acct fall 2010

fall 2010

41st Annual Leadership Congress Preview | Trustees and Transfer

Trustees will play a critical role in balancing community college

access with success. College Completion

Meeting the

challenge

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1T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y F A L L 2 0 1 0 1

At the time we convened in new York citYtwo years ago for the 2008 ACCT Leadership Congress, our nation was entering a profound economic downturn. During that meeting, I remember hearing an ambient hum as people were beginning to quietly discuss how the then-forecasted economic slowdown would affect their colleges and their students. Today, we have seen the impact all across the country, with skyrocketing enrollments and slashed state budgets that have forced reductions in funding for community colleges and put us to the test.

In the process, we have demonstrated that community colleges are indispensable to reinvigorating the economy. This message has resonated not only among our

peer trustees, but also among the public. We have heard this message delivered by President Obama, by U.S. Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill, and in the mainstream news media.

The truth is that while all of us are feeling the painful effects of the recession, we are also feeling the overwhelming importance of our mission and service to our communities. As we continue our commitment to achieving improved student completion rates and developing our own accountability measures — tremendously important and game-changing initiatives — growing pains are inevitable. But in the end, we will be left standing taller and stronger, and we’ll be grateful for the lessons we will have learned along the way.

The 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress will set the foundation for the next decade of community college growth and development. It offers an unparalleled opportunity for leaders to interact with top experts to identify and discuss the forces reshaping the economy, education, government, and social networking. In other words, it is not a meeting any of us can afford to miss.

I look forward to seeing you this October 20-23 in Toronto, Canada, to exchange ideas and insights and to help recognize many of you for your outstanding accomplishments and proven commitment to the community college movement.

As community college leaders, we’re in a unique position to make an important difference in the lives of our students and in our communities. Keep up the great work! Together, we have accomplished much and will accomplish even more in the years ahead.

thomAs m. BennettPArklAnd college, illinois

From the Chair

The Challenges and Rewards of Growth

BOARD Of DIReCTORS 2010-2011

Chair

Thomas M. Bennett Parkland College, IL

Chair-ElECt Peter E. Sercer, Sr.

Midlands Technical College, SC

ViCE Chair Roberto Uranga

Long Beach City College, CA

SECrEtary-trEaSurEr Celia M. Turner

Mott Community College, MI

immEdiatE PaSt Chair Arthur C. Anthonisen

Orange County Community College, NY

CEntral rEgional Chair Jean Torgeson

North Iowa Area Community College, IA

northEaSt rEgional Chair James R. Perry

Union County College, NJ

PaCifiC rEgional Chair Rebecca Garcia

Cabrillo College, CA

SouthErn rEgional Chair Gregory Schuckman

Northern Virginia Community College, VA

WEStErn rEgional Chair Robert Feit

Southeast Community College, NE

Denise Chachere St. Louis Community College, MO

Willam E. Coleman, Jr. Mercer County Community College, NJ

Anita Grier City College of San Francisco, CA

Walter Howald, Diversity Committee Chair Coast Community College District, CA

Jeffrey A. May Joliet Junior College, IL

P.G. Peeples Kentucky Community & Technical College System, KY

James K. Polk Illinois Central College, IL

John W. Sanders John A. Logan College, IL

Donald L. Singer San Bernardino Community College District, CA

Roberta “Bobbi” Shulman Montgomery College, MD

Dorothy “Dottie” Smith State Center Community College District, CA

Carmie Lynn Toulouse Central New Mexico Community College, NM

Nancy Watkins Hillsborough Community College, FL

Frederick Whang Tacoma Community College, WA

f a l l 2 0 1 0 T R U S T E E Q U a R T E R l Y2

TrusTeeQuArTerLY

The Voice of Community College leaders

fall 2010

Your opinion Matters

ConTaCT:David Conner(866) 895-aCCT (2228)[email protected]

TRUSTEE QUARTERLY (ISSn 0271-9746) is published four times per year as a membership service of the association of Community College Trustees (aCCT). aCCT is a not-for-profit educational organization of governing boards of public and private community, technical, and junior colleges. Membership is also open to state coordinating boards, advisory boards, and state associations. The mission of aCCT is to foster greater understanding of and appreciation for community college boards; support boards in their efforts to develop public policies focusing on meeting community needs; help build board governance leadership and advocacy capacity through in-service education and training programs; and support boards through specialized services and programs.

opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and values of the association of Community College Trustees.

non-members may subscribe to TRUSTEE QUARTERLY for $60.00 per year (plus postage for international subscriptions). Third-class postage paid at Washington, D.C.

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1233 20th Street, nW, Suite 301Washington DC 20036

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Editorial Team

EDIToR-In-CHIEf J. noah BrownPresident & CEO

ManagIng EDIToR David ConnerMarketing & Communications Specialist

EDIToRMark toner

ConTRIBUTIng WRITERSJee Hang LeeDirector of Public Policy

narcisa a. polonio, ed.D. Vice President, Education, Research & Board Leadership Services

ira Michael shepard ACCT Legal Counsel

EDIToRIal aSSoCIaTESKit Gray Laura peters

from the President & CEo

This summer broughT all of us in aCCT’s Washington, D.C., office a significant and historic opportunity, as we were graced by a visit from one of the association’s original founders, M. Dale Ensign. It was Dale’s passion and dedication that helped bring about ACCT in the early 1970s. Dale recalled that when he proposed branching off a new Association of Community College Trustees from the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges to better meet the needs of community college trustees, he was told by most that the new association would fail within a year. This year, ACCT is proud to welcome 22 new member colleges (see News, p.9), and as you will read in Jee Hang Lee’s Advocacy column, ACCT is now

more than ever having a tremendous impact on establishing the community college as the higher education model of the future.

How do we define success? That is a question that all of us are asking, and it is the reason ACCT has partnered with AACC and The College Board in developing the Voluntary Framework of Accountability. It is the question that led to the establishment of the new ACCT Governance Institute for Student Success, which was launched this September in Ohio with the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Preliminary results of the Voluntary Framework of Accountability will be announced during the 41st Annual ACCT Leadership Congress this October. As you will see in this issue of Trustee Quarterly, the Congress will feature a wealth of other information, as well, including more than 100 educational sessions and workshops, and keynote speeches from brilliant leaders, including Mark Milliron of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Richard A. Desich Sr., an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur and an outstanding advocate of community colleges, having served 35 years on the board of Lorain County Community College in Ohio.

Knowing that about 1,200 community college trustees, presidents, board staff, faculty members, and others will convene shortly at the meeting of ACCT — the association he was told would never survive into the future — moved M. Dale Ensign tremendously. As President and CEO of ACCT, I know that the secret to the association’s success is that every one of our member trustees has the same level of commitment and dedication as Dale. I look forward to seeing you this October, and working with you well into the future to realize the potential of our visionary model of higher education.

J. noah brownaCCT PresidenT and Ceo

Reflecting on the Future

J. noah Brown (left) with M. Dale Ensign.

T R U S T E E Q U a R T E R l Y f a l l 2 0 1 0 3

TRUSTEE QUaRTERlY | fall 2010

DEPaRTMEnTS

fEaTURES

Contents 8 AdvocAcy

Meeting the Challenge:

Striving for First Place

Jee Hang Lee

31 LEGAL Despite High Court Ruling, Campus

Gun Bans Remain on Solid Ground

Ira Michael Shepard

37 cAsE stUdy The single-issue Trustee:

Champion or distraction?

Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D.

1 From the chair

2 From the President & cEo

4 News

18 Around the Regions

34 searches and Retreats

41 Interface

44 Advisor

In EVERY ISSUE

10 Q&A: Martha J. Kanter and Jane oates

14 trustees and transfer: Building Partnerships to Improve Graduation Rates Stephen J. Handel 16 technology’s Place in strategic Planning John F. Speer

Trustees can play a key role in ensuring that technology is represented in their colleges’ strategic plans.

22 Reinvigorating the Economy: Renewing our commitment to Access, Excellence, and student success

A preview of the 41st Annual ACCT Leadership Congress.

Trustees &Transfer14 22

8

25%

Cert no. SW-COC-001551

CoVER IllUSTRaTIon BY MaTT foSTER


NEwS2010 ACCT Regional Awards Announced Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the 2010 ACCT Regional Awards program. ACCT received a record number of nominations in all awards categories from across the five regions. ACCT’s awards program is designed to recognize and honor outstanding community college trustees, equity initiatives, presidents, faculty members, and professional board staff members at the regional and national levels.

Congratulations to the 2010 ACCT Regional Awards recipients!TRUSTEE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Richard Adams Edison Community College, OhioJeanne-Marie Boylan Bunker Hill Community College, Mass.Harold Williams Portland Community College, Ore.Michael Williams Houston Community College System, TexasWendell “Winkie” Williams South Florida Community College District

EQUITY AWARD

College of the Mainland College of the Mainland, TexasEvelyn Field Raritan Valley Community College, N.J. Guam Community College Guam Community College, the territory of GuamOakton Community College Oakton Community College, Ill.St. Petersburg College St. Petersburg College, Fla.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AWARD

Stephen M. Curtis Community College of Philadelphia, Pa. Jo Anne McFarland Central Wyoming College, Wyo.M. Richard Shaink Mott Community College, Mich.Gwendolyn Stephenson Hillsborough Community College, Fla.Pamela Transue Tacoma Community College, Wash.

FACULTY MEMBER AWARD

Erik Christensen South Florida Community College District, Fla.Tom Garrison Coast Community College District, Calif.Joyce Lindstrom St. Charles Community College, Mo.Ivan Lorentzen Flathead Valley Community College, Mont.Robin Musselman Lehigh Carbon Community College, Pa.

PROFESSIONAL BOARD STAFF MEMBER AWARD

Anne Bergamo Cumberland County College, N.J. Natalie Gamble Trident Technical College, S.C.Linda Peltier Edison Community College, OhioCoral Richards Western Nebraska Community College, Neb.Christian Teeter Coast Community College District, Calif.

Regional Awards recipients are automatically nominated for a national Association Award in the same category. The Association Awards recipients will be announced for the first time and honored during ACCT’s Awards Gala Banquet at the Community College Leadership Congress in Toronto, Canada, on Friday, October 22, 2010. We look forward to seeing you there!

Visit www.acct.org/about/awards/ to learn more about the ACCT Awards program. ACCT encourages you to submit nominations for 2011!

LET THE LAW WORk FOR yOuTiming is everything when it comes to advocacy, but not everyone has time to pay attention to pending legislation day in and day out.

ACCT’s Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alerts do the work for you.

Since 2008, over 1,500 new people have signed up to receive ACCT’s LAW Alert e-mails — brief summaries of legislative actions e-mailed to subscribers as legislation happens, giving community college trustees, presidents, and other leaders and advocates time to contact their representatives and exert influence before it’s too late.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents, and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the LAW E-Alert network. To join, simply e-mail [email protected] with “LAW Alert” in the subject of the e-mail.

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


Voluntary Framework of Accountability Update On July 31, Voluntary Framework for Accountability (VFA) Project Manager Bernadette Farrelly briefed the ACCT Board of Directors during the summer board retreat in Chicago, Illinois, on developments to date. The VFA initiative is designed to create a voluntary accountability system to measure outcomes and processes that are specific to community colleges. The VFA will provide opportunities for colleges to benchmark their student progress and completion data against peers and to provide stakeholders with critical information on their performance.

Along with Farrelly, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) President and CEO George Boggs, and The College Board Vice President Ron Williams contributed their experiences and discussed the importance of the initiative and the preliminary draft of measures. A steering committee and four working groups (Student Persistence and Outcomes; Workforce, Economic & Community Development; Student Learning Outcomes; and Communications and College Engagement) have been established to address challenges and identify the most appropriate evaluative criteria.

Eight institutions initially volunteered to participate as pilot sites and comprise a potential list of participants. To ensure that a broad selection of institutions give feedback, additional sites will be selected through a request for proposals (RFP) process, which was scheduled to start in early September.

Initial VFA measures are expected to be announced during the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress this October 20-23 in Toronto, Canada. Additional measures will be added to the framework as the initiative develops and as community college leadership identify needs.

For more information about the VFA, go to http://www.aacc.nche.edu/vfa.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III, who serves as chair of the National Governors Association, National Governors Association Joins Completion Movement, which “enlists all governors to make our nation a global leader in college completion.”

“The nation has fallen from first to 12th in the world in the number of students who complete degrees,” Manchin said. “Now, we’re faced with a generation of students that is projected to have lower educational attainment than their parents.”

The Complete to Compete initiative is aligned in principle with President Obama’s American Graduation Initiative and the Democracy’s Colleges Call to Action, of which ACCT is a signing partner. The initiative challenges community colleges to graduate 50 percent more students by

the year 2020. ACCT will continue discussions with Governor Manchin and the NGA as the Complete to Compete initiative develops. More information is available at: www.nga.org/Files/pdf/10MANCHINBROCHuRE.PDF.

National Governors Association Joins Completion Movement

This August, ACCT launched an educational webinar series of Virtual Leadership Academies designed for high-level administrative executives who aspire to become community college presidents. The three webinars, which took place on August 13, 20, and 27, described how to become a more competitive candidate, develop a competitive application package, and impress at the interview.

More than 100 registrations were completed for the initial broadcasts, and comments from participants were strongly encouraging:

“Excellent session and very well organized. This is an excellent way to learn this information.”

“Well designed. Full of valuable information.”

“The webinar was very informative and enjoyable. Although I have done much research, I was happily surprised by how much I learned! Thank you!”

Drawing upon 30 years of successful presidential placement services, the innovative sessions were led by Narcisa A. Polonio, Ed.D., Vice President for Research, Education, and Board Leadership Services, ACCT search consultants, and staff. “This new technology offers an interactive, affordable way to bring trustee education to individual trustees and boards,” said Polonio.

ACCT plans to create a series of trustee training webinars. Visit www.acct.org/events/leadershipacademy to learn more.

ACCT’s Virtual Leadership Academies

west Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III.

