ACCT Trustee Quarterly Fall 2014

A New Roadmap for Remediation | Broadcasting Boards | The Leadership Imperative

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The Winds of Change The 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress and its keynote speakers offer community college leaders advice on preparing their institutions for the future.

Protecting Colleges and Students: Community College Strategies to Prevent Default

Download the new report at www.acct.org/reports-white-papers

www.acct.org

www.ticas.org

Board of Directors

2013-2014 Chair LeRoy W. Mitchell Westchester Community College, NY

From the Chair You Can Shift the Sails…

Chair-elect Robin M. Smith Lansing Community College, MI

Vice Chair Roberto Zárate Alamo Colleges, TX

Secretary-Treasurer Bakari Lee Hudson County Community College, NJ

Immediate Past Chair Jean Torgeson North Iowa Area Community College, IA

Central Regional Chair Diane Gallagher Highland Community College, IL

Northeast Regional Chair William E. Coleman, Jr. Mercer 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 Robert “Bob” Feit Southeast Community College, NE

Kirsten Diederich North Dakota University System, ND Stanley Edwards Halifax Community College, NC Mary Figueroa Riverside Community College District, CA Connie Hornbeck Iowa Western Community College, IA Vernon Jung Moraine Park Technical College, WI Gregory Knott Parkland College, IL Jeffrey May Joliet Junior College, IL Kent Miller Mid-Plains Community College Area, NE Clare Ollayos Elgin Community College, IL Hector Ortiz Harrisburg Area Community College, PA George Regan Robeson Community College, NC Dana Saar Maricopa County Community College District, AZ Jane Strain Cochise College, AZ Rafael C. Turner Mott Community College, MI Emily Yim Edmonds Community College, WA

I have said it before, but it bears repeating: You can’t control the winds, but you can shift the sails. This lesson from my father, one of the fine artisans in my family who built boats and understood the metaphor in a very real way, is extraordinarily important for us to remember at this time. By “us,” I mean community college governing boards, and also our nation as a whole.

As the most diverse and arguably the most democratic country in world history, the United States of America always has been in flux. We began as a British colony, found our way to independence as a fledging agrarian nation, and emerged in record time as an independent world power, with guaranteed civil liberties. Those liberties include equitable access to education, and access to higher education is the cornerstone of the community college mission. We must keep this in mind as we shift our sails: equal access to quality higher education is not a direction in which the winds blew us, but the very fabric with which the sails are made.

Why am I saying this? I am saying it so that we do not lose sight of our mission as we make adjustments to our course in history. I am saying it because, as the chair of this organization, I expect that trustees and presidents will not overlook the importance of serving every prospective and existing student, every member of our communities, and to pride ourselves on achieving this noble goal.

We designed the 45th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress with careful attention to this promise. Our keynote speakers represent a truly diverse array of perspectives, across the spectrum of African American, American Indian, and Hispanic and Latino populations — and across time itself, with a discussion about the generational shifts that must be attended to for the success of our colleges. We must understand our communities so that our colleges can meet their ultimate promise of empowering students to succeed.

Despite the tremendous merits and spirit of our country, there are segments of the population whose needs are being overlooked and unmet. These segments include many ethnic groups, and in particular young black men, as well as the rapidly rising percentage of Americans who are unemployed or underemployed, and for whom our colleges can truly be a saving grace. It is our responsibility to maintain the integrity of our fabric as we shift our sails to navigate change.

In this regard, I believe that it is imperative for us to strive to improve the representation of the underrepresented segments of our population within the ranks of the teaching faculty. We cannot underestimate the power of role modeling. As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all ships.” Therefore, all will benefit from this effort.

It is my hope that the 45th Annual Leadership Congress can be a driving force for attending to these real-world problems — and with your participation, I know that it can. It has been my honor to serve as chair of the only national organization that represents community college governing boards, and I look forward to seeing you in Chicago this October.

LeRoy W. Mitchell Westchester Community College, New York

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Trustee

QUA R T ERLY

The Voice of Community College Leaders

From the President & CEO

FALL 2014

Editorial Team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF J. Noah Brown

Winds of Change

President & CEO

Managing Editor David Conner Communications & Publications Manager

Editor Mark Toner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jee Hang Lee Vice President of Public Policy and External Relations

Bryce McKibben Policy Analyst

Narcisa Polonio Executive Vice President for Education, Research, and Board Leadership Services

Ira Michael Shepard ACCT Legal Counsel

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Karen Lomax Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

Jennifer Stiddard Senior Public Policy Associate

PROOFREADER Indya Rogers Board and Publications Assistant

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.

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This year marks the 45th anniversary of the ACCT Leadership Congress, an event that I am proud to say has evolved into the largest policyfocused gathering of community college leaders.

Our theme this year, not coincidental to our Chicago venue, is “The Winds of Change.” The past 45 years have seen a tremendous amount of change, but the past five-year focus on improving student outcomes has resulted in a refocusing on mission and rededication to equity and access.

We are all still smarting from the Great Recession, and as most people who are reading this already know, helping students finance their education economically remains a challenge. That is one reason that ACCT recently partnered with The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) to publish an original research report, Protecting Colleges and Students. This groundbreaking report assessed federal student loan cohort default rates at nine ACCT member institutions and discovered a number of important findings, one of which is encouraging: completion is the greatest predictor of a student’s success in being able to repay his or her loan debt.

This indicates that our student success work over the past five years has been focusing in the right areas. Unfortunately, any student loan default can do significant and long-term damage to both the defaulting student and his or her college. I strongly encourage you to turn to page 6 and find out why and what can be done about this growing problem.

Of course, one of the greatest sea changes affecting everyone is the ever-increasing attention to satisfying a diverse — in every sense of the word — student community.

This year’s featured Congress keynote speakers are diverse indeed, ranging from experts on racial and ethnic diversity and generational differences to the president of the University of Chicago and the president of a major foundation, who also serves as a community college trustee. I found their interviews, beginning on page 10, fascinating, and I think you will as well.

Another new challenge is the changing role of community colleges in remediating students. Read about a variety of different approaches on page 18. And finally, but certainly not least, is what has been called “the leadership crisis” or “the leadership exodus.” More community college presidents than ever are transitioning out of their roles, opening a huge leadership gulf that will need to be filled by qualified candidates. Turn to page 24 to learn what ACCT and other leading community college organizations are doing to address this need. While ACCT programs and board services have been instrumental in assisting boards in meeting future leadership challenges, still more needs to be done.

There is simply too much to discuss everything on this page, or even within the pages of this magazine. That is why the ACCT Leadership Congress, Community College National Legislative Summit, and other events are so vital to what we do. The number of people registered for the 45th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress is at this time second only to the 2008 ACCT Congress, before the Great Recession had set in. The increasing participation is encouraging. By working smarter and harder, and by working together, we will continue to make headway despite the changes that come our way.

J. Noah Brown ACCT President and CEO

Contents

TRUSTEE QUARTERLY | FALL 2014

Departments 8

Advocacy The Long and Winding Road to WIA Reauthorization Jee Hang Lee

28 Trustee Talk With ACCT

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Guidance for Challenging Issues in Community College Governance Narcisa A. Polonio

34 Legal Labor Law Developments Impacting Community Colleges Ira Michael Shepard

10 Features 10 The Winds of Change — By Narcisa A. Polonio and Anne Campbell The 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress and its keynote speakers offer community college leaders advice on preparing their institutions for the future.

18 A New Roadmap for Remediation — By Mark Toner Community colleges and the organizations that support them are changing the face of developmental education.

24 The Leadership Imperative

in every issue 1

From the Chair

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From the President & CEO

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News

22 Around the Regions 32 ACCT Lifetime Members 36 Searches 41 Interface 44 Advisor

COVER Illustration BY William Rieser

ACCT and other leading community college organizations outline their strategies for addressing the leadership pipeline crisis.

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

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

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That it must clearly define and articulate its role;

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

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

News 2014 ACCT Regional Awards Announced The ACCT Awards Committees are pleased to announce the 2014 ACCT Regional Awards recipients. Each Regional Awards recipient is automatically nominated for a national-level Association Award in the same category. The Association Awards will be announced during the 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress Awards Gala Banquet in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday, October 24, 2014.

Trustee Leadership Award Recipients CENTRAL REGION:

Matthew Smith, North Central State College, Ohio

NORTHEAST REGION: Joseph Mangarella, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, Pa. PACIFIC REGION:

Mike Blakely, Big Bend Community College, Wash.

SOUTHERN REGION: Lyn Austin, Johnston Community College, N.C. WESTERN REGION:

M. Thomas Perkins, Western Nebraska Community College, Neb.

Equity Award Recipients

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

CENTRAL REGION:

Elgin Community College, Ill.

PACIFIC REGION:

Seattle Colleges, Wash.

SOUTHERN REGION:

Robeson Community College, N.C.

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

Chief Executive Officer Award Recipients

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

PACIFIC REGION:

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

Faculty Member Award Recipients

That it endeavors to remain always accountable to the community;

PACIFIC REGION:

Carl Luna, San Diego Community College District, Calif.

SOUTHERN REGION:

Bill Mulkey, Midlands Technical College, S.C.

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

WESTERN REGION:

John Rawlings, Flathead Valley Community College, Mont.

CENTRAL REGION:

Roy Church, Lorain County Community College, Ohio

NORTHEAST REGION: Kathleen Hetherington, Howard Community College, Md. Jack Bermingham, Highline Community College, Wash.

SOUTHERN REGION: Marshall (Sonny) White, Jr., Midlands Technical College, S.C. WESTERN REGION:

CENTRAL REGION:

Jack Huck, Southeast Community College, Neb.

Paul Kimball, Northeast Iowa Community College, Iowa

NORTHEAST REGION: M. Richard Dudkowski, Genesee Community College, N.Y.

Professional Board Staff Member Award Recipients CENTRAL REGION:

Benita Duncan, Lansing Community College, Mich.

NORTHEAST REGION: Yolanda Howell, Westchester Community College, N.Y. Adopted by the ACCT Board of Directors, October 2000. *The term “board” refers to a community college board of trustees or appropriate governing authority.

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PACIFIC REGION:

Jeannie Odle, Chemeketa Community College, Ore.

SOUTHERN REGION: Michelle Lee, Cape Fear Community College, N.C.

ACCT congratulates the 2014 ACCT Regional Award recipients for their outstanding work. Visit www.acct.org to learn more about the ACCT Awards program.

Congress Passes Bill Requiring In-State Tuition Rates for Qualified Veterans This summer, President Obama signed into law a bipartisan bill to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs. Two higher education provisions were included in this reform package. The first requires public institutions of higher education to charge an in-state rate for tuition and fees for certain veterans, spouses, and dependents. This assistance is aimed at veterans who were discharged within three years but have not established legal residency in the state for which they reside. This provision will go into effect for academic terms after July 1, 2015.

The reform bill also extends Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to spouses of service members who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Currently, only children of service members who died in the line of duty are eligible for a Fry Scholarship.

ACCT President a Featured Writer in Online U.K. News Magazine This past spring, ACCT President & CEO J. Noah Brown became a featured contributing writer for FE News, an online news magazine focused on higher education, skills, and workforce development based in the United Kingdom.

His most recent article, “Knowledge for Debt,” compares the mortgage crisis of 2008 to student loan debt that both the United States and the UK have accumulated, explores the effects of the rising costs of higher education, and points out the reduction of contributions from both governments.

For more articles, visit www.fenews.co.uk and find “J. Noah Brown ­— ACCT” under FE Feature Writers.

ACCT Welcomes New and Reinstated Members Keyano College, Alberta

Dawson Community College, Mont.

Allan Hancock College, Calif.

Sampson Community College, N.C.

Barstow Community College, Calif.

Adirondack Community College, N.Y.

Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, Calif.

State University of New York, N.Y.

Quinsigamond Community College, Mass.

Sullivan County Community College, N.Y.

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.

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 emails — brief summaries of legislative actions emailed 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 email publicpolicy@ acct.org with “LAW Alert” in the subject of the email.

For more information about ACCT’s advocacy services, visit www.acct.org/advocacy.

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White House Makes New College Opportunity Commitments This August, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz met with leaders of 12 community colleges committed to strengthening college readiness.

Following the meeting, Muñoz announced new commitments to improve college opportunity on the White House Blog. “Our nation’s community colleges are the engines of our higher education system,” she wrote. “As the largest part of America’s higher education system, these institutions provide the education and training to prepare our 21st-century workforce and are an ideal place to raise the knowledge and skills of our workforce — and to meet the academic needs of a diverse population of learners.”

On behalf of the White House, Muñoz announced new efforts “to expand college opportunity for all.”

The White House will host another College Opportunity Summit on December 4, 2014. The focus will be on building sustainable collaborations with strong K-12 and higher-education partnerships. The Administration also announced 14 new commitments by community colleges to expand opportunity by strengthening college readiness, building on the 100-plus colleges and universities and 40 nonprofit organizations that made commitments in January. The third commitment involves the launch of a new Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) led by the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, with the goal of strengthening college readiness.

And finally, the White House has committed to continuing progress on its ongoing college opportunity goals of expanding access to college for all students and boosting student achievement in STEM fields.

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News Default Rates Aren’t Destiny Student-loan repayment challenges continue, but new report suggests potential improvements.

By Bryce McKibben

Community colleges remain the most affordable and accessible of all sectors of higher education, but the issues of rising student-loan debt and default are increasingly on the minds of trustees, presidents, and other college leaders nationwide. Defaulting on loans can have devastating consequences for students, from wrecking their credit scores to restricting their abilities to find housing or employment, and borrowers who are in default can have their wages and benefits garnished until the balance is resolved.

Colleges, too, face severe consequences for students’ failure to repay loans under federal accountability measures known as cohort default rates, or CDRs, that can lead to the loss of all eligibility for federal student aid.

This summer, ACCT and The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) issued a new report, Protecting Colleges and Students, which takes a unique look at student loan default at nine community colleges across the nation, detailing how those colleges are working to help current and former student borrowers avoid delinquency or default.

The report is so timely, and the issue so great, that The New York Times editorial board responded to the report with a featured editorial on July 25 titled “How to Control Student Loan Defaults,” available at http://nyti.ms/1xzaowF. Struggling national and local economies and ever-diminishing state resources are inextricably linked to the ability of students to repay their loans through family-supporting wages and to colleges’ capacity to provide the support needed to help students enter repayment. At the same time, student loans are vital to the academic persistence and success of many students. While only 17 percent of community college students in 2011-12 used federal loans, college costs continue to rise faster than grant aid or family income, and many students could not afford to attend even low-cost institutions without access to the federal student loan program. According to recent analysis by TICAS, nearly 1 million community college students in 30 states — 8.5 percent of all community college students — lack access to federal student loans today, primarily because colleges have become increasingly concerned with rising default rates.

Among the findings of the report is that college completion efforts are, in effect, default prevention. At every college in the sample, borrowers who left without completing their program or at least 15 credits defaulted at much higher rates — ranging from two to five times higher. Across all colleges in the sample, program completers defaulted at a rate of just 9 percent, compared to a default rate of 27 percent for those who did not complete. Beyond program and credit completion, however, default rates of so-called “higher-risk” populations — such as Pell Grant recipients — were less

conclusive and not always much higher than default rates of “lower-risk” populations.

