Illinois Central College Board of Trustees met March 19.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
At 5:08 p.m., Chair Everett called the regular meeting to order and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Everett asked the Secretary to call the roll and Paula Davis, Michael Everett, Diane Lamb, Dave Mingus, and Gale Thetford were present. Attending remotely: Carl Cannon and Kelly Daniels. Absent: None.
Recognition: None.
Hearing of Citizens: None. Trustee Everett stated the meeting was open and the public could attend. Mr. Richard Joseph, ICC attorney, stated with the new guidance, we still must post the meetings but there has been guidance on how public participation is to take place. The Attorney General has stated that the public can send questions in advance of the meeting. If more than 10 people are present at the meeting, it can be cancelled.
Conflict of Interest
Chair Everett brought to the attention of the Trustees page 20 in the Board packet, noting there are two items under Purchase Recommendations that will be deferred. Trustee Thetford moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented, with the exception of deferring the Pediatric Patient Simulator and the Community Survey Request for Proposal indefinitely, including Minutes of the Open Session of the Regular Monthly Meeting on February 27, 2020, Minutes of the Closed Session of the Regular Monthly Meeting on February 27, 2020, Personnel Recommendations, and Monthly Bills for February 1-29, 2020. Trustee Davis seconded the motion. Chair Everett noted that, given the current situation in the country regarding the CoVid-19 pandemic, the items in question may not be needed for quite some time until classes are able to resume as normal. Discussions with the low bidder on the Community Survey are planned to confirm the best time to move forward with the survey.
Trustee Thetford stated that the rationale with proceeding with the other items are: #3 Curriculum Development Services – this is pursuant to a grant so the funds must be expended or lost; #4 Student Information Automation Tool – in light of the enhanced technology online that we are transitioning to, this tool would be beneficial.
Trustee Lamb asked for further discussion on the Student Information Automation Tool to understand how that will be deployed. Mr. Bruce Budde, Vice President Administration & Finance, stated that it will be a mobile application tool that will provide more functionality and is an upgrade to the existing system. It provides the students more options and abilities to do more online. It will enable the College to process more financial aid online. It is a natural progression of our systems.
Consent Agenda
Minutes
Minutes of the Open Session of the Regular Monthly Meeting on February 27, 2020.
Personnel Report
New Hires
• Alanna Hill: Full-Time Administrative Assistant – Educational Foundation
Change of Status
• Steve Garner: Part-Time On Call Police Officer – Campus Police To: Full-Time Campus Police Officer – Campus Police
• Tracy Heffren: Full-Time Interim Head Volleyball Coach and Academic Advisor – Athletics To: Full-Time Head Volleyball Coach and Academic Advisor – Athletics
• Margie Pintar: Part-Time Housekeeper – Custodial Services To: Full-Time Housekeeper – Custodial Services
• Steffi Xu: Part-Time Youth Programs Coordinator – Corporate and Community Education To: Full-Time Community and Youth Programs Coordinator – Corporate and Community Education
Separations
• Rachael Cansino: Temporary Full-Time Workforce Development Coordinator – Workforce Equity Initiative
Purchase Report
Bid Items:
• AIT North Roof Replacement – Kreiling Roofing $291,257.40
Professional Services:
• Curriculum Development Services – Northern Illinois University $39,750.00
Data Processing Equipment, Software, and Telecommunications
• Student Information System Automation Tool – Highland Technology Solutions Inc. $35,000.00
Bills Including Conference and Meeting Expenses
• Education Fund—$ 3,295,003.50
• Operations and Maintenance Fund—$ 547,695.88
• Operations and Maintenance Fund Restricted—$ 80,846.35
• Bond and Interest Fund—$ 3,500.00
• Auxiliary Fund—$ 498,431.70
• Restricted Fund—$ 605,500.97
• Audit Fund—$ 2,607.13
• Liability, Protection, and Settlement Fund—$ 312,683.88
Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Kelly Daniels, Paula Davis, Michael Everett, Diane Lamb, Dave Mingus, Gale Thetford, and Carl Cannon. “Nay”: None. Absent: None. The motion passed.
