12000 S.W. 49th Avenue - Portland, OR 97219
Sylvania Campus, Conference Rooms A & B
January 24, 2005
BOARD ATTENDANCE
Board Members Present:
Dana Anderson, Norma Jean Germond, Karen McKinney, Bob Palmer, Harold Williams
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Anderson called the business meeting to order at 4:15 PM and asked all persons present to introduce themselves.
APPROVALOF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved as published.
WORK SESSION
President Pulliams reviewed the work session agenda.
Susan Bach, Director of Institutional Research, reviewed changes in the market penetration rate, increases in tuition, number of students receiving financial aid, student successes, and improvements in student satisfaction with college services. Ms. Bach commented that one reason students may report higher satisfaction with college services could be that with fewer students, staff are able to provide more service per student.
Director McKinney asked how changes in state reimbursement contributed to the drop in enrollment. Vice President McEwen said there was a change in policy last year in what was reimbursable by the State; approximately 20% of what had been reimbursable in community education programs was changed to non-reimbursable. Program adjustments were made and fewer courses were offered so programs would continue to be self-supporting.
Director Germond asked how PCC compares to other community colleges in Oregon in promoting student success. Ms. Bach said there is not a good system for measuring that, but PCC has been participating in a National Community College Benchmarking Project for the past two years. This is the first effort in pulling together data based on student outcomes. We look good in most areas compared to other colleges, but it is taking time to standardize the way data is reported so comparisons are fair.
Director McKinney asked if there are targets for making changes where trends are noticed in relation to the benchmarks, and if activities are planned to make sure the college reaches these benchmarks. President Pulliams said that benchmarks have not been set yet, but progress has been made toward setting these goals. Dr. Guy Sievert, Vice President of Academic and Student Services, said that the data is reviewed with campus staff and educational councils to gain their input on reasons for improvements and things that can be done better, and he feels progress is largely due to their commitment to improvement.
Chair Anderson said the document contents and the presentation has improved each year and she is very pleased with the trends, which reflects the good work of staff.
Ms. Bach said that a fairly aggressive work plan is in place; the District Planning Council and Budget Advisory Committee are working towards implementing institutional focus identified by the President’s Cabinet a year ago. The President’s Strategic Initiatives were blended into those, which provided even more focus on where energies need to be directed. During fall and winter terms the process to update the EMP was begun and staff will update several sections per year so it will be an ongoing process. A major internal environmental scan was done in the fall with the Planning Council, as well as a review of accreditation recommendations. This helped identify common themes that emerged from discussions.
Plans are being made to bring in experts to provide information on economic trends, K-12 district program plans, and new technology for delivery of instruction and services. Staff will update the sections on educational programs and services and community and economic development, and will complete the environmental scanning by the end of spring term so updating on other sections can begin in the fall. They will start conversations on benchmarks this spring so staff can develop ways to tie specific benchmarks to the EMP and PCC outcomes can be measured against those benchmarks. These strategies will then drive the budget.
President Pulliam reviewed the College’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities, and the threats it will be facing. He discussed the mission, organization, internal and external systems, and partnerships. The President pointed out that Oregon seriously under funds education and, even though the Legislature recognizes the value community colleges contribute to the economy, there just is not any additional money available; any additional funds directed to community colleges would have to be taken from other supports services. Director Germond suggested that additional funds could be raised if the State eliminated tax loopholes, decreased subsidies, and increased corporate fees, but it would take some fortitude on the part of the Legislature.
The President outlined plans for moving forward and reviewed the themes and guiding principles that will be followed. The faculty are leading these major efforts: conversion from three credits to four, (starting implementation in Fall 2005, with complete conversion accomplished by Fall 2006), core outcomes assessments, course pre-requisites, and program mix. A business plan is being written for the corporate college for workforce development in cooperation with business folks in the community, and a marketing plan is under development that will promote PCC as a single point of contact for business training.
Kristin Watkins, Manager, Grants Office, said that having clear priorities identified by the President and the Board has helped her office increase the number of grants awarded to PCC. They will be identifying potential sources of new revenue to support of the new initiatives the President has itemized. Two new avenues that PCC has not pursued actively in the past are line item congressional appropriations and private foundation funding. They will be working collaboratively with Institutional Advancement and the PCC Foundation to identify programs that will be of interest to congressional representatives, identifying strategic initiatives that fit well with private foundation interests, and trying to increase grant funding to the College.
David Goldberg, Director of Institutional Advancement, said the Foundation is setting new goals for future fundraising while promoting college visibility and connecting with the community. He has been reviewing the list of private foundations and will be approaching many of them directly for grants. Goals for faculty, staff and alumni donations will be revised, and outreach activities with parents of students and planned giving will be expanded. PCC does not have a signature fund raising event, so plans are under discussion to define when and how such an event should be held for maximum benefit. He hopes to hold the first such event in 2006.
