SC@Work: August 10, 2010 Board Meeting

Board Meeting Details:

• August 10, 2010 at 3:00PM (public session at 4:00PM)
• Sierra College Rocklin Campus, Room LR-133
• Main agenda items begin at 4:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 5:40PM
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

The board will be adopting its planning and resource allocation priorities for 2011-12, as well as discussing a new (and long overdue) effort to advocate for important policy changes with the legislature. We’ll also get an update on the Accountability Reporting on Community Colleges (ARCC) that we submit to the legislature to let them know how wisely we’re using your money.

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! What policy changes should Sierra College advocate for at the State Legislature? Should the board have the ability to raise tuition or assess special facilities fees to students? Relief from regulatory requirements that make California construction almost twice as expensive as neighboring states?

SC@Work: July 10, 2010 Board Retreat

Board Retreat Details:

• July 10, 2010 at 8:30AM
• Sierra College Rocklin Campus, Room LR-133
• Short board agenda at 8:30AM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 9:00AM, then move into retreat and long term planning discussions
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

Our annual board retreat will be a discussion of long term planning issues and laying the groundwork for the main initiatives the board will want to pursue over the next year. The public is always welcome at our meetings, although the focus is long term planning over action, and public attendance at retreats is rare.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with Trustee Elaine Rowen Reynoso, who is not expected to attend the retreat. We wish her a speedy recovery.

SC@Work: June 8, 2010 Board Meeting

Board Meeting Details:

• June 8, 2010 at 2:00PM (public session at 4:00PM)
• Sierra College Rocklin Campus, Room LR-133
• Main agenda items begin at 4:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 5:40PM
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

This meeting will include the board’s self-evaluation, planning for our board retreat, potential action on the board policy for program vitality (see my related post here) and an update on facilities and budget planning.

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! How should Sierra College measure the vitality of our educational programs? What criteria should we use to determine when programs should come to an end and resources be redirected to other industries with growing job needs?

SC@Work: May 11, 2010 Board Meeting

Board Meeting Details:

• May 11, 2010 at 2:00PM
• Sierra College Tahoe-Truckee Campus, Room 225
• Main agenda items begin at 2:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 3:40PM
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

This meeting will feature an update from the Citizen’s Oversight Committee for the Tahoe-Truckee expansion, as well as briefings for facilities planning and educational programs at that campus. It’s always great to get up to our other campuses and get to “feel the rhythm” of how they operate.

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! (You can “log in” with your Facebook or Twitter account with a single click, or just fill in your name and e-mail address to leave a guest comment.) If you’re registering for Sierra College classes, how are you finding availability? Is it as crowded as expected, or are you finding the classes you need?

SC@Work: April 13, 2010 Board Meeting

Board Meeting Details:

• April 13, 2010 at 4:00PM
• Sierra College Nevada County Campus, N6-101
• Closed session at 2:00PM, main agenda items begin at 4:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 5:40PM
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

This board meeting will feature a two hour closed session for performance evaluations and to discuss negotiations on real property. (The law requires those two items to be discussed by the Board in closed session.)

Once we’re back in open session at 4:00, we have a budget update on tap, a briefing on athletic programs, and a briefing on the progress in growing educational opportunities at the Nevada County Campus.

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! (You can “log in” with your Facebook or Twitter account with a single click, or just fill in your name and e-mail address to leave a guest comment.)

What factors should Sierra College use in determining when our educational programs are effective, and when they need to be revitalized or discontinued?

SC@Work: March 9, 2010 Board Meeting

Board Meeting Details:

• March 9, 2010 at 4:00PM
• Sierra College Rocklin Campus, Board Room, LRC-133
• Main agenda items begin at 4:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 5:40PM
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

Our work continues to deal with the budget issues facing Sierra College. We’ll be hearing an update on the realities of trying to save the three career training programs recommended for closure out of the 24 we are currently working to maintain.

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! (You can “log in” with your Facebook or Twitter account with a single click, or just fill in your name and e-mail address to leave a guest comment.)

Should Sierra College be focused on having as many educational programs as possible, or should it have a smaller number of programs but put our resources into achieving high levels of excellence and quality in each one?

SC@Work: February 9, 2010 Board Meeting

Board Meeting Details:

• February 9, 2010 at 4:00PM
• Sierra College Rocklin Campus, Board Room, LRC-133
• Main agenda items begin at 4:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda at 5:40PM
• Meeting Agenda
• Contracts (General / Capital Projects)
• Warrants

This is the regularly scheduled board meeting for February. As you probably recall, we had a special board meeting earlier this week to discuss the proposed package of spending reductions, and seek public input on them. I still want to write a longer report on that meeting and will do so in the next few days.

During this meeting, we’ll be hearing reports on the outcome of employee group votes to ratify their portions of the plan (the across-the-board pay reductions and furlough days). We’ll also see a presentation on innovative teaching techniques and delivery methods, which I’m really looking forward to!

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! (You can “log in” with your Facebook or Twitter account with a single click, or just fill in your name and e-mail address to leave a guest comment.)

What is your response to the budget cuts proposed by the college’s management team and governance groups, made up of faculty, classified and students? Did they cut too much, or not enough? What other ideas should be considered?

Last Night’s Meeting

I’m out the door quite early this morning on a business trip. I’ll try and update you with a more detailed post soon.

For now, here’s a quick update: the meeting went from 4 to 11:30. The board voted 6-1 to issue the layoff notices required to balance the budget, but instructed staff to prepare options for saving the automotive, construction and agriculture job training programs.

All in all, we had 85 public comment speakers and I cast four of the toughest votes I’ve ever had to cast. It was a long night, but we laid the foundation for a sustainable Sierra College budget.

More soon.

SC@Work: February 2, 2010 Special Board Meeting

Special Board Meeting Details:

• February 2, 2010 at 4:00PM
• Sierra College Rocklin Campus, Dietrich Theater
• Main agenda items begin at 4:00PM, public comment for items not on the agenda afterward
• Meeting Agenda

This board meeting is all about solving the massive budget problem presented by the state’s cuts in community college funding. The background of the problem is here, and the solution proposed by our management team and college governance groups is here.

Use the comments below to answer the Question of the Month! (You can “log in” with your Facebook or Twitter account with a single click, or just fill in your name and e-mail address to leave a guest comment.)

What is your response to the budget cuts proposed by the college’s management team and governance groups, made up of faculty, classified and students? Did they cut too much, or not enough? What other ideas should be considered?

More on the Sierra College Budget Proposal

Every semester, Sierra College has Convocation. It’s a celebration of our incredible team and the kickoff to the semester. Normally, I attend the event, but I was traveling that day and unable to make it.

I’m currently listening to the audio of the event via CD in my car, but I wanted to share the slide deck with you that our President, Dr. Leo Chavez, used to present the budget package that he and his team have been working to build. (You can learn more about the underlying principles that the board helped establish here.)

Some of these slides may lack context, but I think you’ll get the picture and be able to understand the gravity of the problem, and some of the thinking behind the proposed solution.