Board of Trustees Chair Reports
Announcements:
Chair Everettstated the Governors across the country are declaring national emergencies to enable access to federal support. The College has also enacted a declaration:
Whereas Illinois Central College Emergency Operations Policies and Procedures empower the President to declare an emergency declaration when the campus has been affected by an emergency or a disaster, and
Whereas the President hereby finds conditions of peril and safety of persons and property have arisen within the campus by the global pandemic coronavirus commencing on or about March 5, 2020, warranting necessity for and proclamation of this emergency declaration.
Now, therefore, it is hereby proclaimed and ordered that said campus emergency declaration shall be in effect for a period not to exceed 30 days. This declaration may be re-issued in increments not to exceed 30 days at a time, until its termination is proclaimed by the President of the College and signed by our College President. This could possibly be renewed in the future unless we are given special death dispensation to have longer periods of emergency.
Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey, President of the College, stated that the declaration was required for the College to qualify for Federal reimbursement for some of the expenses that the College is currently experiencing due to the impact of the coronavirus and changes in operation.
Chair Everett reminded the Trustees that they have seen emails regarding putting together an emergency powers proposal and, subsequent to those emails, J.B. Pritzker, Governor of the State of Illinois, made adjustments to the Open Meetings Act that have made obtaining a quorum easier in light of the limitations on physical attendance at public meetings.
Trustee Lamb asked for clarification on the starting date. Chair Everett stated the starting date was March 5, 2020. If nothing changes in the current situation, we will again review this on/or around April 4, 2020.
ICCTA Report:
Chair Everett stated that the Trustees received an email regarding the cancellation of the regional meeting at Spoon River Community College.
Legislative Report: Chair Everett stated that all K-12 grades were closed last Friday evening.
Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that we will be sending letters to the federal legislators. We are gathering questions about impacts to our students based upon Pell Grants in each instance and Veteran services, for example, do incompletes in courses count as satisfactory progress, or could this put a student in a position where they do not get as much funding next semester. We are encouraging the agencies to provide guidance and flexibility.
Trustee Davis asked if this current circumstance will delay graduation for students. Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that there may be an impact to students that have labs if we are not able to continue those labs in classes; however, we are not yet at a point where we can do that analysis.
There was also discussion regarding graduation and what a virtual format would look like.
Student Trustee Report: Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that the follow-up report to the student survey will be emailed to the Trustees.
President’s Report: Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that this month’s student success story is on a graduate of the CDL Truck Driver Training program. Jessica Durbin saw the perfect opportunity at Illinois Central College and quickly made the decision to enroll in the CDL Truck Driver Training program at ICC.
Previously, Jessica’s work was split between babysitting and caring for the elderly. She realized she needed something better and more stable for her and her two young daughters. After finding ICC, she learned of her eligibility for the Workforce Equity Initiative program.
As a recipient of the WEI grant, Jessica began her training in the CDL program on January 6. Grateful for ICC and everything it offered during her training; Jessica was especially happy to be able to take advantage of the food bank for her family. Jessica said, “Support like this is what helped get me through.”
Jessica completed the CDL program in four weeks. She knew, no matter what, she needed to find a local job where she could be home in the evenings for her daughters. After an interview at O’Brien Steel in Peoria, Jessica started her new job – less than a month after finishing her program at ICC.
Jessica is excited to be able to work and support her family. After a two-week training period, she will be making a wage of $19 an hour, and the company also offers full benefits.
“I absolutely love my new job,” says Jessica. “I am so thankful for ICC and the amazing opportunities they provide. The CDL Truck Driver Training program truly changed the future for both me and my daughters.”
