ACCT Trustee Quarterly Spring 2015 by Moire Marketing Partners

Free Community College Proposals | Preventing Student Loan Defaults | Confronting Crisis

SPRING 2015

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MOMENTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The 2015 National Legislative Summit brought community college leaders back to Washington with their institutions once again in the spotlight.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2014-2015 Chair Robin M. Smith Lansing Community College, MI

Chair-elect Roberto Zárate Alamo Colleges, TX

Vice Chair Bakari Lee Hudson County Community College, NJ

Secretary-Treasurer Emily Yim Edmonds Community College, WA

Immediate Past Chair LeRoy W. Mitchell Westchester Community College, NY

Central Regional Chair Diane Gallagher Highland Community College, IL

Northeast Regional Chair William E. Coleman, Jr. Mercer County Community College, NJ

Pacific Regional Chair Jane Strain Cochise College, AZ

Southern Regional Chair Randall Jackson Midlands Technical College, SC

Western Regional Chair Robert Feit Southeast Community College, NE

Tamela Cullens South Florida State College, FL Stanley Edwards Halifax Community College, NC Dawn Erlandson Minnesota State Colleges & Universities, MN Mary Figueroa Riverside Community College District, CA Jim Harper Portland Community College, OR 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 Norwood Ogé Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LA Clare Ollayos Elgin Community College, IL Hector Ortiz Harrisburg Area Community College, PA Robert Proctor, Diversity Committee Chair Lansing Community College, MI

From the Chair Access, Achievement, and Equity IN RECENT YEARS, OUR SECTOR HAS UNDERGONE a revolution that has transformed how we think about how we serve students and our communities. Since their beginnings, all community colleges have maintained a commitment to open access — and that commitment has not wavered since we began to focus more attention toward measurable outcomes. Access and achievement go hand in hand. More than ever before, the ability to pursue education beyond high school is vital to success over a lifetime. Given the growing socioeconomic divide, I can’t help wondering what our nation would look like if there were no community colleges. We may not think of our colleges in these terms every day, but the American system of community and technical colleges truly is an equalizing force that helps intelligent citizens of lesser means to succeed so that they can contribute to our nation’s intellectual capital. Our institutions help to slow the growing economic divide so that we can still justifiably stake our claim that the United States is “the land of opportunity.” Each year, ACCT recognizes up to five programs or individuals that advance equity — a word that means, simply, “fairness” or “equality.” The equity award recognizes efforts to champion inclusivity on campus, recognizing colleges that go the extra mile in paralleling the greater community college mission of open access and student advancement with more focused efforts to do the same for the students who face the greatest obstacles — women, people of color, LGBTQ, low-income students, or any other underrepresented or underserved community. This spring, ACCT hosted its semi-annual Governance Leadership Institute on Diversity in Miami. The event featured remarkable students who had overcome tremendous obstacles, including homelessness, to find financial stability and success thanks only to the opportunities afforded them by community colleges. Think about the power of that transformation. It is the meaning, the real meaning, of equity: it’s giving people who are dealt an unfair hand a fair shake. If you read about me in the last issue of Trustee Quarterly, or if we’ve spoken, you know that I am passionate about making sure that our colleges meet the needs of underserved populations. In my view, that’s what we are here for: making sure that we are always cognizant of equity not just as an aspect of institutional access and student success, but as a driving force for attaining them. This is important to me for personal reasons, but also as part of my job description as a community college trustee. The United States of America has the greatest diversity of any country in the world — and this diversity has always been one of our greatest sources of intellectual, creative, and competitive advantage. From woefully underrepresented young black men in our classrooms to the dearth of women in STEM careers, I ask all trustees and college presidents to consider how your colleges are helping to reach out to and lift up underserved communities. Access, achievement, and equity are all parts of the same equation, and community colleges are the solution.

Dennis Troy Bladen Community College, NC Rafael Turner Mott Community College, MI

ROBIN M. SMITH LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE, MICHIGAN T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

Trustee

QUA R T ERLY

The Voice of Community College Leaders

From the President & CEO

SPRING 2015

Editorial Team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF J. Noah Brown

The Promises We Make

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

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

Ira Michael Shepard ACCT Legal Counsel

Jennifer Stiddard Senior Public Policy Associate

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Karen Lomax Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

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.

1101 17th Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington DC 20036 (202) 775-4667 FAX: (202) 775-4455 E-mail: acctinfo@acct.org www.acct.org

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S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

“A PROMISE IS A CLOUD; FULFILLMENT IS RAIN,” says an old Arabian proverb. As you know, President Obama has introduced America’s College Promise, a proposal to make two years of college education free to qualifying students. While a lot of questions remain about how such a plan could be implemented, the seemingly radical proposal is undeniably significant and, in my view, laudable — not only because it shines an unprecedented spotlight on the tremendous importance of two-year institutions, but also because it takes us back to an era when education was synonymous with investment yielding unparalleled returns for the country. While it seems new, America’s College Promise is an old one, proposed in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman’s Commission on Higher Education. The report, Higher Education for American Democracy, established our unique community college system — a promise to make a high-quality higher education available to all students who qualify. Many within our sector know this, but many of us had forgotten that the Truman Commission report proposed “the extension of free public education through the first two years of college for all youth who can profit from such education.” Part of the promise was kept: anyone reading this should appreciate that our institutions would not be able to serve 14.3 million students a year without having realized the Truman Commission’s vision. Who among us would say today that the community college model was too radical an idea, too costly for our nation? Who would argue that our country has suffered economically following Horace Mann’s then-radical proposal in the mid-1800s that a primary “common” education should be free for all American students — a change so extreme it was not fully realized until 1918? We take for granted today the benefits of primary education and the availability of higher education through our nation’s community college system. Until President Obama’s proposal, most of us had forgotten that this promise was made long ago, but only partially kept. The opportunity to examine making community college free should not be dismissed offhand without really thinking about the transformative opportunity the idea presents. This issue of Trustee Quarterly discusses America’s College Promise, including an important overview of “first-dollar” versus “last-dollar” free community college proposals by ACCT Senior Policy Associate Jennifer Stiddard (p. 18), as well as a number of other pressing legislative priorities. Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee discusses the pending Higher Education Act reauthorization on page 8. Other concerns of national interest are discussed throughout the Community College National Legislative Summit and Community College Congressional Forum features (pp. 12 and 18), as well as articles on cohort default rates (p. 22), community unrest (p. 24), and more. ACCT is committed to effective community college advocacy and member education. That commitment is our promise, and, like the old Arabian proverb, promises should rain down propelling renewal and growth for the benefit of all.

J. NOAH BROWN ACCT PRESIDENT AND CEO

Contents

TRUSTEE QUARTERLY | SPRING 2015

DEPARTMENTS 8

Advocacy HEA’s Next Act Jee Hang Lee

20 President’s POV A New Vision for a New Time

J. Noah Brown

24 Trustee Talk With ACCT Guidance for Challenging Issues in Community College Governance Narcisa A. Polonio

28 Legal Legal Issues Impacting Community Colleges Ira Michael Shepard

10 Straight Talk — By Mark Toner At the 2015 Community College Congressional Forum, lawmakers addressed some of the key challenges facing higher education.

12 ‘This is the Moment’ — By Mark Toner

IN EVERY ISSUE 1

From the Chair

From the President & CEO

News

26 Around the Regions

The 2015 National Legislative Summit brought community college leaders back to Washington with their institutions once again in the spotlight.

36 ACCT Lifetime Members

Parsing Promises — By Jennifer Stiddard

41 Interface

Getting a sense of first- and last-dollar proposals for free community college.

22 Practical Steps to Promote Student Loan Repayment

38 Searches

44 Advisor

Success — By George Covino

Best practices have emerged among institutions that focus on preventing defaults.

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

SPRING 2015

New Book Series on Community College Futures

NEWS Sen. Al Franken Honored with 2015 National Education Service Award; Gragg Wins Government Relations Award

ACCT has partnered with the Rowman & Littlefield publishing company to launch The Futures Series on Community Colleges. The new book series will launch this summer with the publication of Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders: Context, Challenges, and Capabilities, which rethinks community college leadership and advances new strategies for developing leaders — where to find them, what to look for, and how to prepare them. The book focuses on the strategic basis for leader development and the skill sets that current and aspiring leaders will need to bring to complex, fast-moving institutions. Other forthcoming titles include The Urgency of Now: Equity and Excellence; Financing America’s Community Colleges: Where We Are, Where We’re Going; Unrelenting Change, Disruptive Innovations, and Risk; The Completion Agenda in Community Colleges; and Institutional Analytics: Building a Culture of Evidence. See page 35 for more information about the series.

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Left: Rachel Gragg, former federal policy director of the National Skills Coalition Right: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) receives the National Education Service Award from ACCT and AACC leaders.

On Wednesday, February 11, ACCT and the American Association of Community Colleges presented Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) with the 2015 National Education Service Award for his work on the Community College to Career Fund Act. The Community College to Career Fund Act proposes the creation of a $7 billion competitive grant program that will fund partnerships between businesses and two-year colleges to address the skills gap. These partnerships will also focus on valuable efforts related to job training, such as registered apprenticeships, on-the-job training opportunities, and paid internships for low-income students that allow them to simultaneously earn credit for work-based learning in a high-skill field. Franken is a key member of the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Through this role, he has been a champion of community colleges and students and a strong advocate of investing in higher education and our nation’s workforce. Rachel Gragg, former federal policy director of the National Skills Coalition, was also recognized and presented with the 2015 Government Relations Award. In her role at the National Skills Coalition, Gragg directed the organization’s Washington-based efforts to advance a national skills strategy within federal legislation, agency regulation, and national funding initiatives. Following the threat of significant funding cuts to workforce programs in 2011, Gragg played a key role in leading a new coalition to support federal investment in workforce programs. Under her work and guidance, the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce (CIAW) was established to raise awareness across the broader skills community and to enlist support for greater investment in education and skills attainment. Both AACC and ACCT are members of the CIAW coalition. CIAW also has played an essential role during funding debates, as well as through the recent reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. Through her work and leadership, CIAW was able to retain important investments in federal workforce programs, supporting our nation’s community colleges and students.

New York Times Editorials Shine Spotlight on Community Colleges

2015 ACCT

LEADERSHIP CONGRESS

Tom Hanks ‘Owes it All’ to Community Colleges Tom Hanks was rejected from two elite institutions before being accepted to Chabot College, which transformed his life (“I couldn’t afford tuition for college anyway”). He credits his community college for training him in the skills that have defined who we know him to be: performance and public speaking. In his New York Times op-ed, Hanks stresses the importance of President Obama’s recent proposal to make community college education free for most students. “I hope the idea sticks, because more veterans, from Iraq and Afghanistan this time, as well as another generation of mothers, single parents, and workers who have been out of the job market, need lower obstacles between now and the next chapter of their lives,” Hanks writes. More attention than ever is being paid to community colleges, from the White House to Hollywood to the New York Times. Don’t miss this opportunity to make the most of it. Read Hanks’ op-ed at http://goo.gl/XxEbdf.

Doubling Graduation Rates: NY Times Celebrates CUNY’s Successful Innovation The nonpartisan research group MDRC released findings of an intensive study that concluded that the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) program is what the Times calls “more impressive than...any other community college reform [MDRC] had examined.” The MDRC study itself calls the ASAP program, which provides students with a wide array of services over a three-year period while communicating requirements and other messages, “highly promising” as a national model. ASAP substantially improved students’ academic outcomes over three years, almost doubling graduation rates at a lower cost at the three-year point than the control condition. ACCT congratulates CUNY for the recognition and encourages our member trustees and presidents to take a close look at the MDRC study and, if you have not already done so, begin to think about how such innovative programs can support student success at your college. Read the New York Times editorial on CUNY at http://goo.gl/A4U0pJ.

“Advancing a Jobs-Driven Economy” Through Innovative Business and Higher Education Partnerships Amid recent disruption in higher education, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown joined 62 education, business, and non-profit thought leaders to share proven models that support the STEM education and workforce development revolution. Advancing a Jobs-Driven Economy, a new book published by STEMconnector, focuses on the employer-driven partnerships demanded by 21st century STEM education and workforce development. As a member of the STEM Higher Education Council, ACCT welcomed the chance to contribute to the book.

