing. The current federal minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour — approximately $15,000 a year for a full-time worker who works five days a week, 52 weeks a year with no time off. In 2012-13, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set the poverty level for individuals at $11,170, and at $23,050 for a family of four. It is clear that minimum wage is not a living wage. Meanwhile, even as 13 million Americans can’t even find minimum wage-level employment, an average of 3 million jobs are reported as unfilled and unfillable each month by employers. These jobs are largely jobs that require specific skills — and, according to Business Week, hospitals are having the hardest time finding qualified workers — nurses in particular. As a nurse, I know all about the shortage of adequately skilled workers. But as a community college trustee and now, especially, as chair of the ACCT Board of Directors, I have a unique vantage point on the issue. I was educated by a community college, and I know better than many the vital role our institutions serve in filling the skilled-labor gap. As the newly elected chair of ACCT, I have made it my mission to raise awareness about our colleges’ unique ability to prepare students for the jobs that are available — jobs which I can personally attest are meaningful and rewarding. I know that I am preaching to the choir — as a trustee or president, you surely know this — but do you know exactly what programs at your college help your students earn a living wage? Do you know what skilled-labor jobs are available in your community? Is the college working with these employers, and are students taking advantage of available opportunities to find meaningful employment and a living wage? If you don’t know the answers, I implore you to consider these questions. As trustees, we are in a position — and we have the responsibility — to improve the lives of our students and their families. I look forward to my year as ACCT Chair, and to bringing my message to Washington, D.C., this February at the Community College National Legislative Summit. I hope to see you there, and to hear about what programs your college has in place to ensure that students have every opportunity to earn a real living wage.
Jean Torgeson North Iowa Area Community College
Cid Wilson, Diversity Committee Chair Bergen Community College, NJ Emily Yim Edmonds Community College, WA
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Trustee
QUA R T ERLY
The Voice of Community College Leaders
From the President & CEO
WINTER 2013
Editorial Team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF J. Noah Brown
Moving the Needle
President & CEO
Managing Editor David Conner Communications & Publications Manager
Editor Mark Toner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Colleen Allen Board Program Specialist
Yobel Gaski Board Services Associate
Jee Hang Lee Vice President of Public Policy and External Relations
Narcisa A. Polonio Executive Vice President for Education, Research, and Board Leadership Services
Ira Michael Shepard ACCT Legal Counsel
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Enrique Huaiquil Keyshia Jimerson Jennifer Stiddard PROOFREADER Kit Gray Wolverton Design & Production www.moiremarketing.com – Washington, D.C. Your Opinion Matters contact: David Conner (866) 895-ACCT (2228) dconner@acct.org
TRUSTEE QUARTERLY (ISSN 0271-9746) is published three or four times per year as a membership service of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). ACCT is a not-for-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 mission 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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions and values of the Association of Community College Trustees. Non-members may subscribe to TRUSTEE QUARTERLY for $60.00 per year (plus postage for international subscriptions). Third-class postage paid at Washington, D.C.
Community and technical colleges fill a number of roles — moving students through the graduation pipeline, enabling them to find gainful employment, meeting the needs of the community at large — all of them urgent and all of them necessary. But I called my book First in the World: Community Colleges and America’s Future for a reason. By meeting present needs while remembering the lessons of the past and planning for the future, our colleges may not be able to do it all, but we can and will do all that needs to be done for America’s future. In this issue, you’ll read about events that are possible only through the participation of our dedicated members, and which are strengthened by our many partners. Two of these are the 2012 ACCT Leadership Congress (p.14), as well as its lead-in Symposium on Student Success (p.10), a continuation of the pre-ACCT Leadership Congress Completion Summit first held in 2010. This issue also gives you an opportunity to get to know ACCT’s new national board chair, Jean Torgeson (p.20), who proudly serves on the board at North Iowa Area Community College — the very school at which she earned her nursing credentials and began her lifelong career of caregiving. She is committed to getting community college students to work at jobs that pay an actual living wage — not just enough to get by. Strategic partners are crucial to getting our work done. I am pleased that two of our ACCT Corporate Council partners, Edfinancial (p.28) and Ellucian (p.30) have both authored articles in this issue. One of our member trustees, Stacy Anne Arias from Crowder College in Texas, has also contributed her voice to the magazine, writing about the value of alliances between trustees and students (p.26). As always, I encourage you to pay close attention to Jee Hang Lee’s advocacy column on page 8, in which he discusses in detail what trustees and presidents need to know about the potential pitfalls of the “fiscal cliff” and upcoming reauthorization bills. With a new Congress recently installed in Washington, now is the time to make your voice heard. I hope to see you at the 2013 Community College National Legislative Summit in February and in Seattle, Washington, this October for the 44th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, where we will continue to move the needle on student success.
J. Noah Brown ACCT President and CEO
1233 20th Street, NW, Suite 301 Washington DC 20036 (202) 775-4667 FAX: (202) 775-4455 E-mail: acctinfo@acct.org www.acct.org
1-866-895-ACCT (2228) FAX: 1-866-904-ACCT (2228) 2
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Contents
TRUSTEE QUARTERLY | WINTER 2013
Departments 8
Advocacy Cliffs and Pitfalls Jeopardize Student Success Jee Hang Lee
26 Trustee’s Voice
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Forging an Alliance Between Students and Trustees Stacy Anne Arias
32 Legal Recent Developments in Employment Law Ira Michael Shepard
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in every issue 1
From the Chair
Features
2
From the President & CEO
4
News
10 Creating a Culture of Evidence — By Colleen Allen and Yobel Gaski
24 Around the Regions
As the success agenda becomes part of the community college landscape, leaders need to accelerate their institutions’ understanding and use of data.
14 Turning Points — By Mark Toner The 43rd annual ACCT Leadership Congress brought community college leaders together at a critical time.
34 ACCT Lifetime Members 36 Searches and Retreats 41 Interface 44 Advisor
20 A Career of Caregiving — By Mark Toner As a nurse and a community college leader, ACCT Chair Jean Torgeson has found that trusteeship and support go hand in hand.
28 Capacity Building — By Judith Witherspoon Outsourcing selected financial and administrative functions can improve staff morale and student success.
COVER PHOTO BY Keith Weller
30 Gearing Up for Reverse Transfers — By Kari Branjord Automating the reserve transfer process can accelerate student completion.
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Policy Action Agenda: Take Action On Student Success ACCT recently released its Policy Action Agenda, a guide for governing boards to support student success and completion. The Policy Action Agenda: • Encourages governing boards to develop student success policies; • Reaffirms a commitment to access and equity; and • Calls upon governing boards to take action. More than 150 community college trustees, presidents, and experts from national organizations contributed to drafting the Policy Action Agenda at ACCT’s 2011 Invitational Symposium on Student Success in Dallas, Texas, including representatives from the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Center for American Progress, the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, Completion by Design, EDUCAUSE, Excelencia in Education!, the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, the Kresge Foundation, MDRC, the National School Boards Association, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and the State Higher Education Executive Officers. ACCT encourages all member boards to adopt the Policy Action Agenda, which is available online at www.governanceinstitute.org/images/paa.pdf. The Association would also love to hear what policy actions your college has taken to further student success. Contact Board Program Specialist Colleen Allen at callen@acct.org or by phone at 202.775.6490 to share your story and find out how you can become involved in ACCT’s student success initiative.
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News Annual ACCT Association Awards The 2012 ACCT Association Awards were presented on Friday, October 14, during the Annual ACCT Awards Gala in Boston. For photos and videos of the Association and Regional Awards, visit www.acct.org/awards.
2012 M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award Gary R. Gurwitz South Texas College, Texas
2012 Marie Y. Martin Chief Executive Officer Award Bettsey Barhorst Madison Area Technical College, Wis.
2012 Charles Kennedy Equity Award Maricopa County Community College District, Ariz.
2012 William H. Meardy Faculty Member Award Holly Walter Kerby Madison Area Technical College, Wis.
2012 ACCT Professional Board Staff Member Award Gloria Smith Maricopa County Community College District, Ariz.
Keep an eye on your mailbox and email inbox for the 2013 ACCT Regional and Association Awards Call for Nominations, to be issued early in 2013!
Registration and Call for Presentations: 2013 ACCT Leadership Congress Join over 1,400 trustees, college presidents, philanthropic leaders, and federal officials as we move the needle on student success at the 2013 ACCT Leadership Congress, to be held October 2-5 in Seattle, Washington. Registration for the 2013 Congress opens in mid-February at www.acct.org. ACCT is seeking presentations for the 2013 Congress that relate to the following tracks: 1. Entrepreneurship and strategic alliances to meet local workforce needs and partnerships with K-12 2. Data-driven solutions to foster equity, access, and student success and completion 3. Innovative financial strategies and expanded fundraising 4. Combating poverty, serving at-risk and underserved populations, and ensuring access 5. Procedures, practices, and policies that promote effective governance For more information and to submit your presentation idea, go to www.acct.org and click “Events,” or e-mail questions to ACCT Education Events Specialist Christina Sage at csage@acct.org.
New and Improved ACCT Mobile Application As the 2013 National Legislative Summit draws near, we encourage all members to download the new ACCT mobile app. This new-and-improved app was built for year-round use and can be used to: – Interact with social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; – Get the latest updates on legislation, ACCT events, and other news as it happens; – Access a comprehensive directory of all members of the U.S. Congress, including e-mail
New ACCT Website
addresses and
Have you seen the new ACCT.org? We’ve been busy updating the site’s design over the past year and are happy to finally unveil it. Check us out at www.acct.org and e-mail dconner@acct.org to let us know what you think!
that can connect
phone numbers you with your representatives in one click; – Build a customized personal schedule of events during the annual Community College National Legislative Summit and ACCT Leadership Congress; – and much more! To download the app, search for keyword ACCT in the Apple Store, iTunes, or Android Store. We’d love your feedback; please e-mail comments or questions to mchandler@acct.org.
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Let the LAW work for you Timing is everything when it comes to advocacy, but not everyone has time to pay attention to pending legislation day in and day out.
News Governance Institute for Student Success: Continuing to Expand the Agenda for Completion and Student Success
ACCT’s Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alerts do the work for you. Since 2008, nearly 1,600 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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Top photo: Trustees and president representing 15 community and technical colleges attended GISS in Columbus, Ohio. Bottom photo: Trustees and presidents from 29 community and technical colleges, and members of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges attended GISS in Seattle, Washington.
The Governance Institute for Student Success (GISS), a partnership between the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at the University of Texas at Austin, continues to advance the student success and completion agenda in community and technical colleges across the United States. With the continued support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the GISS returned to work with trustees and presidents in the states of Ohio and Washington, and held initial institutes with governance teams in Nebraska and West Virginia. More than 270 trustees and presidents from 59 community and technical colleges and state associations had the opportunity to learn strategies to encourage and implement a culture of evidence and accountability for student success and completion.
GISS Returns to Ohio and Washington Activities for the GISS in 2012 included advanced institutes in Ohio in April and in the state of Washington in October. Community college leaders in each of these returning states gathered for a second face-to-face convening to reflect on their progress and continue advancing student success initiatives for their campuses and states. At the institutes,
trustees and presidents had the opportunity to explore what they learned about what works, examine their missions, and identify what policy measures are having an impact and what governance practices were successful. The institute featured a comparative analysis of each board’s self-assessment from the initial to the second institute. An Ohio trustee said that “as a result of attending the GISS institute, we — as a policy governance body — will continue to make measures of student success a priority.” A Washington state trustee added, “The GISS gave us an opportunity for our board and president to have in-depth conversation and reinforce how mutually committed we are on student success and our agreement on how to best move our institution forward.”
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Continue Support for GISS ACCT is pleased to announce that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed an additional $1 million to expand, accelerate, and sustain the GISS initiative for two additional years. GISS will continue to foster the institutional agenda and governance skills necessary to accelerate and achieve needed increases in student attainment and completion among community colleges in the United States. The extension grant will support: 1. The expansion of the current model to Florida and North Carolina; 2. Outreach to other states including California, Nebraska, and New Jersey, to include such critical components as board self-assessments, student data help desks, and Web-based support; 3. I ncreasing the reach of GISS via a comprehensive electronic repository, including a webinar series, interactive programs, diagnostic tools, and a library to encourage and facilitate student success among community college governing boards nationwide; and 4. E ngagement of a larger circle of highereducation experts and trustees through
Top photo: GISS recognized the work and support of Charlie Earl, Erin Brown, and Tom Malone in making the student success and completion agenda a priority in Washington State. Bottom left: Trustees and presidents in Washington State discuss their student success and completion agenda. Bottom right: Ohio leaders participate in roundtable discussions.
continuation of ACCT’s invitational Symposium series on Student Success and Completion preceding the ACCT Annual Leadership Congress.