These findings reinforce the fact that default prevention efforts must be tailored to the population at each campus, and data analysis and monitoring is necessary to inform these efforts. The report also makes several recommendations for colleges, including embracing default reduction as a campuswide endeavor that extends beyond the financial aid office and providing supplemental counseling and loan information to students when they need it. Some institutions also use thirdparty services in these efforts.

The report also contains numerous federal policy recommendations intended to encourage and better support community colleges’ default reduction efforts and to improve the targeting, oversight, and overall impact of CDRs on students and colleges. These recommendations include disseminating federal guidance on default and delinquency prevention, improving the usability of federal borrower data, refining current entrance and exit counseling tools, and streamlining and simplifying student loan servicing. ACCT’s

Office of Public Policy will continue to advocate for the many federal policy recommendations around CDRs found within Protecting Colleges and Students. We encourage you to read the report and emphasize these recommendations to your elected officials, as well.

Protecting Colleges and Students can be used as a guide to colleges interested in analyzing their own borrower data, and ACCT hopes that colleges will consider implementing the report’s policy and practice recommendations to help prevent students from defaulting on their loans. ACCT has actively disseminated the report to policymakers in Washington, D.C., and both higher education and consumer media have paid attention: in addition to the New York Times editorial, the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Education have featured the report and are engaging in dialogue about the issue of student-loan default.

To download an electronic copy of Protecting Colleges and Students, and to view video of ACCT’s Congressional briefing on student-loan defaults, go to www.acct.org/ reports-white-papers.

Protecting Colleges and Students on Capitol Hill

On July 29, ACCT and TICAS co-hosted “Strategies to Prevent Student Default at Community Colleges: An Overview for Policymakers” at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The briefing included an overview presented by ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown and Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee. The report’s co-authors, ACCT Policy Analyst Bryce McKibben

and TICAS Director of Research Debbie Cochrane, discussed federal and institutional policy recommendations that resulted from the study, and Oregon’s Lane Community College President Mary F.T. Spilde described LCC’s participation in the study and how federal regulations on student loan cohortdefault rates are impacting the college.

To read more about the event from Inside Higher Ed Senior Reporter Paul Fain, go to http://bit.ly/1oDC8dY.

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advocacy

The Long and Winding Road to WIA Reauthorization

This summer, the House and Senate were able to agree upon a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which was passed and signed into law as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

WIOA encompasses not only workforce training and development programs, but also includes adult education, adult literacy, and vocational education programs at the federal level.

Since its initial passage in 1998, the process to reauthorize WIA took a very windy road, ultimately taking more than 10 years to get reauthorized. While various sessions of Congress introduced and passed WIA reauthorization bills in their respective houses over the years, they ultimately failed to get broad consensus and support to get the legislation over the finish line.

Support for WIA/WIOA among community colleges has centered around the engagement of workforce investment boards (WIBs) with their local community colleges. Historically, community colleges have enjoyed strong support from their local workforce investment boards, but in certain situations, some community colleges were not fully utilized in their local workforce system. A significant modification was made to WIA in 2009 which allowed institutions of higher education to be designated as preferred providers of training in the system.

This change made the system easier to navigate for community colleges, but hurdles remained.

The newly passed WIOA retains the major programs within the bill but focuses on three key areas: alignment, accountability, and pathways. While these changes may not appear to be significant, 8

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By Jee Hang Lee

the result of these modifications will have a lasting impact on programs and colleges that receive funding.

Over the years, lawmakers grew increasingly concerned about the lack of alignment between training providers and business and industries as the global economy shifted. To address this situation, WIOA requires states and localities to develop plans and include more businesses on the state workforce investment board. Specifically, states will examine economic conditions in the state; analyze the knowledge and skill needs of employers; analyze

the workforce in the state, including education and skill levels; analyze workforce development activities in the state, including strengths and weaknesses; describe the state’s strategic vision and goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce; and develop a strategy for aligning core programs and other resources to achieve the strategic vision and goals. The process of creating a plan is crucial in building consensus among the state WIB, local WIBs, businesses and industry, and training providers.

Broader coordination will be crucial

Gary Waters

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Changes to the workforce law will have a lasting impact on colleges and their programs.

for community colleges and other training providers because WIOA also includes new accountability measures, which include six common core indicators judging each provider.

The six indicators are: 1) The percentage of participants in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exiting the program; 2) The percentage of program participants in unsubsidized employment during the fourth quarter after exit; 3) M edian earnings of participants in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit; 4) The percentage of participants who obtain a recognized postsecondary credential, secondary school diploma, or equivalent during participation or within one year after program exit; 5) The percentage of participants who during a program year are in education that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential or employment and who are achieving measurable gains towards those goals; and 6) Indicators of effectiveness in serving employers.

The Department of Labor and Education will also develop a training provider report card that includes some of the core indicators.

Community colleges have long advocated for an increased focus on not just job training, but also increasing career pathways and education attainment in correlation with training. Fortunately, WIOA places a greater emphasis on career pathways and the attainment of postsecondary

The newly passed WIOA retains the major programs within the bill but focuses on three key areas: alignment, accountability, and pathways. While these changes may not appear to be significant, the result of these modifications will have a lasting impact on programs and colleges that receive funding. credentials so that participants can often be co-enrolled in developmental education and training programs. It also eliminates the current sequence of services that stipulates individuals can only receive training services if they first complete core services. WIOA also expands and gives flexibility to local WIBs to contract with institutions of higher education.

One significant loss in the reauthorization process was the elimination of a program specifically for community colleges. ACCT advocated keeping either the Community Based Job Training Grant Program (a program created by President George W. Bush) or the Community College Career Training Grant program. In

both instances, CBJTG and CCCTG were not currently funded in the annual appropriations process; therefore, the programs were not saved even though they had bipartisan support. It should be noted that CCCTG was funded by mandatory federal funds, so the loss of the program was disheartening.

On a positive note, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, created a new community college workforce development program in his draft reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. ACCT will continue to support funding for this type of program.

ACCT is now working aggressively on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The task of Congress to move HEA will be difficult, but the impact on institutions and students is enormous. We only hope that the reauthorization process will not take as long as it did for WIA. We also continue to work with Congress and the Administration as they craft other important legislation.

We encourage you to use ACCT’s online policy center at www.acct.org 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. To join, email publicpolicy@acct.org.

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.

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Winds Change

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The 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress and its keynote speakers offer community college leaders advice on PREPARING THEIR INSTITUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE.

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B y N a r cisa A. Polonio and Anne Cam pbell

Ellen Alberding

Cheryl Crazy Bull

Mark Hugo Lopez

Linda Johnson Rice

Chuck Underwood

Robert J. Zimmer

“The only thing constant is change.” All of us are familiar with this adage, which can be traced back at least 2,500 years to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus. While it may be comforting to know that constant change is older than history itself, adapting to change is always a challenge. This October, at the most highly attended ACCT Leadership Congress since 2008, more than 2,000 community college trustees, presidents, and other leaders and advocates will continue to navigate the winds of change confronting community colleges.

The keynote speakers included in this Q&A represent diverse facets of the higher education landscape, and their counsel and examples serve to inform decisions being made today and into the future.

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Ellen Alberding

President and Board Member The Joyce Foundation

Based upon your leadership role at Skills for America’s Future, what do you believe trustees must do to ensure that their colleges are helping build a stronger workforce?

Ellen Alberding serves dual roles at the JoycE Foundation, as the organization’s president and a member of its board of directors. The Joyce Foundation has assets of $900 million and makes charitable distributions of $45 million a year to improve the quality of life in the Great Lakes region.

Alberding also serves on the board of Skills for America’s Future, which works to improve community college training programs through business partnerships, and she is vice chair of the City Colleges of Chicago.

Trustees need to establish clear and measurable goals, in partnership with their chancellors, that ensure the college’s programming is relevant to and valued by the labor market.

Presidents should be encouraged to track employment outcomes for students; they should talk regularly to employers, and track labor market data so they know the trends in their region. Trustees can play a role in building relationships with employers and developing internship and job shadowing opportunities to make programming relevant and ensure credentials have value in the labor market.

What are the main priorities of the Joyce Foundation?

One of your leadership roles has involved fostering partnerships between K-12 and higher education.

What tangible benefits have resulted from bridging K-12 school systems with colleges?

The Joyce Foundation supports the development of policies that both improve the quality of life for people in the Great Lakes region and serve as models for the rest of the country. We invest in and focus on today’s most pressing problems while also informing the public policy decisions critical to creating opportunity and achieving longterm solutions. We partner with others and encourage innovative and collaborative approaches, driven by research and taking the long view, with a regional focus and the potential for national reach.

What have you learned from your experience as a community college trustee that you would like to share with trustees throughout the country?

I am so proud of the advances Chicago’s City Colleges have made under the leadership of Mayors Daley and Emanuel, and Chancellor Hyman. Our graduation rates are up, we have a strong working relationship with the business community, and we see a very bright future. This is due largely to the innovations and reforms that are central to our reinvention strategy, plus an intense focus on execution by the chancellor and her team. This is a recipe for improvement that any institution could take advantage of. Most, if not all, of our most successful strategies have been piloted and proven out elsewhere... so clearly, we all can and should learn from each other.

As you look to the future of this country and higher education, what evidence do you see that indicates we’re on the right track? What concerns do you have pertaining to access to educational opportunities for all?

I am pleased to see an increased emphasis on educational and employment outcomes, not just access. The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence has done a good job of highlighting examples of employer partnerships, colleges whose programs lead to strong outcomes for minority and low-income students, and other innovations in the field that are leading to steady overall improvement.

However, financial aid still favors full-time student [attendance] when the reality is that most students are going part-time and working part-time. Also, too many students not getting proper guidance and flying blind when it comes to what classes to take and what credentials will pay off. Colleges need to recognize the reality of students’ lives and make adjustments to help them succeed. And we need to invest in and do a better job of providing counseling and guidance.

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Partnering has a lot of value for both systems. Dual enrollment programs allow high-performing high school students to start college early, and dual credit programs similarly allow students to gain college credit while they are still in high school. Another important track is to Identify students early, by 10th grade, who are likely to need remediation. With early intervention, we can reduce the need for remediation and increase the likelihood of student success in college.

Cheryl Crazy Bull

President & CEO American Indian College Fund Growing up on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota, Cheryl Crazy Bull (Lakota), whose Lakota name Wacinyanpi Win means “they depend on her,” has more than 30 years of experience working in education for adults, higher education, and K-12 with Native American institutions. Crazy Bull has served as the President of Northwest Indian College (NWIC), a regional tribally controlled institution located on the Lummi Nation in Washington state, for the last 10 years.

Having served four years as the chair of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) board, Crazy Bull recently completed four years as member-at-large of the AIHEC executive committee. She has served on the boards of the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center. She now serves as president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund (AICF), which was established by tribal college presidents for students of tribal colleges, and like tribal colleges and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, supports these unique place-based institutions. It is the largest native charity in the country. In 2012-13, AICF distributed more than $5 million in scholarships and program support, which directly translated into 6,158 scholarships for American Indian students, of whom 1,549 were first-generation college students.

Are all of the tribal colleges members of the American Indian College Fund?

Thirty-seven tribal colleges are members of AIHEC, and 34 of those are accredited. Of the 37 institutions, I think 15 of them offer bachelor’s degrees. The vast majority of those institutions are not comprehensive four-year institutions; they offer programs at the fouryear level that are really driven by community need.

What role does the tribal college sector play in higher education today?

I have a multifaceted response. The first is that tribal sovereignty is based on people having inherent rights as given to them by the Creator, in whatever way that tribal people think about the Creator. There are certain rights that people have — the right to their language, the right to their kinship, the right to their social and religious practices, the right to their relationship with their land; so inherent rights are associated with being tribal nations. And tribal colleges and tribal-controlled institutions represent a modern-day interpretation of the right to educate and socialize their own people. In today’s society, that is manifested through the creation of these institutions by government.

So when I think of us being separate, I think it’s based on those inherent rights to our identity as a people, and I think it’s also very closely tied to native people’s historical education. Historically, education was used as a tool to take away our identity and not just to help us adapt to a new culture, but to help us assimilate us into a different society. So we are called upon as tribal people to try to find ways to restore our identity and protect ourselves from that kind of encroachment.

Will tribal institutions survive 200 years from now?

Well, that’s the intention. They face a tremendous amount of challenges, particularly from a socioeconomic perspective. The urbanization of tribal peoples because of economics and other access issues is a tremendous challenge that we face.

I think of reservation-based institutions as warriors on the front lines. They try to give people access to the tools that they need to run our society and run our educational institutions, but also keep those characteristics that make us tribal [intact]. So even at the tribal colleges, we see an increase of people coming to our institutions because they have lived elsewhere [and] they are looking for that [tribal college] experience.

An ongoing challenge throughout higher education is the difficulty of attracting and retaining faculty and administrators. Are tribal colleges experiencing the same leadership exodus?

I think we are experiencing that exodus, but at the same time I’ve seen a lot of new presidents come on board in the last few years. [Over the past couple of years, we have been looking into what] it is that the longstanding presidents of the tribal colleges want new presidents [to know] about who we are as an institution and the responsibilities of our work. And what do new presidents wish they were being told?

I think this is a critical issue in the tribal colleges. I see the new presidents really focused on issues of student success and creating wraparound services, whereas presidents involved in the founding of the tribal colleges were focused on keeping us alive as organizations.

Do the different perspectives of founding tribal college presidents or boards and new presidents intersect with tribal councils?

Yes, the tribal councils have the ultimate authority when it comes to the charter of the board, but oftentimes their interaction is not with the board but rather with the president. I’ve observed that contributes to a lot of issues.

We have learned a lot about using data and trying to increase completion as a result of the student success agenda. How do you think the tribal colleges have fared?

When I was at NWIC, we had a strong focus on student success throughout the institution — student success that was both culturally responsive and driven by information and data. We treated the teaching and learning program there as an institution-wide initiative, so we had several aspects to it. We joined [the Achieving the Dream movement] as a part of that, not as a sole driver of it.

I’ve seen in the tribal colleges that, given the opportunity to look at data, information, and the effectiveness of strategies, they will do it.

But I think that because they’re under so much stress as organizations, oftentimes they don’t focus on student success.

We recently hosted a student success convening at our tribal college conference, which about half of the tribal college presidents attended. We had nothing but tribal college presidents presenting on their student success work, which is very different from what it used to be like. It used to be faculty talking about student success or student support services. And many of them were very interested in how they could educate their board, or help their boards.

One way to promote student success is to get your board to adopt three or four student success measures, [and require that the administration] report back to them on how you’re doing. It might be how you’re returning from spring to fall; it might be improved on-time graduations, whatever it may be, so there’s a stronger relationship between the boards that represent the community and the institutions that represent the services.

MARK HUGO LOPEZ

Director of Hispanic Research Pew Research Center Mark Hugo Lopez is director of Hispanic research at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. He studies the attitudes and opinions of Latinos, Hispanic views of identity, the political engagement of Latinos in the nation’s elections, and Latino youth. Lopez also coordinates the Hispanic Trends Project’s National Survey of Latinos, an annual nationwide survey.