This October 14-17, more than 1,400 trustees, college presidents, philanthropic leaders, and federal officials will gather in San Diego for the 46th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, which is focused on the new community college model. In addition to 100 concurrent sessions presented by trustees, presidents, and other leaders will be featured keynote addresses by leaders such as TIAA-CREF President and CEO Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., University of California President Janet Napolitano, and Chuck Underwood, host of the PBS series Generations with Chuck Underwood. Be sure to register before the August 7 early registration deadline to ensure that you lock in the best rate available. Hotel reservations must be made by September 23. For more information and to register, please visit www.acct.org.

continued on page 6 T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

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

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

That it must clearly define and articulate its role;

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

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

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

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

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

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

That it endeavors to remain always accountable to the community;

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

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

S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

NEWS

All A-Twitter About #NLS2015 More people than ever, including members of U.S. Congress, federal offices, the media, and community college leaders, took to Twitter to talk about the 2015 Community College National Legislative Summit. Were you part of the conversation? Follow us on Twitter @CCTrustees and make sure you don’t miss a tweet.

@CCTrustees

continued from page 5

“Community and technical colleges have played a significant role in helping Americans find work during the economic recovery,” said Brown, who authored a chapter on the role of community college governing boards in advancing a jobs-driven economy. “Closing the large and growing skills gap in the U.S. will provide Americans with innumerable job opportunities and employers with the talent they so desperately need to have sustained success,” said Gregory W. Cappelli, chief executive officer of Apollo Education Group. Complementing Advancing a Jobs–Driven Economy, a Virtual Community of Practice provides an online platform to continue advancing the dialogues, programs, policies, and partnerships that are critical to an effective STEM education–to–employment system. STEMconnector encourages colleges and businesses to share their effective STEM higher education-industry partnership stories online at http://book.STEMconnector.org/SHEC.

Brookdale Hosts First Minority Male Initiative

Left: (From left) Kenneth Morgan, president of the Monmouth-Ocean County Pan-Hellenic Council; Fidel Wilson, assistant Brookdale professor and counselor; Rev. William Coleman Jr., Mercer County Community College trustee and member of the ACCT Board of Directors; Maureen Murphy, president of Brookdale Community College; and Lawrence A. Nespoli, president of the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges.

PHOTOS BY BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Right: Brookdale assistant professor and event co-organizer Fidel Wilson speaks during the first Male Minority Initiative conference, held April 10 at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey.

As part of a collaborative effort to improve college graduation rates for male students of color, Brookdale Community College and the Monmouth-Ocean County Pan-Hellenic Council in New Jersey hosted the first ever Minority Male Initiative Conference on the college’s Lincroft campus April 10. Open to Brookdale students and community members, the conference offered breakout workshops and an expert panel discussion on the unique challenges facing black and Latino males working toward a college degree. From financial shortfalls and community pressures to broken homes, transportation, and a lack of mentoring, students were able to discuss their concerns with a wide range of professionals and academic leaders. According to a 2012 report by the National Center for Education Statistics, only 34 percent of black males earned a bachelor’s degree within six years of enrollment in college, as opposed to 59 percent of white males. While that gap has its roots in a variety of causes, conference co-organizer Fidel Wilson said there is no debate over its impact on minority communities. “Post-secondary degrees have become much more valuable, even vital, in today’s workforce,” said Wilson, an assistant Brookdale professor and a counselor in the college’s Equal Opportunity Fund program. “In many cases, the academic success rates of males of color are the lowest in comparison to other groups. So this is a national concern.” Recognizing this trend, local leaders like the Rev. William E. Coleman Jr. and Pan-Hellenic Council President Kenneth Morgan reached out to Brookdale to “start the conversation.” “I’ve sat in higher education conferences where they said 67 percent of minority students are dropping out of community colleges for lack of tutoring, mentoring, and resources,” said Rev. Coleman, a trustee at New Jersey’s Mercer County Community College and a member of the ACCT Board of

Directors. “I would sit there with my head down, because we weren’t doing anything to bring this to the forefront.” Addressing the conference, Brookdale President Dr. Maureen Murphy said colleges need to begin “walking the walk differently” when it comes to engaging and supporting minority male students. With the aid of community groups and local leaders like Rev. Coleman, Murphy said she was confident Brookdale could become a force for that transformation in the months and years ahead. Other conference attendees included Dr. Lawrence A. Nespoli, president of the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges; Dr. Webster Trammel, retired vice president for development, community, and governmental relations at Brookdale; Dr. Enmanuel Mercedes, a licensed psychologist and adjunct professor at John Jay College; Charles Ozuna, a media professional, teacher, and Atlantic City Board of Education member, and workshop leaders Matthew Stevens, Billy Brown, and Wayne Boatwright. “ACCT applauds Brookdale’s prioritization of this issue,” said ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown. The ‘missing minority male’ phenomenon has been addressed by the association’s 2014 Symposium on Student Success, the Leadership Congress and the 2015 Governance Leadership Institute on Diversity (see p. 31), Brown said. It has also been identified as a frontline issue by ACCT leadership, including 2014-15 Chair Robin M. Smith, a trustee at Michigan’s Lansing Community College, and 2013-14 Chair LeRoy W. Mitchell, a trustee at Westchester Community College in New York. “The Brookdale Minority Male Institute is a model that other colleges throughout the country could replicate to make a difference in their communities,” Brown added. For more information about the conference, contact Brookdale’s College Relations Coordinator Keith Heumiller at kheumiller@brookdalecc.edu. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

ADVOCACY

HEA’s Next Act

Senate white papers detail three key areas of consideration in reauthorization discussions. By Jee Hang Lee

WITH THE REAUTHORIZATION OF the Higher Education Act (HEA) up for consideration, Congress is beginning to have discussions and hearings on a broad array of topics related to the legislation. Earlier this spring, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), released a series of white papers on three subjects: Risk sharing relative to the student loan program, accreditation, and data and consumer information. The white papers signify the chairman’s interest, or at least a policy marker within certain areas for consideration.

Congress has been increasingly focused on the rising cost of higher education and increased student borrowing across all types of institutions. Senator Alexander’s white paper focuses on whether colleges should be subject to some type of financial penalty measurement based upon on the ability of their students to pay off their debts. The concept of “risk sharing” is not new, but it poses significant problems for community colleges. Under a risk sharing program, the government could develop a penalization process based on, for example, a college’s cohort student loan default rate, completion rates, or total student loan debt. Community colleges should be strongly opposed to risk sharing. As a sector, community colleges have the lowest average tuition and fees and the lowest borrowing rate, yet may be disproportionately impacted by penalties under risk sharing. If implemented, any risk sharing scheme 8

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would have a significant negative impact on institutions and students. ACCT has encouraged Congress to look at other ways to address student loan debt and default beyond issuing a financial penalty or sanction. The U.S. Department of Education continues to assert to colleges that the Direct Loan program is an entitlement; students are entitled to loans as long as they meet the federal program’s requirements. Under current

law, community colleges have little influence on students’ borrowing decisions or actions. Providing our institutions with more options to limit borrowing would help reduce over borrowing. Additionally, Congress should be addressing student borrowing and default by improving loan servicing, loan counseling, and loan repayment methods, so that students will be better equipped to make sound decisions.

MICHAEL AUSTIN

Risk Sharing

Accreditation Regional accreditation is an important facet of higher education, as it supports longstanding institutional quality and improvement of higher education institutions. The peer review process, institutional diversity, and the lack of governmental involvement are the hallmarks of the current regional accreditation system. Under the current accreditation system, community colleges have been able to innovate through areas such as increased offerings for certificates, dual enrollment, and competencybased education. Accreditation should focus on institutional quality and improvement. In recent years, the Department of Education has assigned more responsibility to accreditors in areas tied to compliance within Title IV and other HEA provisions. These compliance issues should be the focus of the Department, not regional accreditors. HEA will need to address this particular concern and return the oversight of these issues back to the Department, while allowing accreditors to focus more acutely on educational quality.

Data Transparency and Consumer Information The HELP Committee also sought input on what information is necessary to provide transparency on college data collections and disclosures. Given the limitations of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) in calculating graduation rates, the development of a new federal data system is paramount for community colleges. The use of a

Regional accreditation is an important facet of higher education, as it supports longstanding institutional quality and improvement of higher education institutions. The peer review process, institutional diversity, and the lack of governmental involvement are the hallmarks of the current regional accreditation system.

college students and the obstacles that often prevent them from fitting within these strict guidelines. IPEDS data state that only 21 percent of community college students graduate, but data from the nongovernmental nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse state that 57 percent of community college students graduate within a six-year period, on average. Graduation rates should track student progression from 100, 150, and 300 percent of the “normal” completion time (two, three, and six years, respectively). The use of 300 percent is crucial to capture data for community college students who attend classes part-time and those who work part- or full-time to pay for higher education. The community college sector-developed Voluntary Framework of Accountability currently tracks completion to 300 percent.

federal unit record system is necessary for accurate information about student outcomes at community colleges, including earnings data. In order for this to happen, Congress will need to overturn a ban on a student unit data system. However, it also will need to pass measures to fully protect student information. Accurate graduation information is crucial for community college students and their families, as well as for policymakers. Current graduation information is focused on students who attend college full time and who complete within 150 percent of the normal time (e.g., within three years for an associate degree), and excludes transfer rates. This measurement discounts and fails to understand the actual behaviors of community

What’s Next ACCT will continue to monitor and work with Congress as it reauthorizes HEA. We encourage you to utilize ACCT’s online policy center to communicate with your members of Congress, and follow federal legislative updates through the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) email alerts and the Capitol Connection e-newsletter. To join, email publicpolicy@acct.org.

ACCT Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee can be reached by email at jhlee@acct. org, or by phone at 202-775-4667. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

Straight Talk BY MARK TONER

AT THE CONGRESSIONAL FORUM, LAWMAKERS ADDRESSED SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas)

THE BIPARTISAN ARRAY OF LAWMAKERS WHO SPOKE AT THE 2015 Community College Congressional Forum didn’t shy away from the challenging issues facing higher education. Representing both sides of the aisle, lawmakers from the House and Senate spoke frankly on topics ranging from President Obama’s America’s College Promise proposal to make community college free for most students to reining in for-profit institutions and improving developmental education. In a packed auditorium in the Capitol, community college leaders heard from Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.). While acknowledging the significant disagreements and challenges lawmakers face in advancing higher education, speakers urged attendees to continue advocating for the important role community colleges play. Durbin framed the America’s College Promise proposal within the broader context of the expanding needs of today’s students. “The phrase K-12 is 20th century talk,” said Durbin, the Senate assistant minority leader. “K-14 is the new order of business. We know for a lot of students, that extra two years of their lives could lead to the skills they need for a good job. We also know

that those extra two years of affordable education can be a step towards a bachelor degree.” “There’s controversy associated with [the proposal],” Durbin added, “but the one thing I think [the President] is trying to do is make it understandable that for most [students], if you work hard enough, we’re going to make sure you’re going to end up with no debt in a community college.” Saying that college students with whom he had discussed the Administration’s proposal agreed there was “no such thing as a free lunch,” Flores shared a rationale for the lack of support among Republicans. “We need to be focused on growing the American economy and creating more jobs and better paychecks, and spending less time creating a whole new federal bureaucracy,” he said. “It may sound enticing today, but you have to hire more teachers, invest in bricks and mortar, and have the federal government tell you how to do it.” Acknowledging the lack of bipartisan support for the particulars of the proposal, Takano called it a “conversation opener,” as well as a way to shine a spotlight on the growing costs of higher education. The California representative urged attendees to push lawmakers from both parties to work together towards solutions.