Student Success Institutes Emerge from GISS Model The GISS initiative continues expanding the governance and student success agenda to additional states under the Student Success Institutes (SSI) program. SSI provides the opportunity for additional states to promote policies and create accountability measures to increase student success and completion. In May 2012, an institute was held in Roanoke, West Virginia, in conjunction with the state’s Community and Technical College System. Eighty-four trustees and presidents from 10 community and technical colleges in West Virginia attended the institute.
In partnership with the Nebraska Community College Association, the GISS conducted a second SSI in November 2012 in Norfolk, Nebraska. The one-and-a-half day convening was held at Northeast Community College with the participation of 42 trustees and presidents from five community colleges. During the convening, participants assessed their readiness and prepared to take action to further their student success and completion agendas. For more information on GISS and the Student Success Institutes, visit www.governance-institute.org or e-mail ACCT Executive Vice President for Education, Research & Board Leadership Services Narcisa A. Polonio at narcisa_polonio@acct.org. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
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advocacy
Cliffs and Pitfalls Jeopardize Student Success Ongoing fiscal negotiations present significant challenges in the months ahead.
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Zone Academy Bonds will remain at $400 million in bond volume per year for 2012 and 2013. The bill also temporarily extends the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit and emergency unemployment insurance benefits.
Pitfalls on the Horizon The passage of the bipartisan fiscal cliff bill also delayed the pending across-theboard cuts to defense and non-defense programs known as sequestration. Unless Congress finds an alternative to sequestration, which seems increasingly
unlikely at this point, the cuts will occur on March 2 of this year. Federal agencies have been told to prepare for the impact of these across-the-board cut, which does not bode well for those hoping for an imminent solution. The postponement of the cuts under the fiscal cliff deal, however, did include additional revenues to reduce the impact of the cuts. For non-defense discretionary programs, spending cuts have been reduced from 8.2 percent to around 6 percent. Most higher education programs would be impacted, including TRIO; federal work study; institutional
MICHAEL AUSTIN
W
With the conclusion of the 2012 presidential election, the 112th Congress and President Barack Obama began negotiating an extension of expiring tax provisions and looming acrossthe-board spending cuts to defense and non-defense programs, including education. This impending set of economic predicaments set to occur at year’s end became commonly known as the “fiscal cliff.” The conventional wisdom was that Congress would finalize legislation to avert the fiscal cliff by Christmas, but the negotiations became contentious. The nation ultimately went over the fiscal cliff, albeit with a bungee. Congress and the President were ultimately able to reach a compromise to avert the fiscal cliff, passing legislation in the first days of January. Under the deal, tax rates will permanently increase for households that make more than $450,000 a year and individuals who make more than $400,000. Dividends and capital gains tax rates would also increase for this group. Current rates for incomes below that level have been extended permanently. However, individuals making over $250,000 and couples making over $300,000 face additional limitations on the number of personal exemptions and itemized deductions. Notably, Congress also opted not to reinstate the payroll tax holiday, which impacts wage-earning Americans of all income levels. For higher education, the bill extends the American Opportunity Tax Credit for five years. It also permanently extends the expanded exclusion for employerprovided educational assistance, the expanded Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, and the expanded studentloan interest deduction. The Qualified
by Jee Hang Lee
aid; and the Supplemental Opportunity Educational Grant program. Even though the Pell Grant program is exempt from sequestration, the lowered thresholds for educational spending pose significant challenges. For FY 2014, the Pell Grant program is expected to face a significant shortfall, and a reduced pot of educational funds means that filling this gap could prove quite difficult—and may lead to changes to the structure of the Pell Grant program in order to generate savings. Congress and the Administration will also need to address whether the federal government will raise the debt ceiling or face default on outstanding debts. The Treasury Department has announced that the federal government is currently at the ceiling and will start defaulting on its debts sometime in mid-February. A default on the federal government’s obligations could have a serious negative impact on the global economy and possibly reduce the United States’ credit rating. The 112th Congress also was unable to finalize its FY 2013 Appropriations bills and instead passed a continuing resolution that is set to expire on March 27. Again, Congress and the Administration will need to work out these spending allocations. The 112th Congress did agree to abide by the budget cap for FY 2013 as outlined in the 2011 Budget Control Act. It is unclear whether the 113th Congress will also abide by this cap, creating potential challenges in spending levels. Congress may choose to deal with all of these issues individually or as a package. Either way, these hurdles set the stage for challenging months to come.
Reauthorization Bills Loom Ahead Once Congress finalizes these contentious bills, the Congressional agenda for the next two years will include a number of community college priorities. Congress will need to reauthorize the Higher Education Act; the Workforce Investment Act; the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Congress may choose to deal with all of these issues individually or as a package. Either way, these hurdles set the stage for challenging months to come. Technical Education Act; and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, each of which could have serious impact on institutions and students. Community college leaders will need to push their legislators to support beneficial reauthorizations. For the Higher Education Act, there is a strong possibility that Congress and the Administration will look at changing the structure of financial aid programs, especially as related to the Pell Grant program. There are some Congressional concerns about the size of the program, especially with the projected shortfall in FY 2014. Mid-year projections show the Pell Grant shortfall may not be as large as an earlier estimate of $6 billion. However, it is very likely there will be a significant shortfall in FY 2014, and additional budget cuts could lead Congress and the Administration to further restrict access to the program or lower the Pell Grant maximum. There have also been substantive proposals to change Pell included in the House Budget Resolution. While these are non-binding recommendations for the appropriations committee, they still have credence in the overall conversation about Pell reform. Proposed changes have included eliminating awards for students who attend college less than half time, lowering Pell’s income protection allowance formula, and lowering the income thresholds for zero expected family contribution.
As Congress examines the Workforce Investment Act, there will be proposals to expand the role of community colleges in workforce training. The Administration is expected to pursue one of its campaign proposals, the $8 billion Community College to Career Fund. Administered jointly by the Department of Education and the Department of Labor over three years, the proposed program has the goal of training and placing two million skilled workers in high-demand jobs by building upon existing successful models between industry and community colleges aimed at targeting specific skills that lead to highgrowth, high-demand jobs. One final piece of legislation expected to be considered this year is immigration reform. With both political parties looking to address this issue, the prospects are good that the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act will either be part of a final immigration package or moved independently.
Success Begins and Ends with You All of these legislative items are important to institutions and their students, and we need the support of community trustees, presidents, students, and leaders to achieve positive results. We look forward to seeing many of you in Washington, D.C., for the National Legislative Summit. NLS serves as a starting point in our advocacy efforts, but it is not the finish line. We’ll need to continue our efforts throughout the year. We encourage you to utilize ACCT’s online policy center to communicate with your members of Congress, and follow federal legislative updates through the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) email alerts and the Capitol Connection e-newsletter.
ACCT Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee can be reached by e-mail at jhlee@acct.org, or by phone at 202-775-4667. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
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Creating a Culture of
Evidence
As the success agenda becomes part of the community college landscape, leaders need to accelerate their institutions’ understanding and use of data. B y C o l l ee n A l l e n a n d Yobe l G ask i
Kresge Foundation Senior Program Officer Caroline Altman Smith
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Senior Program Officer Elise Miller
ACCT’s third annual symposium on completion,
“As the completion challenge emerged and has been escalated, I’ve heard a lot of trustees say ‘We get it — so now what?’ ” said Kay McClenney, director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) at the University of Texas at Austin. A key is addressing “the considerable misalignment between what institutions are providing and what students need” as well as “what we think we’re doing for students and what we’re actually doing for students,” she says — misconceptions that can only be revealed through the careful use of data.
held immediately before the 43rd annual Leadership Congress in Boston, showcased just how far the student success movement has come — and the vital role trustees must continue playing in translating the completion agenda into working policies on their campuses. Held two years ago in Toronto, the first symposium “was focused on bringing attention to the national goal of increasing student success,” outgoing ACCT Chair Roberto Uranga told attendees. In 2011, community college leaders and experts collaborated on creating a policy action agenda that has since been disseminated to community college boards across the country (see p. 4). In Boston, and in campuses across the country, the focus has now shifted to operationalizing the completion agenda by exploring ways in which community college leaders can create a “culture of evidence” in which data is used to guide student success efforts and hold all stakeholders accountable. 10
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Broadening the Discourse Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation, the 2012 Symposium: Achieving Student Success: Metrics, Data, and Evidence brought together community college leaders and experts from more than 20 organizations that included leaders in the field of data collection and analysis, as well as policy experts and philanthropists engaged in student
Lumina Foundation Vice President of Program Development James Applegate (standing) with City University of New York Senior Vice Chancellor and Board Secretary Jay Hershenson
2011-2012 ACCT Board Chair Roberto Uranga
success efforts. In an effort to broaden the discourse to trustees everywhere, the entire 2012 Symposium will be made available for viewing on ACCT’s Trustees for Student Success website (www.governance-institute.org). Keynote presenter Dr. James Applegate, vice president of program development at Lumina, stressed the need for a qualified workforce, noting that just 40 percent of the workforce holds postsecondary degrees at a time when over 5 million jobs requiring only a high school degree disappeared during the recession. “Jobs for high school graduates are just dropping off the charts, while for [postsecondary degree and certificate holders], we’ve fully recovered,” he said. “Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t need more people with postsecondary degrees.” “The world is not waiting for us to wake up and catch it,” Applegate added. “If we don’t make that dramatic move, our global competitiveness is at risk.” Another shift caused by the recession is that the number of incoming students entering community colleges with the goal of attaining a degree has increased from 59 percent to 83 percent in just a few years, said McClenney. “It’s gone up dramatically because your students know a postsecondary credential is not just a ticket to the middle class and economic mobility, but in fact, the only ticket,” McClenney said. At the same time, CCCSE data suggests that 45 percent of all incoming students will not receive a degree — and between 14 and 17 percent of students will never complete a single credit — “if we do not change,” McClenney said. “Behind every single data point are people who depend on the goals you set for your community colleges to meet their aspirations,” McClenney added.
analytics. “Analytics and data are critical to you and your students being able to see inside the black box that is higher education,” she said, adding that trustees need to learn “how to use data as a flashlight, not a hammer.” Oblinger noted that if you can predict which students are at risk, you can selectively intervene and apply your resources where they are most needed. Analytics answer questions that can be met with action, such as: What happened? Where exactly is the problem? What actions are needed? Why is this happening? What happens if these trends continue? What are the next steps? The first question, though, is identifying what should be measured. “One successful institution says we measure everything that moves,” Lumina’s Applegate quipped. In reality, what’s important is creating a data system robust enough for community college leaders to see how different groups of students — young, old, of different backgrounds — are faring. “There’s no more powerful lever for change than data that paints a picture of our community college students and tells the truth about which groups are disproportionately falling through the cracks,” McClenney said. “Unless you are tracking student cohorts as they are moving through your college and disaggregating by race, ethnicity, first-time college, and age, you are not able to understand what is going on with student success at your college.” It’s also critical to create systems that identify struggling students while there’s still time to intervene and support them—not just “count the dead bodies,” Applegate said. Oblinger pointed to initiatives such as Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative, now in place on 40 campuses, that offers a dashboard for instructors that tracks student progress towards learning objectives in real time. A similar program that alerts professors at Purdue University when students are struggling has improved success rates by up to 28 percent, she added. It is important for boards to decide what metrics to use and to hold the institution accountable. Trustees have a critical role
Data, Metrics, and Analytics Diana Oblinger, president and CEO of EDUCAUSE, an organization dedicated to advancing higher education through the use of information technology, explained the importance of
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Student success roundtables provided symposium attendees with the opportunity for in-depth discussions around key issues and challenges posed by the completion agenda.
to play, said ACCT President & CEO J. Noah Brown. “When those lights on the dashboard come on, you as trustees need to know what to do,” he said.
A New Model Keynote speaker Jay Hershenson, senior vice chancellor for university relations and secretary for the board of trustees at the City University of New York (CUNY), provided an overview of best practices embodied in The New Community College at CUNY, the city’s first new community college in 40 years, and CUNY’s ASAP program, which serves more than 4,000 students on six campuses. First, if at all possible, help more community college students attend full time. Second, learning communities are important. ASAP students take the majority of their first-year classes in small, close-knit cohorts of 25 students who move through the program together by major, and students take most classes in consolidated blocks. This connected community helps students develop close and supportive relationships with one another and their instructors. Finally, students need assistance to maneuver the financial aid process, Hershenson said. Byron McClenney, director of student success initiatives for the University of Texas at Austin and national director of leadership coaching for Achieving the Dream, cited 10 promising practices that have been observed through the work of Achieving the Dream. He explained that three components are primarily responsible for positive student-success outcomes: strong leadership, academic and student affairs working together, and an institutional research staff. “[Trustees…] must create a culture of evidence and inquiry across the institution and including the faculty,” McClenney said. “To do this, you must discuss data points at every board meeting.” “We have to completely transform how our institutions operate,” added Rod Risley, executive director of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. “The role of faculty must change,” he said, so that faculty members are not just there to teach, but also serve as advisors and mentors. In addition, Risley singled 12
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out peer-to-peer mentoring, electronic support, and enrollment advising as keys to increasing student success.