He was formerly the research director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) as well as a research assistant professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Lopez received his doctorate in economics from Princeton University.

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan “fact tank” that informs the public about issues, attitudes, and trends shaping T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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America and the world. The Pew Research Center created the Hispanic Trends Project in 2001 due to the scarcity of data being collected at the time of one of the nation’s fastest-growing populations. The Hispanic Trends Project is driven by an interest in improving public understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in the United States and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation.

The whole issue of civic engagement — does that relate to a personal mission in your own life or your own experience?

It does relate to my own life in a number of different ways. My father had been very involved in the local Chicano movement in Southern California.

He had been the research director of something called the Hispanic Urban Center back in the 1970s. Many of the things he did there, such as developing a curriculum for Chicano students, pushing for having Chicano teachers for Chicano students — it was of the time and certainly unique in a number of ways.

So that was the environment that I grew up in. My dad had run for and had been elected to the local school board, and he had been a principal of a local high school. At the local high school one of the things he implemented, for example, was having Chicano students read Chicano literature, so they could see their stories in what they were reading and hopefully get interested in literature. But that, at the time in the 1970s, was a departure from what was happening otherwise in a predominantly Chicano school.

Were you a student activist during your college career?

If being in the marching band is a student activist, then yes. Otherwise no, I was not. When I went to Princeton University, though…there were not very many minority students — U.S.-born or U.S.-raised minority students — in the graduate programs. So being a Mexican-American in the economics department…the administration at Princeton often asked me to be a recruiter, to go around the country, to college fairs, when students came to visit to meet with them. And it was at that time being at Princeton that I really began to get more involved in student activities around professor recruitment, student recruitment, minority and diversity issues. And I remember coming home and I was in my room, listening to Mariachi music, and my dad says “Ah, mijo, I see you’ve discovered your roots!”

The Pew Research Center is a major source for information about what’s happening with the Hispanic community in the United States. If there were two or three things that would surprise our readers about the Latino community in this country, what would they be?

A lot of the trends that we have been tracking have been coming and happening for some time. So it’s hard for me to point to something shocking or surprising in all that we do. But I do find that in talking to audiences about the Latino community there are a few things that people find fascinating and perhaps surprising. Number one, how dispersed the nation’s Hispanic community is. That it’s not just a community of California and Texas anymore, but that in the Southeast particularly we’ve seen the Hispanic population be a major driver of growth in those states — and also, that’s where we have some of the fastest growing Hispanic populations at the state level.

The second thing that I think that people find really interesting

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is the shift from the immigrant, foreign-born flow being the driver of Hispanic population growth to now the native-borns being the driver of population growth. Now, that sounds like a pretty simple thing, and not really all that major given that the recession has impacted flows of immigrants to the U.S. Nonetheless, the rise of the native-borns among the U.S. Hispanic population is now starting to shape a number of other trends — everything from college-going to attitudes about religion and religious affiliation, to speaking English and consuming news in English, to affecting the labor market and being the main driver of Hispanic labor force growth. So it’s interesting that native-borns as they enter adulthood are starting to impact many aspects of the Latino community, in ways that I think many folks might not expect.

Not every Latino is an immigrant. Not every Latino speaks Spanish.

Not every Latino even has immigrant parents. And that story is going to unfold as we move forward in time, and the story of the Hispanic communities is only going to become richer. As I say, we are only at the beginning of telling that story of the Hispanic community in the United States. We haven’t quite played everything out, and I think it’s going to take another five to seven decades to play out what’s happening now.

I think it’s interesting that when you look at the Hispanic population overall, fewer than 36 percent of Hispanics are foreign-born. When you take a look at adult Hispanics, fewer than half are foreign-born. Now, these numbers were very different just 10 years ago: the Hispanic foreignborn population share reached a peak of 40 percent in the middle of the past decade, and among adults it was up to 56 or 57 percent. So these changes are happening somewhat quickly over the course of a decade.

But it’s really going to be the native-borns that are going to drive the Hispanic population going forward.

With these shifts, how does immigration come into play?

Immigration is an important issue; it’s not just a Hispanic issue. It’s not just about the unauthorized, it’s about the ways in which high-skilled immigrants become U.S. citizens, or how we attract immigrants from around the world. It is important to note that the U.S. is the top magnet for immigrants and will likely remain so in the near future. If you look at the stories of Japan or China, these are countries that are economically as diverse or as powerful as the United States, or about to be. These are countries that don’t welcome immigrants the same way that we do. In China, there really isn’t an immigrant population like we have. In Japan, they expelled Brazilian immigrants when the recent economic downturn happened because there weren’t jobs for them. So when you take a look at the way the United States and its immigrant population has grown, we really are the world’s magnet for immigrants.

Linda Johnson Rice

Chairman, Johnson Publishing Company, LLC Linda Johnson Rice is chairman of Johnson Publishing Company, LLC, the Chicago-based publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines and owner of Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a global prestige cosmetics brand for women of color. Rice has served as Chairman since 2010. Prior to that, she was JPC’s CEO, overseeing its domestic and international business operations. She held various positions at the company during her professional career, including

vice president and special assistant to the publisher, vice president and fashion coordinator for Ebony, and fashion coordinator for Ebony Fashion Fair. She was appointed president and COO in 1987.

During her tenure at JPC, Rice has championed initiatives to extend the brand’s reach and increase productivity. Under Rice’s leadership, Ebony remains the foremost Black American magazine in the world; Jet is the world’s primary AfricanAmerican news source.

Rice serves on the boards of the United Negro College Fund, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Omnicom Group Inc., the Magazine Publishers Association, Northwestern Memorial Corporation, the Women’s and Trustee boards of The Art Institute of Chicago; the Founding Council of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and as President of the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors. She also serves on the Women at NBCU Advisory Board for NBCUniversal. Through the Ebony Fashion Fair Show, Johnson Publishing Company has raised over $55 million for charitable organizations, the majority dedicated to AfricanAmerican scholarship funds.

Can you share with us a brief history of how your mother and father built a media empire dedicated to giving voice to the African-American community?

We say Johnson Publishing Company is the curator of the African American experience, past, present, and future. Johnson Publishing Company was started in 1942 by both of my parents, John and Eunice Johnson. Both of my parents were very much “salt of the earth” people, who believed in hard work, discipline, and education in no uncertain terms. That was the key for success for them.

My father came to Chicago from Arkansas City, Arkansas, a very tiny town of about 660 people in rural Arkansas about two hours outside of Little Rock. His mother brought him to Chicago to get a better education. He graduated from high school and attended the University of Chicago, but he never graduated. My mother, Eunice Johnson, came from Selma, Alabama. She had migrated from Alabama to Chicago and was attending a master’s program in social service at Loyola University.

Both had the same drive and ambition to really uplift the African American community.

Getting the magazine printed was difficult. My father shopped it to different printers, who at that time didn’t want to print a black magazine.

But he was a born salesman. He told them this was going to be a magazine like Life and Look that was going to be first rate, top class, top shelf, and that influential African Americans would be interested in buying it. When he finally got the magazine distributed on newsstands, he would send his friends around to the newsstands to ask about the magazine to create a demand. This is what a true entrepreneur does in no uncertain terms.

But once you get the distribution and cobble together the money to get it printed — then you have to have advertisers. The first advertiser in the magazine was Zenith TV. He actually got in to see the CEO of Zenith, and pitched him on the fact that this was actually going to be a magazine that was going to have influence. I think most people would say this about my father: he really created and gave recognition and “gravitas” to the African American market. General market advertisers realized that the African American market had buying power and that they believed

in brand and wanted to live a better life, just as the general market people do.

How have you led Johnson Publishing Company through the transition period from traditional print publishing to the digital media age?

We’re still in transition because the whole media world is still in transition. But what we did internally was that we realized that you can’t just rely on the print product, even though that certainly is the flagship business. You have to be able to adapt with what your audience is looking for. And if you are going to grow your audience in any way, shape, or form, you have to involve technology. In order to do that, we had to bring in a different crew of people, people who have a different skillset and have a different mindset when it comes to technology.

It was a big sea change in the company. Jet, which has been our weekly news magazine since 1951, ceased printing and was switched to all digital. We could see the writing on the wall, and you get to the point where you have to take action, and you have to do it smartly and sensitively. So we made, I think, a very intelligent but very difficult decision to cease printing. It was almost like a mini-death in the Johnson Publishing company stable. Internally, people, the editors, were reacting to the change, but I kept saying, “I’ve been around Jet all my life. It’s like a little sister to me. And I am sitting here saying in this leadership position that I believe in my heart and my soul and in my brain that this is the right thing to do. I’m hurting as much as you are, if not more.” It’s great because now Jet is global. I keep telling people, don’t think of it as getting smaller — you have to think of it as getting bigger.

You have been a very successful leader in a highly competitive field. What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs trying to build their own businesses?

I believe you have to have a passion for what you do. This is not only my business, but this is my life. It’s something that I truly believe in.

I want the Ebony and Jet brands to carry on in whatever form they may take, whether it’s under my direction, or the shared direction of my CEO or chief operating officer and all of the people that put the magazine and digital sites together. I try to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am; I listen to them and learn from them.

You also have to take some risks and take some failures. You have to learn from those failures. My father has a very famous quote: “Failure is a word that I do not accept.” But the tagline to that is, “the only failure is the failure not to try.” So I think you have to learn from whatever failures or mistakes you might make. I think you have to be strong and be willing to make some very tough decisions.

You have to have an education. I believe that is fundamental.

You also have to do your homework and understand the business that you are trying to either create or get a job in. I think education is the key, as it will help you in building your own sense of self, having confidence, thinking clearly, and making decisions.

What role do you think higher education has played in the African-American community?

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negative. Education is the springboard for everything else you want to be able to accomplish in life. There is a discipline involved in that, a word I use all the time. You can’t be a doctor, lawyer, or a scientist without it; and it’s harder to be an entrepreneur without some educational background.

Whether it’s a community college or a Big Ten school, once you graduate, you have made connections within that community, and you never know how those connections can help you, or who you can help. Networking is key and [it’s] why alumni groups are so strong. It really does come full circle — it may not hit you immediately, but you may run across someone ten years into your career, and they might say “I went to so-and-so school,” and you say, “Really? I went there too!” Instantly, you have a connection.

I advise young people to take advantage of everything that school has to offer, because you can be surprised how much you learn.

Chuck Underwood

Host, Generations with Chuck Underwood Chuck Underwood is one of the handful of people who developed and popularized the discipline of generational study, and his original principles have become a permanent part of this discipline. As the founder/principal of consulting firm The Generational Imperative Inc., he consults and trains American business, government, education, religion, and other institutions on generational marketplace strategies, generational workforce strategies, and other niche applications of generational study. He has pioneered breakthrough training programs in generational behavioral healthcare strategy and generational leadership and governance strategy.

Underwood’s clients include Hewlett-Packard, Procter & Gamble, Coca Cola, Time Warner Cable, Macy’s, State Farm, the United States military, Veterans Healthcare Administration, and hundreds more across virtually all industries. In the educational sector, his clients include the American Council on Education, Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education, numerous community colleges and universities, charter schools, and others. He is the author of The Generational Imperative, Understanding Generational Differences in the Workplace, Marketplace, and Living Room.

In addition, Underwood is the host of the public television series America’s Generations with Chuck Underwood, the first multigenerational presentation in the history of national television. He is also formally trained in qualitative research methodology and conducts primary generational research for his clients and his own firm.

How did you come up with these portraits of the generations?

The half-dozen of us who were the early pioneers of this all essentially came from business. This discipline involves studying 315 million people every single day of their lives and everything they do… Most of my work comes because business is geared up to pay for the training and research. My work on generational

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study is the culmination of 27 years of studying and conducting formal research.

I do formal research for my clients, such as Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, Macy’s Department stores, and the trade show industry. I managed a study for the trade show industry that just wanted to ask two questions: How do we get Generation Xers to attend trade shows in bigger numbers? What do they want? What do they not want? And the same questions for Millennials. And the research arm of the trade show industry said before we had set up the study, “We’re certain that the Millennials are going to say that in any kind of education setting, they want lots of role playing and game playing and lots of interactivity. That’s what we think they are going to want from education sessions, and they’re going to want them to be especially short.”

Well, here’s what the Millennials said, coast-to-coast: “We want a 45-minute lecture by an expert. Not somebody hip and cool, but somebody older with experience and wisdom. Then we want a 15-minute group Q&A session, and we want the speaker to stick around afterwards so that we can sign up for one-on-one five minute personal conversations so we can ask very individualized questions. We don’t want role playing. We don’t want gimmicks.

We want knowledge presented concisely, effectively, and we want the person in the front of the room to be the best in his or her field.”

What does the future look like for America?

Short term, the Baby Boomers are now in charge. What we now understand is that a generation begins its leadership era when its oldest members reach retirement age — about 65. That means the Boomers began three years ago. But what we also know is that it is going to take them a number of years before they fully disentangle from the 20 years of leadership of the prior generation.

So probably in another few years we can take a look at America’s leadership and we can ask ourselves, are Boomers making a significant difference in leadership and in our nation from what we experienced during those very bad years of the 1990s and 2000s?

I am very optimistic about the short term, because the generation that should be in control is. And the generation right behind it is excellent at execution and facilitation and making things happen. So generationally we’re lined up for a great, great 20-year run.

How does generational change look through the lens of higher education?

The key is that higher education has been handed a bunch of students who came of age with their parents convincing them that they are the center of the universe. They entered college with unrealistic expectations, a flawed sense of entitlement. What employers tell me is that they are now entering adulthood after having passed through higher education with those same values.

So it is not higher education’s fault. Parents need to understand what their parenting values are doing to their kids.

Higher education needs to understand it. Employers need to understand it. And if we understand those generational dynamics we can then simply do something about it — in the classroom, in the workplace, in the living room at home.

Robert J. Zimmer

President, University of Chicago Robert J. Zimmer is the thirteenth president of the University of Chicago. Prior to his appointment as president; Zimmer was a University of Chicago faculty member and administrator for more than two decades specializing in mathematics. He served as chairman of the mathematics department, deputy provost, and vice president for research for Argonne National Laboratory.

Zimmer is the author of two books, Ergodic Theory and Semisimple Groups (1984) and Essential Results of Functional Analysis (1990), as well as more than 80 research articles. He served on the board of Mathematical Sciences of the National Research Council from 1992 to 1995, and was on the executive committee from 1993 to 1995. Zimmer held the title of Max Mason Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics at Chicago before leaving for Brown University, where he was the Ford Foundation Professor of Mathematics in addition to serving as provost.

Zimmer earned his A.B., summa cum laude, from Brandeis University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University in 1975. He joined the Chicago faculty as an L.E. Dickson Instructor of Mathematics in 1977. He was also on the faculty of the U.S. Naval Academy from 1975 to 1977 and has held visiting positions at Harvard University and at institutions in Israel, France, Australia, Switzerland, and Italy.

What is the relevance of the University of Chicago to the nation’s community colleges?

When the University of Chicago opened for classes in 1892, it had a very clear sense of what it wanted to be from the very beginning and what its position in the American higher education landscape should be.