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Clockwise from left: Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and trustees and presidents packed the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center for the 2015 Community College Congressional Forum

“Tell your member of Congress to work with their colleagues,” Takano said. “Good ideas should never die based on who gets the credit.” The Pell Grant program was also the subject of concern on both sides of the aisle. Moore argued that even with past increases in the maximum award, the value of Pell has fallen in real terms in recent years. “We’ve got to recognize the deflationary value of Pell grants,” Moore said. “We should not be putting students in such financial harm.” A graduate of the Milwaukee Area Technical College’s certificate program, Moore called community colleges “an absolute pipeline into our American skilled workforce.” Along with Pell, she stressed the importance of TRIO funding, which has historically enjoyed bipartisan support. The Federal TRIO Programs are federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. “We often talk about closing the skills gap — it won’t work unless we work at continuing to do it,” she said. “Work is continuously evolving. We cannot become complacent.” Speaking to the aspirational goals of Republicans in the House of Representatives, Flores cited broader concerns with entitlement spending when focusing on Pell, saying “the program is bankrupt — it’s running out of money.” Republicans, he said, are focused on “growing the American economy instead of the Washington bureaucracy.” Several Democratic lawmakers addressed challenges involving for-profit institutions. Durbin reminded attendees of three numbers — 10, 20, and 44, for the 10 percent of students who attend for-profit institutions, the 20 percent of federal financial aid that goes to those institutions, and the 44 percent of student loan defaults associated with them. “Those three numbers tell the story of one of the most outrageous federal subsidies going on in Washington today,” Durbin says, arguing that increased

regulation may become necessary to rein in for-profit institutions. “If we don’t put up reasonable standards, they will continue to get away with this.” Even though “very little of their funding comes with students with their own money,” Takano said that for-profit institutions “have a role to play.” But, he added, “they should not use deceptive marketing practices.” At the same time, lawmakers pointed to issues within the community college system that also need addressing. Castro told Forum attendees that “the graveyard that is developmental education must be fixed.” Working with K-12 systems, particularly in improving STEM education, will be critical, he said, urging community college leaders to find and scale solutions. “Do everything you can to find the best practices and scale them not only in your community college systems, but across the state, and we’ll do the same nationally,” Castro said, pledging to help community colleges build an “infrastructure of opportunity.” A trustee for the Riverside Community College District for 22 years, Takano pointed to Riverside’s summer induction program, as well as middle college and early assessment programs that allow high school students to take college-level math for credit before graduating, as possible solutions. Flores also urged attendees to continue working to serve veterans, more than 25,000 of whom attend community colleges. “One of the best tools we have to address veteran unemployment is education,” he said. “You are part of that toolset — and, in many ways, the primary toolset.” Regardless of party, Forum speakers thanked community college leaders for coming to Washington to advocate for their institutions as part of the broader Community College National Legislative Summit (see p. 12). “When you come on the Hill and speak with your representatives, it really puts a face on the needs in our country,” Moore said. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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COMMUNITY COLLEGE

NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT

‘THIS IS THE

BY MARK TONER

MOMENT’

The 2015 National Legislative Summit brought community college leaders back to Washington with their institutions once again in the spotlight.

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Over 1,000 leaders gathered in Washington to advocate on behalf of community colleges.

2014-15 ACCT Chair Robin M. Smith welcomed NLS attendees.

IN RECENT YEARS, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE NATIONAL Legislative Summit has brought community college leaders to Washington, D.C., at auspicious times for their institutions. With President Obama announcing his ambitious goal of making two years of community college free for most Americans just weeks ahead of February’s NLS, this year was no exception. “This is the moment for community colleges to shine,” Second Lady Jill Biden told NLS attendees. “We all know that the responsibility for educating students is not the student’s alone. It is a responsibility that belongs to all of us.” “Community colleges are uniquely positioned to fulfill this responsibility — to meet the needs of the actual community where they live,” added Biden, who has taught at Northern Virginia Community College since coming to Washington. “We all reap the benefits when our citizens are well educated and well trained.” Along with the historic free-college proposal, the more than 1,000 community college leaders who attended the NLS heard Administration leaders and policymakers discuss the proposed ratings system for higher education, the challenges of continued gridlock, and portents of the future of higher ed. They also spent much of their time on Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers to advocate for their institutions (see p. 17). “We must continue to advocate on behalf of our community colleges to ensure that our institutions continue to receive the support we need and deserve,” ACCT Chair Robin Smith, a trustee at Lansing Community College in Michigan, told attendees.

Taking the Long View While the president’s $60 billion America’s College Promise proposal had been declared an uphill battle in the Republicanheld Congress long before community college leaders arrived in Washington, White House officials and other NLS speakers urged community college leaders to consider it the beginning of an ongoing conversation about improving access to higher education — and to take the long view. Pointing to earlier examples where sweeping initiatives eventually led to significant funding for community colleges and other education programs, James Kvaal stressed the importance of continued advocacy for both the America’s College Promise proposal and broader efforts to improve access to community colleges at the federal, state, local, and philanthropic levels. “That kind of national conversation will bear results, even if the president’s initiative isn’t enacted overnight,” said Kvaal, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, which coordinates policy for the administration. “One of the great virtues of community colleges is that there’s wide agreement about the value they provide. There’s no reason we can’t build a coalition around investing more in community colleges.” ACCT President & CEO J. Noah Brown took an even longer view of the proposal, calling it the culmination of the post-World War II Truman Commission aspirations of making K-14 education both free and universal. “Don’t view this as a partisan proposal,” Brown told NLS attendees. “View this as a restatement of American goals and values that have been articulated throughout our history — and especially since World War II through the mid-1970s when this nation, without excuses, made a tremendous investment in the T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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U.S. Second Lady Jill Biden said “now is the time for community colleges to shine.”

ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown

institutions for non-degree and certificate programs and employerdesigned “bootcamp” experiences in lucrative technology fields such as cybersecurity. “We should take a bit longer to consider other data sets that can provide more robust data so when we do launch, our students will have a more informed choice,” said Daniel Phalen, president of Jackson College in Michigan. The Administration hopes to release the first iteration of its ratings system in late spring or early summer. “It’s not going to be perfect,” Mitchell acknowledged, pointing to limitations in existing data that make it challenging to track transfer and other nontraditional students. “We’re humble about the project, and Ratings, Not Rankings we also want to be humble about the data we have.” But, with U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell called another controversial Obama Administration proposal, the imminent planned improvements to collection procedures for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), “we will close that creation of a ratings system for higher education institutions, a gap,” Mitchell added. collaborative effort being implemented “with great humility.” “We need your voices as we move forward — not just on the president’s agenda, but on all our agendas to make college more A First Choice, and First in the World accessible, affordable, and tied to the outcomes we want for the Mitchell also stressed the importance of promoting community students we serve,” Mitchell told NLS attendees. “At the end of the colleges as “the first-choice alternative” for students, pointing to a day, we hope [to have] a ratings system that is not a ranking system high school he visited where half of the students were planning to and to shine a spotlight on the highest-performing institutions in get their associate degrees before transferring. “They can name the each area.” community college, they can name the four-year institution, and Mitchell argued that the system was intended to compare they are on their way because of the great work you’re doing,” like institutions and be narrow in focus, zeroing in on access, he said. affordability, and outcomes. Noting the challenge of holding In similar fashion, Clarence E. Anthony, executive director nontraditional community college students to set graduation of the National League of Cities, urged community colleges to timeframes, he said, “we need to be sensitive to that, but we need work with city leaders to promote themselves as the best tool to encourage students to move through quickly.” to reduce income inequality and improve citizen engagement. Community college leaders pointed out limitations in data used “I want us to change the paradigm and say that the first to track students and financial aid, as well as the need to credit opportunity for many Americans in our cities is to attend most productive education system in the world.” Since then, public investments in community colleges have fallen, Brown added, urging attendees to help “rekindle that spirit and those investments.” Biden told NLS attendees that the Administration is now working to “build a coalition” of lawmakers, philanthropists, and “most importantly, higher education leaders like you” to continue efforts to advance community colleges. “This administration needs you to keep making your voices heard, and to bring others into the fold,” she added.

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Featured keynote panelists (from left) Stephanie Cutter, William Kristol, and Ann Compton

Opening keynote speaker Clarence E. Anthony, executive director of the National League of Cities

community colleges,” said Anthony, who attended what is now Palm Beach State College in Florida. Anthony also urged community college leaders to continue efforts to support all students, in particular men of color. “They are being lost in the system in a big way,” he said. “If we don’t get fully engaged with everyone in our communities, then our communities are not going to prosper.” Kvaal stressed that community colleges remain at the center of the Obama Administration’s proposals to improve the lives of those aspiring to join — and remain in — the middle class. “Over the past six years, there’s been a consistent effort to build community colleges,” he said, pointing to increases in the Pell Grant program, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the recently concluded $2 billion Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program (TAACCCT), and now, America’s College Promise and a proposed $200 million American Technical Training Fund. The president, Kvaal told attendees, “sees all this in light of the historic need to increase attainment.” “We had this immense advantage in educational attainment a generation or two ago,” Kvaal said. “While we have largely been standing still, other nations have passed us by. How do we restart that growth and make two years of college the norm, just as high school is the norm today?”

Despite a small uptick in federal spending, “Congress isn’t in a position where they’re talking about a lot of new funding or programs,” said ACCT Senior Public Policy Associate Jennifer Stiddard. However, programs such as adult basic education and career and technical education have seen modest increases in the wake of earlier cuts, and the Pell Grant program maximum award will rise by $45 to $5,775 in 2015-16. While Pell has been sustainable in recent years, shortfalls totaling $31 billion over 10 years are still projected to begin in fiscal 2018, Stiddard said. However, some ability-to-benefit students have been reinstated by Congress, and efforts to restore yearround Pell have gained momentum in both parties, she added. To help with completion rates when community college students transfer to four-year institutions, ACCT and AACC also hope to increase the lifetime Pell award to 14 full-time semesters, following past cuts from 18 to 12 semesters. Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) remains a priority, particularly with cuts in state funding for many institutions making federal assistance programs for students all the more important.

Legislative Priorities Community college leaders were reminded by ACCT and American Association of Community Colleges experts that on Capitol Hill, the norm remains tight budgets and continued challenges for higher education.

An ‘Eisenhower Moment’ Former ABC News White House Correspondent Ann Compton also noted the ongoing spotlight on community colleges. “You caught the brass ring,” she joked with her fellow speakers, former Obama advisor Stephanie Cutter and William Kristol, founder and editor of The Weekly Standard. Despite their differences, both acknowledged that the cuts forced by the sequester had led to bad policy decisions. “We’re in a place where we have these arbitrary cuts and we T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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Left to right: White House Domestic Policy Council Deputy Director James Kvaal spoke about President Obama’s “free community college” proposal, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez focused his impassioned closing keynote on workforce readiness; and U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell fielded audience questions.

need to make some key investments,” Cutter said. “Community colleges are a place where we could be doing that.” Kristol suggested that framing investment within the context of broader reforms could help break through gridlock. “If there were a reform agenda attached to more spending, Republicans could say that’s reasonable,” he explained. U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez painted an ambitious agenda for community colleges, calling them part of an “Eisenhower moment.” “[Eisenhower] was the architect of the interstate highway system,” Perez said during the NLS closing session. “We’re building the skills infrastructure of the 21st century…and we need you to make the case that the most important long-term thing we can do to build the middle class is to upskill America.” Perez pointed to the nearly $2 billion already invested in community college workforce initiatives through the four rounds of TAACCCT, saying that two-thirds of all community colleges benefitted from the program in one way or another. He also stressed the importance of improving the stature of apprenticeship, which is held in much higher regard in Europe and elsewhere. “I say apprenticeship is the ‘other college,’ without the debt,” Perez said, noting that every federal dollar invested in apprenticeships yields $28 in returns. Perez urged community college leaders to consider a 16

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$100 million grant competition and to consider joining the Registered Apprenticeship-College Consortium (RACC), which now includes 150 community college members. “What we really have the opportunity and imperative to do is build a movement around skills,” Perez told trustees. “What I need you to do is make this a sustained effort. You have earned a deep reservoir of trust and goodwill in Congress because you deliver… You can help us partner, because you wrote the book on partnership.”

The Face of Community Colleges In his closing comments, Perez reminded NLS attendees of the importance of advocacy. “We know a lot about what works,” he said. “I need your help, your data, and your performance metrics so we can make that case — and I need your bodies because you’re the ones who have the credibility.” Throughout the NLS, attendees were reminded of the value of that credibility with lawmakers—and of the importance of advocating for students. “When you go on the Hill, have faces in front of you to understand that the work you’re doing is making a difference,” Anthony said. “It might be the face of an adult in your community that raised kids. It may be a single mother or father who can’t go to a university. It may be a kid who got in trouble and served their time and needs a place to start. It’s about those faces.”

South Carolina trustees and presidents filled Senator Tim Scott’s office (R-S.C.)

Senator John Cornin (R-Texas) met with Texas delegates on Capitol Hill.

On the HILL

Meetings with lawmakers during the NLS reinforced the bipartisan support community colleges enjoy.

REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN (D-N.J.) DIDN’T NEED TO hear about the importance of community colleges when trustees came to Washington during the 2015 National Legislative Summit. Her husband, the Rev. William Coleman, is a longtime trustee at Mercer County Community College, and also serves on the ACCT Board of Directors. “I live with a trustee, so I know the work of trustees,” she said during ACCT’s annual Community College Caucus reception on Capitol Hill. Even without family connections, community college leaders were warmly welcomed by lawmakers throughout the NLS. “There are people in Congress who recognize you are on the front line,” said Watson Coleman, New Jersey’s first African American woman elected to Congress. In groups both large and small, community college leaders crisscrossed Capitol Hill on visits with their lawmakers. “I think this is the most people we’ve fit in this room,” said one aide to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) after the state’s large delegation filled a conference room. Rural Montcalm Community College in Michigan sent two trustees to meet with lawmakers, including Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), with whom they discussed efforts to create an early college program and offer training to a new manufacturing plant moving into the region. Urging Amash to support Pell, they said the program is “an investment, not a cost.” The Hillsborough Community College delegation made bipartisan stops, visiting with Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Rep.

Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) in back-to-back meetings. Delegates from the San Jacinto College District told Rep. Pete Olsen (R-Texas) about the district’s maritime program, which recently added a donated state-of-the-art simulator. “Pilots go around the world to get training,” said Chancellor Brenda Hellyer. “Now they can do it here.” Other delegations focused on the impact of community colleges. After Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) walked into a meeting room with Alamo Colleges Trustee Roberto Zárate, the ACCT ChairElect quickly turned the spotlight to a half-dozen Texas students who shared stories about the impact of their education. “We have presidents and trustees, but the story about our community colleges is the students,” Zárate told Cornyn. In similar fashion, a delegation of South Carolina trustees told Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) that 95 percent of the state’s community college students stay in the state. “We think of it as taking care of the home folk,” one said. Scott pointed to the importance of middle-skill jobs, calling them “the sweet spot” of the state’s economy, given an influx of manufacturing jobs returning to South Carolina. “Count me all in,” Scott told the community college delegation. As in past years, support for community colleges continues to transcend party boundaries and the climate in Washington. “We appreciate the work you do and what you mean to America,” Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) told trustees. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

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Parsing Promises

GETTING A SENSE OF FIRST- AND LAST-DOLLAR PROPOSALS FOR FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. BY JE NNIFE R S TIDDA RD IN JANUARY, COMMUNITY COLLEGES WERE CAST INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT AS PRESIDENT OBAMA announced a federal proposal to provide free tuition and fees for qualified community college students. The president’s proposal was inspired by several state and local initiatives that also provide full tuition assistance for community college students, such as the Tennessee Promise program. In the months since the president’s announcement, a number of states as well as community colleges have begun to take steps to implement their own ‘promise’ programs. The concept of free community college is not a new one. Nationally, it can be traced back to the 1947 Truman Commission Report, Higher Education for American Democracy. The report, which called for expanded access to higher education, recommended a tuition-free K-14 education model — specifically, “the integration of vocational and liberal education; [and] the extension of free public education through the first two years of college for all youth who can profit from such education.” While today’s programs and proposals fall short of that universal goal, the rationale behind expanded access remains the same — strengthening our economy, building an informed citizenry, and expanding educational opportunities.

It is notable that there is no single blueprint in developing these promise programs, and most differ in regards to student qualifications, funding sources, and how the aid is structured.

Details of President Obama’s Proposal As presented in President Obama’s fiscal year 2016 budget request, the America’s College Promise proposal is a $63 billion (over 10 years) federal-state partnership grant that would provide up to three years of free tuition at community colleges for qualified students. In order to qualify, students would have to be first-time students who are enrolled at least half-time. They must also maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA while making progress towards earning a degree or certificate. Students and families with an adjusted gross income of $200,000 or higher would not qualify for assistance under this proposal. Both states and community colleges would have to meet certain requirements in order to participate in this plan. The federal share would cover three-quarters of the average cost of tuition and fees, which the Administration estimates presently at $3,800 per student. All participating states would be required to provide some matching funds; however, the budget only provides a limited outline regarding that distribution. The state share would depend upon each state’s current investment and tuition costs, as well as enrollment and outcomes. States that already make significant investments and which have low tuition and fees would have a lower match. States would also be required to increase coordination among high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions in order to reduce remediation and repeated coursework. Additionally, participating states must devote a “significant” portion of their funding to community colleges based on student performance, not just enrollment numbers. Community colleges would be required to implement innovative practices and evidence-based reforms to improve student success. It’s important to note that under the budget proposal, not all programs of study would qualify for free tuition. Qualifying academic programs would have to offer credits that are fully transferable to four-year institutions. Occupational training programs must have high completion rates and lead to a degree or certificate in a high-demand field in order to qualify.

First Dollar vs. Last Dollar The proposed America’s College Promise is a “first-dollar” program, meaning that low- and moderate-income students would still be able to receive their full Pell Grant and other federal grant aid to cover books, supplies, housing, and other cost-of-living expenses rather than applying these grant funds first to tuition. Some other similar “free community college” programs are “last dollar,” meaning that they require that any federal grant aid be first applied to tuition and fees, thus supplanting the need for the promise program to cover those expenses. Any grant aid that is in excess of tuition and fees may still be applied to living expenses.

Since last-dollar programs are much less expensive, many states and colleges have opted for this approach. Low-income students are most adversely impacted by this distinction, as last-dollar programs end up funding middle- and at times, upper-income students and families. However, some programs that have adopted a last-dollar model have also implemented need-based requirements to target benefits to needier students.

Advocacy and Priorities In conjunction with the 2015 Community College National Legislative Summit, ACCT and AACC offered a joint position on the America’s College Promise proposal, as well as priorities in developing federal legislation. • Financing must be realistic and reliable. The program cannot succeed if its resources are subject to significant fluctuation. Stable federal financing also will be necessary to draw state partners. • Program eligibility/participation must also be stable. In the absence of this predictability, students and institutions will not be able to adequately plan for their education. • As proposed by the president, the program must be “first dollar,” reducing tuition and allowing students to use federal student financial aid and other student aid to cover the costs of books, supplies, equipment, and transportation. • Clear standards for program eligibility are essential. The legislation should include accurate measurements of community college performance, which currently are lacking in federal law, and ensure that these are also incorporated into the Higher Education Act. • Some portion of program funds must be made available to colleges to provide services to help students succeed. This includes academic counseling and support. • States must be required to maintain current levels of funding support for higher education and student financial aid programs. • Current standards of satisfactory academic progress should be applied to the program to establish consistency for students and program administrators. Even though the president’s proposal has not garnered strong bipartisan support thus far, it nevertheless represents an important opportunity for Congress to engage in conversation about how to best support community colleges and students. It also highlights the significant part our institutions play as economic and social drivers. As we move toward the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Congress will likely continue to engage on the merits of this proposal, as well as other ways to support student success.

Jennifer Stiddard is senior public policy associate for the Association of Community College Trustees.

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PRESIDENT’S POV

A New Vision for a New Time

ACCT’s new vision statement focuses on governance effectiveness, student success, and institutional change.

THEY SAY A PICTURE IS WORTH A thousand words. Using this calculus, having a clear vision is priceless. This past February, the ACCT Board of Directors approved a new ACCT Vision Statement to guide the Board in providing leadership and oversight of the Association’s programs and services. The new Vision Statement represents the culmination of more than 16 months of work initiated by ACCT Past Chair Jean Torgeson during the 2013 Community College Leadership Congress in Seattle. Under Torgeson’s charge and overseen by ACCT Immediate Past Chair LeRoy Mitchell, a Board Ad Hoc Committee consisting of Board members Kirsten Diederich Mary Figueroa, Jim Harper, Connie Hornbeck, Vernon Jung, Clare Ollayos, Dana Saar, Jane Strain, Rafael C. Turner, and Roberto Zárate met in person and electronically in pursuit of updating the ACCT Vision Statement last approved in 2007. The Committee agreed that the 2007 Vision Statement had created the context and impetus for many of the changes and improvements in the Association’s programs and services. With an eye toward the future, Committee members agreed that ACCT needs to become the voice of the community college system nationally. Implicit in this clearly defined leadership role is the responsibility of community college boards to develop their skills and governance effectiveness advancing student success and institutional change in anticipation of future trends and imperatives. In the words of the Committee: We assessed that the ACCT Vision

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By J. Noah Brown

Statement, which encompasses Core Values, Our Vision, Our Mission, and Strategic Goals, is in need of updating so that the organization remains at the forefront of advocacy and guidance for trustees. The identification of the best possible professional training for trustees as an organizational priority would ensure the prominent status of the organization as the leader in the field (Committee Report, May 2014). The Committee spent considerable time carefully deliberating on the words and terminology to be used to ensure that the new vision faithfully adhered to the role of community college boards and the legally defined mission of ACCT, while laying the foundation for future growth and the impact of the national Association on behalf of the sector. Chief among those roles is communication. In order to realize the new vision for ACCT, Committee members were unanimous in the belief that boards must “up their game” relative to communicating with local, state, and federal officials, assuring the continued growth and impact of community colleges on the students and constituencies they serve. The Committee made its report to the full Board during last summer’s retreat. After robust discussion and a further clarifying of the vision, management was directed to develop a final redraft of the statement, which the Board then reviewed during the 2014 Leadership Congress in Chicago. The statement was vetted one last time by the ACCT Governance and Bylaws Committee at the 2015 National Legislative Summit meeting, and subsequently approved by the full Board.

As the President and CEO of ACCT, I remain energized by the dedication and willingness of ACCT Board members to work collaboratively on a shared vision for the Association. The new Vision Statement is both timely and totally germane to the Association’s ability to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. ACCT staff is working on meeting the new priorities and imperatives of the ACCT Board’s vision. ACCT’s strength has always been its ability to remain flexible and responsive to member boards — much like our colleges in meeting student and economic needs locally. The great advantage of ACCT, in my estimation, has been adherence to mission and value. Remaining faithful to mission and value has allowed the Association to increase its reach and impact while remaining grounded in the tradition and accountability wrought by public governance. The future of ACCT remains bright so long as our leadership demands accountability and relevance to our mission. If public governance remains strong, the nation will prosper; if we falter, we betray the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans who place their faith and future in our institutions every year. The ACCT Board is working and focused on leading the Association well into the new millennium and the sector’s second century.

J. Noah Brown is president and CEO of ACCT.

ACCT Vision Statement CORE BELIEF The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Board of Directors, elected by member boards to represent the nation’s community college governing boards, believes that citizen governance is an appropriate and democratic means by which to achieve the educational and economic goals of the nation.

WE VALUE We exist to promote and advance through ACCT programs and services: 1. BOARDSMANSHIP – value accountability, integrity, and transparency; 2. ADVOCACY – advance equitable and open access to higher education by representing the interests of community colleges at the national level; 3. S TUDENT SUCCESS – promote innovative policies and services that foster completion, workforce training, and transfer; 4. INNOVATION – embrace experimentation and risk-taking and evolution of the community college model; 5. DIVERSITY – sustain values of inclusion, respect and support for, and commitment to diversity; and 6. SERVICE – elevate and honor the importance of public service through role modeling, mentorship, and recognition.

MISSION OF ACCT To foster the principles and practices of exemplary governance while promoting high quality and affordable higher education, cutting-edge workforce and development training, student success, and the opportunity for individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency and security.

OUR VISION Through the Association of Community College Trustees, community college governing boards are THE LEADING ADVOCATES of the nation’s community college system.

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PRACTICAL

STEPS TO PROMOTE STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT SUCCESS

B Y G E O R G E C O V I NO

BEST PRACTICES HAVE EMERGED AMONG INSTITUTIONS THAT FOCUS ON PREVENTING DEFAULTS.