Trustees and Data After a day of comprehensive overviews and small and large group discussions, one trustee observed that boards need to transition from understanding the “killer bees: buildings, bonds and budgets” to understanding student success. Trustees need to have a better understanding of who their student populations are, where they are coming from, where they are trying to go, and what gets in the way. Once the full board has collected and digested this information, it can set priorities with the college’s CEO based upon systematically addressing needs over the long term — all in the context of empowering students to meet their goals. Pointing to a pilot project now being undertaken to build capacity to use data at 14 Texas community colleges, McClenney said that “what we have not found is a short supply of data. It’s the capacity to pull these data together and learn from the data to engage the college community that is the big work ahead.”
Tools and Resources Elise Miller, senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gave an overview of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, better known as IPEDS — a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department’s National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in federal student financial aid programs. While Miller admits there are problems with IPEDS — the reporting burden is heavy and there are weaknesses in the data — she argues that it provides the kinds of metrics that trustees should be asking of their CEOs and shared broadly across the institution. Jeanne-Marie Boylan, board chair of the Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts and a former member
ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown
of ACCT’s board of directors, described how Bunker Hill had faced negative coverage of its graduation rates based on the IPEDS data. Though the full story was not told, the experience did prompt the board to start asking hard questions and recognize the need to establish a culture of evidence. She noted that as trustees, boards have to hold themselves accountable to students and stakeholders. Karen Stout, president of Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania, described her campus’ experience with the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA), the first comprehensive national accountability system created by community colleges for community colleges. The VFA provides measures of student progress and outcomes; measures of workforce, economic, and community development; and an approach for assessing student learning outcomes, and can be used to start a data informed discussion between trustees and CEOs. “This tool is fair, it’s rigorous, it’s going to force you to confront some difficult challenges, but this is really where we need to be going as a sector,” Stout said. “I look at the VFA locally as a catalyst to building my understanding of the institution to focus on governance, and nationally as a catalyst for understanding our areas of opportunity for the future.” Pennsylvania’s community colleges have also adopted the VFA as a common framework to look at statewide data, and Stout urged others to do the same. “The credibility of VFA is dependent on how many community colleges adopt it,” she says. “Please participate when this becomes active.” ACCT’s Brown put the importance of putting the data into context succinctly. “Every one of those numbers is a face, and every one of those faces is a human being,” he told symposium attendees. “And every human being deserves the right to live in dignity. That’s why you’re here.” To read the public policy agenda developed by community college leaders at last year’s symposium, go to www.governance-institute.org.
ACCT Executive Vice President Narcisa A. Polonio
Democracy’s Call to Action: 18 Months later The symposium closed with a look back at what has been accomplished since President Obama’s 2010 speech at Macomb Community College introducing the American Graduation Initiative — calling upon community colleges to increase the number of degrees it awarded so that America could once again lead the world in educational attainment. J. Noah Brown, president and CEO at ACCT, Walter Bumphus, president and CEO at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Gerardo de los Santos, president and CEO at the League for Innovation in the Community College, Kay McClenney, director at the Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, and Rod Risley, executive director at Phi Theta Kappa, each cited examples of the work underway throughout the country to push forward on student success. Each emphasized that the efforts of the myriad of organizations working towards the collective goal of increasing student success and completion are aligning. The question for trustees: Now what? Where is the greatest urgency? Community colleges must look to the metrics and understand the data about their students in order to make policy decisions that will support the completion goal. What began as a one-time event in 2010 with the invitational Summit on Completion has evolved into a national platform to convene trustees, presidents, experts, and other stakeholders in a sustained dialogue with the goal of increasing student success. By making the 2012 Symposium available in its entirety on its Trustees for Student Success website, ACCT invites all trustees to strengthen and broaden the conversation.
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Turning Points
B y M ark T o n er
The 43rd annual ACCT Leadership Congress brought community college leaders together at a critical time.
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Opening the 43rd annual ACCT Leadership Congress, W.K. Kellogg Foundation President and CEO Sterling Speirn told attendees that they are “living in one of the most critical times our nation has ever faced.” The nation’s future “depends largely on the investments we make on the institutions that support the human capital that is the bedrock of our society,” Speirn said. “Student success in your colleges has a lot more to do than with just the individual success of your [students], but their role in our economy and democratic system going forward.” 14
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2 1. Opening General Session; 2. 2011-2012 ACCT Chair Roberto Uranga; 3. Rod Risley, executive director of Phi Theta Kappa honor society presents 2012 Alliance for Educational Excellence Award to ACCT; 4. ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown; 5. Opening keynote speaker Sterling Speirn, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
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Over the next three days, in sessions, keynotes, and a standingroom-only town hall meeting, Congress attendees grappled with a student success agenda imbued with a new sense of urgency. Reflecting on his recently published book, First in the World: Community Colleges and America’s Future, ACCT President & CEO J. Noah Brown underscored the importance of the success agenda in restoring America’s global competitiveness. “We face many challenges in the U.S., but none more important than educational attainment,” Brown said. “Community colleges provide an on-ramp for the greatest diversity of individuals to the higher education superhighway. We are the most critical sector to restoring the economy and ensuring our people achieve the American dream.” At the same time, Congress speakers urged community college leaders to remember the historic missions of their institutions as they continue to advocate for meaningful change. “Higher education was a movement before it was a set of institutions to be managed,” DeRionne P. Pollard, president of Montgomery College in Maryland, told attendees at the town hall meeting.
Back to the Future
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A sense of the weight and responsibilities of history pervaded many Congress sessions. A panel on the future of community colleges, for example, kicked off with a look at their past, beginning as extensions of high schools and offering job training in the Great Depression, followed by an era of explosive growth sparked by the post-World War II GI Bill and the Higher Education Act of 1965. An estimated 100 million people have attended community colleges since their inception, including the approximately 13 million students who currently enter their doors each year. Reminding attendees that the GI Bill was in reality “not an education program in its initial conception, but a job program,” Brown said that the nation’s $14 billion investment at the time would translate to about $180 billion today — during an era in which, as was the case at the end of World War II, the nation faces critical needs around job training and competitiveness. “That doesn’t seem like a lot of money, especially considering the other things we’re willing to invest in as a nation,” Brown said. Looking forward, Brown identified five key challenges facing community colleges: accountability, ensuring a continuing legacy of effective citizen governance, scarce resources, completion, remediation, and leadership. “We’ve enjoyed 111 years of growth T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY
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OCTober 11 Day 2
and legitimacy,” Brown said. “We’re now a mature sector. With maturity comes risks… the question now becomes whether we can sustain that maturity. If we allow a downward spiral to occur, we’re sunk as a nation… We’re already on the verge of having the first generation in this country that will live less well than their parents. That was not the American promise, and that’s not what has to transpire.”
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Community and Collaboration A key asset in community colleges’ efforts to preserve that American promise is collaboration that cuts across boundaries in new ways. “Partnerships are the new currency of this day, whether with business and industry or churches and jails,” Montgomery College’s Pollard said. Congress speakers pointed to the growing connections between industry, K-12, and higher-education systems. Bill Green, executive chairman of Accenture, touted community colleges as the lynchpin of talent acquisition for employers, calling the community college model “the shortest time from aspiration to a job.” Collaboration is also bridging the gaps between higher education and the K-12 sector, with a key public school leader pledging assistance with the ongoing challenge of remediation. Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, made the case that community colleges and school districts should work together to address the ongoing challenge of students who leave high school unprepared for college or careers. “There’s no reason for us to graduate a student who then goes into remediation,” Wilhoit said, urging community colleges to engage in “deep conversations” with the K-12 districts that feed into their campuses. “Better for one of our students to stay in our system a bit longer than go into your system unprepared,” Wilhoit added. “[Remediation] should happen in K-12, but it cannot happen without your help.” “The good news,” added Paul E. Lingenfelter, president of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, “is that we’re starting to get it as a country. The level of K-12 and community college collaboration is higher now than it’s ever been. We’re working together to reform teacher education and develop the capabilities to meet this agenda… We’re beginning to stop pointing fingers and trying to find a silver bullet, but coming together around this agenda and really working to achieve the kind of educational success that we achieved 50 years ago, when Sputnik frightened us and almost on a dime we changed 16
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5 1. Keynote panel (from left) Gene Wilhoit, Paul E. Lingenfelter, Bill Green, and Douglas Wood discuss student success through the eyes of college partners; 2. Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville; 3. Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Commissioner Richard Freeland; 4. Standing-room-only town hall meeting, where attendees discussed delivering on society’s demands; 5. Town hall discussions.
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the way we… set aspirations as a country. We’re on the verge of doing it again.” Foundations and nonprofits are also redoubling their efforts to support community colleges as the center of an array of services that provide the support that students need to be successful. The Kresge Foundation now allocates more than half of its annual education expenditures to community colleges, says Caroline Altman Smith, senior program officer. Foundations are increasingly focusing on systemic efforts, says Douglas Wood, program officer for the Ford Foundation, which has identified community colleges as the “anchor institutions” to provide meaningful links between higher ed, K-12 systems and economic development organizations. “Whatever you do has to be connected to the possibility of systems change,” he said. That’s also the aspiration of ACCT partner Single Stop USA, which has helped nearly 50,000 community college students tap $100 million in existing resources and supports over the last two and a half years. “Let’s convert the safety net into a springboard,” said CEO and co-founder Elisabeth Mason.
Meeting the Challenge
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4 1. Byron Pitts, CBS News and “60 Minutes” correspondent; 2. Northern Essex Community College student Krissy Hallett performs an aerial ballet during the awards gala; 3. 2011-2012 ACCT Chair Roberto Uranga hosts the 2012 ACCT Awards Gala; 4. ACCT members vote during the 2012 ACCT Senate meeting.
During the town hall meeting, a group of experts argued passionately that community colleges can deliver on what society needs most from them. Community colleges “make up part of the only system that has the opportunity to respond to the crisis,” said Single Stop USA’s Mason. “The resources are there, the colleges are there, the demand is there, and the leadership is there. We need to have the will to move forward.” As a roadmap, AACC President and CEO Walter Bumphus pointed to recommendations from the Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation’s Future report, created by the AACC’s 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges. Byron McClenney, director of student success initiatives at the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, emphasized the importance of trustees in shifting cultural mindsets. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” he cautioned. “It starts with the board doing things differently and saying we’re going to elevate the student success agenda and have the back of the CEO as he does the tough, courageous work.” “If we are going to change the culture, boards are going to have to drive this,” ACCT’s Brown added. “We’re not asking you to micromanage — we’re asking you to think strategically about what your institution is going to do.” T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY
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OCTober 13 Day 4
ACCT Chair Jean Torgeson, a trustee at North Iowa Area Community College, told trustees that it is too late to make minor changes, adding that transforming colleges will require the participation of all stakeholders. “What’s it going to take?” she asked. “Every single one of us.”
New Supports for Success The focus on student success, the centerpiece of the thirdannual Symposium on Completion (see p. 10), pervaded Congress activities. Attendees were given pedometers as they traversed the convening site to measure the distance they walked for student success. They also had the opportunity to learn about a different kind of student support: transcendental meditation classes offered at Joliet Junior College. But the celebration of success efforts didn’t take away from their continuing importance. “This agenda is not just an educational challenge — it is first and foremost a moral imperative,” Kay McClenney, director of Center for Community College Student Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, told town hall attendees. “We need to make a public commitment and put a number to it — ‘some’ is not a number, and ‘soon’ is not a time.” SHEEO’s Lingenfelter characterized the related focus on accountability as a shift from using data as “a tool for finger-pointing to a tool for selfdiscipline and aspirations.” “First we have to deal with a lot of low-hanging fruit — things like transfer policies and student support, and allocating [resources] from things that are not working to things that work,” Lingenfelter said. “Then we have the tougher job of improving teaching and learning.” Developmental education remains a critical focus. At Quinsigamond Community College in Massachusetts, a free weeklong summer math boot camp program saw 71 percent of students advance past at least one level of developmental math, says associate professor Andreana M. Grimaldo. “We saved them one semester in one week,” she said. In Texas, a statewide push to redesign developmental math and align it with gateway credit courses has involved all 50 of the state’s community colleges, says Rey Garcia, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Colleges. “Most importantly, we’re working at scale,” he says. Institutions, too, are being increasingly prompted to work at scale. Pamila Fisher, interim chancellor of City College of San Francisco, detailed the systematic changes undertaken by the 18
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1. Outgoing ACCT Chair Roberto Uranga gives remarks; 2 - 5. ACCT Board of Directors members take the oath of office; 6. Incoming ACCT Chair Jean Torgeson presents Uranga with a plaque thanking him for his service; 7. Uranga passes the gavel to Torgeson.