The university founding president, William Rainey Harper, had a clear vision of bringing education to a very broad collection of individuals, not only those who were formal four-year degree students at the university. The outreach of the university through multiple forms of education was important from the beginning, and has resonances in multiple ways today. For example, the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute is devoted to improving pre-K-12 education in the urban environment. This simultaneous clarity of purpose and a devotion to the value of broad-based education are, I believe, important features of community colleges in the United States today.

What major trends in higher ed do you feel are important for your governing board — and all governing boards — to be aware of?

I believe it is indisputable, in spite of the fact there are some who dispute it, that education is an absolute key for the development of an individual’s potential, for the trajectory of families, and for the well-being and competitiveness of the nation. Individual differences, differences in opportunity, and differences in the quality of school education lead students to come to post-secondary education with a variety of capacities, needs, goals, and ambitions. It is important as a nation that we have a fabric of institutions that can respond to these differences

and offer beneficial education to all. This means that institutions need to have a clarity of purpose and focus, and an understanding of what role they want to play within this national system.

It is very important for boards to work with presidents to ensure there is clarity about this. At the same time, we are seeing a decrease in public support for higher education as a public good. In real terms, support for publicly funded institutions, which account for the education of about 75 percent of higher education students nationally, has decreased by about 30 percent over the past dozen years. This represents a huge shift in how the U.S. public, as expressed through their elected officials, is investing the future and investing in our children. My own view is that this is highly problematic for the country. This environment is also an important one for all boards and presidents to understand, and to incorporate into thinking about how to advance their institutions’ missions.

What additional issues would you like to see boards focus on?

The faculty is the backbone of every educational institution. The quality of the faculty, the environment in which they work, and the opportunities they have for their own development will rebound to the quality of education they offer. [Faculty] sometimes do not receive the attention they need due to other pressures. While this is just one of the issues that any president and board must face, and there are inevitably trade-offs in all directions, I think it is very important for the health of institutions and the quality of education to keep faculty issues firmly in mind.

From a global perspective, what does the future of higher education look like to you?

We are seeing hundreds of millions of people around the world moving out of poverty and into the economic mainstream. With all the problems we see in the world, we should recognize this remarkable historical development. This will mean that the demand for education will increase, and economic competition will increase with resulting advantages to those countries with good educational structures.

On the other hand, what this education actually consists will not be of one standard model. Not everyone wants or needs the same thing, both within any country and across countries. I think higher education will become more diverse in concept, that technology will inevitably play an increasingly important role, that there will be more focus on lifelong learning, and that over time institutions will need to sharpen what they are trying to accomplish even if it is very broad based.

What would you share with governing boards about the future role of the presidency?

The role of the president will become increasingly complex. Having a leader who understands education — or education and research, depending upon the nature of the institution — and who can lead a specifically academic enterprise will remain critical. But in addition, the president will need to lead strategy, lead an organization, build a team, understand the importance of communication and partnerships, understand how to work with a board, and be able to focus on execution.

The challenge will be to find leaders who can operate and lead in both domains. If the president has strength in only one of these directions, I would be uneasy.

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A

New Roadmap for

Remediation

Community colleges and the organizations that support them are changing the face of developmental education.

B y M a r k T o ne r

Education may be priceless, but remediation definitely has a price tag.

More specifically, providing developmental education courses to students unprepared for college-level work costs community colleges and other institutions billions of dollars — $3.6 billion a year, according to a report from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

With more than a half million students placing into remedial math alone each year, colleges have a moral imperative to do things differently.

But that’s just the beginning. For students who fail to reach their educational goals because they struggle in remedial courses, lost lifetime earnings add up to another $2 billion, according to the Alliance report. And behind that overwhelming statistic are hundreds of thousands of individual students whose aspirations of higher education often come to an abrupt halt when they are placed in remedial courses.

ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown is succinct about the charge for community colleges and their leaders. “In a perfect world, we shouldn’t be in the remedial education business,” he says. “Community college boards need to support aligning K-12 with community college academic standards. Imagine what our institutions could do with an extra $3.6 billion if all students came prepared and ready for college-level work.”

Across the country, community colleges and the organizations that support them are developing new approaches to developmental education and deepening collaboration with other partners. Lawmakers in a small but growing number of states, including Florida, Connecticut, and Colorado, have essentially curtailed traditional approaches to remediation, focusing instead on new supports in K-12 and new models at the college level that accelerate students through remedial courses.

“Over the last six or seven years, we’ve seen a tremendous improvement in understanding in the world of remediation,” says Bruce Vandal, vice president of Complete College America.

In part, this is a result of the newfound emphasis on student success, given that students who fare poorly in remediation often never earn a single college credit. But it’s also part of a growing realization that helping students reach those initial credit courses ties back to community colleges’ longstanding commitment to access for all.

Changing Perceptions Although many new approaches to remediation are appearing on campuses nationwide, they are all predicated on the same idea: that the traditional approach — which often required unprepared students to take up to a year and a half of classes before earning even a single college credit — doesn’t work.

“For a long time, we believed remediation didn’t work because we weren’t doing a good job instructing these students,” says CCA’s Vandal. “At the end of the day, what we’ve learned is that when we place students in long, multi-semester prerequisite sequences of remedial courses, inevitably they fall out of the system — not because they’re not capable of doing the work, but because life gets in the way.”

Data show that students fall out of remediation at every possible

attrition point — even those who successfully complete the first semester of remediation may fail to enroll in the second semester.

Or they may pass all remedial courses but not enroll in the first for-credit gatekeeper course they need towards their degree.

In remediation, the clock works against students and the institutions that serve them. Philip Berry, vice-chair of the City University of New York (CUNY) board of trustees, knows that many students take five to six years to complete two years of community college. “There are a number of reasons that get in the way,” he says. “What we can do is ensure that people have the right foundation in reading, writing, and math.”

Jumpstarting Success The CUNY Start program was created to ensure that students have an adequate foundation in these subjects before they start classes.

Students who score below adequate levels on CUNY’s placement exams are given the option of participating in the semester-long program before enrolling. Those who need to become proficient in literacy and math take classes on a full-time basis, while those who need proficiency in one subject have the option of taking courses part-time over a 15-to-18-week period.

CUNY Start launched in 2009 with 140 students, and has grown steadily since. This fall, the program will serve 3,800 students in six community colleges and two four-year institutions within the CUNY system. A crucial element to its success is cost — students only pay $75, an amount that doesn’t impact financial aid for subsequent semesters. “That’s a really important variable,” Berry says.

Sixty-two percent of recent CUNY Start students achieved proficiency in reading, compared to 26 percent of new students who did not participate. In mathematics, 53 percent of students achieved proficiency, compared to 10 percent of non-participating students. CUNY Start students also take more credit hours per semester and have higher GPAs in their first semester of classes than those who did not participate.

“If you start out strong, you’re going to finish strong,” Berry says.

The Co-Requisite Connection More than 100 community colleges nationwide are taking a different tack to remediation, one which CCA calls the co-requisite model. Knowing that remedial students are at risk of stopping out at every inflection point before earning credit, the goal is to “put as many students as you can into gateway courses right away,” says Vandal. But at the same time that the students are taking the gatekeeper course, they’re also enrolled in a co-requisite remedial class or other support program. That way, students “know that if T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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they’re going to be dealing with a particular topic in the gateway course, they’ll be getting additional support in the co-requisite course,” Vandal says.

Approaches vary from institution to institution. At Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, students who need remediation in math spend two additional hours a week in a lab setting where they receive tutoring and computer practice to supplement what they are learning in a traditional gateway math course. At Baltimore City Community College in Maryland, students take remedial and gateway courses at the same time, with professors providing intentional connections between what’s being taught in both classes.

Austin Peay’s co-requisite program has seen students who were two levels below grade level go from a 10 percent success rate in gatekeeper courses to 75 percent, according to Vandal. At Baltimore City Community College, a similar approach in English has increased success rates from 25 to at least 65 percent, he adds. The fact that co-requisites work for students who arrive on campus far below proficiency is critical, Vandal says. “It’s not just for the students who are right below the cut score,” he says. “What we’ve seen is that the greatest benefit is for students assessed at the lowest levels.”

Six states have committed to implementing co-requisite models.

In Colorado, changes in state law now allow four-year students to take co-requisite courses at their home institutions instead of enrolling in remedial courses at community colleges, which have also begun adopting co-requisite models for their own student populations.

“This is not something that works at the margins,” Vandal says.

“It’s a game-changer strategy in terms of completion.”

Competency-Based Learning At the same time, there’s growing recognition that remedial students don’t need a full serving of advanced mathematics to be successful in many postsecondary programs. “Too often, remedial sequences are divorced from the reality of what students need to be successful in higher education,” CCA’s Vandal says.

That used to be the case in Virginia. Glenn DuBois doesn’t mince words when he describes the remedial math program that was once in place in the state’s 23 community colleges.

“It was our big disaster field,” says DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). But until VCCS invited an outside group to evaluate its remedial education programs five years ago, its leaders thought their institutions were doing a fairly good job preparing students for collegelevel work.

The hard data proved otherwise — and was hard to dispute.

Three out of every four students who entered remedial math didn’t meet their postsecondary goals. “We were not effective by any means,” DuBois says. “It was sobering.”

It was also motivating. VCCS leaders used the sobering results as a reality check. Instead of pointing fingers, the system brought together 50 math faculty members to redesign the developmental math program. A year later, the system took a similar, faculty-led approach to redesigning its remedial courses focused on reading and writing. So far, both programs are doing a better job at 20

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getting students through remediation; the jury, DuBois says, is still out on how those students are faring in gatekeeper courses.

The system has unbundled remedial math, breaking it down to nine competencies. Entering students who take a new diagnostic placement test are assessed based on their career objectives — a student seeking a degree in health or engineering must be proficient in all nine math competencies to avoid remediation, while those pursuing less technical careers may only need selected skills.

Students needing specific competencies for their career path are enrolled in either classroom or lab-based courses that focus only on those skills. “The goal here is to focus on the deficiencies and get people through not in years, but in months,” DuBois says.

Providing Pathways Developmental math has marked the beginning and the end of many a college career. Upwards of 80 percent of students who place into remedial math programs “never earn that one college credit they need in math to go on,” says Karon Klipple, director of community college pathways for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “They never make it out.”

For students who struggled with math in high school, community colleges employing a pathway-based approach to remediation can introduce something new — relevance. “We’re not teaching math the way they encountered it before,” says Klipple. “As opposed to learning procedures for procedures’ sake, they’re thrown into a whole new way of thinking about using mathematics, encountering authentic contexts and a real reason to use math.”

Carnegie has developed two math-centric pathways: Statway, which combines developmental math and college-level statistics in a yearlong credit-earning course, and Quantway, which combines a semester of accelerated developmental math and a semester of college-level math. Both focus on practical skills that students can use right away, as well as in their future areas of study. Now in place in 50 institutions across the country, more than 4,400 students have participated in Carnegie’s pathways in their three years of existence.

Along with the real-world contexts, Quantway and Statway have been successful, Klipple says, because they are considered ongoing pathways, not two discrete courses. Both focus heavily on student cohorts, which support each other as they progress through each program, and both stress an instructional philosophy that includes support for socio-emotional factors.

Professors have been trained to address “math anxiety” and help build student confidence in their ability to do mathematics.

“There’s tremendous power behind the cohort benefit, which begins with students beginning together and going through the experience together,” Klipple says. “A lot of the actions wouldn’t happen without that strong cohort design.”

When asked about success rates, Carnegie officials have a quick response: “Triple the success in half the time.” More specifically, half of the students in Statway have earned college credit within one year. By comparison, only 15 percent of similar students who took traditional remediation courses earned college credit within two years. In Quantway, the success levels are nearly triple that of traditional courses.

With more than a half million students placing into remedial math alone each year, colleges have “a moral imperative to do things differently,” says Klipple. “We know the pathways are a way to do that.”

K-12 Connections New standards at the K-12 level that speak to college and career readiness also provide an opportunity for community colleges to work more closely with local schools to improve student skills before they graduate from high school.

That approach is already a reality in Florida, where state law requires all high school juniors to undergo testing and take remedial coursework during their senior year of high school.

As a result, this year the state has made college placement exams and remedial courses optional for all students graduating with a standard diploma; colleges can recommend but no longer require that any diploma-holding student take remedial courses.

(Adult students will still be required to take placement exams and remedial courses as needed.) As is the case elsewhere, Florida institutions are implementing broad changes to remedial courses, including shorter refresher courses, online courses, and co-requisite programs, according to Inside Higher Ed. The same is true in Connecticut, where new legislation essentially bans non-credit remedial courses beginning this fall.

In Colorado, state officials credit changes in K-12 standards that are better aligned with college expectations as one factor that’s improved remediation rates. (The Common Core, currently being implemented in more than 40 states and territories, stresses college and career readiness for all students.) The state has also participated in the federally funded GEAR UP program, which provides advising, dual enrollment, and college preparation courses in nearly 20 low-income K-12 schools across the state. Across the nation, dual enrollment programs are now in place at growing numbers of twoand four-year colleges, allowing students to take more courses for college credit while still in high school, providing exposure to and experience with college-level work before graduating.

Other institutions are looking more closely at what students do in high school, not test scores. Responding to research stating that up to a third of students who placed into remediation based on standardized test scores could have passed credit-bearing courses, Long Beach City College in California worked with a local K-12 district to use high school grades instead of placement tests to determine which incoming students needed remedial education.

According to Inside Higher Ed, 60 percent of students in the “Promise Pathways” program placed into college-level English courses, compared to 11 percent of all incoming students. Once in those credit-bearing courses, that larger pool of students had comparable pass rates to the students who had placed out of remediation in previous years.

CUNY’s Berry, who has also served on a board overseeing New York City’s public schools, notes that 75 percent of the postsecondary system’s students come from the city’s K-12 schools.

He believes that community college leaders must work with K-12 leaders as well as continue to develop interventions of their own.

“We have to do something ahead of time, and we [also] have to take action and innovate,” he says.

The Board’s Role Regardless of the approach taken, governing boards play a critical role in supporting institutions as they make sweeping changes to their remediation programs. Thought leaders in transforming developmental education offer the following advice to trustees: Be aware. “You’ve got to start with reality, not your own anecdotal evidence,” says DuBois. Evaluating and basing any plan on solid data is crucial, and outside help may be needed to provide a clear picture of an institution’s challenges. VCCS, for example, tapped Columbia University’s Community College Research Center to study its developmental programs.

Identify attrition points. Trustees must ask questions about where students fall out of the remediation process — and why. Are students failing remedial courses, or are they instead failing to enroll in all of the courses they need to complete remediation?

Support the administration. Once given a mandate to make changes, the administration will need the vote of confidence of their governing board to maintain credibility — and funding to ensure that they can put new programs in place.

Investments in new programs can be justified through overall completion metrics, which increasingly are attached to funding.

Students who get through remediation and reach their program of studies also provide a more stable student population — and funding base — for the college, according to Vandal.

Avoid finger-pointing. Administration and faculty should be part of the solution, not the problem. “If you’re going to blame anybody,” DuBois advises, “blame...the assumptions that you’ve built over time.”