NEwS


Call for Proposals: 2011 ACCT Trust Fund Board Grant OpportunitiesACCT is seeking proposals for the 2011 ACCT Trust Fund Board Grant program. The ACCT Trust Fund Board Grant was created in 2007 for the purpose of funding projects that focus on programs and/or activities of national interest to ACCT member boards and individual trustees. The objectives of the ACCT Trust Fund Board Grant are: 1. Financial support for projects that initiate, enrich, or support innovative programs

or activities created for the specific purpose of engaging and improving community college governance;

2. Recognition for ACCT member institutions that have demonstrated a specific interest in and support of community college board programs and activities;

3. Enrichment of ACCT’s service to trustees through the contribution of new ideas that can be shared with our community college trustee membership.

The deadline to submit proposals is December 3, 2010. To download the request for proposals and proposal guidelines, go to www.acct.org/resources/trust.

Model Standardsof Good Practicefor Trustee BoardsIn Support of EffectiveCommunity 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;

n That it must clearly define and articulate its role;

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

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

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

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

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

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

n That it endeavors to remain always accountable to the community;

n 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.

ACCT congratulates Dr. Walter Bumphus on his appointment as the new president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), effective January 1, 2011.

“Walter Bumphus has contributed tremendously to the community college movement,” said ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown. “In 2005, Dr. Bumphus was awarded one of ACCT’s top honors, the Marie y. Martin Chief Executive Officer award, for his extraordinary leadership as president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Dr. Bumphus has collaborated with ACCT on our trustee research project and has assisted with trustee training. We look forward to our new collaboration and partnership in the coming years.”

Dr. Bumphus currently serves as professor in the Community College Leadership

Program (CCLP) and chair of the Department of Educational Administration at the university of Texas at Austin. The CCLP is the nation’s oldest and most prolific doctoral program for community college leaders.

“Walter has been tested over and over as a leader, and he has consistently risen to every challenge,” current AACC President and CEO George R. Boggs said. “He brings both intellect and experience to the leadership of AACC, and he has a deep commitment to community colleges and the people they serve.”

“Dr. Boggs’s leadership over the past decade has helped to elevate community colleges to a new level,” said Brown. “He has established a strong foundation on which AACC and ACCT will continue to build under the leadership of Dr. Bumphus.”

Congratulations to Incoming AACC President and CEO Dr. Walter Bumphus

aaCC President and CEO Dr. walter Bumphus


ACCT Launches New Diversity Assessment Services

As part of its diversity initiative, ACCT is excited to announce a new Board Leadership Service program to help boards and presidents conduct policy assessments on the effectiveness of their diversity efforts.

The first diversity assessment report was recently completed for Bergen Community College in New Jersey. “We appreciate ACCT’s efforts to validate our institution-wide diversity efforts,” says President Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan.

ACCT maintains an extensive library of diversity-related materials at the online Diversity Resource Center located at www.acct.org/resources/special-initiatives/diversity-1/diversity-resource-center.php. For more information about ACCT’s diversity assessment service, contact Dr. Narcisa Polonio at [email protected] or 202.775.4667.

Make sure you take the opportunity to join approximately 1,000 of your fellow community college leaders at the 2011 Community College National Leadership Summit this February 13 – 16 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

At the 2011 NLS, you will have the opportunity to learn from Congressional officials, political analysts, and other experts during two-and-a-half days of general, special, and concurrent policy sessions designed to expand your knowledge of current issues, and advocate for the community college movement in our nation’s capitol. David Gregory, Emmy Award-winning moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, will make a

special appearance as the featured keynote speaker. you will also be able to take part in the first Community College Advocacy Academy, a pre-Summit event designed to help you understand federal-level advocacy and leverage your local work to secure support from your national representatives.

Registration opens in mid-October; be sure to register by the December 10 early-bird deadline. To learn more, visit www.acct.org/events/legislativesummit.

Make Your Voice Heard at the 2011 NLS

David Gregory, NBC’s Meet the Press

Get LinkedIn or Tweet Us!Did you know that you can follow ACCT and connect with other members online? To follow us on Twitter, go to www. twitter.com/cctrustees. To join in group discussions on LinkedIn, login to your LinkedIn account and search groups for Association of Community College Trustees. It’s that simple! We look forward to connecting with you.

AACC-ACCT Joint Commission on Federal Relations DissolvedThe ACCT and AACC Boards of Directors have decided unanimously to dissolve the AACC-ACCT Joint Commission on Federal Relations. The AACC-ACCT Joint Commission on Federal Relations was established in 1982 to coordinate advocacy activities between ACCT and AACJC (later renamed AACC), it assumed the role of establishing the legislative priorities for the Federal Legislative Summit (now National Legislative Summit), which had been established by ACCT in 1978. Both ACCT and AACC executive committees stated their belief that the role of policy coordination of the two associations effectively has been delegated to staff, with oversight provided by the two executive committees, which meet in joint session at least twice per year. Both executive committees agreed that both association boards should monitor the effective coordination of legislative priorities without the Joint Commission.

ACCT Welcomes 22 New and Reinstated Members

Albany Technical College, Ga.

Athens Technical College, Ga.

College of Eastern Utah, Utah

College of the Albemarle, N.C.

East Central Community College, Miss.

Harcum College, Pa.

Heart of Georgia Technical College, Ga.

Leech Lake Tribal College, Minn.

Little Big Horn College, Mont.

Merced Community College District, Calif.

Meridian Community College, Miss.

New River Community and Technical

College, W.Va.

North Central Texas College, Texas

Patrick Henry Community College, Va.

Rio Grande Community College, Ohio

Siskiyou Joint Community College

District, Calif.

Somerset Community College, Ky.

Southwestern Community College, N.C.

Tidewater Community College, Va.

Tyler Junior College, Texas

Vernon College, Texas

Weatherford College, Texas

8 f a l l 2 0 1 0 T R U S T E E Q U a R T E R l Y

a d v o c a c y

dDuring his first aDDress to Congresslast year, President Barack Obama outlined a robust goal for the nation and all who are involved in both higher and K-12 education. “By 2020,” the president said, “this nation will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” (Currently, the United States ranks 12th in the world in the number of degrees.)

As the largest sector of higher education, community colleges are integral to reaching this national goal. Furthermore, the goal is unattainable with just the students already within the educational pipeline, which increases the importance of community colleges as the gateway for higher education for the majority of adult learners.

From a public policy perspective, higher education has never been such a national priority. President Obama recently stated that “education is the economic issue of our time.” In the past year, higher education, especially in relation to global competitiveness, has become a focal point.

Public policy involving college completion has heightened attention to community colleges and their students. This attention brings about major opportunities and challenges for community colleges, which in turn requires trustees and community college leaders to communicate with elected officials about why federal, state, and local appropriations are so important.

When college courses are cut due to decreased funding, meeting the challenge of helping more students to complete degrees and certificates becomes even more difficult, if not impossible.

a Year of Unprecedented federal Support

The higher education attainment goal was a driving force behind the creation of the Administration’s American Graduation

Meeting the Challenge: Striving for first Placeby Jee Hang lee

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Initiative (AGI), the signature community college legislative proposal. The AGI legislation was focused on bringing $12 billion in federal funds to community colleges for programs and modernization. While AGI was not enacted, community colleges did receive $2 billion for the Community College and Career Training Grant program. So, with some success — but much more ahead of us — the work of community colleges in leading the way for increasing college completion continues.

Federal funding for higher education focused on access for students has also increased dramatically. The Department of Education expects that almost 9 million students will receive Pell Grants in the

upcoming academic year, compared to roughly 5 million just a few years ago.

‘Complete to Compete’: a nation United for Student Success

Just recently, the National Governors Association, chaired by West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III, announced the Complete to Compete initiative, which will focus on increasing the number of college degree and certificate holders. Complete to Compete closely follows the goals outlined by President Obama, and the involvement of the nation’s governors in this groundbreaking initiative — which directly affects all community colleges — increases not only the attention to completion,

9T R U S T E E Q U a R T E R l Y f a l l 2 0 1 0

(AACC), and the College Board joined forces to establish the VFA, an initiative focused on defining metrics to gauge the effectiveness of community colleges in meeting their stated missions.

These metrics will be designed for community colleges by community colleges. With the support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation for Education, the VFA will outline key measures to enable college leaders to benchmark their institutional improvement.

For too long, community colleges have been measured solely by graduation data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), but the strictly defined NCES metrics do not adequately account for the multiple missions of the community college. The VFA metrics will be timely, as the U.S. Department of Education is preparing to look more closely at student success measures at community colleges. This summer, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the members of the Committee on Measures of Student Success, a committee established by the most recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. ACCT hopes that the VFA will provide the committee with a solid core of measures that truly reflect the community college mission.

Success and leadershipTrustees will play a critical role in ensuring that student success becomes a priority at their institutions. For that reason, ACCT, along with the Community College Leadership Program of the University of Texas at Austin, is undertaking a three-year initiative to design, develop, and implement the Governance Institute for Student Success (GISS) for boards of trustees and presidents. GISS will work with college boards to ensure that student success and attainment are addressed adequately. Supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GISS is currently being piloted at community colleges in Ohio. Expansion to other states is

but also the standing of community colleges nationwide.

Governor Manchin noted that “in the knowledge-based economy of today, approximately two-thirds of all jobs will require a higher education credential or degree. For nearly all Americans, the new path to the middle class runs through college.” “Unfortunately,” he added, “our public institutions are not producing enough college graduates to meet workforce needs. This is detrimental to individuals and states, as college-educated workers earn higher wages, have greater career mobility, and contribute substantially to state economic growth.”

aCCT and ‘access for Success’On behalf of community college

boards across the nation, ACCT has been proactive in developing strategic priorities to move the association and its membership in support of the completion agenda. ACCT’s Board of Directors recently adopted a new plan called “Access for Success” as a strategic priority.

“Public policy is shifting in America,” ACCT’s Access for Success states. “Today, a new paradigm is emerging for the nation’s community colleges. While access has been both a defining feature and policy imperative for community college leaders, increasing emphasis is being placed on moving from enrollment-driven policy to student success and achievement. In short, community college leaders increasingly must focus on balancing access with success.”

The plan, which aligns with ACCT’s advocacy and education mission, will ensure that ACCT will continue to assist community college boards in preparing for this new dynamic by undertaking a number of key initiatives.

Defining Success by our own Measures

Key among those initiatives is the Voluntary Framework for Accountability (VFA). Last year, ACCT, the American Association of Community Colleges

expected in the second and third years of the initiative.

a Call to action ACCT recently joined AACC and four other community college organizations in signing the “Democracy’s Colleges Call to Action,” which commits the groups to increase degrees and certificates at community colleges by 50 percent by the year 2020. Signed in April, this public pledge calls for the organizations “to commit and promote the development and implementation of policies, practices, and institutional cultures” to achieve this national higher education goal.

The Work ahead of UsWith the completion agenda as a major national policy item, ACCT continues to work with with the Administration, Congress, and a variety of organizations to identify innovative opportunities to help community colleges as they do the hard work of educating and training the populace of the 21st century. ACCT is also exploring additional avenues to augment or provide supplemental funding for community colleges as they gear up to meet this mission. One thing is clear: an unfunded community college system cannot lead the country to achieve its educational goals. Therefore, community college trustees and presidents must continue working to advocate for their colleges and push policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels for additional support.

An abundance of resources are available at www.acct.org. Contributing your voice at this February’s Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., will send a strong and clear message to federal representatives that community colleges do matter — and they matter now more than ever.

ACCT Director of Public Policy Jee Hang Lee can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 202-775-4450.

Signed into law by PreSident obama at northern Virginia Community

College earlier this year, the historic health Care and education reconciliation act

of 2010 included $2 billion for the Community College and Career training grant

Program. to be overseen by the department of labor in partnership with the

department of education, the CCCtg program funding of $500 million per year

over four years is four times larger than the Career Pathways program, formerly the

signature federal program for community colleges.

representing the education and labor departments, respectively, martha J. Kanter

and Jane oates spoke with Trustee Quarterly about the grant program, its long-term

impact on community colleges, and how the partnership between their two federal

agencies can serve as a model for community college leaders.


&martha J. Kanter Jane oates


Q: What is the timetable for the grant notice for

application and deadline? And when will the funds

be distributed?

OAtes: the funds for the first year of this program will be available beginning Fiscal year 2011, or october 1, 2010. we anticipate that the Solicitation for grant applications (Sga) will be released sometime that month. generally, the deadline for submitting applications is between 45 and 90 days from the date the Sga is published, but a firm timeline for this competition has not yet been established. as specified by law, the funds will be distributed no later than September 30, 2011.

Q: How will the Departments of Labor and education

ensure that sufficient applications and programs will be

funded in each state? How will this stipulation ensure

competitiveness within some of the smaller states, which

may not have local competition and otherwise would have to

compete nationally?

OAtes: eta will include in the solicitation a description of the process to ensure that each state is represented by at least one fundable application from an eligible institution to meet the funding requirements established by the law. it will essentially set aside at least $2.5 million per state — or 0.5 percent of the total available funds each year — to meet that requirement. eligible institutions will be able to submit a single application or be a part of a consortium of colleges. the only limitation will be that each institution will be limited to being the lead on only one application.

Q: the CCCtG program has narrower eligibility guidelines

than the American Graduation Initiative. What specific types

of activities will be covered under CCCtG? Will these grants

be targeted to certain populations? What can community

colleges do now to help prepare for this competition?

MArtHA J. KAnter

Under secretary of education,

U.s. Department of education

JAne OAtes

Assistant secretary, U.s. Department of Labor

employment and training Administration (etA)


OAtes: this program will help eligible institutions develop, offer, or improve education and career training programs suitable for workers who are eligible for trade adjustment act assistance. basically, this grant money is intended to create new programs or revamp existing programs to make sure that both their delivery and the content are available to those workers in a timely manner and lead to good local jobs. we also hope that these funds will give colleges the resources to rethink assessment, remediation, and the relationship between credit and non-credit programs.