LAST YEAR’S REPORT FROM ACCT AND THE INSTITUTE for College Access & Success (TICAS), Protecting Colleges and Students, recommends strategies to benefit federal student loan borrowers. Those recommendations, gleaned from student loan default prevention successes at nine colleges, focus on themes such as campus-wide commitment, data analysis, and borrower counseling. Building on those findings, the following are steps that USA Funds recommends colleges take to help stave off loan default and its negative consequences for students and schools. While community college trustees typically do not recommend specific policies as part of their oversight role, they can support their institutions’ efforts to prevent loan default and recommend that their presidents examine best practices that have been put into place at other institutions. These strategies include, but are not limited to: Advocating for campus-wide involvement. The ACCT/ TICAS report advises against making default prevention the sole responsibility of financial aid staff. Student loan default leads to a broad range of negative effects for students, colleges, and taxpayers, so default prevention should be everyone’s job. For schools, high default rates can have repercussions on reputation and funding. In fact, schools whose default rates reach 30 percent for three consecutive cohorts of borrowers or 40 percent in a single cohort risk the loss of eligibility for federal financial aid funds, which can have dire consequences for the entire institution. College administrators should be aware of — 22

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and convey to faculty, staff, and students — the impact of high cohort default rates. Understanding default’s correlation with retention. Nationally, more than 70 percent of defaulters are those who left school early, without a degree or certificate. Protecting Colleges and Students reports that at the colleges participating in the study, students who did not complete their programs defaulted at a rate of 27 percent, compared with 9 percent for those who completed. Colleges should combine their default prevention efforts with their work to enhance retention. Additionally, schools following best practices do not wait until the loan exit counseling that is federally mandated for students officially withdrawing or graduating to educate them about repaying their debt. Good places to start are activities such as orientation, first-year experience courses, and programspecific offerings. Using data to drive default prevention efforts. The ACCT/ TICAS report notes that data analysis is an effective student loan default prevention strategy. Taking a targeted approach also allows colleges to make the best use of their limited time and resources. By examining cohort default rate records and institutional data, schools can determine trends that show which students are most likely to default. Those characteristics could range from SAT scores and major areas of study to location of residence and withdrawal status. Then, instead of taking the traditional blanket approach to default prevention, colleges implementing this approach can

provide the level of assistance the data shows specific groups of borrowers are likely to need. Establishing a plan and measures of success. Schools with a cohort default rate of 30 percent or higher must submit a default prevention plan to the U.S. Department of Education. Regardless of whether it’s federally required, however, it is a best practice for each college to develop a written plan for default prevention — one that, following the recommendations of Protecting Colleges and Students, addresses the college’s individualized needs. The Department of Education offers a template for a default prevention plan on its Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website, www.ifap.ed.gov. In each facet of their own plans, colleges can build in metrics to help their leaders measure the effectiveness of their work, and then make regular updates based on the results. Enhancing student loan counseling. Providing the Education Department’s online student loan counseling to borrowers when they take out their first loans and when they are leaving school keeps a college in compliance with federal regulations. Colleges following best practices for preventing default, however, also follow the guidance of the report and plan counseling timed specifically to when their borrowers need it. Assistance might include enhancing entrance and exit counseling to include in-person counseling in group or individual settings, conducting annual counseling sessions, and offering frequent opportunities for financial literacy training. Programs that feature messages from peer mentors and alumni often carry added weight with students. Investing in default prevention. The ACCT/TICAS report indicates that default prevention does not need to be expensive. In fact, USA Funds has found that many schools can offer default prevention services that help transform the futures of former students at a cost that’s much less than 1 percent of the amount those schools receive through the federal loan program. Creating staff positions devoted specifically to default prevention and student retention is a wise investment for a college — and for its current and former students, its faculty and staff, and taxpayers. Colleges also can purchase software and outsource tasks such as data analysis and borrower outreach. Organizations such as USA Funds can assist with default prevention efforts. By focusing on default prevention tactics that emphasize campus-wide involvement, a data-driven approach, and enhanced counseling, colleges and their leaders can help ensure that the consequence associated with federal education loans for their schools colleges and students is a positive one: helping students achieve their academic and professional goals.

George Covino is vice president of consulting for ACCT Corporate Council member USA Funds, a nonprofit corporation that supports Completion With a Purpose, building a more purposeful path for America’s students to and through college and on to rewarding careers and successful lives. Visit www.usafunds.org.

POLICY CHANGES TO HELP REDUCE DEFAULT While just 17 percent of community college students use federal loans to finance their educations, the number is rising — as is the share of borrowers who default on those loans. Protecting Colleges and Students, a report by ACCT and The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), offers policy recommendations for federal lawmakers, which trustees can share with legislators as part of broader advocacy efforts. They include: • Supporting institutional administrators and staff. Policymakers should encourage the U.S. Department of Education to make data on student loans more userfriendly for college administrators and issue guidance on strategies for managing student debt and preventing delinquency and default. • Improving the administration of challenges and appeals. The current implementation of challenge and appeal options for institutions facing sanctions because of high cohort default rates (CDRs) is discouraging participation in the federal student loan program. • Improving entrance and exit counseling. Since many colleges use the Department of Education’s online counseling tools for required entrance and exit counseling for students who receive federal loans, efforts should be made to improve the information presented by these tools. • Improving and streamlining loan servicing. The system should be simplified so borrowers receive communications from the Department of Education and have access to a single web portal and phone number to manage loans. • Considering changes to federal student loan amounts for part-time students. The Department of Education should analyze whether prorating federal student loans by attendance status would help encourage students to enroll in more courses per term or reduce the risks of debt for part-time students. • Automatically enrolling severely delinquent borrowers in income-driven repayment. Automatic plans and follow-up contact and counseling by the Department of Education and its loan servicers could help prevent likely defaults. • Implementing a Student Default Risk Index (SDRI) for college accountability. Since CDRs don’t include students who don’t borrow, this proposed measure would reflect the share of students who borrow federal loans, helping contextualize the scope of default problems at colleges. The full report can be downloaded at www.acct.org.

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

SPRING 2015

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT ISSUES AFFECTING BOARDS TODAY

TRUSTEE

TA L K

Guidance for challenging issues in community college governance. BY NA RCIS A A . P OLONIO

This issue of Trustee Talk focuses on ways that colleges can respond to community upheaval and protests. To download previous issues of Trustee Talk, visit www.trustee-education.org/trustee-talk. To receive the monthly Trustee Talk newsletter by email, or to submit a question for consideration, contact ACCT Executive Vice President Narcisa A. Polonio at narcisa_polonio@acct.org.

Q: How should our board respond if our community experiences events similar to the shooting and protests that recently occurred in Ferguson, Missouri, and other communities throughout the country? Upheaval in a community caused by the perception of racial prejudice in a police force is an issue a college board may not have anticipated. However, the impact of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the subsequent protests and police actions in the area demonstrate potential challenges that boards and presidents could find themselves confronting. There are steps the college should take immediately in responding to such community unrest. Just as important is proactively working with the affected communities to reduce the chance of community violence spillover onto the campus. Every college should have plans in place for handling an emergency or disaster of such magnitude, as similar events can happen in any community, be it urban or rural. At the same time, 24

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community colleges are in a unique position to work proactively with the local community to reduce the likelihood of violent outbreaks. In researching this topic, we talked with St. Louis Community College Board Chair Dr. Craig Larson about how the college’s board responded to the shooting of Michael Brown and the subsequent community unrest in Ferguson. Based on this conversation, we’ve assembled the following list of tips for your board to keep in mind, should it ever face similar events: (1) Give the college’s administration leeway to respond. After the shooting, the St. Louis Community College board supported the administration’s efforts to fulfill its role and responsibility to provide a quick and appropriate response. The board was kept fully informed. “We were very fortunate to have a president in place at Florissant Valley, Dr. Ruby Curry, who was extremely well connected and liked within the local community and within the city’s African American community,” Dr. Larson said. “She helped keep the campus open and

safe, and she helped Florissant Valley staff connect with students.” Boards should remember that the college’s response in the wake of such events should be led by the administration. The board should give the administration room to carry out its responsibilities, while its members can instead focus on the larger policy issues related to protecting and providing a safe environment for all. It is part of the board’s fiduciary responsibilities to ensure that the college has put in place the appropriate guidelines and safety systems. These would include an emergency action plan that is coordinated with official emergency agencies such as the police and fire departments, effective communication systems within and external to the college, and partnerships with local leaders with strong ties to communities in the service area. The board has a unique responsibility of supporting the administration while asking key questions and ensuring that key policy directives are in place. (2) Promote both student safety and an open forum for dialogue on campus. Dr. Larson stated that a significant part of the board’s discussion following the

shooting and subsequent protests in the community was centered on “the role of the college in providing a forum for civil discourse and keeping students, faculty, and staff safe.” The board examined how both of these interests could be promoted, and the administration took the lead on the college’s response. On the security side, the college’s administration promoted campus police visibility and encouraged officers to speak openly with the campus community so that students and others would feel the campus police were present for their safety and security and available for dialogue given the heightened tension between the Ferguson police and the community at large. The administration also held open forums for students to engage in a dialogue about the shooting. Board members facing similar incidents in their own communities should support efforts to preserve the safety of those on campus while at the same time facilitating a larger discussion of the issues: civil unrest, campus and community connections and spillover, security systems, emergency response systems, and effective communication systems. It is important for board members to appreciate the value of the right type of communication in sending the right kind of message to students, staff, and faculty about their safety. Appropriate messages to calm the waters and support safe dialogue are of utmost importance. This is not the time for trustees or others to muddy the waters with personal views or agendas, but rather to assure that the administration is sending the right messages in the right ways, whether through social or traditional media. (3) Support the “safe haven” concept. In responding to events such as those that occurred in Ferguson, the board should support efforts to establish the college as a place of safety within the community. Dr. Larson noted that St. Louis Community College was seen as a “safe haven” during the events in Ferguson.

The college campus became a place where students could peacefully engage in open dialogues about the shooting, expressing their concerns in an environment where they could be sure that none of the violence seen in the streets of Ferguson would spread onto the campus. Board members facing similar unrest in their communities should discuss what could be done to establish the college as a safe haven for community conversations. (4) Investigate the policy lessons that can be learned from the experience. Unprecedented events that strongly affect a community can draw the board’s attention to important policy areas. The violence that erupted in Ferguson was due to many factors, including high unemployment, low educational attainment rates, and racial discrimination. Dr. Larson noted that the St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees focused on local critical issues, such as examining completion rates and ways the college could partner with K-12 school systems to increase graduation rates and with local businesses to reduce unemployment. A board confronting similar events in their community can use the experience to kindle action on important policy issues and their accountability responsibilities. The reality is that community unrest and demonstrations could happen in any community. As uncomfortable as it may be, they are part of the American tradition of freedom of expression. It is important for boards to ask themselves which communities are involved in the unrest and ask whether the college has provided adequate services to these communities. This reflects the board’s accountability role. Would your board be ready to respond?

Concluding Thoughts If the community served by a college is affected by events such as those that took place in Ferguson, the board must allow the administration to respond yet also address the larger policy implications raised:

• I s the board willing to support the long-term commitment colleges need to make to help their communities? •W ill the college see itself as a neighbor or, like some other institutions, build a higher fence separating itself from the community? • I s there expertise on campus to handle community eruptions? • I s there coordination with leadership in the disaffected communities, and if not, how can this be established? •H ave board members assessed the college’s relationship with local law enforcement and community and business leaders that could be used to communicate the importance of peaceful protests, and with the local media to position the college as a community center where peaceful, thoughtful, open, and even challenging dialogue can take place without fear of violent outbursts? These are complex and important socioeconomic, political, and racial issues to consider. Boards should examine their mission statement and core values across the institution. Dr. Larson told us that St. Louis Community College was able to respond effectively in part because it is well connected with the community. A board assessing its readiness for such an event should examine its mission and the college’s relationship with the community and how the institution can work with key stakeholders to make violent protests less likely to take place.

Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D. is executive vice president for education, research, and board leadership services at the Association of Community College Trustees. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

Around Regions the

CENTRAL REGION Since 2006, College of Lake County in Illinois has funded the educations of over 100 low-income students in its engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering technology programs with grants from the National Science Foundation Scholars in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S-STEM) program. The program covers tuition, fees and expenses based on students’ demonstrated financial need, with a special emphasis on encouraging underrepresented students in engineering. Enrollment of underrepresented students has increased as a result, along with improved GPAs, persistence, and transfer rates among students. Eighteen Michigan community colleges are receiving $50 million in grants from the state as part of its effort to enhance skilled trades. Part of a program of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Community College Skilled Trades Equipment program, the grant money will go towards purchasing equipment required for educational programs in high-wage, high-skill, and highdemand occupations.

Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio is the recipient of a $10 million donation from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation — the largest gift in the college’s history. The college will use the funds to establish a humanities center dedicated to the grantors, for renovations, and for the establishment of a Scholars Academy to provide merit-based scholarships and educational activities to students.