Encourage faculty involvement. Faculty, particularly those who teach developmental courses, need to take an active role in designing new, more effective programs. That means providing developmental faculty members — who historically have been adjuncts or other part-time professors — with time and professional development to help them bring about change.

Look at the big picture. Redesigned developmental education programs may not be effective if students continue to struggle with for-credit gatekeeper courses. Ensuring that these programs are aligned is critical to ensure that students complete the transition to college-level work.

Work with K-12 systems. Trustees should continue to press for closer relationships between their institutions and K-12 systems. “Scale will only come, in my opinion, when we come to the point where we create a seamless and mutually supporting educational system,” ACCT’s Brown says.

Assess the impact of new programs. “It’s important to make sure if it’s working,” CUNY’s Berry says. One particularly valuable barometer of success, according to CCA’s Vandal, is the number of students entering their program of studies by the end of the first year.

Be patient. While the need to transform remediation is imperative, it will also take time to do correctly — and to measure the impact of changes on student completion. “It took us decades to get into this mess,” DuBois says, “We’re not going to get out of it in a year and a half.”

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Around Regions the

St. Clair County Community College in Michigan contributes more than $202.6 million to its local economy, according to a study conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI).

central Region Waubonsee Community College in Illinois joined the Registered Apprenticeship-College Consortium, a joint initiative of the federal departments of labor and education. Participating colleges and organizations are tasked with finding ways that registered apprenticeship programs can be translated into college credit.

Elgin Community College in Illinois used National Science Foundation funding to create the state’s only digital forensics lab on a college campus. The lab allows local law enforcement to extract evidence from computers and other digital devices, alleviating backlogs at state and federal crime labs. The campus uses the lab to offer a digital forensics associate degree and a certificate program for law enforcement professionals.

Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa will develop an early alert system to identify at-risk students through a $200,000 Ready and College Success grant received from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation.

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Washtenaw Community College in Michigan renewed its 25-year-old training partnership with the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Sprinkler Fitters, Welders, and HVACR Technicians, which brings 2,000 people to campus for a weeklong training program.

The Sinclair Community College board of trustees allocated $1.1 million for the Ohio college to develop a corporate college. Sinclair Corporate College would focus on workforce training needs in the fields of information technology, cybersecurity, and data analytics.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced a $28 million grant for the Wisconsin Technical College System as part of his Blueprint for Prosperity initiative for workforce development.

First-year Ivy Tech Community College students participating in Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars Program, a scholarship program for lowincome and first-generation college students, will be assigned a trained college success coach this fall.

Supported by a $2.4 million grant from USA Funds to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the coaching program is part of a larger

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state initiative designed to increase graduation rates by up to 15 percent for 21st Century Scholars program participants.

NORTHEAST Region Hagerstown Community College in Maryland received a $714,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand and design cybersecurity courses and programs. The college’s students will work in partnership with and be mentored by graduate students at Johns Hopkins University’s Information Security Institute.

Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts and the state Department of Revenue (DOR) have teamed up to launch a certificate and internship program in taxation and auditing. The program allows enrolled students to participate in a 17-week internship program at DOR, helping the state agency address a shortage of skilled workers.

In response to financial literacy concerns, Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania participated in a three-day workshop funded by EDUCAUSE to

design and develop a model to improve first-time students’ understanding of the costs of higher education. The college created “Montco Money Matters,” a multi-channel module that introduces students to financial aid and assistance. MCCC will also offer an associate degree program in dance that is open to aspiring dance majors at all levels, as well as those pursuing other majors.

Erie Community College in New York plans to offer a certificate program in brewing science and service as early as 2015. The program, which includes internship programs with local brewers, is in response to the growth of craft breweries in Buffalo, which has led employers to look to Canada for training programs.

Pacific Region The California state legislature passed a bill allowing 15 of the state’s community colleges to launch bachelor’s degree programs. If signed into law by the governor, the bill would allow each community college to offer one program that isn’t available at nearby public fouryear institutions. “In today’s

economy, many businesses require their employees to possess a four-year degree or higher skill sets than are offered through associate degree programs, even in fields such as dental hygiene or automotive technology where a two-year degree would have been sufficient in the past,” California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice Harris said in a news release.

Another bill awaiting the governor’s signature would allow community colleges to include a share of the cost of maintaining, repairing, and renovating facilities in reimbursements from organizations that use campus facilities.

A clean-energy tax measure has provided $45 million for infrastructure upgrades and green-jobs training at California Community Colleges. More than 300 projects at all 72 of the state’s community college districts funded by the tax in the past year will save the system $4.6 million annually and reduce energy use by the equivalent of 2.9 million gallons of gasoline.

The San Bernardino Community College District in California received a $375,000 workforce development contract to provide training to more than 550 workers employed by 17 manufacturing and logistics companies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Ten Washington state community colleges have

agreed to coordinate their course offerings in composites manufacturing, supported by a $135,000 grant from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Coordinating programs across campuses will help students seeking careers in aerospace and advanced manufacturing, officials said. The effort follows similar projects to align training for airframe mechanics and machinists.

A new higher education board in Oregon has recommended a 60 percent increase in state-supported financial aid.

The board recommended the dramatic increase to $66 million in state-supported aid, which must be approved by state lawmakers and the governor, in order to change the mindset of Oregon high school students about the possibility of attending college, officials said.

Southern Region NorthWest Arkansas Community College opened a teaching and learning center focused on helping faculty members use multimedia

presentations and other technology in the classroom.

Envisioned as a “one-stop shop” for faculty, the center will also host professional development focused on research, best instructional practices, and innovative teaching practices.

Eastern Florida State College unveiled a ten-year $74.8 million expansion plan, which includes five new academic buildings and a student union on its Melbourne campus. The expansion will allow growth in high-demand academic programs, including nearly a dozen new programs in the health sciences fields.

Germanna Community College in Virginia signed a direct transfer and coenrollment agreement with the University of Mary Washington to improve articulation for older learners and students seeking bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College entered a partnership with Mississippi State University to offer engineering degrees at its Jackson County campus next year. Students will complete their first two years at the community college, earning an associate degree before transferring to Ole Miss for their bachelor’s degree.

Delgado Community College in Louisiana received a donation of $10,000 worth of transportation tokens from a

local bank, which found them unclaimed in a vault. College officials say the donation will help dual enrollment and Single Stop students get to and from campus and improve access to the institution.

western Region Central New Mexico Community College launched a community dental health coordinator program this fall. The certificate program trains dental professionals to improve access to dental care for underserved communities by providing education and basic preventative services. New Mexico is the first state to establish the coordinator role in law and roll out a permanent educational program.

Kansas City Kansas Community College was named an inaugural member of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Slingshot Group, a cohort of two-year colleges focusing on entrepreneurship. The college offers an entrepreneurship certificate program and uses its technical resource center as an “innovation space” available to local inventors and entrepreneurs.

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.

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The

Leadership Imperative A year ago, the three leading community college associations in the country and two national community college organizations gathered to address the impending leadership crisis. They included Achieving the Dream Inc. (ATD), the American Association of Community

ACCT and other leading

Colleges (AACC), the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), the Aspen Institute College Excellence

community college

Program, and the League for Innovation in the Community College, which were joined by Student Success Initiatives

organizations outline

of the University of Texas at Austin.

The leaders of the national organizations came together

their strategies for

because of the significant exodus of retiring community college presidents, and the urgency as well as opportunity

addressing the leadership pipeline crisis.

that this exodus presents. According to AACC, more than 500 presidents have either retired or moved to another presidency within the last three years. This leadership crisis is of such a magnitude that we must all work together if we are to shine a needed spotlight on the impending impact of the leadership exodus. All of the associations and organizations have agreed to share program information and support each other as they accelerate their efforts focused on the leadership pipeline.

In their own voices, each association and organization has provided a review of their work in addressing the leadership pipeline crisis to share with the ACCTÂ membership.

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Achieving the Dream’s vision is a nation in which community colleges are highly valued for preserving access and assuring that their students, especially low income students and students of color, achieve their goals for academic success, personal growth, and economic opportunity. None of this is feasible without strong leadership at all levels of an institution, but especially at the presidential level. With significant numbers of presidents — and similar percentages of senior staff and faculty — retiring, community colleges face both a challenge and an opportunity to recruit and support leadership that can act upon deep commitment to student access and success in ways that produce better outcomes for students, at lower costs, and with an unwavering commitment to equity.

• ATD’s institutional change model, which includes leadership coaching, builds organizational development and change management capacity aimed at securing broad-based support for reforms that produce better student outcomes.

• ATD Leader Colleges have evidence of increased student outcomes and serve as models for effective policy and practice. As part of its new strategic plan, ATD will provide training and support to presidents as they speak out regionally and nationally on critical issues relating to completion and student success.

• In partnership with the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, Achieving the Dream released Crisis and Opportunity: Aligning the Community College Presidency with Student Success (2013) to call greater attention to essential skills and qualities of community college presidents. ATD continues to call attention to these skills and the acute need for recruiting and hiring practices that place in key community college positions deeply committed leaders with the skills needed to drive equity- and evidencebased internal reforms while also building external partnerships that preserve access and improve student outcomes.

• In 2013-14, ATD and the Aspen Institute piloted symposia for Leader College and Aspen Prize presidents to provide an opportunity for reflection and peer consultation on building a broad-based culture of inquiry and evidence, determining when and how to restructure for greater student success, and maintaining an equity focus in the midst of increased demands for accelerated and better student outcomes. Materials used at the symposia will contribute to open-access curricular materials under development by Aspen. In addition, ATD anticipates offering similar symposia on an ongoing basis.

For more information, please visit www.achievingthedream.org.

William Trueheart is president and CEO of Achieving the Dream, Ltd.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recognizes that transformational change of the institution cannot take place if the leaders of the nation’s community colleges are not adequately prepared with the skills necessary to deal with organizational complexities. To that end, AACC provides a full range of leadership and professional development opportunities for its member colleges.

The AACC John E. Roueche Future Leaders Institute is the association’s signature program for emerging leaders. The Roueche-FLI, named in honor of Dr. John Roueche, a significant leader in the community college movement, is a week-long, cohort-based program with curriculum built on the AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders. This program is known for providing significant hands-on interactive activities that allow emerging leaders to put learning into practice.

On average, AACC receives official notices of at least two new CEO appointments per week. With major turnover in senior leadership, the association offers several programs and services focused on ensuring that new CEOs have a successful and lengthy tenure. Annually, AACC offers a New CEO Institute, preceding its annual convention. This boot camp provides new CEOs with information on current trends and issues facing two-year institutions. Also, the Presidents Academy Summer Institute (PASI) brings together new and seasoned CEOs to discuss ways to improve student access and success.

In addition to individual development, AACC launched its first High Performance Team Training program in August 2014 in Washington, D.C. HPT was established to identify obstacles that are preventing community college teams from moving into high performance mode. If the teams are performing well, the training will help them harness that effort to elevate their work to the next level. High Performance Team Training is made possible through a generous grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education.

And, after receiving requests from a number of its member colleges, AACC recently launched Executive Leadership Advising.

The executive leadership adviser is a coach with the goal of assisting CEOs in achieving peak performance. The adviser can provide facilitation services to assist the college leadership team in maneuvering through organizational complexities, assistance in developing strategic directions and planning, support in deploying the college’s human resources, and help with developing community relations to advance the goals of the college. For more information, please visit www.aacc.nche.edu.

Walter Bumphus is president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges.

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Community colleges have never before faced greater expectations to deliver more credentials of higher quality at a lower per-pupil cost to an increasingly diverse population. To help ensure that community college leaders are equipped with the skills needed to meet these demands, the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program is engaged in a number of initiatives: • In late 2013, we released a report with Achieving the Dream, Crisis & Opportunity, which: – Identifies the five essential qualities of exceptional community college presidents, defined as those capable of leading their institutions to high and improving levels of student success: 1. Deep commitment to student access and success 2. Willingness to take significant risks 3. Ability to create lasting internal change 4. Capacity to build exceptional external partnerships 5. Strong fundraising and resource allocation ability – Contrasts the five essential qualities with the presidential characteristics community college trustees have historically valued in searches, and with what traditional and continuing education programs for community college leaders typically teach.

• In July 2014, we released a set of open-access hiring tools to help boards of trustees, search committees, search consultants, and others identify and hire presidents with the full range of qualities and abilities needed to lead their institutions to high and improving levels of student success. The hiring tools include a rubric for evaluating candidates; questions for in-person interviews; and a protocol for conducting reference checks. The tools are designed to enable hiring officials to set standards and gather all of the information needed to assess and select strong presidents.

• I n early 2015, we will release open-access curricular materials designed to impart skills at the core of presidents’ capacity to lead their community colleges to significant increases in student success in four areas: learning, completion, labor market, and equitable outcomes. The curriculum is divided into three sections, each containing several modules: what student success means and why it matters; leading internal change; and working with external partners to achieve collective impact.

The curriculum does not include every necessary skill for presidents. Indeed, one of our principal aims is to encourage the adoption of its units, material, and ideas by others engaged in the important work of developing community college leaders.

For more information, please visit www.aspeninstitute.org/ policy-work/college-excellence/new-college-leadership-projectaspen-institute.

Joshua Wyner is executive director of the College Excellence Program at The Aspen Institute.

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With a name like the League for Innovation in the Community College, it’s not hard to understand how innovation has long been the cornerstone of this 45-year-old organization. In addition to innovation serving as the catalyst from which all League services and activities emanate, diversity and inclusion serve as vital and inextricable connections to our students, staff, and communities.

As community colleges are deeply engaged in the completion agenda, a shift in emphasis from access to completion prompted philosophical and practical tensions.

New online technologies such as massive online open courses (MOOCs) are providing instructional delivery options to teach the masses. Developmental education is being “blown up.” And accountability for learning and completion outcomes continues to escalate. Given these and many other changing dynamics that are influencing community colleges, diversity and inclusion of students and staff grow increasingly important toward our collective goal of producing a pluralistic, educated citizenry.

As if that is not enough major change to consider, community colleges are beginning to feel the ramifications of massive turnover in leadership in both the administrative and instructional areas. According to Dr. Walter Bumphus in his comments during the 2013 AACC convention, more than 140 community college CEOs retired in 2012, with a relatively staggering number to follow suit over the next five years.

Clearly, to better reflect and serve our increasingly diverse students and communities, preparing the next generation of diverse community college leaders, both inside and outside the classroom, is mission critical.

In collaboration with many good partners in the community college field, the League has a long history of leadership development that focuses on preparing diverse leaders of the future. A few examples of the League’s leadership in these areas follow.

Accelerated Career Paths for Higher Education (PATHS). Newly designed in 2014, Accelerated Career Paths for Higher Education (PATHS) was developed in partnership by the League, Open Doors Group, and Softchalk, LLC, to help address what some thought leaders refer to as the academic leadership crisis. PATHS is designed to help address this crisis by offering aspiring academic leaders, a unique, careerboosting opportunity — packaged in 12 hours of intense online training.

Multiple opportunities for academic management positions are available due to demographic changes and academic hiring practices. The PATHS program focuses on what it takes to become a leader in today’s higher education environment. The key to the success of PATHS is its combination of mentoring services and a highly interactive, team-based online learning experience. PATHS will first be available from September 8 through October 31, 2014.