Community colleges should reach out to their state workforce agency that administers the trade act to begin developing a better understanding of the workers they are serving under that law. information to seek may include what workers’ needs are, where they are located, and whether there are program enrollment gaps in the area.

KAnter: agreed. i would underscore the remediation point — we need to address the needs of those workers or unemployed americans with challenges entering or re-entering the job market who may not yet have the skills they need to succeed in credit-bearing courses. as for what colleges can be doing now to prepare, they can identify the biggest roadblocks to student success at their colleges and think about what strategic partners might help students complete and move into further education or training leading to and resulting in gainful employment. Finally, i would note that although the programs must be developed to address the needs of taa-affected workers, the courses are not limited to these students. in fact, we expect many others will benefit.

Q: ACCt has embraced President Obama’s goal of

increasing the total number of degrees, certificates,

and completed transfers. In fact, ACCt recently signed a

“Completion Agenda” that commits to advancing community

and technical colleges toward reaching this goal. Will the

grant prioritize completion-related efforts?

KAnter: the President has called on us to reclaim our place as “the best-educated, most competitive workforce in the world” by 2020, and community colleges are critical to reaching that goal. in order to get there, we must acknowledge and overcome the completion problem — too few of our students are making it through. we are thankful for aCCt’s leadership on the completion agenda and believe a completion movement is well underway. For example, the national governors association, under the leadership of governor manchin, recently issued a report called “Complete to Compete” laying out how certificate and degree completions are essential to a thriving, sustainable workforce and america’s economic prosperity. the nga is also calling on states to adopt a common set of progress and outcome metrics for higher education.

we believe community colleges are vital to reaching the President’s 2020 completion goal. this grant program will enable community colleges to dramatically improve their completion rates so students will be competitive for 21st century jobs.

OAtes: martha is absolutely right. our colleges have to help their students think smarter about industry recognized credentials and earning a degree.

Q: How will you measure the success of this program?

OAtes: the question of identifying appropriate measurements of success is being discussed between labor and education as we develop the grant solicitation. ultimately, the success of these grants will be measured by the outcomes from innovative new programs and accessible courses that provide individuals with opportunities to obtain credentials and employment while also meeting the needs of employers. Personally, i would hope to see many more clearly articulated, “stackable” credentials leading to degrees, more variety in how courses are offered, including non-campus online offerings, improved articulation, and many more employers drawn into collaborations with colleges to develop curricula.

KAnter: absolutely. we also hope that innovation and continuous improvement will not end once the funding ends.

&


our goal is to help catalyze systemic change at community colleges by providing funding for new approaches and structures that will improve and accelerate education and employment outcomes for students.

Q: the funding level for these programs is lower than what

the Obama Administration had sought through the American

Graduation Initiative. We know that President Obama has been

vocal in his support of the nation’s community colleges. What

can you share with us about further legislation or other federal

initiatives to support community colleges?

KAnter: when the President signed the bill funding this historic federal investment, he also called for a white house Community College Summit to highlight the importance of this sector to our nation’s present and future. the summit is being organized by longtime community college professor and champion dr. Jill biden, and will be held at the white house this fall.

as we focus on completion more broadly, we are taking a close look at higher education accountability measures. we recognize that community colleges have varied missions and roles, which makes relying solely on traditional measures of success inadequate. to that point, education Secretary arne duncan recently announced the creation of the Committee on measures of Student Success, which will recommend success measures for two-year institutions. i’m pleased that aCCt is already working with aaCC and the College board on a Voluntary Framework of accountability for community colleges, and we encourage you to share your thoughts with our committee as we move forward. the first meeting will likely be in the fall.

Community colleges have major support in this administration, starting with the President. our administration understands that community colleges are at the center of our education and workforce development systems, and we want to do all we can to help catalyze progress at community colleges to ensure that more students will succeed in college, in the workplace and throughout their lives. OAtes: Secretary Solis has sent a clear message each and every

time that she visits an employer — your local community college is the place to go for world-class training. as a former trustee in her home state of California, she knows the power of the education and training options at community colleges. but getting more employers to recognize the importance of that connection is critical to the long-term sustainability of the good work that we are able to seed with federal money.

Q: there has been a great deal of public interest in the

collaboration between the Departments of education and Labor.

What motivated this partnership, and what are the advantages

of a collaborative effort?

OAtes: i could point to several joint efforts — our work on agi and taaCC, listening sessions on adult learning strategies, the work on better addressing the needs of professional new immigrants, and a number of webinars and guidance. but the most important aspect of the collaboration isn’t fancy — it’s the way we shoot each other e-mails, refer people back and forth and just routinely say to staff, “check with education.” we recognize and respect each other and understand that our heartfelt collaborations are more than just good government — our stakeholders deserve no less than our very best efforts.

KAnter: i absolutely agree with Jane. what motivates this partnership is our shared desire to see students and workers succeed. we understand that a high school diploma will not cut it today. the disparity in earnings and unemployment for those with and without degrees and credentials is striking. working together, labor and education are developing better aligned approaches that will benefit communities across our nation. i think this is a good lesson for community colleges — it may seem like a lot of work to make outreach to adult education providers, the K-12 system, or the business community and really engage in a meaningful way. it does take patience and time to develop trust and learn each others’ language. but in the end, it will pay off, and you’ll soon have each other on speed dial. we are modeling at the federal level the type of collaboration and partnership that is also the key to success at the local and state level.

“What motivates this partnership is our shared desire to see students and workers succeed. We understand

that a high school diploma will not cut it today. the disparity in earnings and unemployment for those with

and without degrees and credentials is striking. Working together, Labor and education are developing

better aligned approaches that will benefit communities across our nation.” — Martha J. Kanter


President Obama has challenged american

educators to increase the college completion rate

significantly, vowing that by the year 2020 the United states

will once again have the highest proportion of college

graduates in the world. When this goal is translated into hard

numbers, the national center for higher education management

systems estimates that we must produce 8.2 million new

associate’s and bachelor’s degree holders in the next decade —

over and above the number we already produce.

While it is naturally assumed that community colleges will be at the forefront in producing associate’s degrees, these institutions will also be essential in contributing to the number of students who earn bachelor’s degrees. community colleges will accomplish this by preparing students to transfer to four-year institutions — as they have done for over 100 years.

community college trustees can play a pivotal role in building bridges with four-year institutions to enrich and improve the transfer pipeline. indeed, they may be the most effective constituency in bringing two- and four-year institutions together in ways that focus on student success and bypass institutional intransigence.

Community college trustees are in a unique position to build bridges with four-year institutions and

improve graduation rates at all levels. the intervention of trustees is imperative because the transfer

process has never been a reliably productive route to the baccalaureate, especially for students from underserved groups. While there are a variety of transfer rate definitions, careful observers conclude that only about one in four students attending a community college — and who wish to earn a four-year degree — makes a successful transition to a four-year institution. this is not because these students are ill-prepared or unmotivated;. studies show that when community college students transfer to four-year institutions, their rates of bachelor degree attainment are similar to those of first-year students.

so what impedes transfer? experts attribute the failure to transfer successfully to specific barriers that have been erected between two- and four-year institutions. For example, a community college may lack the necessary transferable courses or may invest insufficiently in transfer advising. similarly, a four-year institution may be unwilling to grant transfer credit for community college courses or or may lack adequate financial aid to support transfer students.

although these and other barriers undercut a smooth-running transfer process, they are symptoms, not causes. at the core is a misperception that community colleges and four-year institutions have different missions and cater to different student constituencies. thus, leaders at both institutions see little overlap in who they serve. Of course, this leaves transfer students in the middle, unable to advance academically at a community college and powerless to complete the baccalaureate at a four-year institution.

even when two- and four-year institutional representatives gather to address the transfer process, their well-intentioned efforts often get bogged down over the minutia of transfer, such as transfer

By Stephen J. handel

Trustees &Transfer


admissions requirements, course transferability, or curriculum alignment. addressing the prickly mechanics of transfer before each institution has expressed a public commitment to the needs of transfer students undermines the process.

transfer rates will not improve unless two- and four-year institutions move earnestly toward an understanding of their collective role in serving community college students. and establishing this foundation is the responsibility of education leaders at the highest levels.

enter the community college trustee. by virtue of their position and the skills they bring to the job, community college trustees are in an excellent position to advance the conversation around transfer for a number of reasons, including:•Trustees are regional education leaders. trustees care about

their communities and want to see them flourish. many are longtime residents with deep roots in the economic and cultural lives of their regions. thus, in addition to their devotion to the community college mission, trustees seek a strong K-16 system, knowing that the positive benefits of well-educated students — at whatever level — reverberate positively throughout the region.

•Trustees bring credibility. as elected or appointed public officials, trustees, by virtue of their position, have an ethical responsibility that transcends partisan politics and provincialism. their position warrants consideration and care about what is best for all citizens in the region. Understanding the credibility of the position allows trustees to rise above the sometimes impolite debate that occurs between two- and four-year institutions and focus the conversation on areas of common ground and good will.

•Trustees possess broad expertise. an especially effective board of trustees includes members from a variety of professions, bringing with them experience in other fields, such as business, community relations, and philanthropy. this expertise allows trustees to see education in a broader context that views the community college as a component of, and contributor to, the economic, social, and cultural wellbeing of the community.these are powerful attributes of the job, but trustees are often

reluctant to leverage them in service to transfer issues. many trustees — respecting the legitimate division between oversight and administration — are wary of moving into an area that might be seen as the sole responsibility of the president and the faculty. but this is a too-narrow view of transfer. Of course, it would be an overly involved view for trustees to become involved in negotiating articulation agreements or developing curricula that bridge two- and four-year institutions. Other campus leaders are better trained to do this work. the trustee’s role is to provide leadership that will establish a foundation for an effective and long-term transfer process.

here are suggestions for beginning this important work: •Engage your fellow board members in a discussionabout the transfer process. identify the statewide, regional, and district or campus goals for transfer. (this may already be

a component of your campus or district strategic plan.) What challenges does your district or campus face in meeting this goal? What opportunities are available?

• Seek out your trustee peers at one or more local four-year institutions. Your invitation is likely to be well received, because four-year institution leaders also are being asked to increase bachelor’s degree completion rates. although you represent different institutions, you and your four-year institution colleagues speak the same language and shoulder the same kinds of responsibilities. as regional leaders, you will benefit from sharing notes about the advantages and challenges facing higher education in your community.

•Focus the conversation on the shared advantages of astronger transfer partnership. trustees are well positioned to elevate the conversation in ways that reduce institutional chauvinism, which often derails conversations between two- and four-year institutions. delineating how your state and region will benefit from a more productive transfer pipeline will keep all parties focused on the collective benefits of this effort.

•Keep the end game simple. the goal is to establish common ground on which a stronger transfer process can be built. do not dwell in details — administrative and faculty leaders on your campus will sort those out. You have neither the time nor the expertise to understand the intricacies of inter-institutional curriculum design or the complexities involved in crafting an effective articulation agreement.

• Involve your president and academic senate chair fromthe beginning. assure them that your efforts are designed to establish openness, cooperation, and trust among institutions. emphasize that your intent is not to develop administrative procedures, course-review processes, or anything else that might cause legitimate concern (and unproductive turf battles) among administrative or faculty leaders.the degree to which trustees become involved in transfer

discussions depends, of course, on how well the process is currently operating. in some communities, the transfer system has been on autopilot for years. in other instances, inter-institutional communication between the community college and four-year institution has been sporadic or nonexistent. in either case, however, the ambitious college completion goals set by President Obama require every public college and university to analyze and improve bachelor’s degree completion rates.

community college trustees are not only catalysts for a serious examination of the current transfer progress. they also serve as brokers for a conversation that will lay the groundwork for a more efficient process in the future.

Stephen J. Handel is Senior Director of the College Board’s National Office of Community College Initiatives. He can be reached at [email protected].

16 F A L L 2 0 1 0 T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y

c o r p o r a t e c o u n c i l

iIt Is often noted that General Dwight D. Eisenhower remarked to his staff during preparations for the D-Day invasion in 1944 that “plans are nothing; planning is everything.” In 2010, this notion of an outcome so closely wedded to fastidious planning has never been more applicable to community colleges, as their leaders face balancing high-service demands with limited, often decreased, resources.

As community colleges combat these challenges, their short- and long-term strategic planning often does not include a technology component. This is shortsighted — and a formula for eventual defeat. As two-year institutions fight for sustainability, they cannot afford to see technology planning as an afterthought and its procurement as a discretionary expense. Technology is not only critical for community colleges’ most pressing business challenges, but if executed correctly and supported by an ongoing funding strategy, it will also support an institution’s entire strategic plan.

A Changing RoleTechnology is no longer just about the technology. Large, enigmatic back-room equipment and the software that managed it have been replaced by consumer devices and user interfaces that are intuitive and easy to understand. Just look around your campus at the students carrying Internet-enabled smart phones and electronic tablets capable of housing thousands of virtual books. For them, technology means the connection, community, and tools for achieving their academic goals, not the silicon microchips that make them possible.

Technology’s Place in Strategic Planning Trustees can play a key role in ensuring that technology is

represented in their colleges’ strategic plans.by John F. Speer

gET

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For students of every age and background, up-to-date technology that supports their learning experience is no longer optional — it is a requirement. A community college executive recently told Campus Technology magazine: “We can’t say our students are coming here because of the technology, but they certainly expect it when they get here, and it enables us to deliver efficient and high-quality education... We need to mirror the technology that our students will be using on a daily basis.”

Certainly, technology must meet students’ expectations, but it also must provide decision-making data for various business, regulatory, and community reports. Because precise information is central to any strategic plan, budgeting technology for the long term is paramount to measuring progress against strategic goals and creating intelligible dashboards about the operations of key business areas for stakeholders.

That has become all the more important in today’s challenging climate. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, full-time enrollment at U.S. community colleges increased 24.1 percent from fall 2007 to fall 2009, and credit-bearing courses increased 16.9 percent during the same span. These would be positive data were it not for the continuing pressure on the state and federal funding that make up an average of 48 percent of each community college’s revenues. Sustaining any institution in this environment is a challenge. So how does technology offer relief as part of the community college’s battle plan?