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1. NASA Astronaut Andrew Feustel talks about his life voyage from community college to the International Space Station; 2. Seattle community college trustees promise an exciting 2013 ACCT Congress, rain or shine.
college’s leadership after it made national headlines for being put on notice by its accreditor earlier in the year. “In the last three months, we’ve broken down barriers and created new accountability models,” Fisher said. “We’re doing it largely because the governing board has the guts to do it. A number of board members have put their political careers on the line… but I have optimism that the community is seeing that we’re finally doing what we needed to do.”
Uncertainty Ahead Held in the final weeks before the presidential election as the “fiscal cliff” loomed at year’s end, October’s Congress served as a reminder of the importance of ongoing advocacy by community college leaders. “As college leaders, you have to understand and be kept abreast of these developments because they will have a real-world impact on your institutions,” said ACCT Vice President of Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee. Regardless of the final outcome of the ongoing budgetary debate that has carried over into the new year, the Pell Grant program faces as much as a $6 billion shortfall in 2014 — even after eligibility requirements were tightened in 2012. As discussions on ways to address the looming Pell shortfall arise in the coming months, Congress speakers urged community college leaders to pay close attention. Full-time students “aren’t the ones targeted in this debate,” cautioned David Baime, AACC senior vice president of government relations. “That’s why this is so important to us.”
Addressing Skills Gaps, Ensuring Living Wages As the 2012 Congress drew to a close, ACCT’s incoming chair stressed the importance of addressing the skills gap and
ensuring that community colleges work with a broad array of partners to ensure their graduates find jobs that pay a living wage. “We have a serious problem in America today, and that’s the skills gap,” said Torgeson. “There’s only one institution that can fix this, and that’s community colleges. We can’t do it alone, and we have to stop pointing fingers and start building partnerships with business and industry, foundation, K-12 systems — anybody who will build partnerships with us. We need everybody.” Stressing that “a living wage is not the minimum wage,” Torgeson pointed to the agendas of the most recent previous ACCT chairs — poverty, student success, global education, collaboration, and partnerships — and stressed how each connects to the goal of ensuring that community colleges help their students find meaningful careers capable of sustaining families. “Our economic recovery depends on it,” she said. The final keynote speaker, astronaut Dr. Andrew Feustel, discussed how his experience at Oakland Community College in Michigan prepared him for advanced studies and a career that culminated in two missions aboard the Space Shuttle. “The foundation I had at OCC really allowed me to explore the options for my future, and I received a degree that easily transferred to four-year institutions and allowed me to get a Ph.D. and ultimately go to space,” he said. Closing the 2012 Congress, Torgeson urged trustees to focus on student success and partnerships when they return to their colleges. “The train is leaving the station,” she said. “I expect every trustee to be active on their local boards. Ask the tough questions and get those partnerships formed — and get all those students jobs with a living wage.” T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY
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Career
A of Caregiving As a nurse and a community college leader, ACCT Chair Jean Torgeson has found that trusteeship and support go hand in hand. By Mark toner
Jean Torgeson, RN, CRNFA, CLNC, grew up knowing she wanted TO BE a nurse. “I never considered another profession,” she says. But what she didn’t know was that her education and training would lead to a lifelong connection with community colleges, culminating with her ascension to ACCT Chair in Boston last fall. Torgeson credits her experience at North Iowa Area Community College, where she first earned an associate degree in nursing and returned nearly a quarter century later as a member of the board of trustees. “The college had the foresight to hire people for whom quality and rigor were very important,” Torgeson says. “They wanted people who would progress in their education as well as go into nursing.” Torgeson has since worked in a variety of nursing roles, from acute care in a post-surgical unit to working with a specialty physicians group that introduced an open-heart surgery program in her community and serving as a legal nursing consultant. Throughout her varied roles, one thing has remained the same: her interest in helping others. “From day one, I knew I wanted to be at the patient’s side,” Torgeson says. “It’s where I know I make a real difference.” In similar fashion, Torgeson’s concern for others has driven her to push for new partnerships and programs as a community college leader, culminating with her charge to trustees as ACCT Chair to fight for a living wage for their students by ensuring that their institutions are providing the proper training to address the nation’s widening “skills gap” (see p. 14).
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“The skills gap is very important to me because I see it as a critical need for our nation that we can assist with. But even more important to me is that community colleges are a gateway to a living wage.” “The skills gap is very important to me because I see it as a critical need for our nation that we can assist with,” she says. “But even more important to me is that community colleges are a gateway to a living wage.”
A Career of Caregiving After receiving her associate degree from NIACC, Torgeson worked in acute care in a hospital post-surgical unit. After taking a year off to start her family, she returned to work in a family practice. “That opened a whole new world for me,” she says. “I had a physician who taught me as if I was a medical student.” Later, she became a registered nurse assistant for a specialty physicians group, a role in which she followed patients from their initial consultation through surgery and doctor’s rounds in the hospital to office follow-ups. “It’s a wonderful feeling for the patient when they’re in the operating room drifting off to sleep and see the same face they saw in the consultation,” she says. When it came time for additional education, Torgeson again chose a community college — Hawkeye Community College, where she became a certified registered nurse first assistant. She has since worked as an operating room assistant for another medical group and as a legal nursing consultant, a role in which she examines medical records to ensure patients received quality care. “It was attractive to me because I could use my knowledge to help patients,” she says. “Nurses know the medical records best, because we live by them — that’s why we’re the experts.” All four of Torgeson’s children (including a set of triplets) went on to attend North Iowa. Then a NIACC trustee she’d known her entire life — “I used to babysit for his kids,” she says — suggested she seek an appointment to fill his seat after he retired. “I laughed, but he was serious,” she says. “That put the seed in my mind. I owe so much to NIACC because they gave me such a great education and prepared me for all the things I do in my professional life.” In the end, she says, “the decision was easy.” Appointed in 2000, Torgeson has since been elected four 22
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times to the NIACC board; her current term expires in 2015. As at many community colleges, the challenges faced by North Iowa trustees have shifted dramatically during her tenure. “When I first came on the board, things were really great,” she says. “Funding was not a problem for the first two years — it was at historic levels. We were looking at new programs, being visionary without having to pay much attention to sustainability because it was taking care of itself.” What happened next has been replayed at community colleges across the country: budgets became tighter, and earmarked funds were returned to the state coffers. Reserves covered initial budget shortfalls, but then more difficult decisions followed. “We had to have conversations about what programs could be eliminated, layoffs, and early retirement,” Torgeson says. “We took a hard look at our mission and how we could continue to deliver on it.” Torgeson’s experience as a nurse guided her through these challenging times. “Every time a decision was made, my first thought was how it would impact our students — then my second thought was financially what would it mean for the institution,” she says. “It goes back to being a nurse. You’re your patient’s advocate and your job is to take care of them, and I carry that over to trusteeship.”
Colleges as Conveners When one of the cement plants that were the cornerstone of the Mason City economy closed in 2009, Torgeson witnessed firsthand the role community colleges could play in restoring shattered lives. “All those people whose fathers worked at the cement plant and never thought they’d work anywhere else all of a sudden realized they needed to work another 15 or 20 years before they could retire,” she says. Many turned to NIACC, doing remedial work to get a GED before moving on to specific job training. The impact on the campus, Torgeson says, was electrifying. “You had millennial students listening to their iPods next to a returning student who never thought he’d be back in the classroom because he was going to work at the cement
plant for the rest of his life next to a college graduate trying to get new skills — all sitting in a classroom next to each other,” she says. For Torgeson, it also served as an illustration of the broadening mission all community colleges now serve. “Even being a student on that same campus every day, there was so much the college was involved in that I had no idea about,” she says. In particular, Torgeson has focused on NIACC’s role in economic development, which spans nearly a dozen mostly rural counties across northern Iowa. “Many of those counties have economic development committees, but they can’t do it on their own,” Torgeson says, noting that training remains a key concern of prospective employers considering northern Iowa. “I look at our community college as being a ‘convener’ — a non-threatening entity that can bring people together so conversations can occur.” Technology has also transformed the institution during Torgeson’s tenure. Online education offerings were introduced, with an emphasis on rigor and encouraging students to take traditional classes at the same time. “Students talking about online classes with classmates kept them motivated,” she says. Additional technology offerings have helped identify cost savings and provided students with a web portal to track their schedules and assignments; NIACC is now in the process of developing a dashboard of key metrics to gauge its effectiveness. “With success being so important to our agenda, I believe this technology is going to help us, because it will show us areas where there are problems,” Torgeson says. “That can have a big impact.” NIACC has fully embraced the completion agenda, with leaders working hard to ensure that changes don’t impact the college’s reputation as an institution focused on learning. “We said at the board and faculty level that we were not going to compromise rigor and quality to increase our graduation rates,” Torgeson says. Torgeson acknowledges that adjusting to the generational changes of the institution’s students has been challenging at times. “Research has shown that millennial students need more direction,” she says. In the end, she says she came to understand that while today’s students have changed, the mission of the college had not. “I said to myself this is where the students are, and this is what they need to be successful,” she says. “We have to meet our students where [they are] — no matter where they are.” Ultimately, she says, it’s been the cross-generational makeup of NIACC’s increasingly diverse student body that’s had the most positive impact, with faculty eager to change how they deliver instruction to take advantage of NIACC’s increasingly diverse student body. “The millennials are learning life lessons from the high school graduate and the person with a bachelor’s who may want a different career,” she says. “You can see the collaboration in the classroom.”
Tackling the Skills Gap Knowing Torgeson’s lifelong commitment to nursing, it’s hardly surprising that it was a fellow nurse who encouraged her to become active in ACCT. Fellow NIACC trustee and ACCT Board member Linda Upmeyer first encouraged Torgeson to get involved in the association, and “once I went to that first meeting, there was no going back,” she says. She quickly came to value ACCT’s training and leadership development. “You come on a board without any training, but a passion to give back to the community college,” she says. “There’s no way to be prepared for the role when you come on.” Again, a sitting board member’s retirement led Torgeson to a seat on the ACCT Board in 2007, which led to roles of increasing responsibility culminating with her election as Chair last fall. With characteristic humility, Torgeson is quick to place her priorities in the context of previous ACCT chairs. Lynda Stanley’s focus on poverty, Arthur Anthonisen’s emphasis on global education, Thomas Bennett’s sense of urgency around student success, Peter Sercer’s efforts around communication and building stronger networks, and Roberto Uranga’s focus on K-12 collaboration — all of these tie together, she says, with community colleges as the only entity that can address them all. To those interrelated priorities, Torgeson added addressing the skills gap and ensuring that students graduate with skills that will allow them to earn a living wage. It’s a national imperative, she says, that she sees every day as a NIACC trustee. “What I see in our state and community is that there are jobs that go unfilled every day because there’s no one trained to fill those skill sets,” she says. “Employers are knocking on our door every day saying we need more welders, machinists, tooland-die makers,” she says. “These are good jobs — they are not minimum-wage jobs — and I believe that skills gap is only going to get bigger.” With manufacturing jobs increasingly returning to the United States because of rising labor and transportation costs around the world, Torgeson sees a potential crisis as these skills remain lacking — and an opportunity to address the agendas of the ACCT chairs that went before her. “If people had the skills for those jobs, poverty would be addressed because these are not minimum-wage jobs,” she says. “If we have the skill sets here, more jobs will transfer here from around the world. The success agenda would also be impacted, because students would see they can be successful.” Today, Torgeson lives with her husband, an electrician, on the same property in Manly where she grew up, enjoying her three grandsons and granddaughter. At the same time, her work as Chair of ACCT has recently taken her as far as the United Kingdom and China. She continues to urge trustees to seek partnerships with any and all stakeholders — business and industry, K-12 institutions, foundations — to ensure that community colleges play the role of ‘convener’ that only they can. “No other institution is going to fill that role,” she says. “It’s going to be community colleges.” T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY
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Around Regions the
central Region The state of Illinois is running up to six months late in payments to its 48 community colleges, part of an overall $6.6 billion in backlogged state payments. Through January, community colleges received only $33.2 million in state funding, or 20 percent of what was allocated to them. The delays have impacted financial aid, grants, and other services, officials say. Michigan Gov. Rick Snider signed into law a bill allowing the state’s 28 community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in four high-demand applied and technical areas, including energy production, concrete technology, maritime technology, and culinary arts. Four-year nursing degrees were dropped from earlier versions of the bill before it became law. A consortium of Missouri community colleges focused on training for unemployed, underemployed, Trade Act, and low-skilled workers in healthcare and other highdemand industries received a grant from the Community College Transformative Change Initiative. Funded by the Bill
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& Melinda Gates and Lumina foundations, Achieving the Dream, the University of Illinois, and The Collaboratory, the grant will help the MoHealthWINs program build partnerships among community colleges, career centers, and employers focused on industry-recognized credentials and certifications. Elgin Community College in Illinois received a grant from AACC’s Plus 50 Encore Completion Program to train Baby Boomers for new jobs in healthcare, education, and social services. Lansing Community College in Michigan entered a job-training partnership with General Motors. LCC will train newly hired employees at GM’s Lansing Grand River Plant as part of the Michigan New Jobs Training Program, which allows community colleges to enter into training agreements with employers. To celebrate Manufacturing Month in October, Moraine Park Technical College in Wisconsin provided tours of its welding, fabrication technologies, and integrated manufacturing facilities to area high school students and state officials. Six area manufacturing companies also provided tours of their facilities to Moraine Park staff. Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois began construction on a health and wellness center that will include a fitness center and a walk-in primary care clinic with space for physical and occupational therapy.