Mr. Goldberg said he would be working closely with Ms. Watkins on congressional direct line item appropriations. He has met with Congressmen Wu and Blumenauer and their aides on this approach and feels that PCC should be able to get $400,000-$500,000 this way.
Chair Anderson stated that the Board would be very interested in redefining the mission of the College so it keeps pace with changes in the community and at the College. President Pulliams said he plans to create a group of significant stakeholders next fall to start the extensive process of revising the mission of the organization. He will create a plan this summer to begin the review process in the fall.
Chair Anderson said it would behoove community colleges to have conversations with the State Board of Education about their needs. Director Williams said PCC should take the lead and not wait for the Legislature to recognize community college needs. This plan will put PCC in a good position to not get lost in the process and to stay focused on the goal. He hopes that the President will be even more forceful in promoting community college needs in the future.
Director Germond suggested creating or expanding advisory committees in technical fields and program areas, and looking for new participants to serve on these committees. Dr. Sievert said that some advisory committees for technical/professional programs have found they needed to make wholesale changes in committee membership to keep the committees current in meeting industry needs.
Director Palmer appreciates the plans laid out and agrees the Legislature will not be our salvation. Past strategies have worked well, but they need to change to keep pace with community needs. He feels we also need to develop internal and external resources in an effort to rely less on the Legislature for funding. President Pulliams said PCC has been a team player with other community colleges in the past, but that may have to change in the future as we take the lead in the state in gaining federal appropriations.
Director McKinney feels it is important to be proactive rather than reactive in dealing with the Legislature and Congress. She feels it would be helpful for Board members to receive a one-page summary of grants and Foundation goals and activities. She feels a key for future success will be in creating partnerships for programs and facilities use, etc.
Dinner Break 5:45-6:15 PM
President Pulliams discussed internal plans to increase workforce diversity and engage the community by making the job application process clearer. A Diversity Advisory Committee is being formed to help with efforts to increase diversity and form business partnerships and will be made up of external members. There will also be an internal advisory committee to share views in "growing our own," and a "rising stars" program to promote employees into leadership positions. Several new initiatives will be implemented in the hiring process to ensure that the hiring pools are diverse before the hiring process continues to the next phase, and these initiatives will be monitored to see if they are paying dividends.
The President reported that enrollment management covers many broad areas within the College that contribute to a student starting and staying with the institution through completion of their educational goal. David Goldberg, Director of Institutional Advancement, reported on marketing ideas and plans. One of the key messages is that PCC offers opportunities. He is working with admissions staff to eliminate barriers to enrollment and monitor new students' enrollment for classes for the following term. If they do not enroll, there will be a follow-up plan to help them remove barriers to continuing their education. The President said staff would also look at offering an annual schedule to accommodate working students.
Director Germond asked for a report on successes in diversity hiring and enrollment management. President Pulliams said the specific processes that are being put into place will be reported at the February 24 Board meeting as a part of the annual Workforce Analysis Report. Director McKinney noted that there are many factors (higher tuition, fewer sections. etc.) that contribute to a decline in enrollment, and many are beyond our control. Chair Anderson feels that the annual schedule idea should be pursued to assist working students and students with families.
President Pulliams said that employees are the largest investment the college has and it makes sense to find funds to keep investing in staff, even in tough budgetary times. Suzanne Christopher is leading the staff development effort and there has been a lot of positive feedback on efforts to date. Jerry Donnelly, Director of Human Resources, said that five leadership development programs for administrators have been completed, with one more scheduled, and a similar program is being modified for Academic Professionals and Classified employees in lead positions. Phase II of the Management Program on crucial conversations will begin Friday, January 28.
Director Germond asked if there will be emphasis on cross training among all employee groups so employees will feel encouraged to move up, and the President said that will be done to take advantage of the talent within the College. Director McKinney said that much has been discussed over the years regarding staff development, but resources may have not been fully allocated to support it. She feels it is important for the President to take a lead role in staff development to bring it to a higher echelon so employees realize their importance. President said there is a commitment in the FY06 budget to support staff development.
The President reviewed the budget principles identified by executive staff that will be used in preparing the FY06 budget. They have shared these principles with the Budget Advisory Committee and all managers. All departments will be affected in some way and there will be some reductions in service areas. Discussions are going on regarding use of various reserves and fund balances. Detailed information is being developed on costs for each program by campus, the types of jobs these programs generate, and whom they serve in the community. Other budget-reducing strategies are being considered, and a few new initiatives will be considered for funding.
Director McKinney asked if FTE would be a factor considered when making reductions. Dr. Sievert said it would not be the only factor considered. He will be working with area community colleges and universities so programs are not duplicated, and yet make sure that the programs offered serve the residents of the district.
Dr. Sievert demonstrated the accreditation self-study website that makes all accreditation work available to staff and the public. The website is updated continuously and will be made available to the accreditation commission evaluators when completed.