NORTHEAST REGION New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed paying the first two years of college loans for college graduates earning less than $50,000 a year. The proposed $41.7 million Get On Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program would provide assistance to graduates who qualify for the federal Pay as You Earn program. More than 24,000 graduates each year would ultimately be eligible for benefits under the proposal. Erie Community College in New York will pilot a predictive analytics system to support student retention efforts this fall. The $30,000 trial will help the college tailor interventions for an initial cohort of 2,000 students, with the goal of implementing

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the system college-wide by fall 2016. LaGuardia Community College in New York received an unrestricted $2 million contribution from Goldman Sachs. The donation will double the community college’s endowment and provide supports for students. New Jersey signed into law a series of bills that set new standards for high school career and technical programs, including requirements that each of the state’s public colleges have a dual-enrollment program with at least one technical high school. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell announced that Pathways to Prosperity would be a key part of the state’s college completion efforts. As part of the Delaware Promise, which pledges that 65 percent of Delaware’s workforce will earn a college degree or professional certificate by 2025, Pathways to Prosperity will build partnerships with employers, universities, and K-12 systems to provide high school students with specialized training, industry certificates, and college credit in high-demand fields such as IT, health care, and advanced manufacturing. Pennsylvania community colleges launched the College Credit FastTrack program, one of the nation’s first statewide prior learning assessment initiatives. FastTrack establishes a common standard for

awarding adult learners credits for training and work experiences across all 14 of the state’s community colleges. Overseen by Montgomery County Community College, the program was funded by a $2.5 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

PACIFIC REGION Arizona Gov. Doug Ducy’s budget proposal would cut all state funding for community colleges in Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa counties for the next fiscal year, with reductions in funding totaling $19 million. An economic impact study released by the Arizona Community College Coordinating Council has found that Arizona’s community colleges created $14.5 billion in economic impact for the state in the fiscal year 2013-2014, about 5.6 percent of Arizona’s GDP. According to Jack Lunsford, CEO of the Council, the return on investment for taxpayers is 3.6:1, and 11:1 for society as a whole. A California court has ruled that the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

(ACCJC) acted unlawfully when it terminated the City College of San Francisco’s accreditation in July 2013. San Francisco’s only community college was granted a two-year extension by ACCJC and will remain accredited for at least two years.

bill, a new community college system would be formed to replace the Department of Postsecondary Education, which currently also oversees K-12 education. Its members would be appointed by the governor, rather than elected.

The number of California community college students who earned associate degrees that streamlined transfers into Cal State schools doubled in 2013-14 from the previous year. The transfer program stems from 2010 legislation requiring community colleges to develop associate degrees for transfer and set targets for each campus and the system as a whole.

The West Virginia Community and Technical College System approved a new master plan focused on ensuring that the average fulltime student graduates within three years. The plan sets goals for eight in 10 entering freshmen completing initial college-level English and math requirements within roughly their first year of enrollment and will attempt to limit tuition increases to no more than 5 percent annually.

The Edmonds Community College Foundation in Washington surpassed its $1 million fundraising goal for its Boots to Books and Beyond campaign, which supports student veteran success initiatives. The program includes on-campus support services, emergency funds, peer mentoring, employee training, and an endowment for scholarships.

SOUTHERN REGION The Alabama House and Senate are considering a bill to create a new board to oversee the state’s 25 two-year colleges. Under the

Tennessee lawmakers introduced a bill that would create a Community College Reconnect Grant for adults who want to return to community college and complete associate degrees in applied science starting in 2016-17. The $1.5 million grant program would help improve attainment among the more than 900,000 adult Tennesseans with some college experience and no degree, lawmakers said. North Carolina has teamed up with Single Stop to leverage technology and counseling for community college completion efforts. The John M. Belk endowment is granting $9.6 million to colleges and organizations in North Carolina, of which $2.3 million will go to Central Piedmont Community College to boost remedial coursework.

Proposals under consideration in the North Carolina legislature would provide state support for year-round community college courses and student scholarships. In an effort to mitigate “summer melt,” one bill would add year-round funding to generate education courses that transfer to a four-year university, while Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed budget provides summer funding for community colleges. A separate bill would provide $5.5 million in funding for community college scholarships through 2018. A Florida senate committee approved a proposal that would require 17 of the state’s 28 community colleges to remove the word “state” from their names after 2015. Intended to reinforce the regional workforce mission of community colleges, the proposed bill would also create a oneyear process for approving new four-year degrees at community colleges, require any new BA programs to cost $10,000 or less, and limit the number of students pursuing bachelor degrees at any time to 5 percent.

WESTERN REGION The Colorado legislature has proposed a package of

workforce development bills that would create a pipeline connecting hard-to-staff industries with high school and college graduates. The bills would pay half the cost of internships for students working at advanced industry companies and fund mobile learning labs for community colleges, along with providing grants to skilled training programs and encourage apprenticeship and professional certificate programs. Kaiser Permanente has contributed $1.5 million to the Colorado Community College System, along with new matching grant programs for scholarships for students studying in community college health science programs at 15 community colleges statewide. The contribution is the largest received to date by the system’s Campaign for Colorado Community Colleges, and almost half of all students attending the state’s community colleges are studying health science. Kansas ranked first in the percentage of community college students going on to four-year degrees, in part due to statewide articulation agreements. A National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report said more than one-quarter of Kansas students who started at a public twoyear college finished with a degree from a four-year institution, significantly above the national average of 16.2 percent.

Around the Regions provides an opportunity to share what’s happening in the states and around the regions. This section focuses on state legislative and budgetary issues, economic development, and finance. Please e-mail items from press releases or newsletters to ACCT at dconner@acct.org. Fax submissions to 202-223-1297. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

LEGAL

Legal Issues Impacting Community Colleges Continued organizing of adjuncts, anti-bullying legislation, and First Amendment claims among recent developments.

THE FOLLOWING RECENT LEGAL ISSUES and developments are of importance to community college trustees and their institutions. As SEIU continues to organize adjuncts across the country, adjunct staff stages “national protest” of wages and working conditions. Adjunct professors across the country held demonstrations, distributed information, and staged minor walkouts on some campuses to call attention to their desire for better wages and working conditions. The events occurred in late February and were partially coordinated by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which is the lead union in organizing adjuncts in a

By Ira Michael Shepard ACCT General Counsel number of metropolitan areas across the nation. According to business news sources, the idea of a national adjunct day of action originated at San Jose State University in California and spread across the country via social media. The SEIU issued a statement that the union “supported and was allied with activist events in California, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York, Missouri, Florida, and Georgia.” Among participants in walkouts were unionized adjunct professors at the San Francisco Art Institute, who followed their students out of classrooms and conducted a “teach out.” Part-time professors at Seattle

“I do support your right to free speech—I just don’t support your tone.” 28

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University also walked off their jobs in a one-hour rally and march. The SEIU now claims to represent 23,000 non-tenure track faculty members across the country at both community colleges and fouryear colleges and universities. It continues to be active in its attempts to organize both adjunct faculty and full-time professors across the country and is concentrating its action in 11 metropolitan areas nationwide. Its recent successes include the organization of adjuncts at Bentley University in Boston, who had turned down representation a year ago but voted 108-42 in February to have the SEIU begin as their collective bargaining representative. Separately, full-time lecturers at Tufts University in Boston voted 52 to 25 in favor of SEIU representation, joining their part-time faculty colleagues who had already selected the SEIU as their bargaining representative. In one of the larger adjunct elections, part-time faculty at Boston University voted 319-158 in favor of SEIU representation of the adjunct unit of 799 professors. The SEIU now claims to represent 2,600 part-time faculty adjunct professors at four colleges and universities in the Boston area. Adjunct professors at three California colleges also voted for representation by the SEIU this year, including Dominican University in San Rafael, St. Mary’s College of California in Moraga, and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. While the SEIU’s most recent successes have been at four-year institutions, it is active in campaigning at urban community colleges with blocks of adjunct professors.

2014 BARBARA SMALLER THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION/THE CARTOON BANK

California’s new workplace antibullying law may encourage litigation and spread to other states. California’s new anti-bullying law, which became effective at the beginning of 2015, may be a precursor of other states enacting similar statutes. The law requires that all California employers with 50 or more employees that already are required to perform sexual harassment training for their employees must add new training for supervisors to prevent “abusive conduct” in the workplace. The new law mandates training for supervisors only and does not create a private right of action. Many commentators believe that a private right of action may be added by the legislature later, or that enterprising plaintiff lawyers may argue that the state’s public policy now prohibits “abusive conduct” in the workplace and therefore bullying and abusive conduct in the workplace should be added as a public policy exception to employment at will within the state. Under the statute, “abusive conduct” is defined as conduct of an employer or employee with malice that a reasonable person would find hostile, offensive, and unrelated to an employer’s legitimate business interests. The conduct may include verbal abuse, such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets; verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; or the gratuitous sabotage or undermining of a person’s work performance. First Amendment retaliation claims by tenured psychologist who was fired after publicly criticizing proposed education cuts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently reversed a trial court decision dismissing the complaint of a tenured school psychologist who had been fired after publicly criticizing a local principal’s cuts in individualized instruction for

special education students. The appeals court ruled that the psychologist plaintiff should be given a trial over his allegations as he raised a viable First Amendment claim against the school district, the principal, and the local school board because a jury could reasonably conclude that the plaintiff’s protected speech was the real motivation for his discharge (Koehn v. Tobias, 2015 BL 40885 7th Cir., No. 14-3039 unpublished 2/18/15). During the plaintiff’s five years of employment as a tenured psychologist, he had only one performance review when performance reviews were supposed to be conducted every other year. After stating that the cuts may violate applicable state and federal law, the plaintiff was warned about insubordination. He made a similar complaint to an outside consultant of the state board of education and copied the local school representative, and then continued his complaints at a staff meeting attended by the outside consultant to the State Board of Education. The school board found no impropriety in the cuts to special ed instruction. The plaintiff was ultimately terminated because of concerns over his access to student confidential files and “inappropriate communications designed to criticize the principal’s decisions.” In ruling that the plaintiff was entitled to a trial of his First Amendment claims, the appeals court noted that the school district’s “sudden preoccupation with his job performance, many months after the evaluation was due, is ‘too convenient’ to allow summary judgment in favor of the School Board.” The court also concluded that a jury could find that the school board was ready to allow the plaintiff’s deficiencies to “fall into the cracks” until he began criticizing the principal’s decisions. University professor loses FMLA and civil rights retaliation claims after appeals court affirms dismissal

by lower court. In another recent decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the court rejected a plaintiff’s Family and Medical Leave Act and race retaliation claims, affirming a trial court decision dismissing the case. The plaintiff, a professor at Chicago State University, claimed he was not appointed acting department chair in retaliation for taking FMLA leave and because he was black under the Civil Rights Act of 1866; both claims were dismissed (Carter v. Chicago State University, 7th Cir., no., 13-3376, 2/11/15). The professor claimed that the temporal proximity of his taking FMLA leave and the appointment of the acting department chair “raised a suspicion of discriminatory intent.” The trial court, with approval of the appeals court, rejected this claim holding that “we do not find a span of seven months suspicious.” Regarding the race discrimination claim, the court observed that the plaintiff provided no direct evidence of discrimination. Moreover, the court noted that the plaintiff provided no “indirect” evidence of discrimination along the lines that the person appointed acting department chair was not less qualified than him. Finally, the court concluded that the record contains evidence that the plaintiff was actually less qualified than the person named acting department chair because he had refused to teach several classes, had student complaints about the quality of his teaching, and had been removed from the department chair position in the past.

Ira Michael Shepard is a partner with the law firm of Saul Ewing, LLP, in Washington, D.C., and ACCT’s general counsel. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

2015 NEW TRUSTEE ACADEMY HELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Community college trustees, presidents, and professional board staff from 17 states focused on the basic principles of effective governance.

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

New

Trustees and Their Presidents

Gather in Washington, D.C., for the 2015 New Trustees Academy FORTY TRUSTEES, PRESIDENTS, AND PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF FROM 17 STATES PARTICIPATED IN THE 2015 New Trustee Academy, held in conjunction with the 2015 Community College National Legislative Summit. States represented included Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The day-long New Trustees Academy helped attendees understand the basic principles of effective board governance, such as Boardsmanship 101, state and federal advocacy, fiduciary responsibilities, parliamentary procedures and Robertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rules of Order, student success and outcomes, collaborating with the media, and the board-CEO relationship. ACCT extends thanks to the expert speakers who contributed to the event, including Maryland Financial Planners President and CEO Brad Young, CFP/CTFA, a former trustee at Frederick Community College (Md.); American Association of Community Colleges Associate Vice President, Research & Student Success Kent Phillippe; Anne Arundel Community College (Md.) Vice President, Learner Support Services Felicia Patterson; and Chronicle of Higher Education Senior Reporter Jack Stripling.

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2015 DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE HELD IN MIAMI, FLORIDA

Community college leaders came together in Miami to learn about diversity-related best practices.

