Members Present:
- Anthony E. Beebe, Ed.D., President, Continuing Education
- Brian E. Ellison, Ed.D., Vice President, Instruction and Student Services
- Bob Parker, Vice President, Administrative Services
- Esther Matthew, President, Academic Senate
- Pat Mosteller, Past President, Academic Senate
- Gretchen Bitterlin, Chair of Program Chairs, Academic Senate
- Rita Avila, President, Classified Senate
- Jose Hueso, Past President, Classified Senate
Members Absent:
- Marina Rosales, Vice President, Classified Senate
Action Notes: Action Notes from October 22, 2008 and the December 2, 2008 Special Meeting were approved. M/S/P Ellison/Matthew
Reports and Recommendations:
President’s Report:
Anthony Beebe reported he recently attended the Community College League of California (CCLC) Legislative Summit in Sacramento. Dr. Beebe shared that the majority of the CEOs he spoke with relative to budget cuts, are taking no action at this time. They are taking a “wait and see” stance. CCLC presented a balanced program, with representation from Democrats and Republicans. Dr. Beebe also announced that this Sunday is the day the State’s budget runs out. We should hear in the next week or two about the passing of the State Budget (18 month). On the Federal front, President Obama’s Economic Recovery Plan is receiving a positive reaction, but there is a long way for it to go through the House and Senate. In the plan there are many areas where our programs mesh and would work well together. In other areas Continuing Education is not doing anything at all and we need to be more proactive. We need to think about how to move forward in such areas as sustainability, green technology, clean and green jobs, etc. If we don’t Continuing Education could be left behind. Industry clusters, sustainability, or “green across the curriculum” were suggested as areas of interest we could pursue.
Academic Senate Report:
Esther Matthew reported the next Academic Senate meeting will be held at ECC with the following meeting and every other meeting from now on to be held at North City. This will enable more faculty participation. The Senate approved the Institutional SLO’s. The Senate also approved the letters to students regarding attendance that President Beebe signed. The letter has been helpful in letting students know the importance of their attendance. Gretchen Bitterlin will forward a Spanish version of this letter to be signed.
The SLO Flex activity held the day before at ECC was a great collaboration between the SLO, Flex and BSI Coordinators and a huge success. The event included a speaker and then specific working groups for the remainder of the day. The feedback received from faculty was very positive. The difficulty with parking at ECC the day of the event along with the first week of the semester was noted.
Classified Senate Report:
Rita Avila reported that classified staff was concerned with the amount of work that must be completed with the lack of personnel. President Beebe explained that with the 50/50 Rule, fifty percent of our budget must go to instruction. The fifty percent rule does not include counselors, librarians and classified employees. If we violate this rule, the district is sanctioned and fined heavily. This being the case, the first round of budget reductions impacted classified employees at a higher percentage. Continuing Education need to work smarter to meet student needs. Students also need to be informed that the budget cuts are impacting our operations, while still providing good service. The need for consistent procedures at all campuses and training on basics was also voiced. A meeting of the Office Managers and Deans will be scheduled in the next couple of weeks to address these and other issues impacting the campuses because of the budget cuts.
Marina Rosales, Vice President, Classified Senate has accepted a new position at the district office and Classified Senate is searching for a replacement.
Ongoing Business:
Budget:
The Budget Committee met on January 20, 2009, and reviewed the District’s budget reductions for next year. The Committee reviewed proposals on how Continuing Education will address those reductions and will present them to Classified and Academic Senates, and the Administrative Governance Council for approval before presenting the plan to EGC. The Committee will meet on February 9, 2009, to finalize the plan for presentation at the February 11, 2009 EGC meeting.
The Budget Committee passed that as we look at potentially tightening our class schedule, that the process be a collaborative effort between the Program Chairs and the Deans in working at any changes.
Next Meeting – Wednesday, February 11, 2009.