Deploying the right mix of technology solutions can help mitigate this pressure by supporting a holistic strategic plan. Using today’s powerful yet easily

accessible products across the academic enterprise gives rise to efficiencies that preserve budgets and allow the repurposing of resources for their optimal use. Areas such as student retention, self-service Web-based admissions application and enrollment, institutional advancement, and integrated teaching and learning can make a community college stronger and more responsive to its local constituents.

Action PlanningOnce the exclusive domain of the chief information officer, participation in technology planning now is everyone’s responsibility — from the still-important CIO to the faculty, the executive leadership, and yes, the trustees. And though individual trustees might not be computer experts, their responsibility to lead as a thoughtful, educated team can contribute much to the planning process.

Many companies will help community colleges build a technology plan that integrates with and supports the institution’s strategic plan. At Datatel, we feel that this is so important for the health of our client institutions that we collaborate with them, at no charge, to create a three-year technology roadmap that links to their strategic plan.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1944

17T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y F A L L 2 0 1 0

consider using a technology partner to help do this.

•Budget with a three- to five-yearvision, making sure that technology will be funded to the appropriate level. Understand that technology investment means more than a one-time purchase; it also involves user training, maintenance, and keeping the infrastructure up to date. Keep all this in mind when preparing budgets.

•Be aware of your students’technology demands.

•Purchase technology centrallywithin your institution to avoid redundancy and waste in software licensing and hardware expenditures.

•Require that all technology becompatible with the strategic plan across the college.

•Update business processes tomaximize the college’s technology capability to increase productivity and streamline services.

We call this process “action planning.” Based on the highly regarded Baldrige National Quality methodology (see www.baldrige.nist.gov), action planning is used to assess the overall strategic plan, organize and map applicable technology initiatives, prioritize each desired outcome, implement the technology, and then measure and adjust it, if necessary, to maximize the institution’s investment.

Lessons LearnedEvery institution has unique needs when it comes to creating a technology plan that will be in sync with its broader strategic plan. Datatel has developed a series of best practices from the colleges it has helped through the process, including:•Think of technology not as one

more expense, but as a tool for achieving student success and institutional sustainability.

•Assess the current technologyenvironment and identify any gaps.

•Align the technology plan withthe institution’s strategic plan, and g

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An example of a three-year technology roadmap developed at a community college.

I sometimes wonder what Ike would think about today’s technology. I’m sure of one thing: Had Eisenhower had access to our current computing power, he would have integrated its capability as he planned Operation Overlord — the Allied invasion of Europe. And no doubt his generals would be important partners and advocates in the process, much like the community college trustees that support and direct their institutions.

John F. Speer is president and CEO of Datatel, a provider of innovative technology products, services, and insight

to higher education. He is actively involved in advancing the adoption of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program principles throughout higher education, and participates on both the ACCT Corporate Council and the AACC Corporate Council.

18 F A L L 2 0 1 0 T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y

Around the Regions

central region

Citing the $30 million it spends annually on remediation classes, the City Colleges of Chicago system in Illinois is considering changes to its “open-door” admissions policy. As part of a broader “reinvention plan” supported by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, the community college system would potentially direct unprepared students to alternative schools and focus on remediation programs in high school.

Washtenaw Community College in Michigan is considering rehiring 1,100 part-time employees as contract employees. A bill introduced in the state senate would also allowMichigan community colleges, like their four-year counterparts, to enroll new employees in a defined-contribution retirement plan instead of the state-managed defined-benefit plan.

The first community college in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, will open this fall, the result of a partnership between Three Rivers Community College, Mineral Area College, and Southeast Missouri State University.

campaign’s Web site, www.advancepa.net, includes an online petition, resources, and information about the state’s community colleges.

Pacific region

The Kern Community College District in California received federal and state grants exceeding $3 million, as well as a $160,000 pledge from a wind energy producer, to expand renewable energy technologytraining. The funds will build on a vocational training program in wind energy that started at Cerro Coso College in 2008 and expand the program to the district’s four campuses.

By May 2011, Butte College in California will become the first college in the nation to become “grid-positive” — meaning that it produces more clean energy from solar power than it consumes. A new phase of its solar energy project, approved this summer by the college’s board of trustees, will add 15,000 solar panels as part of a $17 million project funded in part by federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS). Butte’s solar projects are expected to save the community college $150 million over the next 30 years.

Districts Mutual Insurance (DMI), a municipal mutual insurance company created by Wisconsin’s16 technical colleges, has saved the state’s technical college districts an estimated $10 million in premiums since its inception in 2004. DMI has also created an asset base of $15.4 million and an $8 million surplus, according to Moraine Park Technical College, one of the program’s partners.

nortHeaSt region

As the Community College of the District of Columbia, the city’s first community college, ends its first year of operation, enrollment increased from 1,779 in fall 2009 to 2,335 by summer 2010. CCDC plans to introduce new programs in automotive technology, construction management, and fashion merchandising in the fall.

After initially proposing that all state-funded college scholarships for incoming freshmen be frozen due to the state’s budget deficit, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and legislative leaders restored the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistant Rewards Scholarship (NJ STARS) program. Incoming freshmen will receive tuition scholarships, while sophomores

in the program will receive full tuition and fee scholarships. Tuition at New Jersey’s 19 community colleges will increase an average 4.4 percent this fall, after funding fell by nearly 10 percent and enrollments increased by 12 percent.

10,000 Small Businesses, a national 5-year initiative to unlock the job-creation potential of small businesses, is active in two regions and includes businesses ranging from restaurants to metal fabricators. The first class at LaGuardia Community College in New York City graduates in September, and businesses there have already increased revenues and added jobs. In the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, classes began in August at Long Beach City College and Los Angeles City College.

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp. in Maryland a $4.9 million grant to work with local community colleges and private industry to develop community-based job training programs in cybersecurity for the Washington, D.C., region.

Following the release of a poll conducted by Zogby International that demonstrated overwhelming support for Pennsylvaniacommunity colleges, the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges has launched a statewide campaign to encourage state candidates and policymakers to make community colleges an economic priority. The

19T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y F A L L 2 0 1 0

Around the Regions provides an opportunity to share what’s happening in the states and around the regions. This department focuses on state legislative and budgetary issues, economic development, finance and other regionally significant matters. Colleges are invited to submit brief items to [email protected] for consideration.

Tidewater Community College in Virginia christened its new $65 million campus in Portsmouth, which has seen enrollment jump 28 percent since moving from a nearby site in North Suffolk. The new campus could accommodate as many as 20,000 students, officials say.

The West Virginia Community and Technical College Council selected West Virginia University’s Parkersburg campus to develop an online virtual campus for the state’s 19 two-year colleges.

weStern region

New Mexico’s 15 community colleges entered an articulation agreement with Colorado State University Pueblo. The state legislature passed a bill earlier this year that is expected to encourage other four-year institutions to establish similar agreements with community colleges.

The North Dakota University System received $800,000 over two years from the state legislature to develop an awareness campaign for the state’s five community colleges. Information about

The San Diego Community College District in California is adding 1,100 classes for the fall semester, including basic skills, general education, and technical training courses. The courses, which help offset 1,900 classes the district has cut over the last two years, will be paid for by one-time cost savings in non-instructional areas, according to school officials.

The Peralta Community College District in California was awarded a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Labor community-based job training grant. The three-year grant will train at least 300 students for jobs in green construction, energy management, transportation, logistics, allied healthcare, and human services. About 50 percent of the program’s participants will be formerly incarcerated individuals.

SoutHern region

Tuition at Louisiana community colleges will increase between 8 and 10 percent this fall, the result of a newly passed state law that permits tuition hikes in return for promised performance improvements, including increased graduation and job placement rates.

Delgado Community College in Louisiana received a $258,000 federal grant to expand its allied health programs, including occupational, physical, and respiratory therapy.

Three community colleges in North Carolina received a $300,000 federal grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Some 400 students are expected to enroll in green technology training programs at Haywood Community College, Southwestern Community College, and Tri-County Community College.

In order to accommodate growing enrollments, Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina will pilot an “afternoon college” program on one of its campuses this fall. Targeted at full-time students who intend to transfer to four-year institutions, the program would guarantee admission to required courses and for students who take classes during off-peak afternoon hours four days per week.

Cited by President Barack Obama in an August speech, a remedial math program developed by Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee could be implemented at six community colleges and 12 high schools in five states if funding to replicate the program is made available. Since the program’s inception, CSCC graduation rates have risen 29 percent, saving the college $50,000, according to school officials.

the campaign is available at http://ndcommunitycolleges.com. Houston Community College in Texas will work with the Community College of Qatar as part of a five-year partnership to develop the community college model in the Persian Gulf nation. HCC will initially provide faculty and staff and work with CCQ to create operating procedures, curriculum, student policies, and hiring practices for the college, which opens in September. Qatari students will also have dual enrollment at HCC for associate degree programs that will transfer to major universities throughout the world.

All five of HCC’s early college high schools earned exemplary ratings from the Texas Education Agency in 2010. HCC operates the schools on its campuses with articulated sharing of space and staff, in partnership with the Houston Independent School District and the Alief Independent School District.

The Community College Association of Texas Trustees elected new officers for 2010-11, including Allen Kaplan of Austin Community College, chair; Kitty Boyle of Dallas County Community College District, outgoing chair; Molly Beth Malcolm of Texarkana College, chair-elect; Marie Flickinger of San Jacinto College, treasurer; and Pete Saenz of Laredo Community College, secretary.


Reinvigorating the Economy: Renewing Our Commitment to Access, Excellence, and Student Success.


Richard Desich Dr. Esther BrimmerBarbara Bellissimo Dr. Mark David Milliron

The Theme of The 41sT AnnuAl ACCT leAdership Congress refleCTs The

extraordinary nature of the past year, which has proven that community colleges are indispensable

to reinvigorating the economy. more than just dealing with the economic problems of today,

though, ACCT and the leadership Congress are looking to the future — with an eye toward

student success.

last year, ACCT established a new five-year plan called Access for success, which commits to

maintaining unparalleled levels of higher education access for all Americans, while at the same

time aggressively pursuing a dramatic increase in student completion rates. in order to take real

steps to make this happen, ACCT, with the support of The Bill & melinda gates foundation, will

convene a new one-day summit on Completion. immediately preceding and setting the tone for

the ACCT leadership Congress, the summit’s findings will be shared during a keynote address

and town hall meeting. A series of concurrent workshops throughout the Congress also will focus

on the completion agenda.

on the following pages, featured Congress keynote speakers lend their thoughts on the role of

community colleges in the economy and achieving student success.

Completion and

23

41st AnnuAl ACCt lEADERship CongREss

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Reinvigorating the Economy: Renewing Our Commitment to Access, Excellence, and Student Success.

Change


BarBara Bellissimo ChiEf AgEnt stAtE FARM insuRAnCE

BarBara Bellissimo is Chief agent and senior ViCe President for state farm in Canada. in this role, she is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overseeing the insurance company’s Canadian sales and operations. Bellissimo joined state farm in 1986 and has successfully managed positions of increased responsibility for underwriting, training, and field sales consulting.

in addition to her executive leadership, Bellissimo serves on a number of boards, including the insurance Bureau of Canada, the facility association, and the institute for Catastrophic loss reduction. Bellissimo serves as director-at-large for the international Women’s forum, is a member of the Campaign Cabinet for the United Way of York region, and is an active member of the southlake hospital foundation Board.

Bellissimo spoke with Trustee Quarterly about key characteristics of strong leaders, the ways in which two- and four-year colleges in Canada have meshed, and the importance of training students with specific skills for the workforce.

Q:From the standpoints of both your executive experience and your experiences as a member of several boards, what do you think trustees should focus their time and attention on?

The most important thing is the willingness to understand what the business is — and remembering the fundamentals. A critical component is being a continuous learner. Board members should [also] bring diverse perspectives — you bring industry expertise to the table, but you also bring personal experiences to the table.

Q:the u.s. government has lately been investing in community and technical colleges’ ability to train, retrain, and refine the workforce to help support and create jobs. is there any correlation with this American model in Canada?

In Canada, you can choose to go to university or college. University degrees can take 3 or 4 years to complete, and college provides more technical workforce training over a 2-4 year time span. I think that in Canada, there’s more of a meshing of college and university Many students today are going to university first, and then after they get their bachelor’s degree, they go get hands-on experience. In Ontario in particular, universities and colleges are offering joint programs so that you can attain your degree and diploma together. I think this is very, very valuable.

Q:Why do you think the perception of colleges being less prestigious than universities has changed?

In Ontario, college graduates offer a lot of value. They’re coming to the workforce and they’re making a difference. They’re coming into the communications space, for instance, not just with a general knowledge, but with the specific skills that we need, and they’re performing exceptionally well.

I think a partnership between business and a particular college is really important. I depend on you for a workforce that can write exceptionally well, has critical thinking skills, and is able to take a look at business issues and solve them, anticipate some of the unintended consequences, and deal with those decisions.

Students who are interested in the business, who are educated in the business, come to the table with a different mindset. I think that someone who is in a technical program now has a great opportunity to demonstrate to a company the value that they bring. As an employer, if I need a technical competency, then I know to look toward the school with the strongest training in that area.

I believe higher education is something we always need — it’s just better business.

Dr. esther BrimmerASSiStAnt SECREtARy Of StAtE, intERnAtiOnAl ORgAnizAtiOn AffAiRSu.s. DEpARtMEnt oF stAtE

in her role As AssisTAnT seCreTAry of sTATe for international organizations, dr. esther Brimmer leads the Bureau of international organization Affairs, which strives to advance u.s. interests through international organizations in areas including human rights, peacekeeping, food security, humanitarian relief, and climate change.

prior to her appointment by president Barack obama in 2009, dr. Brimmer was deputy director and director of research at the Center for Transatlantic relations at the paul h. nitze school of Advanced international studies (sAis) at The Johns hopkins university, where she specialized in transatlantic political and security affairs.

dr. Brimmer’s previous government service includes roles in the state department’s office of policy planning, the u.s. delegation to the united nations Commission on human rights, and serving as special Assistant to the under secretary of state for political Affairs from 1993 to 1995.

dr. Brimmer has previously worked as a senior associate at the Carnegie Commission on preventing deadly Conflict, as a legislative analyst at the democratic study group in the u.s.