National Institute for Leadership Development.

In 1980, a joint effort of the League and the American Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC), initially funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), was designed to assist women to assume major policy-making positions in community colleges. The successful original program evolved into a spectrum of programs serving women leaders at all levels and led to the establishment of the National Institute for Leadership Development (NILD). NILD graduates, most now senior administrators, have come from every U.S. state and several territories, Canada, and beyond.

Women who participated in NILD programs have had a major and lasting impact on community colleges and their staffing patterns.

Executive Leadership Institute. In 1988, the League and The University of Texas at Austin received funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to launch a major new community college leadership development initiative. It included several important elements that have expanded to comprise the heart of the League’s activities in diversity, inclusion, and leadership development. The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) was established to provide an opportunity for potential community college presidents to review their abilities and interests, refine their leadership skills, and engage in discussions on leadership issues with outstanding educational leaders from across North America.

ELI participants are selected from among applicants who currently serve in senior leadership positions, reporting at the campus or college CEO level. They qualify for presidencies based on educational, experiential, and community leadership backgrounds. Almost 800 participants from North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore have graduated from ELI, the first and most successful program of its kind. Forty-seven percent of participants have been women, and 24 percent have been participants of color. Forty-three percent of all graduates, and as many as 70 percent of some graduating classes, have become presidents.

Expanding Leadership Diversity. In 1989, the Expanding Leadership Diversity in Community Colleges project was launched to expand the pipeline of diverse mid-managers and faculty leaders preparing to advance into senior leadership positions. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation again provided generous support. The key objective of the project was to develop talented minority leaders to ensure a diverse stream of qualified individuals in the leadership pipeline. Well over 100 individuals participated over nine years, most now serving as deans and vice presidents. Over 20 percent have become presidents.

To best prepare our students, staff, and community leaders of the future, we must take a moment to reflect upon the cornerstones that are the culture and values of community colleges. Innovation, diversity, and inclusion must be imbued in the preparation of the next generation

of leaders in order to have the best chance helping those we serve meet their student success and completion goals.

For more information, please visit www.league.org.

Gerardo de los Santos is president and CEO of The League for Innovation in the Community College.

Most trustees are familiar with ACCT’s services, so we have included a recap of ACCT’s efforts to address the leadership exodus. Through its executive search services, leadership training webinars, and succession planning services, ACCT helps to identify and prepare future leaders for presidential positions. ACCT’s board leadership services provide professional development for new and experienced leaders through retreats, workshops, presidential evaluations, and institutional leadership analysis. At national gatherings for the annual ACCT Leadership Congress and invitational Symposium on Completion, ACCT continues its efforts to keep the important issue of the impending leadership crisis at the forefront of discussions. Additionally, ACCT has expanded its services and projects to include a survey of all community college presidents last year, in order to better understand the varied pathways successful community colleges presidents took to achieving their first presidency. A report on the survey findings will be made available in late 2014.

Last year, we acknowledged the joint effort of the associations and organizations on the national stage at the 2013 ACCT Leadership Congress membership luncheon in Seattle, Washington. This year, we have planned a special concurrent Congress session, during which all of the organizations will report on their progress to date. Please plan to join the leaders from these organizations to participate in discussions about efforts to address the impending leadership crisis at the 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress at the Hyatt Regency Chicago at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 23.

Visit www.acct.org/events/2014-acct-leadership-congress for further details, or contact Narcisa Polonio, Ed.D., executive vice president for research, education, and board leadership services, at narcisa_polonio@acct.org or 202-775-4667.

J. Noah Brown is president and CEO of the Association of Community College Trustees.

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Answering your questions about issues affecting boards today

TRUSTEE

TA L K

Guidance for challenging issues in community college governance.

By Narcis a A . Polonio

At ACCT, we spend a lot of time answering questions from individual trustees. And in many cases, these questions are ones that all trustees should either ask or know the answers to. With this in mind, ACCT has launched Trustee Talk, our new electronic question-and-answer newsletter about community college governance, recent issues of which are summarized here. To receive Trustee Talk by email, or to submit a question for consideration, contact ACCT executive Vice President Narcisa A. Polonio at narcisa_polonio@acct.org.

Televising Board Meetings Q: My board is considering televising our meetings. What should we take into account before making this decision?

Broadcasting board meetings has advantages and drawbacks. In the absence of state laws that require broadcasting, the board should carefully consider the pros and cons of broadcasting meetings before making a voluntary commitment.

Broadcasting 101 Should the board decide to broadcast meetings, there are a variety of different methods through which board meeting footage can be shared with the community. In today’s world of Internet access and social media, we all need to be cognizant that attendees can easily record meetings using their own handheld devices and post the recordings online through websites such as YouTube and Vimeo.

The following table lays out the broadcasting and recording options for boards considering making live or prerecorded footage of their meetings available to the public: 28

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Broadcasting & Recording Options Methods/Uses Videotaping: Record keeping, for the college, or to make available to the public Televising: Live TV, broadcast on local channels in real time Webcasting (On Demand): Prerecorded meetings posted online for 24/7 access Live Streaming: A live online video feed of meeting in real time (may be archived for later viewing) Unsanctioned Attendee Videotaping

by Cell Phone or Other Handheld Device: Attendee footage is uploaded to video sharing websites (e.g. YouTube)

The Pros of Broadcasting On the positive side, the broadcasting of meetings can increase transparency and make the business of the board more accessible to those who are unable to attend meetings. Not everyone has the luxury or flexibility to attend meetings during the day or evening.

There are increasingly more demands on our time, and by recording board meetings and allowing the public access, we can create a digital library for busy

members of the community to view at their convenience.

For college faculty and staff, members of the community, and the media covering the work of the board, online recordings of board meetings can be a way to increase the engagement of different constituencies. Interim Chancellor Larry Skogen of the North Dakota University System told us that “the news media is appreciative” of the system’s board meeting webcasts, with the recordings serving as a useful and easy tool to view board proceedings.

Dr. Skogen recommended that colleges broadcasting their meetings should “institutionalize” the process, using the same people and equipment to record each meeting.

Broadcasting can counteract geographic distance and isolation, as well as strengthen communications across campuses. Multisite colleges and districts and statewide systems can benefit from broadcasting to all sites, which can reinforce the “one college” identity. Televising board meetings also supports the public’s right to know and the board’s commitment to conduct business openly.

Cons and Considerations The board should remember that there is a certain level of trust, even dignity, inherent within traditional board meetings.

Broadcasting meetings can potentially alter this general atmosphere and cause changes in behavior.

A board meeting is a business meeting of the board meant to carry out the governing body’s fiduciary and stewardship responsibilities. There is sanctity to the proceedings, and trustees should strive to preserve this spirit of respect, informative debate, and trust during meetings which are broadcast. The risk of damaging this atmosphere is enough to dissuade many boards and presidents from broadcasting.

College of DuPage (Illinois) President Robert Breuder, for example, shared that “after 34 years as president, I would lean in favor of not broadcasting board meetings” — in part because “the challenging behavior exhibited by some meeting participants can be exacerbated by broadcasting,” he said.

Some people are inclined to behave differently in front of a camera, oftentimes unaware that they are doing so. The board should be vigilant of changes in behavior among its trustees or the audience, which in extreme cases can include intimidation and grandstanding by trustees, staff, or even members of the community.

Trustees, staff, and members of the public who may be predisposed to taking control of a meeting to shift its focus entirely to their own opinions could be further incentivized to do so if the meeting is broadcast to a wider audience. To reduce the chances of such grandstanding, a board chair must take an active role in following protocols and procedures during the meetings to keep the proceedings focused on the agenda. In other words, the board chair must be ready to use the gavel as needed to keep order and maintain the proper flow of the agenda.

Other governing bodies such as town councils sometimes struggle with elected officials using broadcast meetings as opportunities to make electoral stump speeches rather than engage in substantive work. The board chair and each member of the board must prevent the college’s broadcast meetings from falling into a similar pattern and ensure that the meetings are dedicated to college business.

Broadcasting meetings can also have the opposite effect on participation.

The knowledge that the proceedings are being broadcast can often intimidate into silence those who would otherwise speak up. The board should consider this potential impact on participation when deciding whether to broadcast its meetings.

While broadcasting meetings can potentially showcase the positive work of the college and the board, they also could cause problems if false claims are made during meetings or if comments are taken out of context. Footage from a board meeting can “go viral” on the Internet, or the board can appear to be a rubber stamp if there is no background provided to viewers on its actions.

The board should proactively address these potential pitfalls by establishing new training for board members and college staff. This training should cover how to handle controversial statements made by trustees, staff, or members of the public during a meeting which is broadcast and review board meeting protocols and procedures to ensure that meetings can be understood by viewers unacquainted with the board’s practices. Providing information on legal guidelines and procedures that must be adhered to by the board by posting them at the beginning of the meeting or having a reference to more information on the website may be helpful to the audience.

The board must also consider the costs involved with broadcasting. Depending on whether the college already has the equipment needed for broadcasting or if it must hire an outside contractor or purchase new equipment, broadcasting can substantially increase expenditures.

The board may need to update bylaws or board procedures to permit broadcasting. The board should also review its meeting guidelines and procedures to ensure recording is permissible and that meetings stay on schedule, whether they are live or recorded. Following Robert’s Rules of Order will keep meetings on track.

Further, the board should understand and follow any state laws applicable to recording board meetings.

Concluding Thoughts In making the decision whether to broadcast board meetings, the board should remain focused on community expectations.

It must ask itself whether its broadcast meetings would meet these expectations and ultimately benefit the local community, or whether the risk of broadcasting is greater than the potential benefits. By doing so, the board can make an informed decision on whether broadcasting its meetings is the right step for the college.

Board Teleconferencing Q: Members of our board are sometimes unable to attend board meetings in person. Can they be allowed to participate through interactive teleconferencing?

To clarify the terminology used in examining this topic, “interactive teleconferencing” includes trustee participation through videoconference (e.g. Skype, Lifesize) or telephone from somewhere other than the publicly announced location of the board meeting.

The first priority for any board and administration considering making use of these technologies is to determine if the participation would be legally permissible under the laws and legal guidelines that specify acceptable board meeting procedures. This may include the statutes establishing the community college and the board, the state’s open meeting laws, or other guidelines pertaining to public bodies.

Statutes establishing the institution typically provide guidance on trustee participation in board meetings. But since most community colleges were established in the 1960s and 1970s, these statutes often don’t address participation through technological means, as they were drafted under the assumption that physical presence at meetings would continue to be the standard practice.

Open meeting laws and public record requirements in the state can also determine if trustees can use interactive teleconferencing to participate in board meetings. Frequently referred to as “sunshine laws,” open meeting laws have implications that extend beyond the board of trustees, as the laws are often written to apply to all public entities under a state’s jurisdiction. Sunshine laws specify what T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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In making the decision whether to broadcast board meetings, the board should remain focused on community expectations. It must ask itself whether its broadcast meetings would meet these expectations and ultimately benefit the local community. public entity meetings must be open to the general public, and what communications among public officials constitute a “meeting” subject to these openness requirements.

While a community college board is a specialized public entity and not a government agency, community college boards are subject to state sunshine laws.

But as with laws establishing community colleges, a state’s sunshine laws may be silent on the topic of meeting participation through technological means. The board should not assume that participation by technological means is sanctioned just because its institutional policies or state sunshine laws do not specifically address the issue: there can also be established case law, executive orders, or other sources of law which determine the legality of participation by technological means.

Consequently, the board should consult legal counsel about whether technological participation is allowable, and depending upon the resolution, the board may want to amend its bylaws to describe appropriate and inappropriate usage.

Are there different legal restrictions if a trustee participates via telephone versus videoconference?

Trustee participation in a board meeting via telephone frequently raises the same statutory issues as a trustee participating via videoconference. Because the trustee is not physically present in either scenario, laws often consider these forms of participation as interchangeable when mandating what types of board meeting participation are permissible.

Are videoconferencing and “live streaming” the same thing?

“Live streaming” is different from videoconferencing. When a board “live streams” a meeting, the board is simply broadcasting an in-person meeting of trustees via the Internet. When viewing a streamed board meeting, trustees are not using technology to participate in the board meeting itself; technology is being used to disseminate the proceedings of the meeting to a wider audience. So in effect if a trustee simply views a live stream, he or she would not be participating in a board 30

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meeting at all — just viewing it. The trustee would have been absent from the meeting altogether, and watching the streaming video remotely would be no different than not attending the meeting at all in terms of meeting participation.

Is there conformity from state to state on guidelines for trustee participation in board meetings through technological means?

In our efforts to research trustee participation in board meetings through interactive teleconferencing, we reached out to a number of state community college associations for assistance. We found that state policy on the issue varies widely across the country, with some jurisdictions supporting the practice and others completely prohibiting interactive teleconferencing as a form of participation in public meetings. Additionally, we learned open meeting laws and other statutes relating to interactive teleconferencing are still changing: just as this piece was being written, the Michigan State Senate scheduled a hearing on House Bill 4363, which would prohibit participation by a member of a public body via phone or videoconference in meetings subject to the state’s open meetings act.

We indicated earlier that the board can’t assume that participation in board meetings through technological means is permissible if institutional policies or state sunshine laws do not address the issue, as case law, executive orders, or other sources of law could determine its legality. But in states where there are no guidelines on videoconferencing individual trustees into board meetings in any source of state law, boards often adopt their own virtual participation practices to suit their needs. In such cases, every college in a single state may handle board meeting participation through interactive teleconferencing differently. For example, one policy on board teleconferencing and similar communications at a Pennsylvania college fully permits such participation provided that all persons participating in the meeting can hear one another for the

entire discussion of the issue that will be voted on. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some community colleges in Pennsylvania have a case-by-case system of approval for each use of videoconferencing when it is necessary to facilitate absent board member participation.

Karen Smith, General Counsel for the Oregon Community College Association, shared with us that Oregon’s public meeting laws authorize meeting participation “through the use of telephone or other electronic communication.”

This broad language permits Oregon community college trustees to participate in board meetings through videoconferencing, as long as the other requirements of Oregon’s public meeting laws are met. But even with such a broad license for trustees to videoconference into meetings, interactive teleconferencing is not regularly used by community college boards in the state.

Word to the Wise The board should consult with the college’s legal representative on the state’s open meeting laws and other relevant statutes to determine if interactive teleconferencing can be used by board members, and to understand the specifics of any restrictions on the use of interactive teleconferencing in board meetings. For example, in some cases trustees who participate in board meetings through interactive teleconferencing may not count as “present” for the purposes of a quorum, have their votes counted, or participate in executive sessions. These trustees therefore may only participate as observers. More information about remote participation in board meetings will be included in the next issue of Trustee Talk.

Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D. is executive vice president for education, research, and board leadership services at the Association of Community College Trustees.

acct’s Public Policy Resources for Community College Trustees

www.acct.org/advocacy

community college

national Legislative Summit

ACCT’s website provides information and resources related to advocacy events, legislative factsheets and summaries, toolkits, the community college caucuses, as well as a way to find and contact your legislators. Also, follow the latest public policy updates at www.twitter/CCTrustees

Held each February in Washington, D.C., the Community College National Legislative Summit (NLS) is an important opportunity for community college leaders to become informed on cutting-edge policy issues and advocate to key Members of Congress and the Administration on behalf of community and technical colleges. www.acct.org/events/legislativesummit

ACCT’s highly successful Latest Action in Washington (LAW) e-mail alerts offer immediate, concise updates on legislative activity important to community colleges.