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Mott Community College in Michigan offered a one-stop “Super Saturday” registration event allowing students to complete admission, class enrollment, orientation, and registration in a single day. Oakton Community College in Illinois launched a handson nanotechnology course, in collaboration with the Village of Skokie, the Illinois Science and Technology Park, and the North Suburban Education Region for Vocational Education.
NORTHEAST Region Following legislation allowing three casinos to be built in the state, the 15-college Massachusetts community college system has created a consortium to provide workforce training for the state’s new gambling industry. Under an agreement signed with casino developers, the Massachusetts Casino Careers Training Institute will create job-training programs in cooperation with developers, regional employment boards and workforce agencies, and several four-year universities. The program is expected to train an estimated 3,000 workers for the casinos.
MassBay Community College and Bunker Hill Community College have entered partnerships with edX, an online education initiative founded last year by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which is supported in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At MassBay, edX is being used to offer blended hybrid courses in computer science. Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts has partnered with the Greater Lawrence Technical School to develop a machine tool training program to prepare workers for the growing number of manufacturing jobs in the region. A regional workforce investment board and onestop career center are also partners in the pilot, which will initially train 10 unemployed or underemployed workers. In response to the needs of healthcare providers, Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts is introducing healthcare program courses, including an LPN to RN transition program, on Martha’s Vineyard. Ulster County Community College and Columbia-Greene Community College in New York are conducting studies to determine whether to add student housing to their campuses. Harrisburg Community College in Pennsylvania received a $400,000 grant from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation
to provide scholarships in engineering technology. Mercer County Community College in New Jersey introduced apparel production and fashion design courses for students interested in the fashion industry on its Trenton campus.
dual-enrollment and career academy opportunities for K-12 students. BP and three other commercial biorefineries in the region estimate they will provide direct and indirect employment for nearly 1,000 workers. Pearl River Community College in Mississippi accepted an invitation for its marching band to participate in January’s inaugural parade in Washington, D.C.
Southern Region Florida Gov. Rick Scott has challenged the state’s 28 community and state colleges to develop four-year degree programs in high-demand fields that would cost no more than $10,000. Six colleges have identified programs in information technology, business and organization management, education, and engineering technology, as potential low-cost programs. South Florida State College received a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a bioenergy education program to prepare students for jobs in the advanced biofuels industry. The college, in partnership with BP Biofuels-Highlands, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the Florida Energy Systems Consortium, will offer programs in biofuels technology and biomass cultivation, along with
Rockingham Community College in North Carolina partnered with the city of Reidsville to open a Center for Creative Woodworking in an abandoned downtown building. .
Pacific Region California Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2013-14 budget includes an additional $197 million for community colleges, including $16.9 million to add high-demand courses. Brown also called on the state’s universities and colleges to increase graduation and transfer rates, as well as decrease time to degree or certification. Arizona’s 10 community college districts have formed an advocacy organization to represent their interests with state lawmakers. The
Arizona Community College Coordinating Council will ensure that community colleges “have a seat at the table because we know we’re the largest provider of workforce training and we need someone to talk about what we do,” Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor Rufus Glasper told the Associated Press.
state law requiring all students to receive a meningitis vaccine.
Big Bend Community College in Washington received a $149,000 workforce development grant for its computer science program.
Santa Fe Community College received permission from New Mexico’s higher education department to build a new $9.8 million, 31,000-squarefoot facility that will offer bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in partnership with the University of New Mexico, the Institute of American Indian Arts, and New Mexico Highlands University.
Scottsdale Community College in Arizona will offer a free online basic math class, its first online non-credit offering open to anyone. Mesa Community College has entered a research partnership with Arizona State University to study emergency responders participating in simulation training at the community college’s Virtual Incident Command Center.
western Region Enrollment at Texas community colleges dropped by about 2 percent this fall, in part due to the state’s improving economy, changing Pell Grant rules, and a new
Mesalands Community College in New Mexico received a U.S. Department of Labor grant to develop a green industry program around wind energy technology, including use of a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine for training and troubleshooting.
Flathead Valley Community College in Montana is offering agribusiness classes to help farmers develop new business opportunities around local agriculture, including establishing bed and breakfasts and childcare and educational programs. Community colleges in Wyoming are bracing for cuts of up to 6 percent, or about $5.7 million, according to the Wyoming Community College Commission, with other funding areas, such as library funding and reimbursement for health insurance premiums, also potentially facing reductions during the upcoming legislative session. WCCC also approved a $4 per credit hour increase in tuition, but maintained a 12-hour tuition cap for students, who can take additional courses free of tuition.
Around the Regions provides an opportunity to share what’s happening in the states and around the regions. This section focuses on state legislative and budgetary issues, economic development, and finance. Please e-mail items from press releases or newsletters to ACCT at dconner@acct.org. Fax submissions to 202-223-1297. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
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T rustee ’ s V oice
Forging an Alliance between Students and Trustees
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I am an anomaly. Boldly, and some might say idealistically, I braved a sea of seasoned board members as a 32-year-old student when I was elected to the Collin College Board of Trustees in 2004 and reelected in 2006. Unlike my fellow trustees, my devotion to Collin College is not born of decades-old, multi-faceted experience, coupled with the longing to give back to my community through higher education. Rather, it is a grassroots, natural evolution of what community college offers each of its students — the opportunity to lead, to serve, and to impact the community and the world at large. I, like many students across the nation, did not enter into higher education immediately following high school graduation. I was personally familiar with the ruthless economic realities that frequently plague those without a degree. I had to find a way out of a crippling economic situation, and I needed to provide for my family. I came to the conclusion that attending college would allow me to build a better life, a life full of a myriad of opportunities, a life promising a secure and vibrant future.
An Active Student is an Engaged Student It is a fair assumption that all trustees should come to the board with a working knowledge of higher education with all its nuances. A trustee is also expected to learn on the job, especially when there are constant changes occurring. Could passion for higher learning be enough to ensure wise policy development and political activism? The answer seemed simple 26
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enough for me. I believe your most accomplished advocates will be those who have gone through the system in one form or another, whether that is as a former faculty member, student, or involved community member. From the beginning, I was treated as a professional colleague. Consequently, my experience demanded that I make an impact on a broader scale. I wanted to take a vital role in shaping the strategic vision of the college, to improve the educational experience by serving as a veritable voice for the students as well as the community. The best way to accomplish this was to run for the Board of Trustees.
As a student, I was experienced in the everyday workings of the college. From admission and advising to walking the stage to accept my associate degree, I was a part of the system. In being civically involved, I worked alongside faculty and staff while being guided by administrators. This exposure gave me a greater understanding of the positive influence of strong and engaged leadership. Entering into trusteeship with a working knowledge of the college gave me a boost in the learning process. An expansive orientation helped me grasp issues facing our district as well as institutions
MARK STEPHEN
by Stacy Anne Arias
nationwide, and professional development filled in the gaps. However, it is through true activism that I reached my fullest potential. So, yes, passion can grow into enhanced learning, and enhanced learning can cultivate a great leader.
What a Board Member Can Bring to the Table My initial agenda was modest and perhaps a bit rudimentary. Affordable tuition and accessibility was my focus. As a freshman trustee, the cost of higher education was an issue, but in today’s tenuous economic climate, I believe it has become a great barrier for students. I was staunch in my conviction for my fellow students. I would accept nothing less than a tuition freeze. I am proud to say that even with budget shortfalls, Collin College still has the lowest tuition in the state of Texas. As a student, I was appalled at the cost of textbooks. Once a trustee, I became part of the Cost of Textbooks Task Force. As a result, the college adopted several policies including unbundled textbooks, faculty-authored, free laboratory manuals, and free reading materials through online library databases. While my fellow board members and I approved new buildings because of our explosive enrollment growth, I still remained relentless on the topics of service learning and civic engagement. I reaped the benefits of civic engagement and know from both experience and research that the more engaged students become, the more apt they are to stay in college. I am proud that our college is now
home to the Center of Scholarly and Civic Engagement. In fact, we received a $1 million donation to help support the Center’s mission. In addition, when the election cycle rolls around, community members and students know they can come to cast their ballots on any of our campuses. Collin College is prepared to meet the county’s voting-center format, which allows citizens to vote at any precinct.
What Board Members Can Teach Students Through my tenure, I have come to recognize the tremendous impact policies, as well as visioning, have upon our college community.
Trustees [should] engage students and to listen closely to what they have to say… Serving on a board means walking the campuses, meeting the students, and forming a strong partnership with your board colleagues and the CEO/president. Therefore, it is vitally important for our board to have quarterly retreats where valuable strategic and thoughtful dialogue can occur. It is tremendously important that consensus is achieved so large aspirational goals such as a university center or a healthcare hub
can be brought to fruition. Being “green” meant that I did not fully comprehend the importance of legislative support, but now that I am a seasoned trustee, I realize the crucial role it plays. Financial transparency is also significant. I support open budget hearings because knowledge and accountability are the first steps toward progress. This article is a call to action, a plea for trustees to engage students and to listen closely to what they have to say. Life is not a spectator sport. This applies to students and board members alike. Serving on a board means walking the campuses, meeting the students, and forming a strong partnership with your board colleagues and the CEO/ president to work toward providing an excellent education. It also means serving alongside students as they volunteer in the community. In addition, it means being involved in rigorous trustee education and training through ACCT’s annual meetings and workshops, as well as through board orientation and training at the local level. Enrolling in Collin College took my life down a much-needed, fresh path. I was surrounded by academics that bolstered, challenged, and furnished me with a lifelong thirst for knowledge and service. Mine was not a life that was changed but, rather, a life that was created. It is a privilege, an honor, and a calling to serve as the voice of the students and the community. Stacy Anne Arias is a member of the Collin College Board of Trustees in Texas.
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Capacity Building B y J u d it h Wit h e r s p o o n
Outsourcing selected financial and administrative functions can improve staff morale and student success.
Looking back, successful community college students often cite the financial and personal challenges they faced while attending college. Each year, college administrators help hundreds of students who might otherwise fall through the cracks, but the sad reality is that often the opportunity to make a difference for a student is lost because the business of higher education gets in the way. In an effort to improve operating efficiency, reduce staff burdens, and improve student success, many colleges are outsourcing financial and administrative functions.
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Outsourcing works through partnerships, strong communication, and adherence to a common goal — in other words, in the same way that a board works.
The decision to outsource these critical operating areas is often spurred by staffing challenges. It is almost impossible for a college to maintain the staffing necessary to seamlessly accommodate the peaks of the enrollment cycle. And under regular staffing levels, opportunities to help individual students may be lost due to the sheer volume of work. Outsourcing call centers or burdensome administrative activities can help schools improve operating efficiencies while making an impact on student retention and success. At Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee, administrators reported a significant reduction in the number of students purged for non-payment, attributing the reduction to the support provided by their outsourced financial aid call center, which freed aid office staff to focus on at-risk students. “As a service to our students each semester, notification is sent indicating their schedule will be deleted for non-payment by a specific date,” explains Debbie Adams, vice president of student affairs. “This message always generates an increase in call volume that cannot be handled by current staff. Outsourcing calls during this time period allows an opportunity for students to get their questions answered quickly and frees the staff to process their awards, avoiding deletion of their schedule.” The trend of call center outsourcing began around 2000 and has expanded over the last 12 years. Some of the first institutions to outsource were four-year public and private colleges and universities. College financial aid and business offices have also embraced the concept of outsourcing due to the seasonality of their work and the depth of knowledge required to successfully manage student inquiries. Third-party call center providers not only support inbound calls from students to administrative offices, but can also collaborate with campus officials to implement strategic outbound calls to students. Outbound campaigns can effectively target students who are considered to be at-risk, giving colleges more horsepower for proactive outreach to improve retention and completion.