FEBRUARY 26-28, 2015

2015 Governance Leadership Institute on Diversity TRUSTEES, PRESIDENTS, AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY GATHERED IN MIAMI, FLORIDA, for the 2015 ACCT Governance Leadership Institute on Diversity. Graciously hosted by Miami Dade College, the two-and-a-half day institute included a broad array of topical discussions and instruction on how to develop a campus-wide diversity plan. 2014-15 ACCT Chair Robin M. Smith and Diversity Committee Chair Robert Proctor, both trustees at Lansing Community College in Michigan, participated in candid and of-the-moment dialogue with other attendees and guest speakers, who included five outstanding Miami Dade College students — June Bruno, Myles Bryant, Cristian Enamorado, Nirva Pierre-Toussaint, and Daniela Rangel. Other esteemed speakers included: • Jose Vicente, President of Miami Dade College — Wolfson Campus • Lenore Rodicio, Provost of Academic and Student Affairs at Miami Dade College • Marie M. Vallejo, Provost at Palm Beach State College — Lake Worth Campus • J. Luke Wood, Associate Professor, Community College Leadership; Director, Doctoral Program Concentration in Community College Leadership at San Diego State University

•F rank Harris, Associate Professor, Postsecondary Education; Co-Director, Minority Male Community College Collaborative at San Diego State University • Anthony Bradley, Director of Emergency Management at Miami Dade College • Raimundo Socorro, Director of the School of Justice at Miami Dade College

“Impressive presentations, knowledgeable speakers.” TOPICS • The Role of the Board in Fostering Diversity • Diversity from the Student’s Perspective • The Complexity of Diversity from Gender Identity to the New Definition of Inclusiveness • How to Develop a Campus-Wide Diversity Plan • Advancing Success of Minority Males in Community Colleges • Redesigning for Student Success • The Unique Journey of Becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution • Diversifying Leadership • Staff and Faculty • The Impact of Headlines on Campus Security and Campus Dialogue

Students discussed their diverse experiences at Miami Dade College. T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

2015 GOVERNANCE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE HELD IN NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Participants exchange T-shirts from their colleges.

MARCH 19-21, 2015

2015 Governance Leadership Institute THIS MARCH 19-21, OVER 30 TRUSTEES, PRESIDENTS, AND FACULTY FROM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY CONVENED IN New York City for the 2015 Governance Leadership Institute. Hosted by the Borough of Manhattan Community College, the two-and-a-half day institute included presentations by Kay McClenney, former director of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement and former adjunct faculty member, Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at The University of Texas at Austin; Bryon McClenney, director of Student Success Initiatives at the University of Texas, Austin, and national director of leadership coaching for Achieving the Dream; Jay Hershenson, senior vice chancellor for university relations and secretary of the board of trustees from the City University of New York (CUNY); Antonio Perez, president of Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY; Margaret M. McMenamin, president of Union County College; Belinda Miles, president of Westchester Community College; and Maureen Murphy, president of Brookdale Community College. Inside Higher Ed Editor Scott Jaschik also presented, discussing current trends in higher education and strategies for trustees and presidents to keep community colleges in the headlines.

“The GLI handbook and PowerPoint presentation are very useful tools to bring back to my board.” TOPICS • Key Indicators of an Effective Board • What Trustees Need to Know about Outcomes • Quality and Student Success, When Innovations Work: A CUNY Perspective • Addressing the Economic Needs of the Community: From Presidential Perspectives • Ranging from 20+ years to the New President on the Block • Strategies for the New Normal

Community college leaders come together in New York City for a unique experience to accelerate the learning process and orient new trustees with the basics of boardsmanship.

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• What Trustees Need to Know: From Running Effective Meetings to Fostering Collaboration across the College • Presidential Evaluation as a Leadership Tool

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.

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.

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 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. Download the report online or email publicpolicy@acct.org for your free copy. Also see page 23 for information about our special report on student loan defaults.

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Trustee Quarterly is the two-time APEX Award for Publication Excellence-winning membership magazine of the Association of Community College Trustees. ACCT publishes three issues of Trustee Quarterly each year, which is circulated among approximately 9,000 community college trustees, presidents, chancellors, professional board staff, and select federal officials and philanthropic leaders.

Sponsorship Rates for Trustee Quarterly Magazine Frequency

1 issue

2 issues

Magazine Ad Sizes (width by height) All measurements are in inches.

4/color $5,000 $5,000 $4,500 $4,000 $8,000

$4,700 $4,700 $4,200 $3,700 $7,700

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Full Page

$3,000

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Spread

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Back Cover Inside Front CV Inside Back CV Full Page Spread

Black and White

Contact: David Conner Managing Editor Trustee Quarterly 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20036 202.775.4454 E-mail: dconner@acct.org

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Inside Back CV

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Full Page

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Spread

17” x 11”

17.25” x 11.25” Includes .125” bleed all around. Keep type .375” within final trim size.

3 issues

3-time discount =

20%

Artwork Requirements All images should be CMYK or black and white and 300 dpi. Please send all finished ads as high resolution PDFs with the fonts embedded, preferably exported as a PDFx1a file.

Note: As ACCT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, Trustee Quarterly sponsorship pages must not explicitly advertise specific products or services for sale. Sponsorships may state a company’s mission statement, goals, describe services, and include brand recognition and direct readers to more information on the company’s website. Contact the Trustee Quarterly managing editor with any questions regarding the nature of proposed sponsorship pages.

It’s Not About Filling Seats…It’s About Building Futures 30% DISCOUNT!

THE FUTURES SERIES ON COMMUNITY COLLEGES Series Editors: Richard L. Alfred and Debbie Sydow

Bringing together the experiences and forward-thinking of today’s visionary community college leaders, Rowman & Littleﬁeld and co-publishing partner ACCT are pleased to announce the new Futures Series on Community Colleges.

TITLES ON DISPLAY AT THE 2015 LEADERSHIP CONGRESS IN SAN DIEGO

Visit www.rowman.com for full info, including complete Tables of Contents for any of these titles New

Forthcoming

The Process and Practice of the American Community College

Context, Challenges, and Capabilities

Minding the Dream Second Edition

BY GAIL O. MELLOW AND CYNTHIA M. HEELAN

BY PAMELA L. EDDY, DEBBIE SYDOW, RICHARD L. ALFRED AND REGINA L. GARZA MITCHELL

2015 • 386 pages 978-1-4758-1103-2 • $55.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-1102-5 • $110.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-1104-9 • $54.99 • eBook

August 2015 • 136 pages 978-1-4758-2033-1 • $26.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-1100-1 • $52.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-1101-8 • $25.99 • eBook

Forthcoming

The Urgency of Now Equity and Excellence

BY MARCUS M. KOLB, SAMUEL D. CARGILE, JASON WOOD, NASSIM EBRAHIMI, LYNN E. PRIDDY AND LAUREN DODGE

Forthcoming

Unrelenting Change, Disruptive Innovation, and Risk Forging the Next Generation of Community Colleges BY DANIEL J. PHELAN

September 2015 • 150 pages 978-1-4758-1451-4 • $26.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-1450-7 • $52.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-1452-1 • $25.99 • eBook

November 2015 • 150 pages 978-1-4758-2061-4 • $26.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-1263-3 • $52.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-1264-0 • $25.99 • eBook

Forthcoming

Financing America’s Community Colleges Where We Are, Where We’re Going

BY RICHARD M. ROMANO AND JAMES C. PALMER October 2015 • 150 pages 978-1-4758-1063-9 • $26.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-1062-2 • $52.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-1064-6 • $25.99 • eBook

Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders

The Completion Agenda in Community Colleges What It Is, Why It Matters, and Where It’s Going BY CHRIS BALDWIN

December 2015 • 150 pages 978-1-4758-2068-3 • $26.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-0948-0 • $52.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-0949-7 • $25.99 • eBook

Forthcoming

Institutional Analytics

Building a Culture of Evidence BY KAREN STOUT

June 2016 • 150 pages 978-1-4758-2073-7 • $26.00 • Paper 978-1-4758-2072-0 • $52.00 • Cloth 978-1-4758-2074-4 • $25.99 • eBook

Mention promotion code CCS15 and SAVE 30% on any title in the Series! Call 1-800-462-6420 or visit www.rowman.com to order online

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 Jim Beasley 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 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* Jeanne M. Gavish 36

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 John W. Hawley 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 Bonnie B. Kelley 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 Judy R. Parker di G. Pauly Debra Pearson James R. Perry George Potter Pattie Powell Naomi Pursel Raymond Reddrick Rebecca L. Redman Mehdi M. Ressallat 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 James Smith Joshua L. Smith William J. Smith Lillie J. Solomon* Lynda Stanley Betty K. Steege Victor F. Stewart, Jr.* James Stribling* Pete Tafoya David H. Talley 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 Linden A. Warfel William C . Warren Nancy Watkins Lauren A. Welch Denise Wellons-Glover Mary Beth Williams Ruby Jo 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

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

Lifetime Members receive complimentary registration to all ACCT meetings, including the Annual Leadership Congress and the National Legislative Summit, after retiring from their local boards.

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

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.

Achieving the Dream, Washington, D.C.

Eastern Gateway Community College, Ohio

Dr. Karen Stout President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Jimmie Bruce President

Former President Montgomery County Community College, Pennsylvania “Karen Stout is the right person at the right time. The Board and I are delighted that she will lead ATD and its network of exceptional community colleges toward institutional transformation and greater student success. Dr. Stout is particularly committed to seeing low-income students and students of color achieve their full potential and receive the support they need to do so. She has demonstrated that she has the stature and experience to enable ATD and its colleges to meet the challenges and realize their potential at this pivotal time in higher education.” — Dr. Robert Templin, Chair, Board of Directors

Tacoma Community College, Washington Dr. Sheila Ruhland President Former President Moraine Park Technical College, Wisconsin “Dr. Ruhland impressed the campus and the Board with her energy, passion, and experience. She is deeply committed to student success, and we are pleased to have her dynamic leadership at Tacoma Community College.” — Liz Dunbar, Chair, Board of Trustees

Former Vice President of Academic Success Northwest Vista College, Alamo Colleges, Texas “Dr. Jimmie Bruce possesses the leadership skills, experiences, and qualities that will successfully lead EGCC into the future. I would like to thank ACCT for actively recruiting an extremely competitive pool of highcaliber candidates.” — John Gilmore, Chair, Board of Trustees

CURRENT SEARCHES Bellevue College, Wash. Executive Director of the Bellevue College Foundation Bellingham Technical College, Wash. President Blinn College, Texas President Bronx Community College, City University of New York, N.Y. President Community College League of California, Calif. President & CEO Contra Costa College, Calif. President Foothill-De Anza Community College District, Calif. Chancellor Hocking College, Ohio President Ocean County College, N.J. Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Olympic College, Wash. Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Victoria College, Texas President For information, go to www.acctsearches.org or contact narcisa_polonio@acct.org.

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Vice Presidential Searches ACCT’s Board Leadership Services is now providing assistance to chancellors and presidents looking to identify a new member of the executive leadership team for the college or district. We are pleased to announce the completion of the following searches for provosts and vice presidents.

Tulsa Community College, Oklahoma Dr. Cynthia Hess Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer Former Associate Dean for Communications, Southeast Campus Tulsa Community College, Oklahoma “Dr. Hess represents both a commitment to the classroom and an expertise in academic and operational leadership that is critical as we focus on future goals in transfer and workforce opportunities for our students. Most of all, she represents a commitment to the community college mission and its value in the higher education journey for our students and citizens.”

— Dr. Leigh B. Goodson, President and CEO

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.

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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SPRING 2015

Board Services The Board Leadership Services staff and consultants of the Association of Community College Trustees are pleased to have assisted in the following services to ACCT member boards of trustees and presidents.

ACCT’s Retreat and Workshop Services help trustees carry out their responsibilities effectively in a complex and changing environment. ACCT provides lay trustees with the knowledge, understanding, and skills that enable college leadership to meet institutional missions successfully. Retreats can strengthen communication and understanding among board members, leading to a more productive working group. Moreover, the example set by a board that regularly engages in professional development becomes a model for the rest of the institution. ACCT has the expertise, support, and fee flexibility to tailor retreats and workshops to meet the specific needs of any board. Our services are unique and derive their strength from the following: • A singular focus on the two-year community and technical college sector. • A 35-year history of outstanding service to boards of trustees in colleges and districts throughout the United States and abroad. • A range of retreat, workshop, and consultative services that address specific issues as well as setting the stage for long-term success. • Experience conducting over 300 retreats for community colleges all over the country. • Services that can be customized to a board’s exact needs and budget. • Highly qualified facilitators and consultants who include former trustees, presidents, and scholars with proven track records and expertise.

BOARD RETREATS ACCT would like to thank the following colleges which have taken advantage of our Board Retreat Services. Alvin Community College, Texas

Mendocino College, Calif.