“i think thAt soMEonE Who is in A tEChniCAl pRogRAM noW hAs

A WonDERFul oppoRtunity to DEMonstRAtE to A CoMpAny thE

vAluE thAt thEy BRing.” Barbara Bellissimo


house of representatives, and as a management consultant with mcKinsey & Company. dr. Brimmer spoke with Trustee Quarterlyabout the importance of international study at community colleges, the “rapid transition” in how they are perceived overseas, and what students need in the global economy of the 21st century.

Q:Why should community college governing boards consider international affairs important to their local, community-based institutions? Why is “thinking globally, acting locally” important?

The world is changing, and our communities are changing with them. The 21st century is the era of deepening global connections, and international affairs touch our daily lives. Companies routinely cross national borders — often in pursuit of top talent. They reconfigure the way work is done, and demand record levels of adaptability among their employees. Building a workforce with international and cross-cultural knowledge and skills is essential if the U.S. is to retain its competitive edge.

Students are smart. They see this transformation around them, and they are studying foreign languages and going abroad more than ever before. Yet only about 3 percent of students studying abroad are from community colleges, largely because of costs and trouble getting guidance. There is a huge opportunity for community colleges to develop better programs and opportunities for exchange programs and international relations.

When community colleges become more international, they can attract diverse talent from abroad in fast-growing technical subjects. International students and faculty contribute invaluable knowledge and perspectives that enrich the classroom experience, add new dimensions to curriculum and instruction, and lend currency and relevance to academic and technical programs of study. International students who study in the United States often stay, joining technology and research fields that power local economic development.

Q:What advice would you give to educational leaders about preparing students to be competitive in the global economy?

Today’s best educational experiences are often international. Students should be seeking every opportunity to integrate international components into their programs, and educational institutions should facilitate that course of action whenever possible. In our increasingly competitive global marketplace, only those students with exposure to the fullest range of worldviews are likely to realize all their potential.

Q:how are u.s. community colleges perceived abroad?

The image of U.S. community colleges abroad is undergoing a rapid transition. Over the last decade, the international community has increasingly recognized the benefits of community colleges for adult skill development, at-risk youth, and as a way to transition to four-year universities. Coupled with the prestige of U.S. educational institutions and the increasing prominence of community colleges in countries like India, Thailand, and Japan, I think U.S. community colleges have a bright future in our increasingly globalized world.

At the State Department, we are actively engaged in promoting awareness of U.S. community colleges and international enrollment in community colleges. Through our EducationUSA centers, we provide information on the U.S. community college option to prospective international students and their families, many of whom are discovering community colleges as an affordable way to begin their pursuit of a four-year degree. We have also brought hundreds of economically disadvantaged students from countries in the developing world to enroll in U.S. community colleges. This program helps provide students with the vital workplace skills to participate in the economic development of their countries and communities.

Q:how can education serve as a mechanism to foster international security and peace?

International educational exchanges are a great means of reinforcing the sort of linkages that foster not just mutual understanding, but also the sort of interdependent relationships that promote international peace and security. The numbers of American students studying abroad and international students studying in the U.S. are both at all-time highs. That said, we can and should do more to strengthen global educational exchange. For its part, the State Department supports vibrant official exchange programs, including the Fulbright Program.

In his speech at Cairo University in Egypt, President Obama emphasized that international education is part of the solution building bridges between the United States and the Muslim world. Using new technology, it is easier than ever to share a classroom with students in Nigeria, China, Germany, and Chile. Community colleges can play a major role in building cultural bridges through exchange programs as well.

Community colleges can also promote hands-on international experiences without leaving the country. Students can attend or one of the dozens of Model U.N. conferences, including DAYMUNC, sponsored by Sinclair Community College in Dayton,

“CouplED With thE pREstigE oF u.s. EDuCAtionAl institutions AnD thE

inCREAsing pRoMinEnCE oF CoMMunity CollEgEs in CountRiEs likE inDiA,

thAilAnD, AnD JApAn, i think u.s. CoMMunity CollEgEs hAvE A BRight

FutuRE in ouR inCREAsingly gloBAlizED WoRlD.”Dr. Esther Brimmer


Ohio. Schools can also join UNESCO’s education networks and twinning programs to foster international cooperation through and enrich existing university programs.

Q:Community colleges serve a large number of returning war veterans and their families. given your experience working for the united nations Commission on human Rights on political and military issues, what advice do you have for community college trustees and presidents to ensure they welcome and provide services to our returning veterans and support veterans’ families?

I think the most important factor is ensuring that veterans and their families have the same opportunities as civilians. [Colleges] can promote reasonable credit transfer rules, reduce residency requirements for service members, and even offer credit for military training courses. They can ensure that financial aid and admissions staff are up to date on the full range of loan forgiveness programs and loan deferment options for service members, including on FFEL, Direct Loans, and Perkins Loans. Community colleges can also join the Servicemember Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.

Community colleges also have a unique opportunity to assist veterans who may have trouble re-acclimating to civilian life. As community institutions, community colleges are in a unique position to couple education with community engagement and involvement. Schools can incorporate them into campus events, such Memorial Day and Veterans Day celebrations. Community colleges can also help veterans get work study money through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to form veterans clubs and foster a sense of community. The opportunities are endless, but veterans need to know that their community is welcoming them back with open arms. It can make all the difference in the world.

richarD a. Desich fOunDER AnD ChAiRmAnEquity tRust CoMpAny

riChard a. desiCh is foUnder and Chairman of the eqUitY trust Company, the leading provider of self-directed real estate iras. through assertive leadership, strategic business partnerships, and investments, the veteran trustee helped lorain County Community College in ohio evolve from a fledgling job-training institution to a full-fledged, academically rigorous college and economic engine backed by a powerful foundation.

over the three and a half decades during which he helped lCCC grow, desich was also busy expanding his own company from four people to over four hundred — many of whom were educated at the college. the outspoken entrepreneur and community college advocate spoke with Trustee Quarterly¸ offering advice to trustees who are feeling economic pressures hit home.

Q:When you reflect on your years as a trustee, what was the most important thing you did?

Hiring a great president.

Q:has the role of the community college changed as a result of the changing economic landscape?

At the time I was chairman of the board, community colleges were thought of as job training and transfer programs. Along the way, it was important to make sure that we were the best community college; that was part of what I believed in.

As we went from a cooking school to a high-tech and entrepreneurship focus, [we realized that] the strength of the community college is the ability to adapt quickly to what is needed in your community and state. [These days], a lot of the manufacturing jobs are gone, and community colleges can create jobs, create businesses. Community colleges obviously weren’t built to help small businesses expand, but guess what? If you help business expand, you create jobs, you create money, you train people. It’s very simple. Just think about it — [at my company], we had four people [who had attended] the college doing something in accounting. A few years later, we have four hundred.

At the same time, you have to keep up the quality of education for transfers. At our college, we brought some of the four-year colleges on our campus and were able to negotiate three years of education at the community college level and cost, and the fourth year at the other institution, or maybe two and two. All those things go hand in hand, as [some] people say, “I need an MBA,” or “I need help in computer science or management — I don’t need another degree,” and there’s a lot of things besides the traditional transfer programs.

Q:What is the role of the board and individual trustees in helping their college grow and change?

Hopefully, you have a good mixture of people on the board. You don’t want a board with nine business people on it — you need four or five dynamic people, a few people who are very stable, and people from different walks of life on the board.

“thE stoRy thAt i WAnt to tEll is hoW you CAn stARt With FouR oR FivE pEoplE

AnD stAy in youR CoMMunity, AnD thE CoMMunity CollEgE CAn hElp you gRoW

thRough tRAining, Consulting, FACilitiEs, oR FinAnCing.” Richard Desich


It is valuable to measure your college against another; I think it’s a useful benchmark to say, well, I can get there. I remember distinctly that Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Miami Dade College in Florida were two colleges that had great foundations, and I would talk to them about what they were doing, why they were doing it, and how they were doing it. And I came back and looked at what we had and said we’ve got to change.

You can raise the bar and limits of what people can do. But then, going back to the board, you really have to have 20 or 30 priorities that you want to accomplish for the college over five years, and take the top ten each year and rate yourself to see whether you’re going to accomplish what you said you’re going to do.

The second part would be to evaluate how the students did. Get their input. Would they recommend the college? It’s the number one question in marketing — would you recommend our product? If 95 percent said they would, then you’re doing great; if 50-60 percent said they would, then there’s something wrong, and you’ve got to find out what it is. And then the next [question] is, were they successful where they went? If they transferred, it’s easy to follow up and see how they did. If they went to the job market, are they making more money? You have to ask.

Q:you stated that the ACCt leadership Congress and other educational events were important to the success of your college’s governance. But a lot of trustees have been asked to justify travel expenses, given the current economy. in your opinion, do you think it is in the best interest of colleges today to send their trustees to this type of event?

It is the most important thing in the world. It’s a reward to trustees for volunteering and putting in all that time. But the real value is that we always come back with new information that comes back to the college. And the information comes from many places — from seminars, from motivation from speakers, and from networking, which is very, very important. When people have a social hour, they talk about the problems at their colleges and how they solved them. You have to get out of your community.

Q:What words of advice do you have for other community college trustees?

The ability to have a good development department or a good grant writing department is important to get you more money and get you more programs. Also, invest in good consultants in Washington — which we did, and we got a five-to-one payback. Know who has got money to give away, who is training people. Put good partnerships together with businesses in the community and with politicians.

I think that in the future, you’re going to have to do more and more because everybody has got less. You’re going to have to have four or five people [where you used to have one] buying into the college to share expenses. It might be that you let people use space for the common good, and then if it happens that you need a new building, then the city could come up with some money and maybe the state and individuals can come up with some money, and maybe you can get some tenants to rent. And that’s how we have to think about it in the future, in terms of revenue.

I could give you a roll call and show you all the people who we’ve hired who went to the college. That’s the impact that we’ve had using the skills and the facility and the knowledge, the integrity, and respectability of the college. It always has been the highest value we have in our country.

Dr. mark DaviD millironDEputy DiRECtOR fOR pOStSECOnDARy impROvEmEntthE Bill & MElinDA gAtEs FounDAtion

dr. mark daVid milliron serVes as the dePUtY direCtorfor Postsecondary improvement with the Bill & melinda gates foundation, leading efforts to increase student success in the U.s. postsecondary education sector. an award-winning leader, author, speaker, and consultant, milliron works with universities, community colleges, k-12 schools, corporations, associations, and government agencies across the country and around the world. in addition, he serves on numerous other corporate, nonprofit, and education boards and advisory groups; guest lectures for educational institutions nationally and internationally; and authors and moderates the Catalytic Conversations blog.

milliron founded and served as Ceo for the private consulting and service group Catalyze learning international (Cli). in addition, he previously served as an endowed fellow, senior lecturer, and director of the national institute of staff and organizational development in the College of education at the University of texas at austin; Vice President for education and medical Practice with sas, the world’s largest private software company; and President and Ceo of the league for innovation in the Community College.

in 2007, the american association of Community Colleges (aaCC) presented milliron with its national leadership award for his outstanding accomplishments, contributions, and leadership.

milliron spoke with Trustee Quarterly about the foundation’s role in convening a summit on Completion and other community college initiatives, the goals he believes should drive the development of the Voluntary framework of accountability (Vfa), and the importance of looking at the completion agenda as a “social justice goal.”

“thE REAl gAME-ChAngER FoR loW-inCoME young ADults is A

postsEConDARy CREDEntiAl. WhAtEvER DAtA you look At, it’s ClEAR

thAt A postsEConDARy CREDEntiAl is thE pAthWAy oF possiBility.”Dr. mark David milliron


Q:president obama has announced a goal of increasing the nation’s educational attainment by 50 percent by 2020. What challenges do community colleges face in spearheading this effort?

The biggest challenge for community colleges is taking the completion challenge to heart and owning it the way they owned the access challenge. I would argue that community colleges have been the champions of higher education access for the past 30 to 40 years. They are at the heart of why we have been successful in opening the doors to higher education for diverse populations and low-income individuals. Now is the time not only to embrace access, but also to embrace with equal vigor the completion agenda — always underlining both access and completion. It’s going to take a willingness to look at all of our systems and processes and figure out how we can structure them the best way so that the most students can complete at high levels.

Q:What steps need to be taken to make that happen?

One is getting clear on what your data are saying about what is happening at your institution, and deeply analyzing where you’re losing students and getting clear on the associated challenges — what we call loss points. If we can analyze our loss points and our momentum strategies, we can begin to do the work of putting together an intentional system that helps students become more successful in completing. We can innovate against anything if we know the challenges, but the first step is getting clear about what the challenges are. Our data shows that the biggest challenge for most colleges is in developmental education. In short, if you don’t get developmental education right, then it will be almost impossible to rise to the challenge of increasing college completion rates for low income students.

The first step is getting your arms around your own data and understanding what is happening at your institution, and then the second step is coming together as a leadership team and working with your board and your faculty and staff to see what you need to do differently.

Q:how has the Bill & Melinda gates Foundation’s work in education evolved to embrace completion?

The Foundation has invested close to $5 billion in the last decade on education-related programs. Three years ago, after the Warren Buffett contribution to the Gates Foundation, the question was asked, “What else should we be doing in

the world of education beyond the commitment to college readiness?” After a significant amount of research about all the different types of issues we could help the country tackle, the answer that came back was that the real game-changer for low-income young adults is a postsecondary credential. It breaks the cycle of poverty. And because of that, a commitment was made to double the number of low-income young adults who graduate from college with a credential. Given that community colleges are the primary gateway for low-income young adults in our country, we’ve focused our energies there in a big way.

