Winter 2022 Meeting Summary
Laverne Hays - Blackhawk Technical College
New member orientation - Thursday evening – Steve makes this better every time!
These sessions as not only give me an opportunity to meet new Trustees from other Districts, it presents a review of the District Boards Association and I always learn / relearn and develop a new perspective on things. I recommend all trustees take advantage of this opportunity - if not in person, at least virtually.
Friday – In-Service Presentation - Understanding Federal Funding
David Baime – Sr VP for government relations for AACC - outlined some of the priority items of the current Build-Back-Better legislation such as TAACT and TAA funding that they will focus on at the NLS. Other priority items at the NLS will be asking for dedicated, permanent funding for workforce training. There is also support for making Pell grants non-taxable.
He noted that Technical Colleges get approximately 1/3 of all Carl Perkins and Pell grants and encouraged Trustees to attend the NLS as we bring invaluable ‘street level knowledge’ to the conversation while speaking directly with our representatives.
In the past, Blackhawk Technical College Trustees have investigated the value of memberships in both the AACC vs ACCT. David gave us an honest comparative as he spoke on the importance each organization plays in advocating for government support and funding for the nearly 1200 community colleges in our nation.
Bob Mathews V.P. of NWTC’s Business and financial operations, followed up noting that federal funding typically accounts for 5% or less of College budgets and that Colleges have to apply in order to receive Grants. He emphasized that it is the Board’s responsibility to hire single auditors and that one of the auditors’ duties is to ensure grant rules are being followed.
Board Development - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Zaida Hernandez-Irisson led off the session. If you have yet to meet her, you are missing a dynamic opportunity to experience what our Technical College system is all about! She reflected on her journey through coursework opportunity, graduation, credit transfer and completion, back to Gateway as a Trustee, and now her recent selection as the Chair of ACCT’s DEI committee. Confident and poised, she asked fellow Trustees to increase our awareness of student needs that we can’t see.
Tammi Summers, PhD, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Gateway, is another of those whose enthusiasm for Technical Colleges and student support stands out as she spoke about the WTCS conference on race and ethnicity, DEI certificates, the Board Engagement Survey, and Bias Training for Interviewers. At her request, please view the WTCS System-Wide Equity Report
In an interactive break-out session, she discussed personal pronoun use, intersectionality, and noted that Equity and Equality are not interchangeable. It was also discussed that Technical college District Board appointment committees are required, under state law, to formulate a “plan of representation” for the membership of the Board. The plan must consider the general population distribution within the district, as well as the proportion of women and “minorities.
Recognizing DEI work at other Colleges; At Nicollet, you cannot sit on an interview team unless you have completed Bias Training and at Mid-State there was a Spring Board Retreat with Trustees and Foundation members focusing on that subject.
President and CEO of ACCT, Jee Hang Lee
Jee Hang Lee joined us after lunch (via zoom) to remind us that we are among 6500 Trustees representing 1200 institutions with nearly 12 million students attending accredited not-for-profit two-year colleges across the U.S. and its territories.He discussed the status of the CARES act, HEERF, CRRSAA, and ARP – reminding us as David Baime did of the importance of the NLS and approaching our legislators with advocacy for Technical College funding. He noted the Build Back Better plan invests in Community College Workforce Programs and includes an additional $550 million for Pell Grants while designating them as tax-free.
Evening Banquet and Awards Ceremony
At the evening banquet and awards ceremony, the Distinguished Alumni of the Year was presented to Ousmane Kabre. Ousmane was nominated by Madison College and as he accepted the award, he enthusiastically told of his journey from West Africa, through MATC, and - much the same as Zaida Hernandez-Irisson - his opportunity to transfer into the University where he completed a four-year degree.
Board Member of the Year was awarded to a very deserving Chuck Bolstad who represents Southwest Technical College.
Saturday – Board Meeting
At the Board meeting there was discussion on the proposed Budget. The target is 2% in salaries, but it was noted that there was no opposition to a suggested 3% fee increase at the last Presidents meeting. This will be voted on at the April/Spring meeting. Also discussed were Corporate sponsorships as a means to offset rising membership fees. Will look at this from a legal standpoint and with our By-Laws.
There were 28 attending in person – 21 virtual and 9 Presidents.
READER QUIZ: What do Trustees bring to the NLS in Washington each year? (Hint: David Baime gave the answer!)