Winter 2018 Meeting Summary

Laverne Hays - Blackhawk Technical College

 

Thursday evening:
Registration and New Trustee Orientation –
Steve Tenpas, Executive Director Layla Merrifield, District Boards’ President Carla Hedtke, and past President Mona Mathews welcomed two new Trustees - one from Wisconsin Indianhead and one from our host college Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) - to our Wisconsin Technical College System.

Steve did an outstanding job in making a video clip outlining the WTCS and our mission. He also referred the trustees to our Association history booklet, “For the Good of the Cause,” by Earl Milbauer and Jerry Schoenike, which can be found on the Association website.

Friday In-service:
Social Media and its Impact on Trustees at CVTC Energy Education Center. Our keynote speaker was Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, from Bayfield, Wisconsin. Hannah, an Insurance agent and photographer (view her photography blog here.) brought her real life experiences with social media to us, revealing how it can overwhelm one’s life. Her life changed forever when a neighbor asked her to shoot a picture of his dying dog Schoep who was peacefully resting his head on his owner’s breast as he floated on his back in the waters of Lake Superior. When his beloved pet passed on, the picture, when posted, went viral. Within 24 hours, there were nearly forty thousand shares! To this day, there have been a half million interactions with groups being formed raising $80,000.00 in charitable contributions and making hundreds of blankets for animals and domestic abuse shelters.

Hannah witnessed virtual communities being formed amid conversations about caretaking for others and online advice being given causing exponential diversion or agitation -depending on your stance. Following that, the tragic loss of her husband – a fishing guide who drowned after falling through the ice on Lake Superior – again had social media overwhelming her life. She found herself becoming one of the ‘keyboard warriors’ using social media as a way to zone out during tragic situations – often becoming disconnected with everyday life.

Things she has learned –

• A virtual world can become a real world to some
• Don’t be surprised when you see other opinions or others disagree
• Don’t take anything personally - Keep things positive
• Get out of the vortex and search other sources

After a break, Dan Imhoff, Director of Facilities/Title IX Deputy Administrator, and member of the Behavioral Intervention Team from Southwest Technical College (SWTC), gave a ‘real life’ scenario of social media having a negative effect on his College. After Graduation ceremonies last year (on a weekend, of course), Dan received a call regarding posts aimed at some graduates by a former student with accusations of bullying and/or misbehavior.

Although most negativity came from external websites, the Behavioral Intervention was called upon to address the negativity aimed at his College. Southwest Tech would up with forty-two pages of justified documentation, and spent nearly 240 hours over the next three days addressing the situation.

Districts Mutual Insurance (DMI) was a great help in reviewing and evaluating specific sections of their Emergency Response Plan, and cautioned against getting into a battle on social media. At issue, how does one use facebook as a proactive medium? A Post like “We wish to address …..” or any reactive cover story can backfire or fuel the flames further. In the end, it took his College about a week to return to normal in regards to their social media presence. The final take to us: How does the College communicate to the Board & what is a Trustee’s role – to ensure that the President has done his job and that the College has an Emergency response plan.

After the in-service, we were given an option for one of three tours – Energy education (which included a walk-through of both HVAC and agriculture), Fire Safety, and Manufacturing. Before embarking on the tours, President Bruce Barker gave a CVTC overview, and noted that the College serves an area covering nearly 150 miles from River Falls to Neilsville. They rank 8th in size among the 16 districts, and because 50% of the students at the college are commuters to and from the Twin Cities area, they number three times the total population of the district. Although the largest program at CVTC is in manufacturing related fields, because they are centrally located midway between the Marshfield and Mayo Clinics, Healthcare is a close second – which includes state-of-the-art, in-house dental and Prevea associated health labs. Their students create a very diverse community, and in a short video clip, it was shown how virtually everyone in all walks of life are affected in some way – including dependable energy, automobiles, police and fire safety, affordable housing, their dairy and food consumption, and their health services.

I chose the Energy tour. Our tour host was Instructor Adam Wehling, who previously was the vo/ag instructor at the local Evansville high school. Because Evansville high school was also built with geo-thermal heating and cooling technology, he was right at home answering questions comparing savings and cost-recovery statistics. This CVTC facility was constructed in 2015 and its geo-thermal system has a 120 ton capacity which is backed by a gas fired boiler. He noted the average home would require a 3-5 ton capacity. He noted the system cools similar to your home refrigerator. Water for the heating/cooling moves through a 2” diameter PVC – an equivalent sheet metal duct for air handling would be 18” x 36”.

He also offered that college reclaims 80% of their water consumption for non-potable usage.

The Electric power distribution training includes both underground cabling and a 100’ tall power pole for climbing during training. This program has around 120 apprenticeships from five neighboring states. Adam stated that the energy program is embedded into the HVAC program, as many of the classes require related study. The College has a 10kw wind energy system. Adam noted the electric usage on an average farm is around 6 to 10 kw, which would require approximately 34 solar panels, and that solar is around 1/3 the cost of wind energy.

We went through the Agriculture shop to their green house, and learned that Agriculture students actively operate around 200 acres of farmland employing GPS technology. We also learned that CVTC leases out server space at their Applied Technology Center to area business and industry partners.

Back at the Holiday Inn, Our luncheon speaker was Katy Pettersen, WTCS Marketing Consortium Director. Katy gave a Marketing/Legislative update, and extending the focus on social media, reported that social media spending on advertising will reach $28 billion by 2020. She noted that there are no rules when it comes to social media. It is used for content marketing, promotion, information sharing including our seven emotions. She cautioned that everything is measured, and everything is public and permanent!