This strategy was born out of a social-justice goal. We’re trying to make the American Dream real for young adults, and what we’ve found is that the best use of our resources is to try to catalyze greater completion in postsecondary education, in particular in the 16-26 year old age range. If you make a difference for those folks, then you change the game not only for them, but also for their kids and sometimes their extended families. Of course, we care about all secondary education, but we’re pretty focused on low-income adults and using education as a springboard to opportunity for them. That’s been the goal of our program from the very beginning.

Q:ACCt, with the support of the Bill & Melinda gates Foundation, will be convening a summit on Completion immediately before the 2010 ACCt leadership Congress. Why is this summit necessary, and what does the Foundation hope to come of it?

If trustees in community colleges understand the completion challenge, embrace it, and understand that we need to be as aggressive on completion as we have been on access, then real change can happen.

Trustees have to own this agenda for anything to really happen on the ground. There are clearly institutional practices that are going to have to change if we’re going to take this seriously and make an impact, but there are broader institutional policies that enable, inform, and guide those practices that are all driven by trustees. Trustees are an incredibly important audience in this conversation. They are the ones who need to be the vanguards for many of these discussions because they are the link to the community, to the larger purpose here. So for us, starting this conversation with trustees is absolutely essential. We want them to be a key part of the conversation.

Q:the Foundation is committed to advancing postsecondary student success through a variety of different projects, including your

“A soliD, quAlity ACCountABility systEM CAn’t BE invEntED FRoM on high. you hAvE

to CoME togEthER on thE gRounD to FinD out WhAt thE CoRE issuEs ARE so thAt

thE Right piECEs AnD pARts CAn BE put in plACE. thAt’s Why thE vFA MAttERs.” Dr. mark David milliron


support of the new governance institute for student success (giss), a partnership between ACCt and the university of texas at Austin’s Community College leadership program. What is the Foundation’s particular interest in this state-based model?

We at the Foundation are big believers in networks. Networks allow you to scale more elegantly. Clearly, community colleges in the United States are not uniform. Every state seems to have a different structure for finance, governance, and for operations. Because of that, we believe in starting the conversation not just nationally about the broader completion agenda, but also on the issues in a state that are going to be either helpful to college completion or have to be tackled to make the transformations easier.

Our biggest interest in the state-based training programs is to see if we can make an impact in that state network and help everyone in a state get on the same page to begin to tackle their system, and then hopefully learn from that process and transfer it to other states. The goal is to leverage that state network as a way to make a bigger, broader change in a system of colleges given the way they’re governed.

Q:the voluntary Framework of Accountability (vFA) for Community Colleges encourages community colleges to measure their performance with data to aid in measurable improvements. how will the vFA benefit colleges and the students they serve?

I think the danger of the completion initiative is coming up with simplistic solutions. The truth is that you could increase completion rates pretty easily. One of the ways to do it is to lower standards — just give out degrees easily. Or you could just close the doors to the hardest-to-serve students and bring in the best and the brightest, and your completion rates will go up. Neither of those outcomes is what we want to happen, but if you put the wrong accountability standards in place, you could actually incent those things to happen.

So one of the [goals] for the VFA is to ensure that we have an incentive structure so people will be motivated to serve the hardest-to-serve students and then reward them for doing the hardest work, like developmental education. We can also set it up so that colleges get the credit they deserve for the work they’re doing in any given state. But a solid, quality accountability system that would incent positive behavior, drive college completion, and allow for productive conversations on the ground can’t be invented from on high. You have to come together on the ground to find out what the core issues are so that the right pieces and parts can be

put in place. That’s why the VFA matters. This isn’t about explaining away challenges; it’s about

facing tough realities and developing the right kinds of incentive programs. The goal is to help the most students be successful. The VFA is a mechanism that can help start conversations within the state, within institutions, and deeper than that in program decisions. When you think about the contributions that community colleges make in a state around transfer education and multiple pathways to completion, you think about them as part of a family of higher education providers. That will help us be much more nuanced and smarter about how different pieces and parts of higher education are incented. We need trustees and presidents to help us understand what the right measures are.

Q:how has the current economic climate has simultaneously enhanced the role of community colleges and presented unique challenges to these systems?

Community colleges have suddenly been thrust into the national spotlight. Many people are returning to community colleges because they are changing careers, and they’re reskilling and up-skilling at the same time. When we moved from a time when only some of our population needed to be college educated to a time when most need to be college educated, suddenly the role of community colleges became not just nice and important; it became vital. It’s a great position to be in — but, boy, the stakes are high.

I come from a community college background — I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t started at Mesa Community College in Arizona and done deep work later with the League for Innovation in the Community College, American Association of Community Colleges, and ACCT. I think this is the time for community colleges to shine and not the time to explain away problems, point fingers, and talk about how challenging things are. It’s the time to step up and actually show the difference that we’re making. It’s the time to own our challenges, to understand where we’re not doing so well, and be courageous in taking steps to make sure that our colleges can help our students have greater opportunities.

This is a special time in the community college movement. It’s a time when we’re explicitly embracing a broader mission — access, quality, and completion. Our ability to rise to this challenge will make a powerful difference in our nation, states, communities, and most important, with the students that continue to walk through our open door.

“thE BiggEst ChAllEngE FoR CoMMunity CollEgEs is tAking thE

CoMplEtion ChAllEngE to hEARt AnD oWning it thE WAy thEy

oWnED thE ACCEss ChAllEngE.”Dr. mark David milliron


Attention Community College Trustees,

Increasing community college student completion has become a major national focus and a key priority for AACC and ACCT. Business leaders, policy makers, and leading foundations are emphasizing the importance of increasing the number of students who complete degrees, certificates, and other credentials with value in the workplace. We are writing now to ask you to join us in a call to action to engage our institutions to advance what has come to be called the completion agenda.

Last April, AACC and ACCT joined with four other national organizations to express our shared commitment to student completion. Partner organizations including the Center for Community College Student Engagement, the League for Innovation in the Community College, the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society participated in an unprecedented joint signing ceremony, committing our organizations to assist our members to produce 50 percent more students with high quality degrees and certificates by 2020. The signatory organizations have posted the call to action on their Web sites. See www.aacc.nche.edu/About/Pages/calltoaction.aspx and www.acct.org/2010/04/acct-co-signs-democracys-chall.php for the AACC and ACCT postings. We believe it is time now to expand the commitment beyond organizations to our campuses.

The timing of such action is important. Community colleges are currently in the national spotlight, but the increased attention also means increased responsibility to our communities, our states, and our country — as well as to our students. Both AACC and ACCT have been working to help our member colleges and their students through aggressive federal advocacy efforts; the creation of a voluntary framework of accountability for community colleges; and professional development institutes for trustees, college leaders, and future leaders. Our public commitment to raising student completion rates further underscores the transparency and accountability community colleges are courageously espousing. We invite you to join us at the ACCT Leadership Congress, the AACC Convention, or any of several institutes to learn more about these growing priorities.

To assist you in accepting the completion challenge for your college, we have attached a draft template that you may want to adopt, adapt, or use in other ways. To access the template, simply go to www.acct.org/CompletionSample.doc. Please keep us informed of any action your college takes to accept the completion challenge as this information will be valuable to us in our federal advocacy efforts.

Sincerely,

A Call to Action

J. Noah BrowNaCCT PresideNT aNd Ceo

GeorGe r. BoGGsaaCC PresideNT aNd Ceo


D

This is the second installment of a series of articles intended to assist campus administrators and trustees with legal issues involving attempts to avoid campus violence.The first article appeared in the spring 2010 issue of Trustee Quarterly and dealt with FERPA’s amended regulations, which give school officials much greater flexibility to notify law enforcement, mental health professionals, or a student’s parents in an attempt to prevent harm if they consider a student to be a danger to himself, herself, or to others.

Despite July’s supreme Court decision that struck down handgun restrictions imposed by the city of Chicago, campus gun bans are still viable. Seen as a major victory for gun rights advocates, the immediate effect of McDonald v. City of Chicago is to open campus gun restrictions to challenge in federal court. However, the high court’s majority opinion made clear that an individual’s right to bear arms does not undermine state and local government bans in public spaces, such as schools and colleges.

In the majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., the Supreme Court quoted its prior 2008 ruling that reversed the District of Columbia’s strict handgun ban. The court said in 2008 and reiterated in the Chicago case, “We made it clear in Heller [the D.C. case] that our holding did not cast doubt on such longstanding regulatory measures as prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill [and] laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and

Despite High Court Ruling, Campus Gun Bans Remain on Solid Ground

by Ira Michael Shepard ACCT General Counsel

l e g a l

sensitive buildings” (emphasis added).“We repeat those assurances here,” Justice Alito concluded in the recent Chicago ruling.

As the Supreme Court has not impeded the continuation of these bans, the remaining legal issue — which appears to be on the agenda of gun rights advocates — is whether a campus ban is based on specific authority from the state government that gives the institution or its governing board the ability to make these restrictions. One recent example is a situation currently under appeal in Colorado.

A Colorado trial court had initially dismissed a gun rights suit in deference to the University of Colorado Regents’ policymaking authority banning guns on campuses. However, a three-judge

appellate panel in Colorado recently reinstated the lawsuit, saying that the campus ban appeared to violate the state’s weapons law. The appellate court concluded that if the state legislature had intended to exempt universities from that law, it knew how to do so. The case is currently being appealed by the Colorado Board of Regents to the Colorado State Supreme Court. We will follow developments in this area as they occur.

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

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2010 New TrusTee GoverNaNce Leadership iNsTiTuTe / washiNGToN, d.c.

“ ACCT does wonderful work, and I very much look forward to attending future events.”

ON THE AGENDA

• Boardsmanship101—Focusingonthefundamentalsofbeingagoodboardmember

• “Rookietrusteesyndrome”

• Gainingacceptanceandbecominganeffectivevoice

• TheBoard-CEOrelationship

• Understandingthebudget,financialdocuments,andcapitalprojects

• Fundraisingandadvocacy

• Dealingwiththemedia

• Guidanceandtipsforworkingwithboardsupportstaff

ThIs AugusT 4-6, 45 new CommunITy College TrusTees and their presidents met at the national Center for higher

education in washington, D.C., to learn what makes an outstanding board member, strengthen the board/president relationship,

and network with others from around the country and beyond. Participants came from far and wide, including Arizona, Florida,

Illinois, Kansas, new Jersey, new york, the northern mariana Islands, ohio, Pennsylvania, maryland, massachusetts, michigan,

Texas, washington, wisconsin, and Virginia.

New trustees and their presidents come together in Washington D.C.., for a unique experience to accelerate the learning process and orient new trustees with the basics of boardsmanship. Institute attendees came from more than a dozen states and from as far away as the Northern Mariana Islands.

For information on the New Trustee Institute, held August 4-6, 2010 in Washington, D.C., visit www.acct.org and click Events.

Dr. Narcisa Polonio, aCCT Vice President for Education, Research, and Board Services, facilitates the New Trustee Governance leadership Institute.

August 4-6

new Trustees Take in lessons on Board leadership

learning the ropes


2010 New TrusTee GoverNaNce Leadership iNsTiTuTe / washiNGToN, d.c.

Participants in the 2010 New Trustee Governance leadership Institute exchanged t-shirts from their colleges.

spEciAl THANks TO

“ every new trustee should be encouraged to attend.”

“Budget session was excellent.”

“ well-rounded discussion on a variety of topics.”

“overall content and organization of workshop was well done.”

an attendee engages in discussion.

Trustees simulate a board meeting during the institute.

TheNationalCenterforHigherEducationAmericanCouncilonEducation

Dr.WalterBumphus,A.M.AikinRegentsChairinJuniorandCommunityCollegeEducationLeadershipandChair,DepartmentofEducationalAdministration,theUniversityofTexasatAustin

Dr.JudithS.Eaton,President,CouncilforHigherEducationAccreditation,Washington,D.C.

PaulFain,SeniorReporter,The Chronicle of Higher Education,Washington,D.C.

JenniferGonzalez,StaffReporter,The Chronicle of Higher Education,Washington,D.C.

MelissaHopp,VicePresidentofAdministrativeServices,TheCommunityCollegeofBaltimoreCounty,Md.

TheACCTteam:ElizabethAlvarado,TonyaHarley,JeeHangLee,ChristinaSage,andJohnSteinecke


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.

Presidential Searchesmeeting, when we unanimously selected a person who will lead us to even greater accomplishments for our students and community.” — Rod Jurado, Board Chair

Northern Wyoming Community College District, Wyo.Dr. Paul YoungPresident

Former Vice President & Executive Dean Northern Wyoming Community College District

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Young as our next president. His experience and knowledge of the district make him the perfect candidate for the job. We are so very thankful to have had such a qualified candidate pool, and our other finalists were wonderful as well… but Dr. Young rose to the top, and the board’s decision was unanimous.” — Bruce Hoffman, Board Chair

Owensboro Community & Technical College, KCTCS, Ky.Dr. James KlauberPresident

Former Senior Vice President and General CounselPiedmont Technical College, S.C.

“I feel confident that Dr. Klauber will provide the leadership OCTC needs to continue in its mission of enhancing the educational attainment of the area. I commend the board and the search committee for the time and commitment they have invested in this process.” — Michael McCall, President, Kentucky Community & Technical College System

Southwestern Community College, N.C.Dr. Richard Collings President

Former PresidentWayne State College, Neb.

“Although our presidential search produced many outstanding candidates, Dr. Collings was chosen because of his impressive

background and credentials. We feel his experience in education and knowledge of our service area will greatly benefit the college and the communities we serve.” — Conrad Burrell, Board Chairman

Garrett College, Md.Dr. Richard L. MaclennanPresident

Former Vice President of Student ServicesOlympic College, Wash.