Capitol Connection is an advocacy e-newsletter designed to provide monthly updates on legislative and regulatory issues impacting community colleges. Capitol Connection complements ACCT’s LAW E-Alerts by providing in-depth coverage of the most pertinent policy matter facing higher education. To sign up to receive LAW E-Alerts and Capitol Connection, e-mail publicpolicy@acct.org using the subject line “LAW E-Alerts.”

ACCT’s newest public policy report, Financial Aid 101: A Guide to Understanding Federal Financial Aid Programs for Community College Trustees and Leaders, is designed to help community college trustees and leaders understand the broad structure and design of the largest federal financial aid programs, including grants, loans, and tax credits.

www.twitter.com/cctrustees

www.facebook.com/cctrustees

Richard N. Adams Kenneth R. Allbaugh Arthur C. Anthonisen Alwin Arce Joan Athen Chuck Ayala James Ayers Steven J. Ballard Ken Bartlett Geoffrey L. Baum Elmer Beckendorf Manuel Benavidez, Jr.* Thomas M. Bennett Marilyn Blocker E. Stewart Blume George Boggs Kitty Boyle Lewis S. Braxton Harold Brock* Robert Burch Ken Burke Donald Campbell Lois Carson Dennis Christensen Gene P. Ciafre Don Coffey Brian Conley Angelo Cortinas Paul J. Cunningham, M.D. Carole Currey Clara Dasher Robert Davidson* John Dent Beatrice Doser* Denise Ducheny Isobel Dvorsky Dorothy Ehrhart-Morrison M. Dale Ensign Nino Falcone Mark Fazzini H. Ronald Feaver Phyllis Folarin Paul Fong John Forte* Frank S. Gallagher Rebeca Garcia Robert E. Garrison* 32

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Norma Jean Germond John Giardino Paul J. Gomez Maureen Grady Jane Gregory Jan Guy Gloria Guzman Diane Olmos Guzman David W. Hackett* Daniel Hall Joyce Hanes Fred Harcleroad* Thomas Harding Robert W. Harrell, Jr. Raymond Hartstein Jody T. Hendry William T. Hiering James D. Hittle* Troy Holliday Walter Howald Nancy M. Hubers Jo Ann Huerter Rosie Hussey Melanie L. Jackson B.A. Jensen* Joan Jenstead* Patricia Jones Worth Keene Bruce Ketron Dick Klassen Kirby Kleffmann* Brenda Knight Sheila Korhammer Ruthann Kurose Robert Lawrence Hugh Lee* Morrison Lewis George Little Donald Loff Gloria Lopez James Lumber Judith Madonia Molly Beth Malcolm Thomas W. Malone Doreen Margolin* Marie Y. Martin Montez C. Martin, Jr.

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Fred Mathews David Mathis Robert Matteucci Bennie Matthews Donald M. Mawhinney Robert G. McBride Robert McCray William McDaniel* Gene E. McDonald Carla McGee Jean M. McPheeters William H. Meardy Frank Mensel Michael Monteleone Della-May Moore David Murphy* Moudy Nabulsi Rich Nay Helen Newsome* Wayne Newton Ed Nicklaus Shirley Okerstrom Joann L Ordinachev Kathleen Orringer Therese G. Pauly Debra Pearson James R. Perry George Potter Pattie Powell Naomi Pursel Raymond Reddrick Rebecca L. Redman Carl Robinson Elizabeth Rocklin Herbert Roney Nancy R. Rosasco Wanda Rosenbaugh Linda B. Rosenthal William O. Rowell* Armando Ruiz David Rutledge Steve Salazar Edward “Sandy” Sanders Lydia Santibanez Evonne Seron Schulze Anne V. Scott Virginia Scott

Peter E. Sercer, Sr. Jo Ann Sharp Vaughn A. Sherman C. Louis Shields Darrell Shumway Betti Singh W.L. “Levi” Smallwood William J. Smith James Smith Joshua L. Smith Lillie J. Solomon Lynda Stanley Betty K. Steege Victor F. Stewart, Jr.* James Stribling* Pete Tafoya Esther D. Tang James B. Tatum Leslie Thonesen Charles Tice Dick Trammel Celia M. Turner* Linda Upmeyer Roberto Uranga David Viar Jim Voss Franklin Walker Barbara Wallace William C Warren Nancy Watkins Lauren A. Welch Denise Wellons-Glover Mary Beth Williams Ronald Winthers Jerry Wright John Wright M.W. “Bill” Wyckoff Brad W. Young J. Pete Zepeda*

* Deceased

A Lifetime of Appreciation ACCT Lifetime Membership Community college trustees give a lot of themselves — time, energy, wisdom — and ask for little or nothing in return. The gift of an ACCT Lifetime Membership is a way to thank trustees for everything they do, and to empower them to keep doing it for as long as they choose.

A lifetime membership is a perfect way to…

• Recognize outstanding trustees whose dedication to your college has made a difference and set an example.

• Thank outgoing members for their service.

• Remain involved with your peers and make a tax-deductible donation to your national association by purchasing a Lifetime Membership for yourself.

7 REASONS TO BESTOW A LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP

1

Giving outstanding and retiring board members a Lifetime Membership to ACCT is a way to thank them for their service, recognize them among their peers, and ensure their ongoing interest in your college.

2

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.

3

Lifetime Members receive all of ACCT’s award-winning publications, including Trustee Quarterly magazine, and the Advisor and From the Desk of ACCT newsletters.

4 Lifetime Members are recognized publicly in Trustee Quarterly, on the ACCT Web site, and elsewhere.

Lifetime Membership program supports and promotes ACCT’s continuing trustee education and 5 The 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 more information and to submit an application, go to www.acct.org/membership/lifetime or contact ACCT’s Member Services at 202.775.4667 or acctinfo@acct.org.

legal

Legal Issues Impacting Community Colleges Telecommuting, workplace bullying, and unionizing adjuncts among recent developments.

T

By Ira Michael Shepard ACCT General Counsel

The following recent legal issues and developments are of importance to community college trustees and their institutions.

Telecommuting may be a “reasonable” accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently adopted the novel position that regular in-person job attendance is not necessarily an essential job function. Siding for the first time with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on this issue, the court held that a plaintiff is entitled to a jury trial over whether her request to telecommute constituted a reasonable accommodation and that the employer’s decision to terminate her for inadequate job performance was in fact a pretext for an unlawful retaliation against the plaintiff for raising the disability claim and requesting an accommodation

(EEOC v. Ford Motor Co., 2014 BL 111020, 6th Cir., No. 1:2-2484, 4/22/14).

A federal trial court had previously dismissed the case on summary judgment, holding that the plaintiff, who was a manager and a resale steel buyer at the company, could not provide that she was qualified for the job because she could not perform its essential functions, which included regular in-person attendance and collaboration with her workforce team of co-workers.

In reversing the decision, the Court of Appeals held that technological advances have now greatly expanded the class of jobs for which working from home may be reasonable. The court recognized that considerable time has passed since early cases holding that telecommuting was not a reasonable accommodation when the employer believed that a physical workplace presence was necessary.

“It’s okay. I can telecommute.”

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“The world has changed since the foundational opinions regarding physical presence in the workplace were issued: teleconferencing technologies that most people could not have conceived of in the 1990s are now commonplace…,” the ruling states.

“Therefore, we are not persuaded that positions that require a great deal of teamwork are inherently unsuitable to telecommuting arrangements.”

Demotion to part-time employment to avoid medical insurance costs an ADA violation. A federal district court in Tennessee recently held that an employee is entitled to a jury trial over her claim that her employer violated the ADA by demoting her to part-time status in order to exclude her from medical coverage under the employer’s plan because of the cost involved in treating her rare Crohn’s disease (Quillen v. Touchstone Medical Imaging LLC, 2014 BL 109002, M.D. Tenn., No. 3:12-cv1194, 4/18/14).

The plaintiff left another job where she had full medical coverage to join the defendant’s organization as a radiologic imaging employee. She disclosed her Crohn’s disease at her job interview.

She began work and was put on 90-day probation while her credentials and work performance were checked. She was approved for the full-time position after only 30 days of probation. Shortly afterwards, the plaintiff took a short leave of absence as her Crohn’s disease began to flare up. When the plaintiff returned from leave, the company took away her office, and she was assigned to a small cubicle in the back kitchen and told her position had been reduced to part-time with no medical benefits. The plaintiff resigned her part-time position

and sued for ADA discrimination over her demotion to part-time status.

The plaintiff produced testimony from the employee who performed her credentialing review during her probationary period and the company’s CFO, both of whom testified that they disagreed with the CEO and that the plaintiff’s position justified full-time employment at the company.

In denying the employer’s motion for summary judgment and claims that the job only necessitated a part-time position, the court concluded that a “jury could easily disbelieve he company’s explanation” given the conflicting testimony of two other company employees involved in the matter.

As awareness of workplace bullying grows, 15 states consider protective legislation. A recent report of the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) concludes that 65.6 million employees nationwide have been affected by workplace bullying.

According to the WBI report, 27 percent of U.S. workers are either experiencing abusive conduct at work now or did so in the past. An additional 21 percent of American workers nationwide have witnessed workplace bullying, according to the survey.

The survey concludes that employers are less than proactive when policing workplace bullying or responding effectively to employee complaints.

Twenty-five percent of survey respondents reported that their employer routinely denies that workplace bullying exists or fails to investigate complaints. Another 16 percent reported that employers discount complaints of workplace bullying or describe its impact as not serious.

Another 15 percent of employers conclude that workplace bullying is innocent or just the way of doing business, the survey said.

According to the report, only 12 percent of respondents reported that their employer takes workplace bullying complaints seriously and takes positive steps to eliminate it or correct the situation.

The WBI report concluded that many workplace bullies are bosses, and most are men. According to the survey, 40.1 percent of respondents said that bosses were the principal perpetrators, 56 percent said the perpetrator was of a higher rank than the victim, 33 percent reported bullying from peers, and 11 percent said the bullying was from subordinates. The survey concluded that 69 percent of the bullies were men and 31 percent were women. Finally, 57 percent said that bullying was male on female, while 43 percent said the bullying was a male perpetrator on a male target.

In terms of legislative activity, the report indicated that since 2003, 26 states have had “healthy workplace” legislation introduced, but no state has yet passed such a statute. Of the 26 states where legislation has been introduced, 15 states now have bills under active consideration which address the issue of workplace bullying and abusive conduct at work.

EEOC loses background credit check case, criticized by court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently affirmed a federal trial court decision dismissing EEOC allegations that an employer violated Title VII’s anti-discrimination provisions by using background credit checks on all employment applications. The EEOC claimed that background credit checks have an adverse impact on minority applicants and therefore violate Title VII’s anti-employment discrimination provisions. The commission also submitted expert witness testimony that the use of these background checks has had an adverse impact.

Both the trial court and the Court of Appeals discredited the EEOC’s expert, concluding in harsh terms that the expert’s opinions are accepted only by the expert himself and therefore create no basis upon which to substantiate the EEOC’s case (EEOC v. Kaplan Higher Education Corporation, 6th Cir., Case No. 13-3408, 4/9/14).

In unusually harsh terms, the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the EEOC’s case, concluding that the commission “brought this case on the basis of a homemade methodology, crafted by a witness with no particular expertise to craft it, administered by persons with no particular expertise to administer it, tested by no one, and accepted by only the witness himself… The District Court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the testimony.”

This case, along with a similar appeal pending in another case in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals involving the same expert, is considered a major test in the EEOC’s ability to bring cases against employers conducting large-scale background checks.

SEIU launches website to aid in organizing adjunct professors nationwide. Fresh off organizing drive victories with adjunct professors at colleges in the Washington, D.C., Boston, and Los Angeles areas, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched in late March adjunctnation.org, a website to unite adjunct professions nationwide around issues of improved pay and working conditions.

The SEIU estimates the nationwide adjunct professor population at 1 million and growing, and says that it intends on expanding its organizing efforts throughout the nation. As part of its national push, SEIU intends to build on its existing base of organizing activities in 10 metropolitan areas, including Washington, D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, and the states of Washington and Connecticut.

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

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

Central Wyoming College

Delgado Community College, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Dr. Cristobal Valdez President

Joan Davis, J.D. Chancellor

Former President Edison Community College, Ohio “We are excited to announce the selection of our new president at Central Wyoming College, Dr. Chris Valdez. He succeeds Dr. JoAnne McFarland, who recently retired after 41 years at the college, 25 as president. Dr. Valdez brings to Central Wyoming College many years of higher education leadership experience, the last three years as president of Edison Community College in Ohio. We are fortunate to have an individual with the credentials that Dr. Valdez has to lead us into our exciting future.”

— Charlie Krebs, Board Chair

Former Interim President Shelton State Community College, Ala. “Joan Davis is a proven leader who has worked at the system level and institution level for many years. She brings a unique combination of skills and experiences, having served as a system president, college president, an attorney, and as an educational and workforce development professional. Her background and experience will be invaluable in leading Delgado Community College at this critical moment, as the college continues to work to meet the needs of the Greater New Orleans region.”

— Dr. Monty Sullivan, President, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Houston Community College, Texas

Baltimore City Community College, Md. Dr. Gordon May President

Dr. Cesar Maldonado Chancellor

Former President, Auburn Hills Campus

Former President

Oakland Community College, Mich.

Texas State Technical College

“We are all extremely pleased to bring a top caliber institutional leader to BCCC. Dr. May has an excellent record of achievement in workforce development, partnerships, fundraising, educational leadership, and policy. He is committed to focusing on raising graduation rates, increasing fundraising and building stronger relationships with businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to offer more opportunities to students.”

“We are proud to welcome Dr. Maldonado and look forward to his leadership as we navigate and address many important opportunities that will help to define the HCC of the future. Some of the early issues he will face include identifying new funding sources and innovative partnerships so that we can build the most efficient and effective college of tomorrow. But none will be as important as his leadership to and continued support for our faculty and the students we are entrusted to educate and prepare.”

— Dr. Mary E. Owens Southall, Board Chair

— Neeta Sane, Board Chair

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Shoreline Community College, Wash.

Tulsa Community College, Okla.

Dr. Cheryl Roberts President

Dr. Leigh Goodson President

Former President/CEO

Former Vice President for Research and Institutional Advancement

Chemeketa Community College, Ore. “The administrators, staff, and faculty at Shoreline are second to none. As a board, our goal was to find a leader who can work with our incredible Shoreline community and continue to build this institution to the benefit of our students.”

— Shoubee Liaw, Board Chair

Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Sciences “Dr. Goodson’s experience, style, and understanding of the unique role Tulsa Community College plays in higher education in northeastern Oklahoma had a significant impact on the board’s decision. She is a known community leader in Tulsa with strong ties to education. With her deep understanding of education issues that confront both students and policymakers alike, we look for her to lead and inform our focus on preparing high school students for college and the workforce.”