Community College of Allegheny County, Pa.

Mott Community College, Mich.

Community College of Beaver County, Pa.

Muskegon Community College, Mich.

Community College of Philadelphia, Pa.

Niagara County Community College, N.Y.

Hocking College, Ohio

Solano Community College, Calif.

Gateway Community and Technical College, Ky.

SUNY-Sullivan County Community College, N.Y.

Kern Community College District, Calif.

Treasure Valley Community College, Ore.

Little Priest Tribal College, Neb.

BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENTS AND PRESIDENTIAL EVALUATIONS ACCT would like to thank the following colleges which have taken advantage of our Board and/or President Evaluation Services.

College of Southern Idaho, Idaho

Ozarka College, Ark.

Niagara County Community College, N.Y.

South Puget Sound Community College, Wash.

Oglala Lakota College, S.D.

Treasure Valley Community College, Ore.

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NET WORK NEWS SPRING 2015

INTERFACE

A PUBLICATION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF NETWORK IN COOPERATION WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES

PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF MEMBER 2014-2015 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Your Connection to ACCT

OFFICERS

IN OKLAHOMA, WE ARE FACING EITHER BUDGET CUTS OR A

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

flat budget. While the verdict is still out for us, as budgets become tighter and funding dwindles across the nation, we need to assist each other by sharing ways to save money.

Christina Heskett, Vice President Executive Assistant to the President Hillsborough Community College, Florida cheskett@hccfl.edu Alonia Sharps, Secretary Chief of Staff Prince George’s Community College, Maryland sharpsac@pgcc.edu Debbie Novak, Immediate Past President Assistant to the College President Colorado Mountain College, Colorado dnovak@coloradomtn.edu

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Heather Lanham Executive Assistant to the President Edison Community College, Ohio hlanham@edisonohio.edu Carla Patee Executive Assistant to the President And Clerk for the Board Dodge City Community College, Kansas cpatee@dc3.edu Sherri Bowen Director to the President Forsyth Technical Community College, North Carolina sbowen@forsythtech.edu Margaret Lamb Executive Assistant to the Chancellor San Diego Community College District, California mlamb@sdccd.edu Jane Thomas Executive Associate to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees Chesapeake College, Maryland jthomas@chesapeake.edu

As these cuts become a reality, our students, faculty, and staff are feeling the effects in many ways. Tuition and fees are rising, salary increases are slim or none, and staffing is at a minimum. Amid all these cuts, the quality of education at community colleges remains a good value. A well-educated workforce is imperative for the economic future of our nation. Let’s all do our part to keep it this way. We may all have to wear several hats when all is said and done, but our students are well worth it. Being a part of the ACCT Professional Board Staff Network (PBSN) has been a highlight of my career as an administrative assistant to the president and secretary to the Board of Regents of Seminole State College. This year has been especially rewarding to me as president of the PBSN. Getting to know the ladies and gentlemen that are part of this network has been wonderful. I know that I have made some lifelong friends, and I am part of a network that can help me in an instant when I need it. I recently polled the network for some information about trustee/board orientation, and the response was amazing. I received so much great information from the membership, it was unbelievable. This organization is the most responsive group I have ever seen. I would like to encourage all of you to be active in the PBSN. It is an invaluable group of people, and we can help each other in many ways. The PBSN Executive Committee is diligently working on the sessions for the 2015 ACCT Leadership Congress, to be held October 14-17 in sunny and warm San Diego, California. The theme for this year’s Congress is “High Expectations: The New Community College Model.” We hope to have informative and useful sessions for you to attend. Think about running for a spot on the Executive Committee for PBSN. It is a small commitment with big rewards. Remember, we are here for you. Please contact any of us if you have issues, questions, or problems, and don’t forget to “like” our Facebook page, “ACCT Professional Board Staff Network.”

MECHELL DOWNEY SEMINOLE STATE COLLEGE, OKLAHOMA

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

SPRING 2015

NET WORK NEWS SPRING 2015

INTERFACE

A PUBLICATION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF NETWORK IN COOPERATION WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES

Becoming a 21st Century Trustee By Christina M. Heskett, Hillsborough Community College, Florida

THE WORDS “21ST CENTURY” CAN BE USED TO DESCRIBE many things, but for the professional board staff member, the term “trustee” is not usually one of them. For those of us born prior to 1970, who watched the Apollo 11 lunar landing and marveled at the technological advancements of mankind and who stood helplessly by as computers moved from the office to the family room, as video games replaced playing outside, and as cell phones replaced, well, everything, the digital age can be daunting. Now, that’s not to say that our stewards of education don’t have the ability or desire to learn how to use these electronic wonders; rather, it’s the transition and letting go of old routines that can be most overwhelming. I personally have railed against buying a so-called

Professional Board Staff Network executive committee, 2014-15.

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smartphone, much to the chagrin of my president, but I know that I am losing this battle and need to make the change before I lose the technology war. Having acknowledged that, I can now say without a doubt that it is imperative that the modern trustee also begin this transition sooner rather than later so as not to be left behind. In August 2013, Hillsborough Community College (HCC) transitioned to electronic board packets and, over the course of several months, phased out the use of the oft-misplaced paper agenda. We never looked back. This was only the beginning of the transition to a paperless board, the “one small step for man” moment for the college, and a turning point in helping the board take that “one giant leap” into the digital age.

NET WORK NEWS SPRING 2015

INTERFACE

A PUBLICATION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF NETWORK IN COOPERATION WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES

When asked about the transition, HCC Board Chair Randall Reid stated that “the days of not embracing new technology are about over. Technological advances dominate our lives, so I think I speak for everyone on our board in saying we welcomed the transition. Additionally, I think the world has come around to embracing sustainability, and we all appreciate less paper.” HCC Vice Chair MarDee Buchman added that “the transition was seamless and promotes a new level of efficiency for our board meetings.” As a student of computer science, the transition seemed simple enough: upload the agenda each month on the date that the paper agenda would normally have been couriered to the board. That’s not to say that the transition did not have its difficulties. Problems which were not anticipated included having to wait for e-documents from each department, not being able to wirelessly connect at off-site meetings, difficulty syncing devices prior to a meeting, and presentations that were too large to upload, just to name a few. These were basically behind-the-scenes issues that rarely impacted the trustees. With each challenge, though, we were able to problem-solve and either correct it or provide a temporary workaround. And as each meeting went by, we became more and more adept at preparation and implementation. It has been almost two years since our transition, and we are finding new and exciting ways to utilize this technology to deliver information to our board. For example, during ACCT’s National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., the board’s

flight information, hotel reservations, maps, invitations, agendas, fact sheets, and other materials were organized and stored on their iPads for easy access. The last-minute additions and changes that occurred after trustees had boarded their flights were made with ease and a simple sync of the device was all that was needed upon arrival. Knowing that the software isn’t just limited to meeting use can increase its value and help justify the cost, if any, in purchasing it. Most of these applications can also be used to store the board orientation manual, college/campus information, budget information, campus maps, and other documents that a trustee should have readily available with the push of a button or the swipe of a stylus. At the ACCT Leadership Congress last October, many professional board staff members expressed concern that their trustees may not be open to using electronic devices or transitioning to a paperless process. But just because HCC started the paperless process with the board agenda doesn’t mean it has to begin there for you. If you, as a trustee or an assistant, have a desire to make a change, we are there to help ease you through this transition. It can begin with something as simple as a meeting notice — but it has to begin somewhere. All each of us really needs to effect real change is a little patience, flexibility, and the willingness to adapt. The paperless process is (to quote the Martin Scorsese film The Aviator) “the way of the future,” and the future is now.

ACCT Recognizes Outstanding Professional Board Staff PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF NETWORK MEMBERS are some of the hardest-working, most committed people working at community colleges. We want to help you get the recognition you deserve. Each year, ACCT recognizes outstanding professional board staff from each of the association’s five regions. It’s our way of saying “thank you” and helping you to get the recognition you deserve. Nominate yourself or colleagues at www.acct.org. The nomination process is simple and there’s no fee to enter — just make sure to submit your nomination by the June 16 deadline. Contact awards@acct.org with questions or for more information. Regional and association-wide awards will be presented this October during the 2015 ACCT Leadership Congress in San Diego, California. We look forward to seeing you there!

2014 Professional Board Staff Member ACCT Awardee Jeannie Odle from Chemeketa Community College T R U S T E E Q U A RT E R LY

SPRING 2015

advisor

2015-2016 Candidates for the ACCT Board of Directors REGIONAL DIRECTOR (1) Three-Year Term in Each Region The following is the slate of nominees: Central Region William Kelley* Harper College, IL Northeast Region Debra Borden* Frederick Community College, MD Pacific Region Emily Yim* Edmonds Community College, WA Southern Region Randall Jackson* Midlands Technical College, SC Western Region Jerry Cook* Johnson County Community College, KS

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE (3) Three-Year Terms (1) One-Year Partial Term The following is the slate of nominees: Stanley Edwards* Halifax Community College, NC Rafael Turner* Mott Community College, MI *Candidates with an asterisk received the support of their respective Regional Nominating Committees. Nominations must be received by July 1, 2015 in order to appear in the fall 2015 issue of Advisor. Note: Nominations will be accepted from the floor on all elections.

2014-2015 Candidates for the ACCT Diversity Committee (1) Two-Year Term in Each Region The following is the slate of nominees:

Pacific Region VACANT

Central Region Jay Nardini* Hawkeye Community College, IA

Western Region Carlton Underwood* Central Wyoming College, WY

Northeast Region Warren Hayman* The Community College of Baltimore County, MD Candidates with an asterisk received the support of their respective Regional Nominating Committees. Note: Nominations will be accepted from the floor on all elections. 44

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NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE Deadline for Receipt is July 1, 2015

You are encouraged to submit your nomination via email to nominations@acct.org.

Director-at-Large Nomination Process

Nominations for Director-at-Large positions will be accepted at the ACCT office until July 1, 2015. Each member of the Board of Directors at the time of election must be a member of a Voting Member. Voting Members are defined as governing and advisory boards of accredited not-for-profit community-based postsecondary educational institutions that primarily offer programs other than baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees, including boards of state systems that include such institutions. According to the ACCT Bylaws, no more than one (1) member from any member board may serve as an elected member on the ACCT Board of Directors at the same time. If you wish to run for a Director-at- Large seat in Chicago during the 2015 Annual ACCT Leadership Congress and appear in the Advisor, you are required to notify the ACCT President at the Washington, D.C., office in writing of your intent to run. Your notification must be received with a postmark date of July 1, 2015, or by electronic mail (preferred method) by close of business on July 1, 2015. The President will send candidate information received within the prescribed postmarked deadline to the ACCT membership in September. Official notification from candidates shall consist of: • A letter of declaration to run for office; • A letter of support from the individual’s board; • A one-page résumé that should focus on community collegerelated service and other civic activities and may include brief information on education and occupation; • A narrative statement, not to exceed 150 words, on qualifications (electronically preferred), for inclusion in voting materials to be printed; • A 5” x 7” head-and-shoulders photo, preferably color (photos will not be returned), or a color electronic version (preferred)—300 dpi or higher; and • A n optional single letter of support from an ACCT member board. This letter of support must be limited to one page. You are encouraged to submit your nomination online. Please e-mail your nomination to nominations@ acct.org. ACCT will respond to your submission via e-mail within three working days. Please contact ACCT Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee at jhlee@acct.org if you do NOT receive a response within three working days. Nominations will also be accepted via standard mail (return receipt requested). Mail nominations to: ACCT President, 1101 17th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036.

ACCT PUBLICATIONS To order any ACCT publication, please fill out the form below and email it to acctinfo@acct.org 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

Tribal Colleges and Universities Governing Boards: Structure and Composition

$10 $12

member* non-member*

Public Community College Governing Boards: Structure and Composition

$10 $12

member* non-member*

History of the Association of Community College Trustees: 1972 – 2012

$40 $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

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The Trustee’s Role in Effective Advocacy: What Trustees Need to Know About Exercising Their Voices and Influence on Behalf of Community Colleges (2009)

$24 $28

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The Board Chair: A Guide for Leading Community College Boards

$15 $20

member* non-member*

Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide to Effective Governance

$30 $40

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Community College Trustees: Leading on Behalf of Their Communities

$30 $40

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TOTAL

*Please check whether you are a member or non-member

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

POSTAGE $ TOTAL $ Total enclosed $ Name: College: Address: ACCT MEMBERS Use any of these methods to order: Email: acctinfo@acct.org Call: 202.470.4379 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

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

or bill:

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