“Dr. Maclennan’s background and experience are a good match with the challenges and

opportunities that lie ahead for Garrett College.” — Linda Sherbin, Board Chair

Harford Community College, Md.Dr. Dennis GolladayPresident

Former Vice Chancellor for Community CollegesState University of New York

“Dr. Golladay’s extensive experience and commitment to community college education will make him a strong asset to Harford Community College.” — Brad Stover, Board Chair

Heartland Community College, Ill.Dr. Allen GobenPresident

Former PresidentHazard Community and Technical College, Ky.

“Dr. Goben’s credentials, interests, and experience helped us identify him as the best

choice to lead Heartland successfully into the future.” — Gregg Chadwick, Board Chair

Hillsborough Community College, Fla.Dr. Kenneth AtwaterPresident

Former PresidentSouth Mountain College, Maricopa Community College District, Ariz.

“Dr. Polonio and her staff worked with us through the entire process, from outlining the process to helping us identify what we expected, to working with the 15-member search committee, through [identifying] our four outstanding finalists and being at the April board


State Center Community College District, Calif.Dr. Deborah BlueChancellor

Former Vice Chancellor Contra Costa Community College District, Calif.

“Dr. Blue possesses the leadership skills and qualities that will serve the District well as we move forward in these challenging times for California community colleges. We are excited to bring Dr. Blue on board and know she will be tremendously successful as the District’s next Chancellor.” — Patrick Patterson, Board President

Union County College, N.J.Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin President

Former Executive Vice President of Educational Services Brookdale Community College, N.J.

“Dr. McMenamin possesses the necessary talents and insight to lead Union County College. This is a time of expanding diversity of both student population and academic focuses, evolving occupational demands of the community, growing competition for funding, and increasing technological opportunities. The students, faculty, and staff of the college, as well as the community of which our students will become contributing members, deserve a president who can lead in all these areas, and Dr. McMenamin is supremely qualified to do that.” — Victor M. Richel, Board Chairman

Interim PresidentsACCT’s Board Leadership Services department is pleased to announce the following successful placements of interim leadership.

Dodge City Community College, Kan.Dr. Richard GillilandInterim President

Former Executive Director Wyoming Community College Commission

Garden City Community College, Kan.Dr. Joseph EmmonsInterim President

Former Director of Curricular Affairs Kansas Board of Regents

aCCT would like to thank the following colleges, which have taken advantage of our Board and/or President Evaluation Services.

Clover Park Technical College, Wash.

Coconino Community College, ariz.

New Mexico Junior College, N.M.

Ohlone College, Calif.

Redwoods Community College District, Calif.

Solano Community College, Calif.

BOaRD SElf aSSESSMENTS aND PRESIDENTIal EvalUaTIONS

aCCT would like to thank the following colleges, which have taken advantage of our Retreat Services.

Baltimore City Community College, Md.

Broome Community College, N.Y.

Burlington County College, N.J.

Coconino Community College, ariz.

Cumberland County College, N.J.

Gloucester County Community College, N.J.

laramie County Community College, Wyo.

lorain County Community College, Ohio

Ohlone College, Calif.

Redwoods Community College District, Calif.

Solano Community College, Calif.

St. louis Community College District, Mo.

State Center Community College District, Calif.

Tarrant County College District, Texas

BOaRD RETREaTS


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.

Bergen Community College, N.J. Dr. Jose AdamesAcademic Vice President

Former Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs & ProvostUnion County College, N.J.

“Dr. Adames is a 26-year veteran of higher education and an accomplished administrator. In addition to his vast experience as an academic leader, Dr. Adames brings extensive knowledge…that will lead the college in its pursuit of excellence.” — Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan, President, Bergen Community College

Hostos Community College, N.Y.Dr. Carmen Coballes-VegaProvost & Vice President of Academic Affairs

Former Dean, College of Professional StudiesMetropolitan State University, Minn.

“I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Carmen Coballes-Vega to Hostos. With over 30 years

of leadership experience in public higher education, she will be an invaluable asset in the fulfillment of our mission to meet the educational needs of students from diverse ethnic, racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.” — Dr. Felix Matos Rodríguez, President, Hostos Community College

Vice Presidential Searches

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.

vICE PRESIDENT, PROvOST, OR vICE ChaNCEllOR?

LOOKING FOr a

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 [email protected] or 202-276-1983.


The Single-Issue Trustee: Champion or Distraction? This case is provided as a tool to foster discussion of important governance issues.

by Narcisa a. Polonio, Ed.D.

Discussion Questions:

Case #1: Mary EllenMary Ellen was one month shy of her first year anniversary as a trustee at South State Community College. Having served as a faculty member for over 35 years before retiring, there was no doubt about her love for and commitment to the community college, but her knowledge and connections to the college were both a strength and a weakness. At every meeting, Mary Ellen would indicate that she was serving on the board to protect students and faculty from the administration and trustees who came out of the business community and did not understand academic freedom. It was clear that she still saw herself as a champion representing the faculty, and every board action had to meet the litmus test of supporting their interests. Mary Ellen attended faculty senate meetings and met weekly with faculty colleagues to review the board agenda and other matters.

Case #2: DavidAt Middle State Community College, David was the first African American elected to the board. During the election, David made a concentrated effort to appeal to voters from a primarily African American region of the city. His election represented a shift in the city’s political arena and was covered extensively by the local media. At his first board meeting, David made it clear that he was there to represent the interests of the people who had voted for him: African Americans who had been ignored by mainstream political leaders and the community in general. A pattern soon emerged, with David voting against any item that did not include a provision to serve minority students and the African American community. The rest of the board decided David was a crusader, and while they respected his views, they would often ignore his demands in the interest of keeping the board functioning.

Case #3: JoeAt Northern State Community College, one board member came from a prominent family of judges and lawyers who for generations had provided leadership and service to the community. Joe had followed the family tradition and became a lawyer, for over 30 years carving out a living as a sole practitioner handling real estate closings. Joe was described as a purist when it came to interpreting the public record and sunshine laws. He also believed that it was his role to clean out and expose corruption at any level. Joe quickly developed relationships with the local media and became a source of information on confidential items being considered by the board. He began questioning every item presented for action

and demanded that the minutes reflect his objections and his commitment to protect the right of the people to know the truth.

Balancing Good Intentions with Effective TrusteeshipAmong the many strengths of the system for selecting or appointing trustees is how the board’s members reflect a cross section of the community served by the college. Most trustees reside within the community and have a long-term track record of involvement and leadership. Collectively, the board should represent the interests of all the communities within the college’s service area.

But on some occasions, as in the three examples presented above, governing boards find themselves dealing with what is described as a “single-issue” trustee — someone whose sole purpose for serving on the board is to represent his or her own interests, the interests of one group, or to give voice to the demands of a specific group or ideology. Others, like Joe, may see themselves as a champion responsible for protecting the public and the college from the rest of the board. When an individual with a myopic perspective, or a “Johnny one-note,” joins a board, it can lead to turmoil, confusion, ill feelings — and at worst, havoc and the derailment of the board’s ability to function.

The psychology of what motivates people can be complex, deep rooted and difficult for others to understand. What can a board do when faced with unreasonable demands or the disruption of the flow of business by one trustee?

1. Is the single-issue trustee encouraged to be part of the board and work with his or her fellow members?

2. Has the board made the assumption that the new trustee only cares about his or her own interests? In other words, does the trustee behavior become a self-fulfilling prophesy because of assumptions made by the other members of the board?

3. What can the board do to make sure that new trustees bond with the rest of the board?

4. What is the role of the chair in ensuring the well-being of the board and the involvement of all trustees?

5. What steps can the board take to prevent single-issue mem-bers from dominating the agenda?

ACCT Vice President Narcisa Polonio can be reached

at 202-775-4670, by cell phone at 202-276-1983, or by

e-mail at [email protected].

Case StudyaDvaNCING GOvERNaNCE


Edward “Sandy” Sanders, aR

Dick Trammel, aR

Donald Campbell, aZ

Gloria Guzman, aZ

fred Harcleroad, aZ

Debra Pearson, aZ

Esther D. Tang, aZ

Jane Gregory, BC

Chuck ayala, Ca

lewis S. Braxton, Ca

lois Carson, Ca

Carole Currey, Ca

Denise Ducheny, Ca

Isobel Dvorsky, Ca

Dorothy Ehrhart-Morrison, Ca

Paul fong, Ca

Paul J. Gomez, Ca

Worth Keene, Ca

Brenda Knight, Ca

Marie Y. Martin, Ca

William H. Meardy, Ca

Carl Robinson, Ca

Herbert Roney, Ca

armando Ruiz, Ca

Evonne Seron Schulze, Ca

Pete Tafoya, Ca

David Viar, Ca

John Dent, CO

John Giardino, CO

Ken Burke, fl

Jody T. Hendry, fl

Nancy Watkins, fl

Kenneth R. allbaugh, Ia

Harold Brock, Ia

Robert Davidson, Ia

Joyce Hanes, Ia

B. a. Jensen, Ia

Kirby Kleffmann, Ia

Wayne Newton, Ia

Wanda Rosenbaugh, Ia

linda Upmeyer, Ia

Mark fazzini, Il

Raymond Hartstein, Il

Patricia Jones, Il

James lumber, Il

Judith Madonia, Il

Robert McCray, Il

David Murphy, Il

Rich Nay, Il

Therese G. Pauly, Il

franklin Walker, Il

Jerry Wright, Il

James D. Hittle, KS

Jo ann Huerter, KS

Dick Klassen, KS

Ed Nicklaus, KS

Jo ann Sharp, KS

Darryl Shumway, KS

lauren a. Welch, KS

Mary Beth Williams, KS

M.W. “Bill” Wyckoff, KS

Joan athen, MD

Daniel Hall, MD

Nancy M. Hubers, MD

Robert lawrence, MD

Brad W. Young, MD

William C. Warren, ME

frank S. Gallagher, MI

Robert E. Garrison, MI*

David W. Hackett, MI

fred Mathews, MI

Shirley Okerstrom, MI

George Potter, MI

David Rutledge, MI

Denise Wellons-Glover, MI

James B. Tatum, MO

Troy Holliday, MS

James Stribling, MS

John forte, NC

Hugh lee, NC

George little, NC

Helen Newsome, NC*

Kathleen Orringer, NC

Raymond Reddrick, NC

C. louis Shields, NC

lynda Stanley, NC

alwin arce, NJ

angelo Cortinas, NJ

Clara Dasher, NJ

Nino falcone, NJ

William T. Hiering, NJ

Donald loff, NJ

William McDaniel, NJ*

Virginia Scott, NJ

Charles Tice, NJ

Barbara Wallace, NJ

Ronald Winthers, NJ

Beatrice Doser, NM

Gloria lopez, NM

Robert Matteucci, NM

Nancy R. Rosasco, NV

David Mathis, NY

Donald M. Mawhinney, NY

Jean M. McPheeters, NY

Richard N. adams, OH

Maureen Grady, OH

Rebecca l. Redman, OH

Ken Bartlett, OK

Norma Jean Germond, OR

Doreen Margolin, OR*

Jim Voss, OR

Gene P. Ciafre, Pa

Morrison lewis, Pa

Gene E. McDonald, Pa

Elizabeth Rocklin, Pa

Betty K. Steege, Pa

John Wright, Pa

E. Stewart Blume, SC

Sheila Korhammer, SC

Montez C. Martin, Jr., SC

William O. Rowell, SC

Elmer Beckendorf, TX

Manuel Benavidez, Jr., TX*

Kitty Boyle, TX

Don Coffey, TX

Bennie Matthews, TX

Della-May Moore, TX

Pattie Powell, TX

lydia Santibanez, TX

W. l . ”levi” Smallwood, TX

J. Pete Zepeda, TX

M. Dale Ensign, UT

frank Mensel, UT

Marilyn Blocker, Va

Robert W. Harrell, Va

Melanie l. Jackson, Va

Ruthann Kurose, Wa

Naomi Pursel, Wa

Vaughn a. Sherman, Wa

Joan Jenstead, WI*

Dennis Christensen, WY

* Deceased

aCCT lIfETIME MEMBERS

They deserve more than just a gold watch.

7 REaSONS TO BESTOW a lIfETIME MEMBERSHIP

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

2 lifetime Members receive complimentary registration to all aCCT meetings, including the annual leadership Congress and the National legislative Summit after retiring from their local boards.

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

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

5 The lifetime Membership program supports and promotes aCCT’s continuing trustee education and professional development.

6 Colleges that purchase lifetime Memberships can deduct the expense from taxes to the fullest extent allowed by law.

7 It’s just a nice thing to do — and haven’t your most exceptional trustees earned it?

for applications or assistance, go to www.acct.org/membership/lifetime/honor-trustee.php, contact the aCCT Membership Department by phone at (202) 775-4667, or e-mail [email protected].

aCCT lIfETIME MEMBERSHIP

Do you have board members getting ready to retire?

are you looking for ways to recognize them for their hard work and dedication?

Don’t let them go without an aCCT lifetime Membership!

ProposalsCall for

2011 ACCT TrusT Fund BoArd GrAnT

ACCT is now accepting submissions for the Trust Fund Board Grant program.

Due December 3, 2010

The ACCT Trust Fund Board Grant was created in 2007 for the purpose of funding a project

that focuses on programs and/or activities of national interest to ACCT member boards and

individual trustees. The objectives of the ACCT Trust Fund Board Grant are:

The submission deadline for the 2011 grant opportunity is December 3, 2010. You are strongly

encouraged to submit well in advance of the deadline so that ACCT will have a chance

to review your application to ensure it is complete prior to forwarding to the Trust Fund

Board for review. Incomplete proposals that are not corrected by the deadline will not be

considered.

Visit www.acct.org/resources/trust/ to download the Request for Proposals and for more

information. If you have any questions, please e-mail [email protected].

• Financial support for projects that initiate, enrich, or support innovative programs or activities

created for the specific purpose of engaging and improving community college governance.

• recognition for ACCT member institutions that have demonstrated a specific interest in and

support of community college board programs and activities.

• Enrichment of ACCT’s service to trustees through the contribution of new ideas that can be shared

with our community college trustee membership.