More recently, colleges have turned to third-party service providers for operational and compliance support. At Tallahassee Community College in Florida, “outsourcing presented an opportunity to enhance and expand services while maintaining or, in most cases, improving quality of service and fiscal integrity,” said Bill Spiers, director of financial aid. “By outsourcing direct lending reconciliation, we decreased the burden on internal staff and ensured every student’s account was accurate.” From a regulatory perspective, colleges can enter into outsourcing contracts with vendors (referred to as thirdparty servicers in the regulation) to perform any aspect of the institution’s participation in any Title IV HEA program. The college should make sure that the vendor’s eligibility to provide the service has not been limited, suspended, or terminated by the U.S. Department of Education (See 34 CFR § 668.25(a) and (b); 34 CFR § 668, Subpart G), and other obligations also apply. Outsourcing can have a positive impact on student completion and improve morale for overburdened administrative staff. The likelihood of positive results increases when the chosen vendor has significant experience in higher education. Outsourcing works through partnerships, strong communication, and adherence to a common goal — in other words, in the same way that a board works. When all eyes are focused on making sure students receive the best service possible, everyone wins.
Judith Witherspoon is senior vice president at Edfinancial Services. She can be reached at Jwitherspoon@edfinancial.com or 865-342-5200. This article provides general information only and should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion and should not be used as a substitute for legal counsel. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY
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UP Gearing Reverse Transfers for
Automating the reserve transfer process can accelerate student completion. By Kari Branjord
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 42 percent of students who attend a community college will transfer to a four-year institution, and many will leave just a few credits shy of earning their associate degree. Although this development is not new, there is increasing pressure today on community colleges to track the academic progress of their former students at four-year institutions and alert them when they have earned the proper credits for completion of an associate degree, a process known as reverse transfer.
Several factors are driving reverse transfers. The originating community college often gains additional funding when a student completes an associate degree. In fact, some states, including Texas, are considering tying even more funding to completion. Having a student earn his or her degree supports a college’s mission to help students succeed. Earning an associate degree can also give a student an important psychological boost to continue with their studies. “Many students are not aware of the opportunity to transfer back their credits,” says Dennis Crowson, vice president of student services at Blinn College in Texas. “Even if the associate degree is not their ultimate goal, it is an accomplishment that can give a student added motivation to continue with their education. And sometimes students are not able to complete their bachelor’s degree, so the associate degree becomes even more important to their employment potential.”
Creating Electronic Pipelines in Texas Unfortunately, tracking and syncing students’ credits across institutions in order to enable reverse transfer and degree completion is often a time-consuming and manual process. The first and most significant undertaking is for both institutions to collaborate on degree requirements and transfer equivalencies. 30
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The labor-intensive work in creating this foundation is unavoidable. However, the addition of software can automate the final degree audit process. Blinn College has one of the highest academic transfer rates in Texas. At any given time, about 1,500 students from the public community college are attending Sam Houston State University. The two institutions have worked closely to establish course articulation agreements and both use Ellucian™ Degree Works™ software. The use of a common language and scribing rules makes it easier for the institutions to share information and communicate. Sam Houston periodically identifies students who previously attended Blinn and sends that list to the college. Blinn then removes the names of students who don’t have a minimum of 24 credit hours and those who have already received a degree. This smaller updated list is sent back to Sam Houston, and the university in turn electronically sends Blinn transcripts for those students. At this point, Blinn uses Degree Works software to run degree audits and determine which students qualify for their associate degree. “Advisors and other staff members still need to verify and document the credits,” says Crowson. “But having both schools using the same degree audit tool cuts out a lot of uncertainties, and it eliminates much of the manual work on our end.”
Students who qualify are sent an email telling them of their accomplishment and outlining the steps for them to apply for their degrees at Blinn at no charge. “We receive a lot of positive responses from students saying things like, ‘thank you for checking on me,’ or ‘I didn’t know this was possible’,” Crowson says. A longtime supporter of automating the reverse transfer process, Crowson is advocating for a broader solution that would automate more of the manual tasks involved at the front end. Crowson would also like a software solution that would automatically and proactively display to students and advisors at the four-year institution the courses that a student could take to earn their associate degree from the originating community college without requiring a staff member to run a degree audit.
SUNY Pushing Automation Systemwide With 64 campuses, the State University of New York (SUNY) system is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive state university system. Nearly 10,000 students transfer from SUNY community colleges to four-year institutions within the system each year. Of them, approximately 59 percent transfer before receiving an associate degree. Another 11,000 students transfer each year to community colleges from other SUNY community colleges or four-year institutions, 96 percent of whom transfer without the associate degree. To facilitate transfer, SUNY has created Transfer Paths that consist of four to six core courses within academic disciplines that are commonly taken in the first two years of study, and a general education curriculum that requires 30 credits in seven of ten content areas, including mathematics and communication. The Transfer Paths were developed via disciplinary faculty committees made up of more than 400 members from both two- and four-year colleges. These faculty committees identified the core courses in each discipline and negotiated generic definitions for each course. Each campus then mapped specific courses within their local programs to the generic Transfer Path courses by discipline. At present, Transfer Paths have been completed for the most popular transfer disciplines, which account for more than 95 percent of all transfer students within the SUNY system. Each SUNY institution is also in the process of implementing Ellucian Degree Works, which will allow students to view the Transfer Paths for academic planning purposes and show their progress toward a degree when transferring between campuses. SUNY envisions students using Degree Works to view the courses they need to take for degree completion as well as a full list of campuses offering appropriate courses. Students could include parameters that are important to them, such as the quickest path to completion and/or campus location, and Degree Works would then give the student an approximation of potential paths across multiple campuses. Of course, to get an actual evaluation, the student will still need to work with an individual at the institution to help navigate the complicated degree audit process, but the initial self-check would be a valuable starting point for students.
These innovations in automation and enhanced communication would help advance the national completion agenda, as well as SUNY’s own strategic goals for student completion and success. Once Ellucian Degree Works has been implemented systemwide, it will also be possible to automate elements of the transactions related to reverse transfer and provide valuable information to campus personnel. For example, using existing SUNY and Degree Works data, an automated process could be designed to identify students who are matriculated at four-year SUNY colleges after transferring from a SUNY community college without first obtaining an associate degree. This would generate a list of students who appear to have completed the graduation requirements for the associate degree at the four-year college. Each community college would be provided with a list of these students, and then a staff member would determine if the student has met all the campus graduation requirements for the associate degree. If the student has met the requirements, the campus could then choose to award the student the degree. If they have not, campuses could potentially contact the student to outline the additional steps necessary to obtain the degree. (Students would be able to opt out if they do not wish to receive the degree.) Automation would lessen the manual work involved and identify more students with the potential to complete; however, the control and final assessment would remain with human decisionmakers at the campus level. “Our goal is to advance SUNY’s completion agenda by getting students the degrees they have earned,” says Daniel Knox, SUNY’s student mobility project coordinator. “The Reverse Transfer Initiative serves this purpose by routing essential completion data to the campus personnel who can award the credentials. The common Ellucian Degree Works platform will help to automate the data routing and scale reverse transfer in ways that would have been impossible to do previously.” These initiatives are in the early stages; however, SUNY is committed to making the transfer path easier and helping students make well-informed decisions about advancing their studies. Ellucian is working closely with SUNY to enhance Degree Works to facilitate an easier transfer methodology among schools within the system. In addition, Ellucian will apply the technology being developed with SUNY for the benefit of all its customers to help bring more automation to the reverse transfer process with any partner, within or outside of a system. A more automated, student-centric model would ease the administrative burden of institutions that are struggling with ways to help students achieve the often-overlooked associate degree milestone, contribute to increased completion rates, and help advance the national completion agenda.
Kari Branjord is vice president, strategy and product management, student services, for Ellucian.
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legal
Recent Developments in Employment Law
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In this column, we examine recent developments in employment law directly relating to community colleges as employers of significant numbers of employees of all kinds — skilled and non-skilled; professional and non-professional; hourly and salaried; and unionized and non-unionized. We summarize recently published guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission involving domestic violence awareness and sensitivity training and examine four recent cases involving four-year colleges and a local school district whose principles are directly applicable to community colleges. EEOC guidance on domestic violence awareness training. The
EEOC issued a written guidance fact sheet in October noting that while federal anti-discrimination laws do not expressly protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking and do not include them as a protected class of employees, employers might still violate Title VII and/ or the Americans with Disabilities Act as a result of employment decisions adverse to those workers. In essence, the EEOC emphasized that employment decisions, retaliation, or disparate treatment based on stereotypes rooted in protected characteristics like sex or disability would violate Title VII of the ADA. For example, the EEOC suggested that a decision to fire an employee after learning that she was a victim of domestic violence out of fear of the potential “drama
“I’m only a finger-pointer now, but someday I’ll be a whistle-blower.” 32
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battered women bring to the workplace” would be unlawful. Likewise, the EEOC noted that it would be unlawful for an employer to reject a male applicant who has obtained a restraining order against a former domestic partner based on the belief that only women can be victims of domestic violence. In yet another example, the EEOC concluded that the ADA would not allow an employer who learns that a job applicant was a complaining witness in a rape prosecution and has received counseling for depression to refuse to hire the applicant on the basis that she may require time off for symptoms or treatment of depression. In light of this guidance, it is strongly suggested that domestic violence awareness and sensitivity training be included in the periodic anti-harassment and discrimination training routinely conducted for supervisors and employees. Supreme Court places university sexual harassment case on docket. During its 2012-13 term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear four labor cases and two additional class action and affirmative action cases that could potentially impact employment law. The case most directly affecting higher education employers is a case involving sexual harassment allegations against a university co-employee who was not considered a supervisor under Title VII because the coworker did not have the authority to hire, fire, or discipline the alleged victim or any other employee. The university prevailed in the case both at the trial court level and at the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which ruled that the university: (1) was not vicariously liable for the alleged harassment because the alleged harasser was not a supervisor; and (2) took reasonable corrective action to remedy
© 2001 THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION. LEE LORENZ FROM CARTOONBANK.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
By Ira Michael Shepard ACCT General Counsel
the alleged co-worker sexual harassment. (Vance v. Ball State University, 646 F.3d 461; 7th Cir. 2011.) The federal circuit courts are split on whether an employee must have the authority to hire, fire, or discipline a harassment victim to be considered a Title VII supervisor and therefore produce automatic vicarious liability for the employer. The EEOC and some federal appeals circuit courts hold that an employee who lacks such authority is nevertheless a supervisor if he or she directs the alleged victim’s day-to-day activities. The Supreme Court will consider the plaintiff’s argument that while the alleged harasser did not have hiring, firing, or disciplinary authority, the person was recognized as the plaintiff’s de facto supervisor because his or her job duties included “directing and overseeing” the plaintiff’s work. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on November 26, 2012. ADA and drug testing. A federal district court trial judge recently ruled that a college mailroom supervisor who was discharged after testing positive for prescription drugs one year after returning to work from painkiller addiction treatment should properly be awarded $300,000 in damages by a jury for disability discrimination under his ADA lawsuit. (Fowler v. Westminster College, D Utah, No. 2:09-CV-00591, 9/17/12) The plaintiff alleged that he qualified under the ADA as disabled as a result of his addiction to prescription drugs and that he was fully qualified to perform his job and was performing his job adequately at the time he tested positive for prescription drug use. The Court credited plaintiff’s testimony that his addiction affected his ability to think and sleep, both of which are major life activities, qualifying him as a disabled person under the ADA. Most importantly, while an individual currently using drugs illegally is not considered to be a qualified individual with a disability under the ADA, the court found that the college did not prove its claim that the plaintiff was taking more than the prescribed amount of the painkiller
or that he was using Valium without a prescription. The college’s own expert, the doctor who reviewed the drug test, testified that he could not tell for certain from the test results that the plaintiff was taking more of the drug than was prescribed. The judge noted that even if the test was able to show that the plaintiff was taking more of the drug than was prescribed, the college offered no authority to support the assertion that taking drugs in excess of the amounts prescribed constitutes the “illegal use of drugs.” The Judge concluded in affirming the $300,000 verdict that the plaintiff provided enough evidence for a jury to conclude that he was fired because of his disability, i.e., addiction to legal drugs, and that the drug test was a pretext for discrimination. Whistleblowing claims and First Amendment speech. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently reversed a federal trial court’s decision and granted summary judgment in favor of a New York school district in dismissing the First Amendment claim of a former payroll clerk who was discharged for ignoring applicable procedures, bypassing her supervisor, and reporting her allegations of payroll irregularities directly to the school board. (Ross v. Lichtenfeld, 2nd Cir., No. 10-5275, 9/10/12.) The court cited the Supreme Court holding in Gacetti v. Ceballos, which ruled that public employees do not speak as citizens for First Amendment purposes when they make statements pursuant to their official duties. As in Gacetti, in which an assistant district attorney went public with criticism of his department’s conduct in prosecuting a case, the plaintiff bypassed her supervisor by going directly to the school board in reporting what she believed to be pay irregularities because she feared that they would be ignored by the administration. The appeals court concluded that the plaintiff sent to the school board information obtained in the ordinary course of performing her work and that these reports were “part and parcel” of her official duties. As such, the court ruled
her actions represented job-related speech and are therefore not protected by the First Amendment. ADA accommodation claims for adjustment disorder and depression. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a university professor diagnosed with “adjustment disorder and depression” who demanded an office change failed in her reasonable accommodation ADA claim after the university presented evidence that it requested and did not receive guidance from the professor’s doctor on a suitable office location and other “stressors” that the professor needed to avoid to make the accommodation work. (Hoppe v. Lewis University, 7th Cir., No. 11-3358, 8/31/12.) The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s holding that the professor could not perform the essential elements of the job and therefore was entitled to a “reasonable accommodation” but agreed that the university made a good-faith effort to explore available accommodations to accommodate the professor’s “anxiety and depression”-based disability. The court concluded that the plaintiff and her doctor refused to respond to the university’s request for additional guidance in tailoring the accommodation to meet the professor’s needs, even after the university agreed to change the location of the professor’s office away from the department head who allegedly was causing the stress. The important takeaway is that a plaintiff’s “failure to accommodate ADA claim” will itself fail if the employee and/or his or her doctor refuse to clarify how best to handle the request for accommodation. Moreover, an employer who attempts to help a disabled employee without receiving requested details on how to do so will much less likely be held responsible for a failure to accommodate claim.