I then went to the Internal / Best Practices committee meeting where Jim Zylstra – WTCS Systems Board Executive Vice President -talked on Best Practices, Advocacy and Accountability for Trustees, and how the State Board interacts with us. The Systems Board has 55 people on staff to provide oversight to our Colleges. They redistribute nearly $516 million to our Colleges from the State, of which 70% is designated for general use and the remaining 30% applied to outcomes-based funding. In addition, they oversee nearly $20 million in Perkins loans and other Federal student funding. They monitor ‘client reporting’ pertaining to student enrollment trends, and are also required by statute to review our tax levies to ensure limits and compliance with net new construction regulations.

They review individual audits to monitor each district as required by the Single Audit Act ( OMB A-133 ) for entities expending $750 thousand or more of Federal funds. They also review each College’s Rules on Procurement once every three years to ensure State Statures are followed for bidding processes, and have the authority to reduce state aids to any college found in violation of these RFP guidelines. They must approve all plans for facilities – including purchases, leases, and building additions. Once every eight years ( two colleges per year) they are required to review Civil Rights compliance and issue recommendations to correct or address possible violations.

They are dedicated to working with us – paying attention to detail - keeping in mind that what one college does reflects on all of us.

As this meeting ended, I noted a committee meeting of the Insurance Trust being called, and asked if I could sit in. John Lucas was sitting in for Ron Berteri as Committee Chair. Even with the Wis-line, a quorum did not develop for nearly ten minutes. During role call they asked for Blackhawk, and noting I was present, they asked that I participate. As both terms for Ron and John were expiring, Russ Moyer moved that both be re-elected. Vern Jung seconded and there was unanimous consensus. The previous minutes and the financial report were approved as presented.

Overall, rates will likely increase approximately 10% for property coverage due to weather related issues but projections include a 4% decrease in Workers Compensation coverage – good because over 50% of income is from that.

There are now seven members in the Health Consortium. Nicolet is the newest member, joining Fox Valley, Lakeshore, Moraine Park, Waukesha, Western and Southwest Tech. Projections here are for a 5% - 10% increase in premium nationally, but the range within the consortium is +5% to -10%. This range results from each members being able to choose their individual provider. Within the consortium, they share any risk over $100,000.00.

An update presentation of the Health consortium is tentatively scheduled for the District Boards Association Spring meeting in Richland Center April 13th, followed by one on the Insurance Trust in June.

It was noted that DMI is one of five national finalists for the Risk Management Team of the Year Award on the Business Insurance website.

Saturday morning:
I was invited to attend the Board Chair breakfast, and was encouraged at some of the discussion items, including the time delay (April – July) between new member orientation and their first Board meeting. General consensus to step up orientation during this time so new Trustees are better informed and prepared. There could be more Board development with additional Board retreats.

Special Reports:

WTCS Systems Board :
Jim Zylstra reviewed the Apprenticeship Completion Report on the systems website. He also noted the ‘attainment challenge grant’ from the Lumina Foundation initiative. This grant to Wisconsin partners will support efforts to have 60% of workers attain education credentials beyond high school. The goal of the partners is to increase the state’s postsecondary attainment rate to 60% by 2027 – thus ’60 Forward’. The rate currently stands at 47.2%.

Also, the Governor is proposing $20 million be set aside for workforce development –

• $5 million for dual enrollment
• $7 million for scholarships
• $2 million for Tech Colleges through the Dept of Workforce Development
• $6 million for Workforce development itself

WTCS Presidents Association:
President Bruce Barker filled in for Jack Daniels. He noted that education is still feeling the effect of the $30 million cut. The Presidents will soon be discussing apprenticeships as applied to incarcerated individuals.

ACCT State Coordinator:
New at this National Legislative Summit (NLS) will be a student Trustee advocacy committee. There are about 45 delegates signed up to go to the NLS. Discussion with legislators will include the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and simplified Financial Aid applications.

WTCS Insurance Trust – Refer to above.

Committee Reports -

• By-Laws – Did not meet.
• External Partnerships – See attached document from committee.
• Internal Best Practices – See summary above.

President’s Report - Carla Hedtke
Carla thanked CVTC for hosting us, reporting that 40 Trustees and seven Presidents were in attendance.

Assistant Director Report - Steve Tenpas

Executive Director Report – Layla Merrifield
Layla gave a legislative update. She also was in a meeting between Foxconn and WTCS representatives. They discussed the $7 million Governor Walker has proposed for recruiting and training workers and noted he is asking for a special session to address welfare reform, including a 50% refund by the State for tuition beyond Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for foster children over 13 years of age.

There are also bills for apprenticeship scholarships with funding for all cost associated with the students education, and for certificate credentials for fields that the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) designates as high demand.

Layla gave a handout with numerous links to web resources and tips for advocacy. If you are interested in a WTCS news email, contact Layla or Conner Smith to be added to the recipient list.

Board of Directors Meeting:
Discussion centered on the NLS. Meetings with Senator Johnson (Budget), Rep Mark Pocan (Appropriations), and Sensenbrenner (Judiciary) or their staff have been confirmed. Request are ongoing to meet with Senator Baldwin (Health & Education) and others. Review was made for next year’s budget with members suggesting a 3% increase.