41T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y f A L L 2 0 1 0

A publicAtion of the community college professionAl boArd stAff network in cooperAtion with the AssociAtion of community college trustees

INTERFACEnet work news

fAll 2010

Professional Board staff MeMBer2009-10 executive coMMittee

OFFICERSBJ Marcil, PresidentAssistant to the President/Board of TrusteesNorth Arkansas College, [email protected]

Terri Grimes, Vice President Executive Assistant to the President/BoardHighland Community College, [email protected]

Sherri Bowen, SecretaryExecutive Assistant to the President/Director, Board ServicesForsyth Technical Community College, N.C. [email protected]

Carol Gregory, Immediate Past PresidentExecutive Assistant to the President and BoardRose State College, [email protected]

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

CENTRAL REGIONJoan Tierney Administrative Assistant Joliet Junior College, [email protected] NORTHEAST REGIONMaryann Raab Executive Assistant to the President Orange County Community College, [email protected]

PACIFIC REGIONRobin Lewison Executive Assistant to the ChancellorSan Diego Community College District, [email protected] SOUTHERN REGIONVacant**New Southern Region Member-at-Large to be selected during 2010 Leadership Congress

WESTERN REGIONDebbie Novak Assistant to the College President Colorado Mountain College, Colo. [email protected]

Looking Back, Looking AheadThis morning as I was sitting on my deck drinking my first cup of coffee, the sun was just peeking up over the Ozark Mountains. Instead of relaxing and enjoying the rabbits playing in the yard, thoughts of all the things I needed to do kept popping in my head. As president of the Professional Board Staff Network, the task at the top of the list is this, my final Trustee Quarterly article.

Looking back over the past year, the dominating memory as your PBSN President is one I believe many will recall — the great ice storm and blizzard in February 2010. Those of us planning to attend the ACCT National Legislative Summit were watching the weather, making second guesses about what we should do. The airlines stepped in and made the decision for many of us, canceling all flights in or out of Washington, D.C. There were, however, a few brave souls who flew in early. They soon discovered that 90 percent of us could not get there, and ACCT made the difficult decision to reschedule the summit to take place in March.

As the year progressed and the economy took a turn for the worse, many across the country who lost their jobs took advantage of the situation and returned to college. It is such a good feeling to know we were here and able to serve so many. However, at the same time, our institutions faced major budget decisions, and many institutions were left looking for additional funding. While all of this was taking place, PBSN members were busy with board meetings, board retreats, and many other summer projects. Projects at our institutions ranged from ones as simple as painting a classroom to planning major construction. It seems like our “to do” lists keep getting longer and longer.

But on the bright side, we have the 41st Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in Toronto, Canada, to look forward to. For some of us, this will be our first trip out of the United States. Once in Toronto, we will have many opportunities to network with fellow PBSN members. Our three-hour workshop on Thursday will give us a chance to share what is happening at our institutions, share ideas, and ask questions. At our business meeting on Friday, we will elect a new Secretary and a Member-at-Large for each region. You may have been thinking about serving on the PBSN Executive Committee, and the ACCT Congress offers you the perfect opportunity to do so. You will not find a better group to represent, not to mention the support you will receive.

Looking back, when I was approached by a PBSN member to run for the Southern Region Member-at-Large position, I wondered if I could live up to my predecessors. My next step was the position of PBSN Secretary, and I found the support never stopped coming. My year as president has been very rewarding, with the PBSN Executive Committee and members supporting me during each step. I want to thank all PBSN members for their confidence in me, and I look forward to next year as I pass the gavel to our next president, Terri Grimes.

BJ MARciLNoRTh ARkANSAS coLLEgE hARRiSoN, ARk.

INTERFACE

42 f A L L 2 0 1 0 T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y

Making the Dream a RealityBy Terri grimes, highland community college, ill.

net work news fAll 2010

Over 10 years ago, former PBSN President Marlene Kopala, now retired from McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Ill., approached me and asked if I had considered running for a position on the Executive Committee. While I was intrigued with the idea, I felt there were other members who had more experience. After all, what could I really contribute to PBSN? Having a strong faith and believing that God has a plan for each of us, I kept telling myself it was not in His plan at the time — but in reality, it was not in my plan. I promised Marlene I would think about it in the future.

Call it a weak moment or a nudge from God, but arriving in San Diego for the 2007 ACCT Leadership Congress, I kept thinking back to the conversation I had with Marlene. I was not getting any younger — if this was something I truly wanted to do (and I knew it was), now was the time. With the support of my President and Board of Trustees, I ran for the Central Region Member-at-Large position and was fortunate to be elected. I originally thought of it as a good opportunity to “get my feet wet” with a one-year commitment, but something Pam Perkins of Seward County Community College/Area Technical School in Kansas said as she

made her first speech as the new PBSN President inspired me. Pam ended her message with the words of Walt Disney: “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful idea in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” I knew then that I had made the right decision to run for the Executive Committee. I wanted to continue to build on the strong foundation its members had built over the years.

The members who chartered PBSN in October 1994 created the network to meet the needs of those “who support governing boards and/or presidents.” The charter goes on to state that the focus of PBSN will be “on continued development and enhancement of professional skills, sharing expertise and best practices, keeping abreast of new developments, and becoming more proficient at rendering service to governing boards and/or presidents.” It requires everyone working together to make the organization a success — to turn the dream of the PBSN charter members into reality.

Since 1994, attendance at the PBSN sessions offered at the annual Congress has grown. Last year, we held our first-ever meet-and-greet session, and based on positive feedback, we

PBSN Past Presidents: (left to right) Linda Peltier, Carol Gregory, Julie Whyte, Pam Perkins, and Becky Garrison.

INTERFACE

43T R U S T E E Q U A R T E R L Y f A L L 2 0 1 0

net work news fAll 2010

have planned another event for this year’s Congress in Toronto, Canada. The meet and greet will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20, and it will be an opportunity to network with other PBSN members. (Your registration packet will have the latest information on location.) You may even win a door prize donated by our Executive Committee members. Join us for a chance to network with other PBSN members — it is sure to be a good time! The meet and greet will be a casual event, so come as you are — travel attire is welcome.

Our three-hour workshop session, scheduled on Thursday at 1:45 p.m., will feature presentations on the PBSN message board, sustainability in emergency management, and making your campus green. Friday’s business meeting, as BJ mentioned in her article, will feature the ascension of officers, as well as the election of a Secretary and Member-at-Large from each of the five regions. If you are interested in running for one of the positions, contact any of the Executive Committee members. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

BJ’s presidency will come to an end at the Toronto meeting,

so this seems like a perfect opportunity to thank her publicly for a great year as President. She had big shoes to fill, following on the heels of Immediate Past-President Carol Gregory, who set the bar high — but BJ rose to the challenge! I hope you will join us at the business meeting to thank BJ personally for all she did this past year. Carol Gregory and Past-President Pam Perkins have also been invaluable resources for the Executive Committee this year. (Thanks, Carol and Pam!)

Someone who will not be with us in Toronto is Brittany Williams-Goldstein, who was elected Secretary last year. Brittany submitted her resignation to the Executive Committee this summer after accepting a position as the President’s Chief of Staff at a four-year institution, Ramapo College. Thanks, Brittany, for all you did to keep PBSN electronically connected through the bulletin board and other communication tools. We wish you the best of luck. Sherri Bowen, member-at-large designee, will fulfill the rest of her term as Secretary and will ascend to Vice-President in October.

I look forward to seeing you in Toronto as we continue to make the dream of the PBSN charter members a reality.

The Professional Board Staff Network (PBSN) Executive Committee invites you to attend the2010 ACCT Leadership Congress — October 20 – 23, 2010

Community Colleges are Indispensable to Reinvigorating the Economy

PBSN Meet & Greet Orientation SessionWednesday, October 202:30pm – 3:30pmConference Room GMezzanine Level

PBSN members will have the opportunity to get better acquainted and get a sneak peek at the topics for the three-hour workshop on Thursday, and the Business Meeting on Friday.

Annual Three-HourWorkshop for PBSNThursday, October 211:45p.m. – 4:45p.m. The workshop will include an update on the PBSN Message Board by PBSN President, BJ Marcil. PBSN Southern Region Member-at-Large, Sherri Bowen, will talk about “Sustainability in Emergency Management”; followed by a presentation by North Arkansas College Board of Trustees member Norma Cutler, and PBSN President BJ Marcil on “Making Your Campus Green”; ending with an open discussion time for participants.

PBSN Business Meeting

Friday, October 229:15 a.m.– 10:15 a.m.

The annual meeting will include installation of officers for 2011, election of the Secretary and Member-at-Large from each region, as well the recognition of the 2010 PBSN regional ACCT award winners and other pertinent business of the organization.

We hope you’ll join us at the PBSN sessions scheduled during the2010 ACCT Annual Leadership Congress in Toronto, Canada

PBSN Executive Committee: Members at Large: B.J. Marcil, President Joan Tierney, Central RegionTerri Grimes, Vice President Maryann Raab, Northeast RegionSherri Bowen, Secretary Robin Lewison, Pacific RegionCarol Gregory, Immediate Past President Vacant, Southern Region

Debbie Novak, Western Region

Association of Community College TrusteesAttn: Professional Board Staff Network1233 20th St., NW, Ste. 301Washington, DC 20036(202) 775-4667For more information, visit www.acct.orgor email B.J. Marcil at [email protected]

P B S NProfessional Board Staff Network

New To Your Position?

Have You Ever Said To Yourself:

“Where Do I Start?”

There have been many before

us asking these same questions.

There will be many following us

searching for the same answers.

Find answers to your questions in

Toronto. We look forward to

seeing you there. Please join us.

44 F a l l 2 0 1 0 T R U S T E E Q U a R T E R l Y

advisorELECTION OF REGIONAL NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Regional Nominating Committee elections will take place during the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress during the Regional Caucuses and Meetings on Thursday, October 21. Based on the ACCT Regional Nominating Committee structure, each committee consists of five members elected for two-year staggered terms. No more than one member shall be from the same state. The following seats need to be filled for the 2011-2012 term:

CENTRAL REGIONThree (3) seats will be available to members from the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

NORTHEAST REGIONTwo (2) seats will be available to members from the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York.

PACIFIC REGIONThree (3) seats will be available to members from the following states and territories: California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

SOUTHERN REGIONTwo (2) seats will be available to members from the following states and territory: Arkansas, Bermuda, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Virgin Islands.

WESTERN REGIONTwo (2) seats will be available to members from the following states: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

ACCT VOTING DELEGATES FOR ELECTIONSACCT’s President and Chief Executive Officer will send detailed information to the board chairs of each ACCT voting member district outlining how many voting delegates the college district governing boards is entitled to under ACCT’s Bylaws. The number of delegates will be based on fall headcount enrollment of those students taking courses for credit.

Each member board should decide who will serve as the voting delegate(s) for the Congress. Voting Members may designate for each voting delegate an alternative who may serve as the voting delegate in the absence of any voting delegate from the same Voting Member. ACCT does not need to be notified. Upon arrival at the Congress, the voting delegate(s) will need to sign in at the appropriate desk to receive voting credentials.

2010 Candidates for aCCt diversity Committee(1) Two-year term in each region. Following is the slate of nominees:

Central RegionRobin M. Smith*Lansing Community College, MI

Northeast RegionCid Wilson*Bergen Community College, NJ

Pacific RegionOpen Election

Southern RegionRandall “Mack” Jackson*Midlands Technical College, SC

Western RegionYolanda Navarro Flores*Houston Community College System, TX

Jimmy SandovalMesalands Community College, NM

eLeCtion of Board and diversity Committee memBersElections for ACCT Regional Directors and Diversity Committee members will be held at the Regional Caucuses and Meetings on Thursday, October 21, 1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. EST, during the 2010 ACCT Leadership Congress in Toronto, Canada, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. Elections for Directors-at-Large will be held on Friday, October 22, during the ACCT Senate meeting.

* Candidates received support of their respective Nominating Committee.Note: Nominations will be accepted from the floor on all elections. Nominations must be made by a Voting Delegate from each candidate’s respective institution. The Voting Delegate making the nomination must make the nomination on behalf of the member board and provide a letter affirming the member board’s support at or before the nomination.

*Received the support of their respective Regional Nominating Committee.Note: Nominations will be accepted from the floor on all elections. Nominations must be made by a Voting Delegate from each candidate’s respective institution. The Voting Delegate making the nomination must make the nomination on behalf of the member board and provide a letter affirming the member board’s support at or before the nomination.

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

Central Region — Celia M. Turner* Mott Community College, MI

Northeast Region — LeRoy W. Mitchell*Westchester Community College, NY

Pacific Region — Roberto Uranga*Long Beach City College, CA

Southern Region — Nancy Watkins*Hillsborough Community College, FL

Western Region Colton J. Crane*Central Wyoming College, WY

Guy WattsDel Mar College, TX

1-year PartiaL termRoberto Zárate*Alamo Colleges, TX

2010 Candidates for tHe aCCt Board of direCtors

direCtors-at-Large(3) Three-year terms. Following is the slate of nominees received as of July 1, 2010.

Donald L. Singer*San Bernardino Community College, CA

Dorothy “Dottie” SmithState Center Community College District, CA

David Talley*Palm Beach State College, FL

Jean Torgeson*North Iowa Area Community College, IA

acct PublicationSTo order any ACCT publication, please fill out the form below and give to any ACCT staff member or (preferred) fax, e-mail, or mail your order to ACCT Publications (contact information below). Please include both a billing and shipping address and a purchase order, if necessary.

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TiTle Price QuanTiTy ToTal

essentials of good board/ceo Relations (2009) NEW

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Please check whether you are a member or non-member

the trustee’s Role in effective advocacy: engaging in citizen action to advance educational opportunities in your com-munity — What trustees need to Know about exercising their Voices and influ-ence on behalf of community colleges (2009) NEW



the trustee’s Role in Fundraising: From arm’s length to Knee deep — What trustees need to Know about institutional advancement (2008)



the board chair: a guide for leading community college boards



trusteeship in community colleges: a guide to effective governance



community college trustees: leading on behalf of their communities



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