Ira Michael Shepard is a partner with the law firm of Saul Ewing, LLP, in Washington, D.C., and ACCT’s general counsel. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY
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ACCT LIFETIME MEMBERS Edward “Sandy” Sanders, AR Dick Trammel, AR Donald Campbell, AZ Jan Guy, AZ Gloria Guzman, AZ Fred Harcleroad, AZ Debra Pearson, AZ Linda B. Rosenthal, AZ Esther D. Tang, AZ Jane Gregory, BC Chuck Ayala, CA Lewis S. Braxton, CA Lois Carson, CA Brian E. Conley, CA Carole Currey, CA Denise Ducheny, CA Isobel Dvorsky, CA Dorothy Ehrhart-Morrison, CA Paul Fong, CA Rebecca Garcia, CA Paul J. Gomez, CA Walter Howald, CA Worth Keene, CA Bruce Ketron, CA Brenda Knight, CA Marie Y. Martin, CA William H. Meardy, CA Carl Robinson, CA Herbert Roney, CA Armando Ruiz, CA Evonne Seron Schulze, CA Pete Tafoya, CA Leslie Thonesen, CA Roberto Uranga, CA David Viar, CA John Dent, CO John Giardino, CO George Boggs, DC Ken Burke, FL Jody T. Hendry, FL Nancy Watkins, FL Kenneth R. Allbaugh, IA
Harold Brock, IA* Robert Davidson, IA* Joyce Hanes, IA B. A. Jensen, IA* Kirby Kleffmann, IA Moudy Nabulsi, IA Wayne Newton, IA Wanda Rosenbaugh, IA Linda Upmeyer, IA James L. Ayers, IL Steven J. Ballard, IL Mark Fazzini, IL Phyllis Folarin, IL Raymond Hartstein, IL Patricia Jones, IL James Lumber, IL Judith Madonia, IL Robert McCray, IL Michael Monteleone, IL David Murphy, IL Rich Nay, IL Therese G. Pauly, IL Franklin Walker, IL Jerry Wright, IL Robert Burch, KS James D. Hittle, KS Jo Ann Huerter, KS Dick Klassen, KS Ed Nicklaus, KS Jo Ann Sharp, KS Darrell Shumway, KS Lauren A. Welch, KS Mary Beth Williams, KS M. W. “Bill” Wyckoff, KS Joan Athen, MD Daniel Hall, MD Nancy M. Hubers, MD Robert Lawrence, MD Brad W. Young, MD William C. Warren, ME Frank S. Gallagher, MI Robert E. Garrison, MI*
David W. Hackett, MI Fred Mathews, MI Shirley Okerstrom, MI George Potter, MI David Rutledge, MI Anne V. Scott, MI Celia M. Turner, MI* Denise Wellons-Glover, MI James B. Tatum, MO Joann L. Ordinachev, MO Troy Holliday, MS James Stribling, MS John Forte, NC Hugh Lee, NC George Little, NC Helen Newsome, NC* Kathleen Orringer, NC Raymond Reddrick, NC C. Louis Shields, NC Lillie J. Solomon, NC Lynda Stanley, NC Alwin Arce, NJ Angelo Cortinas, NJ Clara Dasher, NJ Nino Falcone, NJ William T. Hiering, NJ Donald Loff, NJ William McDaniel, NJ* James R. Perry, NJ Virginia Scott, NJ Charles Tice, NJ Barbara Wallace, NJ Ronald Winthers, NJ Beatrice Doser, NM Gloria Lopez, NM Robert Matteucci, NM Nancy R. Rosasco, NV Arthur C. Anthonisen, NY David Mathis, NY Donald M. Mawhinney, NY Jean M. McPheeters, NY Richard N. Adams, OH
Maureen Grady, OH Rebecca L. Redman, OH Victor F. Stewart, Jr., OH Ken Bartlett, OK Norma Jean Germond, OR Doreen Margolin, OR* Jim Voss, OR Gene P. Ciafre, PA Morrison Lewis, PA Gene E. McDonald, PA Betty K. Steege, PA John Wright, PA E. Stewart Blume, SC Sheila Korhammer, SC Montez C. Martin, Jr., SC William O. Rowell, SC* Peter E. Sercer, Sr., SC James Smith, SC Elmer Beckendorf, TX Manuel Benavidez, Jr., TX* Kitty Boyle, TX Don Coffey, TX Diane Olmos Guzman, TX Bennie Matthews, TX Carla McGee, TX Della-May Moore, TX Pattie Powell, TX Steve Salazar, TX Lydia Santibanez, TX W. L. “Levi” Smallwood, TX J. Pete Zepeda, TX M. Dale Ensign, UT Frank Mensel, UT Marilyn Blocker, VA Robert W. Harrell, Jr., VA Melanie L. Jackson, VA Elizabeth Rocklin, VA Ruthann Kurose, WA Naomi Pursel, WA Vaughn A. Sherman, WA Joan Jenstead, WI* Dennis Christensen, WY * Deceased
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They deserve more than just a gold watch. ACCT LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP 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 BESTOW A LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP
1 2 3
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 their ongoing interest in your college. Lifetime Members receive complimentary registration to all ACCT meetings, including the Annual Leadership Congress and the National Legislative Summit, after retiring from their local boards. 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 elsewhere. 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 haven’t your most exceptional trustees earned it? For applications or assistance, go to www.acct.org/membership/lifetime/honor-trustee.php, contact the ACCT Membership Department by phone at (202) 775-4667, or e-mail acctinfo@acct.org.
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.
Alabama Community College System
State Center Community College District (SCCCD), Calif.
Dr. Mark Heinrich Chancellor
Tony Cantu President, Fresno City College
Former President
Former Vice President of Instruction
Shelton State Community College, Ala.
State Center Community College District (SCCCD), Calif.
“We heard from two phenomenal candidates. It was a very difficult decision, but when it came down to it, Dr. Heinrich had the knowledge and the experience that we were looking for to move this system forward. The job of being chancellor is no easy task, but I know Dr. Heinrich is up for the challenge, and he will get the job done.” — Dr. Robert Bentley, Governor of the State of Alabama and President, Alabama State Board of Education
Deborah Ikeda President, Willow International Community College Center Former Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Willow International Community College Center, SCCCD, Calif.
“We have had the opportunity to interview outstanding individuals from across the country, making the decision more difficult than we anticipated. I believe that ultimately we have an outstanding chancellor who will work to bring people together and unite the system in a way we have not experienced before.”
“The Board of Trustees is pleased to have two new presidents providing stability and quality leadership, as well as a depth of knowledge and experience.” — Stephanie Bell, Vice President, Alabama State Board of Education — Ron Feaver, Board President, SCCCD
Bellevue College, Wash. Dr. David Rule President Former President Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus, Ore.
“The Board of Trustees had an important job: to identify the next leader of Bellevue College who possesses the leadership qualities, values, talents, and abilities that are needed to build upon the great strides this college has made over the years. I’m happy to say that we’ve found this leader, among a pool of very strong candidates, in Dr. Rule. His extensive experience, his record of creating innovative programs, and his focus on student success best position him to lead BC at this critical point.” — Paul Chiles, Board Chair, Bellevue College 36
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NorthWest Arkansas Community College, Ark. Dr. Evelyn Jorgenson President Former President Morberly Area Community College, Mo.
“Dr. Jorgenson will be a strong and visionary leader for NorthWest Arkansas Community College. After a thorough and inclusive nationwide search, I am confident that Dr. Jorgenson is a great fit for the college and the community. We appreciate our current president, Dr. Becky Paneitz, for her excellent leadership and service during this time of transition.” — Alex Vasquez, Chair, NWACC Board of Trustees
North Central State College, Ohio Dr. Dorey Diab President Former Provost and Chief Academic Officer Stark State College, Ohio
NEW ACCT EXECUTIVE SEARCHES WEBSITE Selecting a president or chancellor is one of the most momentous decisions made by a board of trustees. The decision has far-reaching implications
“Dr. Dorey Diab brings the perfect set of skills, knowledge, and experience to North Central State College. He is extremely well-suited to take us forward.” — Steve Stone, Chair, Board of Trustees
Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Dr. Rodney Ellis Chancellor, Central Louisiana Technical Community College Former Executive Vice President Atlanta Technical College, Georgia
for the board, the college, and the community. ACCT is committed to providing membership services that meet the highest professional standards, and are reliable and of the highest quality available.
Our commitment goes well beyond providing CEO search assistance. We are your membership organization, and as such, accountable to every member board. Our mission, values, and goals
“Today marks the beginning of what we believe are exciting times for Central Louisiana. Dr. Ellis has the right combination of skill, integrity, and energy to lead CLTCC. I believe the board selected the absolute best person for the position, and we welcome him to the LCTCS family.” — Dr. Joe May, President, Louisiana Community and Technical College System
Dr. Barbara Hanson Chancellor, Louisiana Delta Community College Former Vice President for Learning
focus entirely on service to our membership.
ACCT’s fundamental purpose is to enhance the capacity of boards through education, advocacy, and by helping boards identify and select the best CEOs to lead their colleges on behalf of their communities.
San Jacinto College District, Texas
If your college is considering using ACCT's Search “During her career, Dr. Hanson has demonstrated that she has the resolve and commitment it will take to lead LDCC through this transition. Her successful experience of building strong relations with business and industry, and having served as a faculty member and administrator, will serve the college and community well. Dr. Hanson has the right combination of expertise, passion, and enthusiasm to lead LDCC, and I look forward to working with her.” — Dr. Joe May, President, Louisiana Community and Technical College System
Services, we would be happy to submit a formal proposal customized to the needs of your institution.
Visit ACCT Executive Searches online at www.acctsearches.org
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Vice Presidential Searches ACCT’s Board Leadership Services is now providing assistance to chancellors and presidents looking to identify a new member of the executive leadership team for the college or district. We are pleased to announce the completion of the following searches for provosts and vice presidents.
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, W.Va.
State Center Community College District (SCCCD), Calif.
Dr. Harry Langley Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services
Dr. George Railey Vice Chancellor, Educational Services and Institutional Effectiveness
Former Associate Provost for Student Retention
Former Vice President of Academic Services
California University of Pennsylvania, Penn.
Chabot College, Chabot Las-Positas Community College District, Calif.
“Those of us at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College are elated that Dr. Harry Langley has assumed the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services. He brings many years and a wealth of experience to our college and state at a challenging time in our history. He will be instrumental in promoting the mission of community and technical colleges in West Virginia and the significant role they will have on the future economy of West Virginia.”
“The Board of Trustees is pleased to have this position filled on a permanent basis. Dr. George Railey has held a variety of administrative positions throughout his career which have prepared him for this challenging position.” — Ron Feaver, Board President, SCCCD
— Dr. Joanne Tomblin, President, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Suffolk County Community College, N.Y.
Great Falls College Montana State University, Mont.
Dr. Maria DeLongoria Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Camille Consolvo Associate Dean of Student Services
Former Dean, Business and Social Science Division Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Woodbridge Campus, Va. “Dr. DeLongoria brings broad experience and vast knowledge to the position. Her academic leadership will greatly strengthen the Suffolk County Community College team going forward.” — Dr. Shaun McKay, President, Suffolk County Community College
Former Vice President for Student Affairs Eastern Oregon University, Ore. “Dr. Consolvo’s deep research and publication background in student retention and success, student code of conduct, Title IX, and coordinated student services were attributes that Great Falls College MSU was seeking. Her experience of serving both traditional and non-traditional students, working with first-generation and minority students, providing collaborative leadership for student services in a rural institution, and having experience with the online delivery of education will make Dr. Consolvo an asset for the college.” — Dr. Susan Wolff, CEO/Dean, Great Falls College Montana State University
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ACCT ONLINE Resources for Trustees 24/7. ACCT.org
Your association’s website just got better, with an improved design and navigation to help you get what you need, when you need it. Watch for more upgrades to come throughout the year.