— Ronald S. Looney, Chairman, Board of Regents

Board Retreats ACCT would like to thank the following colleges which have taken advantage of our board retreat services: Coconino College, Ariz.

Mountwest Community & Technical College, W.Va.

Eastern Gateway Community College, Ohio

Solano Community College, Calif.

Jackson College, Mich.

Treasure Valley Community College, Calif.

Merced College, Calif.

Board Self-Assessments and Presidential Evaluations ACCT would like to thank the following colleges which have taken advantage of our board and/or presidential evaluation services: McHenry County College, Ill.

San Joaquin Delta College, Calif.

Hocking College, Ohio

South Puget Sound Community College, Wash.

Monroe Community College, N.Y.

Treasure Valley Community College, Ore.

Ohlone College, Calif.

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Looking for a

New President, Vice President, Provost, or Vice Chancellor?

OUR SUCCESS ACCT Board Leadership Services brings over 30 years of experience to every executive search.

We have assisted more than 300 colleges and governing boards in successfully identifying the best candidates for new presidents and chancellors.

ACCT’s services have been expanded to work with chancellors and presidents to identify the most outstanding candidates for vice presidential positions at your college. ACCT Board Leadership Services will guide you through every step of the process.

OUR STRENGTHS • We understand the needs of community colleges.

• We find and cultivate high-caliber talent.

• We build a unique pool of candidates for each search to “fit” the college.

• We have extensive contacts with women and minorities poised to advance.

• We have the advantage of the ACCT membership as a source of contacts.

ACCT Board Leadership Services will hold your hand during every step of the selection process.

About ACCT Executive Searches Selecting a president or chancellor is one of the most momentous decisions made by a board of trustees.

The decision has far-reaching implications 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 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.

If your college is considering using ACCT's Search 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

For more information on ACCT’s expanded services to assist with the placement of vice presidents, provosts, and vice chancellors, please contact Narcisa Polonio at npolonio@acct.org or 202-276-1983.

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FALL 2014

T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

2014 New Trustees Governance Leadership Institute Held in Washington, D.C.

Participants exchange T-shirts from their colleges.

August 4-6, 2014

Trustees

and Presidents

New Their

Gather in Washington, D.C., for the 2014 Governance Leadership Institute This August, new and experienced community college trustees and presidents from 14 states met at the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C., to learn what makes an outstanding board member, how to strengthen the board/president relationship, and to network with others from around the country and beyond. Convening the GLI in the nation’s capital exposes participants to national experts in diverse fields of higher education, including the Council of Higher Education Accreditation and the American Association of Community Colleges, as well as leading education industry publications, including the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. Participants came from Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Virginia. ACCT thanks everyone who participated for sharing their knowledge and experiences, which made the 2014 institute a great success.

“I enjoyed the interaction with other attendees.”

“A must for new trustees!”

New trustees with their presidents come together in Washington, D.C., for a unique experience to accelerate the learning process and orient new trustees with the basics of boardsmanship.

ON THE AGENDA • Accreditation • Accountability • Advocacy • Board-CEO Relationship • Budgeting • Capital Projects

• Effective Trusteeship • Finances • Media Relations • Outcomes • Presidential Evaluations • Student Success

Save these Dates!

Governance Leadership Institute on Diversity February 26 – 28, 2015 | Miami, Florida

2015 Governance Leadership Institute March 2015 | New York City

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Empower Yourself with On-Demand Video from ACCT Empowered trustees empower their colleges to help students succeed. Did you know that ACCT now offers online trustee education and student success-related content?

Trustee Education Topics Include: • Accreditation • Advocacy • Basic Board Procedures • Disaster Preparedness • Financial Oversight • Fundraising • Robert’s Rules of Order • The Role of the Board Chair Student Success Topics Include: • Achieving Success in the 21st Century Community College • Barriers to Access and Success • How the Student Success Movement has Changed Policies • Real Skills for Real Jobs = Real Success • Strengthening and Sustaining Student Success through Effective Governance • Technology and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) • Town Hall with Philanthropic Foundations • Voluntary Framework of Accountability Status Report • Watching Finances • What’s Next for the Student Success Movement?

• And many more!

Empower yourself today at www.acct.org/trustee-education.

AACC’s 21st Century Center provides open access to relevant, cutting-edge practices that support student access and success.

A combination of current news, thought leadership pieces, resources and toolkits, the center offers institutions a blueprint to implement the seven recommendations from the 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges.

The center allows visitors to sign up for the 21st Century Center Digest, a weekly e-communication including the latest center stories. A new feature of the center is the social network, where champions of student access and success can create a profile and communicate with other subscribers about a variety of topics.

Visitors can even submit articles and resources to be considered for inclusion in the center.

Visit the 21st Century Center at www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org to sign up for updates and join our social network today!

NET WORK NEWS FALL 2014

INTERFACE

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

PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF MEMBER 2013-2014 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Thank You for a Great Year

OFFICERS

As I write this article, I am remembering the

Debbie Novak, President Assistant to the College President Colorado Mountain College, Colo. dnovak@coloradomtn.edu

trepidation I felt when I realized as the vice president of

Mechell Downey, Vice President Administrative Assistant to the President Seminole State College, Okla. m.downey@sscok.edu

blink of an eye, this is my last article as PBSN president. After

Tria Bullard, Secretary Director of Board and Executive Services Columbia Gorge Community College, Ore. tbullard@cgcc.cc.or.us Wendy Dodson, Immediate Past President Assistant to the President Sandhills Community College, N.C. dodsonw@sandhills.edu

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE CENTRAL REGION Heather Lanham Executive Assistant to the President Edison Community College, Ohio hlanham@edisonohio.edu NORTHEAST REGION Alonia Sharps Chief of Staff Prince George’s Community College, Md. sharpsac@pgcc.edu

the Professional Board Staff Network, I would have to write articles for Trustee Quarterly for two years! And now, with a next year as immediate past president and nine years on the executive committee, it will be time for new leadership. Each year at our business meeting, elections are held for members-at-large for each region and secretary. The current secretary and vice president ascend to vice president and president, respectively. Next year’s president will be Mechell Downey from Seminole State College in Oklahoma, and the vice president will be Tria Bullard from Columbia Gorge Community College in Oregon. PBSN is in good hands.

I want to encourage PBSN members to become involved by running for a spot on the executive committee. Not only is it good for PBSN, but as a member of the committee, your voice is sure to be heard. You will also make lifelong friends. As you get to know other members better, you will feel more comfortable reaching out for help if needed, and someone in the network is always ready and willing to do so. Just a reminder, if your college is a member of ACCT, and you are the board professional, you are automatically a member of PBSN. I would like to thank this year’s executive committee: Mechell, Tria, Wendy, Heather,

PACIFIC REGION Laurel Adair Executive Assistant to the President and District Governing Board Arizona Western College, Ariz. laurel.adair@azwestern.edu

Alonia, Laurel, Tina, and Carla. Nobody does this job alone. I would also like to thank

SOUTHERN REGION Tina Heskett Executive Assistant to the President Hillsborough Community College, Fla. cheskett@hccfl.edu

the Wiggio group.

WESTERN REGION Carla Patee Executive Assistant to the President and Clerk for the Board Dodge City Community College, Kan. cpatee@dc3.edu

past presidents Sherri and Terri for their guidance and support throughout the year.

Don’t forget to join the “ACCT Professional Staff network” group on Facebook! We also have a page on Wiggio. You can email your executive committee to request to be part of It has been an honor to serve as president of this wonderful group of professionals.

Thanks for a great year!

Debbie Novak Colorado Mountain College

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NETWORK NEWS FALL 2014

INTERFACE

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

Opportunity Awaits You in Chicago

By Mechell Downey, Seminole State College, Okla.

Three years ago, when Pam Perkins of Seward County Community College/Area Technical School in Kansas approached me about running for a Professional Board Staff Network office, I was scared and rather apprehensive. What could I possibly bring to the group? I knew little about this organization at that point, but I recognized that it was an opportunity. In fact, it was an incredible opportunity to learn a lot from this great group of people. I learned very quickly that PBSN members are an invaluable source of information. Whatever problem may arise that pertains to board members, board meetings, or just in the office setting, someone in this group has experienced that same problem and can help.

This network has assisted me in many ways. A year ago, I needed to purchase a new recording system for the board meetings at Seminole State College. The recording device that I had was over 30 years old. I polled this group and found a great new system. That is only one example of benefitting from this resource — your peers and fellow PBSN members.

I encourage you to utilize this group as much as you can. We are here to assist you.

As I begin my new opportunity as the incoming president of PBSN, I am thinking about what I have to offer this group. I have big shoes to fill after Debbie Novak steps down. My hope is to encourage others to become involved, and with the help of my

Professional Board Staff Network Past Presidents (l to r): Wendy Dodson, Pam Perkins, Rebecca Garrison, Terri Grimes, and Sherri Bowen.

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NET WORK NEWS FALL 2014

INTERFACE

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

executive committee and PBSN members, to plan an informative and helpful session for the 2015 ACCT Leadership Congress in San Diego.

A little about me: I grew up in a very small town in Oklahoma called Saint Louis (189 people, one busybody, and one old grouch) and didn’t migrate too far. I currently live in Seminole, Oklahoma, about 20 miles away. I love the small town, laid-back atmosphere. I am currently the administrative assistant to the president and the secretary for the Seminole State College Board of Regents. I attended Seminole State College at the age of 22, but did not finish my degree at that time. I fell in love with my high school sweetheart.

When I started at Seminole State College 14 years ago, the current vice president for academic affairs encouraged me to finish my degree. I did, and I continued my education at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. I am very thankful for the encouragement I have received from my employers.

Seminole State College strives to help our students and

employees succeed and complete their educational goals.

As I pursued my associate and bachelor’s degrees, I felt that encouragement. I firmly believe that community colleges are invaluable to students everywhere.

Our mission at Seminole State College is, “Seminole State College empowers people for academic success, personal development, and lifelong learning.” This mission statement sums up my experience as a student and employee at Seminole State College. I would not have been successful without such a great support system of my supervisors and colleagues, and subsequently, such great opportunities with PBSN. Please embrace the opportunity to be part of this group during this fall’s ACCT Leadership Congress in Chicago by attending the “Meet & Greet” and the three-hour informative session which is part of the main conference. Think about running for an executive committee position. This is your opportunity. I hope to see you in Chicago!

The Professional Board Staff Network (PBSN) Executive Committee invites you to attend

WINDS CHANGE OF

OCT 22-25, 2014

PBSN Meet & Greet Oct. 22, 7:00 pm A great way to start the conference. Meet and Greet other PBSN members informally and enjoy pizza the Chicago way! At Giordanos, 135 E Lake St. about 3 1/2 blocks from the hotel

CHICAGO

PBSN Annual Professional Development Workshop Oct. 23, 1:45 - 4:45 pm

PBSN Business Meeting Oct. 24, 9:45 - 11:00 am

Be sure to join us for beneficial Professional Development. Presentation on Electronic Board Packets, Round Table Discussions including: Sticky situations,Trustee Orientation, You have been named the College’s Board Professional, Now What?, Board Assessment, & Sunshine Laws. Networking and more!

Join us for the annual business meeting where recipients of ACCT’s 2014 Professional Board Staff Member regional awards will be recognized. Elections will be held for Secretary and members-at-large for our five regions along with the ascension of o officers for 2014.

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advisor ELECTION OF BOARD AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Elections for ACCT Regional Directors and Diversity Committee members will be held at the Regional Caucuses and Meetings on Thursday, October 23, from 2 - 3:30 p.m. during the 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress in Chicago, Illinois.

Elections for Directors-at-Large will be held on Friday, October 24, during the ACCT Senate Meeting.

2014 CANDIDATES FOR THE ACCT BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGIONAL DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

(1) Three-Year Term in Each Region.

(3) Three-Year Terms.

(1) Two-Year Partial Term in the Southern Region.

The following is the slate of nominees received as of July 1, 2014:

The following is the slate of nominees received as of July 1, 2014:

Dan Altmayer Highline Community College, WA

Central Region — Vernon Jung* Moraine Park Technical College, WI

Mary Figueroa* Riverside Community College District, CA

Northeast Region — Bakari Lee* Hudson County Community College, NJ

Clare Ollayos Elgin Community College, IL

Pacific Region — Jim Harper* Portland Community College, OR

Hector Ortiz* Harrisburg Area Community College, PA

Southern Region — Dennis Troy* Bladen Community College, NC

Dana Saar* Maricopa County Community College District, AZ

Western Region — Roberto Zárate* Alamo Colleges, TX

*Received support of their respective Nominating Committee.

Note: Nominations will be accepted from the floor on all elections.

2014 Candidates for the ACCT Diversity Committee (1) Two-Year Term in Each Region.

The following is the slate of nominees: Central Region Robert Proctor* Lansing Community College, MI Northeast Region Warren Hayman The Community College of Baltimore County, MD Benjamin Wu Montgomery College, MD Pacific Region Edwin Hiel* Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, CA

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Southeast Region Helen Rosemond-Saunders* Tri-County Technical College, SC Western Region Rose Benavidez* South Texas College, TX Candidates with an asterisk received the support of their respective Regional Nominating Committees.

Note: Nominations will be accepted from the floor on all elections.

ELECTIONS OF REGIONAL NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Regional Nominating Committee elections will take place during the 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress Regional Caucuses and Meetings on Thursday, October 23. Based on the ACCT Regional Nominating Committee structure, each committee consists of five members elected for two-year staggered terms. No more than one member shall be from the same state. The following seats need to be filled for the 2014-2015 term: CENTRAL REGION Two (2) seats will be available to members from the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Dawn Erlandson (MN), Jan Lund (IA), and Larry Meyer (MI) will continue to serve in 2015.

NORTHEAST REGION Three (3) seats will be available to members from the following states: Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York.

Jeremiah White (PA) and Cid Wilson (NJ) will continue to serve through 2015.

PACIFIC REGION One (1) seat will be available to members from the following states/territories: Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Republic of Palau, and British Columbia.

John Leal (CA), Randolph Lumm (AZ), Vicki Orrico (WA), and Sekuini Seeva-aetasi (AS) will continue to serve through 2015.

SOUTHERN REGION Three (3) seats will be available to members from the following states/territories: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Bermuda, and Virgin Islands.

Tamela Cullens (FL) and Dallas Freeman (NC) will continue to serve through 2015.

WESTERN REGION Two (2) seats for a two year term and one (1) seat for a one-year partial term. Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

Allen Benson (OK) and Mary Ann Flunder (KS) will continue to serve in 2015.

ACCT Publications To order any ACCT publication, please fill out the form below and 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

$40 $45

member* non-member*

2012 Public Community College Governing Boards: Structure and Composition

$10 $12

member* non-member*

First in the World: Community Colleges and America’s Future (2012)

$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

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Please include $3 postage and handling fee for each publication (maximum $15)

POSTAGE $ TOTAL $ Total enclosed $ Name: College: ACCT MEMBERS Use any of these methods to order: Email: 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.)

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

Address: City, State, ZIP: Phone/Email: Mail to (if different): Name: College: Address: City, State, ZIP: Phone/Email:

or bill:

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