Announcements: Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that she could not impress upon the Board enough what the faculty and staff are doing to transition students and their own work online in this current environment. The College’s major delivery system has been “pulled out from under them,” and everyone is working very quickly to transition to classes online and working from home. Faculty member Kim Hawthorne shared how she and Kevin Wells were concerned about their 274 class in CISCO, which is a very hands- oncourse and the last course required for CISCO certification. They started a search online within Illinois to find an online solution, which quickly led to new friends in various Cisco Academies in Canada, England, and Germany. They contacted 20 different academies and eventually, through this network, were connected to a college in Kansas that has a completely virtual lab program and will allow the ICC class to go live through their equipment at no cost, so the students will get their certification. This is just one story representing what all our faculty are doing to make this transition to online classes work for our students.
Dr. Quirk-Bailey shared the status of ICC College as related to the coronavirus, stating that the College is continuing to operate and is converting to a virtual delivery mode for courses, services, and operations through the end of the semester. We are currently in a two-week spring break that will end on March 28. We are working to maximize the number of services that can be delivered virtually as well as the number of employees who can work remotely. Courses resume on Monday, March 30, in an online format. There will be no in-person lab sessions or other faculty-student interactions on campus through the end of the semester. Students are all receiving communications from their instructors, course by course, on how to proceed. Once employees have transitioned to working from home, they will have limited access back to campus. All ICC campuses are closed to the public for the remainder of the semester. We are requesting that ICC employees do not engage in any face-to-face meetings off campus to conduct College business or to attend any professional development sessions. The College is posting daily updates on the website and is also providing updates to students.
Trustee Mingus asked if it would be appropriate for the Board to send a letter to the Kansas program to thank them for their benevolence. Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that would be a great thing to do and she will have a letter drafted.
Further discussion ensued among the Trustees on the amazing work that everyone at the College is doing to ensure continued school and work. They wanted to congratulate all the employees on such a great job pulling together and getting everything done to ensure continued student success with the present situation.
At the next Board meeting, Trustee Thetford would like to hear success stories of the virtual delivery mode that could also be considered as an additional marketing tool in the future.
Treasurer’s Report
Bruce Budde, Executive Vice President Administration and Finance and treasurer presentedthe Treasurer’s Report forFebruary2020.Mr. Budde stated that results through February are tracking favorably in most areas.
On the revenue side, we are close to budget expectations. State funding is lagging due to timing and should resolve by the end of the fiscal year. Real Estate taxes are slightly ahead but again due only to timing of payments. Other revenue is higher than expected due to higher than expected corporate property replacement tax receipts.
There will be some future stress points on revenues due to the current situation as we move forward, such as student refunds. Current interest rates are trending lower, as such interest rate revenue is projected to decline and will be monitored.
On the expenditure side, most categories are tracking favorably. As noted, there will be upcoming adjustments to benefits as health claim activity currently exceeds expectations
Based on current activity and assumptions to date we would be projecting to end the year in a favorable position. However, we will need to commit to unexpected expenditures to assist with the online transition and will look to reduce other discretionary expenditures as appropriate. The Fund reserves are still in a comfortable position and can be used, if needed, to help with some of these transitions.
We are also tracking the expendituresthat are over and above the normal expenses, such as lost revenues related to tuition and additional expenses to transition classes and work online. Those reports will be filed through FEMA and other agencies to see what reimbursement the College qualifies for.
Trustee Everett stated that in the past, the College did receive some relief. Mr. Budde stated that the College did experience an emergency in the past due to a snow emergency and did receive some reimbursement for expenses related to that event.
Trustee Davis asked about the throughput for transitioning all the classes and work online. Mr. Budde stated that both campus locations have incoming gig level service which has been upgraded by one gig going into Student Housing. Student Housing now has their own dedicated bandwidth.
Trustee Lamb asked about the expected turnaround time on FEMA reimbursement. Mr. Budde stated that, in the past, there was approximately a six-month lag or more, but we have no way to predict what that timeline would be in this scenario. The College is well resourced to weather this event from a cash flow perspective.
Trustee Lamb asked about compensation for faculty and staff. Discussion ensued on this topic.
Trustee Davis moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report as presented. Trustee Daniels seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Paula Davis, Michael Everett, Diane Lamb, Dave Mingus, Gale Thetford, Carl Cannon, and Kelly Daniels. “Nay”: None. Absent: None. The motion passed.