Dr. Sievert said the accreditation team is preparing a final edit of the last two standards, editing the document from 900+ pages down to the required 250. The first report will be sent to the commission around the 1st of March and that report will be shared with the Board at the March Board meeting. Dr. Sievert reviewed the status of Standards 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and A-6. Lauren Kuhn, Accreditation Co-Chair, reviewed key items in Standards 2, 3, and 4. PCC has great goals in place, but no benchmarks to measure success against, so we are working to put those into place. The Accreditation Commission looks for continuous improvement processes in every area of the institution, and implementing benchmarks is one area where PCC can improve. Another process that was recommended for improvement was strengthening of Classified employee involvement in all aspects of governance. Two additional Classified members were added to the Educational Advisory Committee (EAC) membership. President Pulliams stressed the importance of the work the EAC does, said that the role of the EAC has been strengthened, and thanked Karen Jolly, chair of the EAC, for her strong leadership of that group in reviewing some weighty issues. Dr. Sievert also recognized the incredible amount of work done by the Financial Services staff in providing backup information for the accreditation work. He reminded the Board that the Northwest Accreditation team will be on campus April 18-20, and when the schedule for the visit is firm, a meeting will be set up between board members and the accreditation team chair. On Wednesday, April 20 at noon the accreditation team chair will meet with the college community to announce that the accreditation is completed and release the general findings. Their recommendations will be sent separately to the commission, and the commission will send a final report to President Pulliams. PCC will have several weeks to respond in writing, and in June the commission will invite Dr. Pulliams to meet with the commission to discuss the evaluation. At that time the commission will vote on accreditation status for PCC.
Chair Anderson thanked the Accreditation Team for the good report, which the Board knows represents many hours of diligent work. Ms. Bach said that a final version of the Self-Study Recommendations, which are tied to the Educational Master Plan, would be available at the March board meeting.
President Pulliams began discussions with the Board regarding future facilities needs throughout the district, which is a very important part of the planning and budgeting process. Demographics and growth of business and industry indicate that we are in a growth region, especially in Washington County. Work has begun in exploring further development of the Rock Creek Campus and the Beaverton and Hillsboro areas via partnerships with PSU and other groups. In the short term, space could be rented in desirable locations to house programs in Washington County, but for the long term another bond measure should be considered to increase PCC's presence and provide access in these areas of the district.
Ideas are being discussed for development of Central Portland Workforce Training Center to take advantage of its prime location in offering corporate training to businesses in downtown Portland. A corporate college should also be considered for the Washington County area. Plans to further develop Southeast Center into a campus should be started so bond funds can be allocated from a bond offering in 2-3 years. Expansion at Cascade Campus will be a secondary priority and work will be done to identify community partners. The parking issue at Cascade Campus is a major challenge, and has the potential of limiting future expansion. Parking is also an issue at Sylvania Campus. Dr. Paul Hill is working to identify space in Newberg to develop a site to serve that part of the PCC district. Capital Center is not working well for College needs, and we have been trying to sell the cafeteria building situated on the property. Since the Capital Center is very valuable real estate, its long-term value to the College needs to be evaluated. The existing property could be re-designed, or sold and the proceeds used to invest in other college needs.
Director McKinney said she understands that a possible location for the corporate college might be at the Central Portland Workforce Training Center, with a branch at Rock Creek Campus. She asks that staff keep avenues open before making that decision and study where the largest concentration of industry will be in the future so the College is not limited. President Pulliams said the College is ready to re-organize to have one focal point for business and industry training. We need to hear from potential business leaders on their needs and their ability to help finance it. Director McKinney also reiterated the need to incorporate transportation corridors and land use planning into future plans so campuses are not isolated from the people they serve.
Director Germond was happy to hear of the increased interest in the Newberg and asked about plans for a site in Columbia County. Dr. Christopher reported on several sites that have been investigated, but a site appropriate for College needs had not yet been found.
Director McKinney asked if PCC will be able to operate the programs and expanded services in the new buildings added by the recent bond measure. President Pulliams stated that he feels the economy is on the upswing and we will have additional revenue to staff these new facilities. The College needs to continue to plan for the future so when the economy turns around in a couple of years we will be prepared. Dr. Sievert pointed out that we need to consider where and how we deliver courses since distance learning is the fastest growing area and is definitely being included in the mix of plans being made.
Director Palmer thanked the President and executive staff for all the hard work they did in preparation for this work session and the work they do every day. They are to be commended for doing a good job. President Pulliams thanked the Board for their support and commitment of time in planning the future of this organization.
Dr. Sievert announced he received word today that Klamath Community College received their first independent accreditation and plans to come to a future Board meeting to thank the PCC Board personally for their support in reaching that goal.
Chair Anderson announced that the next meeting will be at the Rock Creek Campus on February 24.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Portland Community College Board of Directors will be held on February 24, 2005 at 6:30 PM in Building 9, Room 122 at the Rock Creek Campus.
_____________________________ _____________________________
Chair Anderson President Pulliams
Prepared by:
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Judy Schwartz
Assistant to Board of Directors
Minutes approved on February 24, 2005