Trustee-Education.org
TrusteesForStudentSuccess.org
This new website was tailored to the educational needs of trustees, with a focus on live virtual events, on-demand webinars, and the new Community College Governance Recognition Program.
ACCT’s new student success website features resources, including sample Policy Action Agendas, planning toolkits, and unique institutes, all designed to improve student success at your college.
NET WORK NEWS WINTER 2013
INTERFACE
A publication of the Community College Professional Board Staff Network in cooperation with the Association of Community College Trustees
Professional Board Staff Member 2012-2013 Executive Committee
Partnerships and Innovation
OFFICERS
Partnerships and innovation were key themes of
Wendy Dodson, President Assistant to the President Sandhills Community College, N.C. dodsonw@sandhills.edu
the 2012 ACCT Leadership Congress, and they were certainly part of the Professional Board Staff Network’s annual workshop in Boston and remain our goals as we
Debbie Novak, Vice President Assistant to the College President Colorado Mountain College, Colo. dnovak@coloradomtn.edu
move forward into the new year. From our wonderful meet and greet at the original Cheers pub, to the dynamic panel discussion on trustee and president relationships, to the use
Mechell Downey, Secretary Administrative Assistant to the President Seminole State College, Okla. m.downey@sscok.edu
of technology in board self-evaluations, PBSN continues its partnership with its members
Sherri Weddle Bowen, Immediate Past President Executive Assistant to the President Forsyth Technical Community College, N.C. sbowen@forsythtech.edu
able to access PBSN documents, photos, surveys, and polls, and communicate with each
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
ability to maintain contact and share information throughout the year.
CENTRAL REGION Heather Lanham Executive Assistant to the President Edison Community College, Ohio hlanham@edisonohio.edu
executive committee elections were held. The new Executive Committee members
NORTHEAST REGION Sean Fischer Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Board of Trustees Services Atlantic Cape Community College, N.J. sfischer@atlantic.edu PACIFIC REGION Tria Bullard Executive Assistant to the President Columbia Gorge Community College, Ore. tbullard@cgcc.cc.or.us SOUTHERN REGION Tina Heskett Executive Assistant to the President Hillsborough Community College, Fla. cheskett@hccfl.edu WESTERN REGION Carla Patee Executive Assistant to the President and Clerk for the Board Dodge City Community College, Kan. cpatee@dc3.edu
by helping them share information with each other. To that end, we are launching our Wiggio virtual meeting space. Members will be other via email, conference calls, and virtual meetings. We are very excited about the During our annual PBSN business meeting on Friday, October 12th, the 2012-2013 are Sherrie Bowen, serving as immediate past president; Wendy Dodson, president; Debbie Novak, vice president; and Mechell Downey, secretary. The newly elected members-at-large are Sean Fisher, re-elected for the Northern Region; Tina Heskett, newly elected for the Southern Region; Heather Lanum, newly elected for the Central Region; Carla Patee, newly elected for the Western Region; and Tria Bullard, re-elected for the Pacific Region. Congratulations on behalf of PBSN to our 2012-13 Executive Committee members. The Executive Committee would like to hear your ideas and suggestions for the upcoming 2013 Leadership Congress in Seattle. It you have a topic or are interested in presenting, please contact Wendy Dodson at dodsonw@sandhills.edu. The Executive Committee will meet in conjunction with the 2013 Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., to begin planning for the Congress. We look forward to the upcoming year, our exciting new opportunities, and to seeing you in Seattle this fall. Wendy Dodson Sandhills Community College, N.C.
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NETWORK NEWS WINTER 2013
INTERFACE
A publication of the Community College Professional Board Staff Network in cooperation with the Association of Community College Trustees
Celebrating Excellence By Debbie Novak, Colorado Mountain College The 2012 ACCT Leadership Congress was a smashing success by all accounts, from the beautiful historic setting of Boston to the informative breakout sessions available to attendees. As has become a tradition for the Professional Board Staff Network, outgoing President Sherri Bowen sponsored a ‘Meet and Greet’ on Wednesday evening. A new twist to this tradition included a change of venue, meeting off-site at Cheers. Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and getting to know each other as well as looking at Cheers memorabilia. Thanks, Sherri! Each year, five Professional Board Staff Network members are honored for excellence in their careers; one from each region and one amazing member that is awarded the Professional Board Staff Network member of the year. This year’s honorees are:
Central Region Lisa M. Poma, Mott Community College, Mich. Lisa has been working in the president’s office at Mott Community College for more than 20 years. After working her way up through the ranks beginning as a clerk/receptionist, secretary, administrative assistant, and senior administrative assistant, she was promoted to executive assistant in 2003. Coming to work each day with the goal to provide the highest level of service to the president and all members of the campus community is as inspiring as her enthusiasm for her job is contagious. Lisa recently earned an associate degree from MCC and plans on transferring to a four-year college to earn a bachelor’s degree. She is married and has two adult children, Danielle and Dominic, both of whom also attended MCC. She is also a proud and active member of the Zonta Club of Owosso and the Friends of Mott Library.
Professional Board Staff Network Executive Committee (l to r): Debbie Novak, Sherri Bowen, Wendy Dodson, Sean Fischer, Mechell Downey, Tina Heskett, Carla Patee, Heather Lanham, and Tria Bullard.
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NET WORK NEWS WINTER 2013
INTERFACE
A publication of the Community College Professional Board Staff Network in cooperation with the Association of Community College Trustees
Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees! We know how important your role is in your organizations and the support system you provide for your presidents and board members. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2013 ACCT Leadership Congress in Seattle, Washington, on October 2-5. We look forward to seeing you at the PBSN workshop. Northeast Region
Southern Region
Jennifer Oakley, Hudson County Community College, N.J.
Tarsha Bush-Dudley, Roanoke-Chowan Community College, N.C.
Jennifer has served for 33 years at Hudson County Community College. As the college’s executive administrative assistant, she is the liaison between the president and board of trustees and students, faculty, staff, administrators, and members of the community. Not only is Jennifer one of the most thoroughly professional and extremely skilled individuals at the college, operating the office of the president with competence and grace, she is also known for her warm understanding and thoughtfulness. Jennifer is always quick to offer assistance to colleagues in a genuinely enthusiastic and cheerful manner and has earned their respect.
Tarsha has been the professional staff member serving the board for nearly five years. When she began her duties, the college was in a period of rebuilding trust among stakeholders and reconnecting with its mission. Tarsha exemplifies service leadership in her interactions with the board, her colleagues, and students. Her talent is building bridges and creating trust. The board has been able to intersect in a way that was heretofore unheard of due to her service and insight.
Western Region Carla Patee, Dodge City Community College, Kan.
Pacific Region and PBSN Member of the Year Gloria Smith, Maricopa Community College District, Ariz. A former PBSN president, Gloria has served as assistant to the governing board of the Maricopa Community College District since 2001. She was nominated by the governing board of the Maricopa Community College District for her commitment to the organization, her dedication to the board as a whole, and her desire to see others succeed. Gloria worked in the banking industry for 25 years before transitioning into the educational environment. Since 2001, Gloria has acquired not only her associate degree, but also her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Gloria will be retiring next year knowing she has contributed to the success of the Maricopa organization, helping elevate the board’s operations and processes.
Carla began her career at Dodge City Community College 17 years ago as the secretary for the Tech Education Building. Her career path continued as administrative assistant for the ETS TRIO Program, executive secretary to the director of business services, and her current position as the executive assistant to the president, the deputy secretary/clerk to the board of trustees, and the college’s freedom of information officer. Along with organizing all board meetings, work sessions, and special board events, Carla has been a longtime member of several institutional committees and provides support for the Faculty Negotiations Committee. In addition to this award, Carla has received the Presidential Award for Distinguished Program/ Technical Employee for Outstanding Contributions to DCCC. Carla and her husband Greg are the proud parents of two children and five wonderful grandchildren. They will celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2013. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY W I N T E R 2 0 1 3
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advisor
2012 Election Results EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
REGIONAL DIRECTORS
ACCT DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
Chair
(3-year terms)
(2-year terms except where noted)
Central Region
Central Region
John W. Sanders John A. Logan College, IL
Robert Proctor Lansing Community College, MI
Northeast Region
Northeast Region
William E. Coleman, Jr. Mercer County Community College, NJ
Fran Smith MassBay Community College, MA
Pacific Region
Pacific Region
Emily Yim Edmonds Community College, WA
Isabel Barreras State Center Community College District, CA
Jean Torgeson North Iowa Area Community College, IA
Chair-Elect John W. Sanders John A. Logan College, IL
Vice-Chair LeRoy W. Mitchell Westchester Community College, NY
Secretary-Treasurer Robin M. Smith Lansing Community College, MI
Immediate Past Chair Roberto Uranga Long Beach City College, CA
Southern Region Randall “Mack” Jackson Midlands Technical College, SC
Western Region
Southern Region Helen Rosemond-Saunders Tri-County Technical College, SC
Robert “Bob” Feit
Western Region
Southeast Community College, NE
John Davies Northeast Community College, NE
Central Regional Chair
DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE
Jeffrey A. May Joliet Junior College, IL
One-Year Partial
(3-year terms except where noted)
Jimmy Sandoval
Northeast Regional Chair
Stanley Edwards Halifax Community College, NC
REGIONAL CHAIRS
Bakari Lee Hudson County Community College, NJ
Pacific Regional Chair Jim Harper Portland Community College, OR
Southern Regional Chair
RETIRING ACCT BOARD MEMBERS
Jeffrey A. May Joliet Junior College, IL
Anita Grier City College of San Francisco, CA
Rafael Turner
Donna Horgan Cecil College, MD
Mott Community College, MI
Randall “Mack” Jackson Midlands Technical College, SC
APPOINTED BOARD MEMBERS
Western Regional Chair
Cid Wilson Bergen Community College, NJ
Roberto Zárate Alamo Colleges, TX
Mesalands Community College, NM
Diversity Committee Chair
Peter E. Sercer, Sr. Midlands Technical College, SC Frederick “Fred” Whang Tacoma Community College, WA
acct deadlines 2013 ACCT Congress Call for Presentations April 30, 2013 ACCT Awards Nominations June 21, 2013
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Amendments to ACCT Bylaws July 1, 2013 Director-at-Large Candidate Nominations July 1, 2013
Submitting Resolutions July 1, 2013
ACCT Publications To order any ACCT publication, please fill out the form below and give it to any ACCT staff member or (preferred) fax, e-mail, or mail your order to ACCT Publications (contact information below). Please include both a billing and shipping address and a purchase order, if necessary. As a membership benefit, book orders from ACCT members are fulfilled immediately in good faith of payment. An invoice will be sent within 2-3 weeks of your order. ACCT requires pre-payment from non-member colleges.
Title
Price
Quantity
History of the Association of Community College Trustees: 1972 – 2012 NEW
$40 $45
member* non-member*
2012 Public Community College Governing Boards: Structure and Composition NEW
$10 $12
member* non-member*
First in the World: Community Colleges and America’s Future (2012) NEW
$35 $45
member* non-member*
Making Good on the Promise of the Open Door: Effective Governance and Leadership to Improve Student Equity, Success, and Completion (2011)
$30 $42
member* non-member*
Essentials of Good Board/CEO Relations (2009)
$16 $20
member* non-member*
The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy: Engaging in Citizen Action to Advance Educational Opportunities in Your Community — What Trustees Need to Know About Exercising Their Voices and Influence on Behalf of Community Colleges (2009)
$24 $28
member* non-member*
The Trustee’s Role in Fundraising: From Arm’s Length to Knee Deep — What Trustees Need to Know About Institutional Advancement (2008)
$16 $20
member* non-member*
The Board Chair: A Guide for Leading Community College Boards
$15 $20
member* non-member*
Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide to Effective Governance
$30 $40
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Community College Trustees: Leading on Behalf of Their Communities
$30 $40
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Total
*Please check whether you are a member or non-member
Please include $3 postage and handling fee for each publication (maximum $15)
POSTAGE $ TOTAL $ ACCT MEMBERS Use any of these methods to order: E-mail: acctinfo@acct.org Call: 202.775.4454 Fax: 202.223.1297 Or mail order form to the address below. (Note: ACCT members are not required to send payment at the time of order.)
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ACCT NON-MEMBERS Send order form and check or money order to: Attn: Publications, Association of Community College Trustees, Dept. 6061, Washington, DC 20042-6061
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