Informational Items: None
Action Items
7.1 Drug-Free Schools and Communities Policy
Trustee Lamb moved to approve the amendments to the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Policy to include prohibition of cannabis within its policy. Trustee Davis seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Michael Everett, Diane Lamb, Dave Mingus, Gale Thetford, Carl Cannon, Kelly Daniels, and Paula Davis. “Nay”: None. Absent: None. The motion passed.
7.2 Smoke-Free/Tobacco Free Campus Policy
Trustee Lamb moved to approve the amendments to the Smoke-Free/Tobacco Free Campus Policy to include the prohibition of smoking and/or use of cannabis products. Trustee Davis seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Diane Lamb, Dave Mingus, Gale Thetford, Carl Cannon, Kelly Daniels, Paula Davis, and Michael Everett. “Nay”: None. Absent: None. The motion passed.
7.3 Tuition Recommendations
Trustee Thetford moved to approve, effective Fall 2020, adjusting the tuition rate to $155 per credit hour from the current rate of $150. The increase represents a 3 percent increase over last year. Trustee Mingus seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Dave Mingus, Gale Thetford, Carl Cannon, Kelly Daniels, Paula Davis, and Michael Everett. “Nay”: Diane Lamb. Absent: None. The motion passed.
Trustee Lamb asked about differential tuition that was recently discussed in the Board retreat. Mr. Budde affirmed that we will start communicating the differential tuition decision to the students, but it will not go into effect until fiscal year 2022.
Unfinished Business: None
Trustee Lamb asked about the multiple measures placement update and if the GPA should be used a criterion for non-traditional students that have been out of school for a while. Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated that the multiple measures approach addresses that issue as this program includes other ways a student can be tested to prove competency. The GPA is just one measure that students can use to demonstrate that they are college ready.
New Business:
Trustee Thetford stated that moving forward for the next six months or so, there needs to be heightened scrutiny of purchasing expenditures and personnel hiring to ensure they are pertinent to continued business. We do not know what expenditures will be needed to support this transition to online learning. While the College has a robust fund balance, there is a significant amount of uncertainty given the current situation. Further discussion ensued on the current environment and how it may impact the College in the months to come.
The Trustees also wanted to recognize the tremendous work the faculty and staff have been doing for the community and institution.
Closed Session
At 5:52 p.m., Chair Everett entertained a motion for closed session. Trustee Davis moved that the Board of Trustees conduct a closed session to discuss the following matters:
Litigation when an action against, affecting, or on behalf of the public body has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent (Section 2(c)(11) of the Open Meetings Act); and
Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees (Section 2(c)(2) of the Open Meetings Act); and
The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body (Section 2(c)(1) of the Open Meetings Act).
Trustee Mingus seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Gale Thetford, Carl Cannon, Kelly Daniels, Paula Davis,MichaelEverett,DianeLamb,andDaveMingus.“Nay”:None.Absent: None.The motion passed unanimously. Chair Everett asked Dr. Quirk-Bailey to request that Bruce Budde remain for the closed session. All other guests and staff members were excused. A break was taken from 5:53 p.m. to 6:03 p.m.
(Closed Session)
At 6:22 p.m., Chair Everett entertained a motion to adjourn the closed session and resume open session. Trustee Davis moved to adjourn the closed session and resume open session. Trustee Thetford seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Kelly Daniels, Paula Davis, Michael Everett, Diane Lamb, Dave Mingus, Gale Thetford, and Carl Cannon. “Nay”: None. Absent: None. The motion passed.
Adjournment
At 6:23 p.m., Chair Everett entertained a motion to adjourn open session. Trustee Davis moved to adjourn open session. Trustee Mingus seconded the motion. Chair Everett requested a roll call vote. The following Trustees responded “Aye”: Paula Davis, Michael Everett,Diane Lamb,Dave Mingus,Gale Thetford, Carl Cannon,andKelly Daniels. “Nay”: None.Absent: None. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned.
https://icc.edu/about-icc/files/Open-Session-Meeting-Minutes-March-19-2020-Final.pdf
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