Minutes of a Meeting of the

Minutes of a Meeting of the

Lethbridge Community College Board of Governors

Held on Tuesday, April 29th, 2003

6:30 p.m. in the College Board Room

Present:

1. Gord Jong, Chair

2. Donna Allan

3. Henry Doeve

4. Sandy Buczulak

5. Rob Walker

6. Pat McMillan

7. Dallan Oberg

8. Larry McNamara

9. Bart Davies

10. Keith Dys

11. Barb Cunningham

Officials:

1. Rick Buis

2. Jean Valgardson

Regrets: Cheryl Dick

Guests:

1. Derek Bly, Communications Coordinator, LCC

2. David Green, President, LCCSA

3. Preston Scholz, Incoming President, LCCSA

4. Rick Blakeley, President, LCCFA

5. Janine Ecklund, The Lethbridge Herald

6. Marie Ibbotson, Student

7. Vinesh Pratap, Global TV

8. Ron Wilson, SCT

Recording Secretary: Wendie Cameron

Mr. Jong called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Mr. Jong also welcomed the media and special guests and thanked them for their interest.

ITEM #241/2002-03 APPROVAL OF AGENDA.

Moved by Keith Dys THAT the agenda be approved as circulated.

MOTION: CARRIED

ITEM #242/2002-03 APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS MINUTES OF MARCH 25, 2003

Moved by Sandy Buczulak THAT the Board of Governors minutes of March 25^th , 2003 be approved as circulated.

David Green, LCCSA President, advised the SA “Ender Bender” Barbecue was well attended with the revenue from it going to the LCCSA Food Bank.

Mr. Green advised this would be his last report to the Board as President of the LCCSA. He would be joining the Board at the Board table as the student representative to the Board at the May meeting. He introduced Preston Scholz, the incoming President of the LCCSA.

Mr. Jong thanked Mr. Green for his Board reports and advised he was looking forward to working with him.

Mr. Blakeley thanked the Board and administration, on behalf of the faculty, for the extra time expended on the budget. He noted, when he was the faculty representative to the Board of Governors, the government funding contributed well over 70% to the total budget and this contribution has fallen to approximately 47%. He noted Lethbridge Community College has continued to provide a quality education with less. He noted that while the government provides an increase in our grant of 2%, inflation in Alberta is running at 7%, so contributions to post-secondary education continue to diminish at a time when the provincial budget has a healthy surplus.

Due to declining government support and the difficult budget decisions which will need to be made, Mr. Blakeley advised the faculty association is projecting the budget will affect a number faculty members which will in turn impact the economy in Lethbridge.

He commented the faculty association is very proud of the instructional staff at the College and hopes the college will be able to maintain high educational standards in these difficult times.

Dr. Allan advised the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews (CCCJ) is dedicated to promoting equality of people in Canada. To be eligible a student must submit a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay or short story reflecting the following topics: Why is Canada a good place to live; What makes Canada work; What kind of qualities make a good Canadian citizen and What are the benefits of diversity. The college has an internal competition which recognizes the top three entries. Dr. Allan presented Marie Ibbotson, a General Studies student, with a cheque for $300.00 for her first place essay. Ms. Ibbotson’s essay In the Safety of The Real Canadian Superstore, An Essay on Why it is Good to Be Canadian has been sent to ACCC to compete for the national competition and is posted on the college website.

Derek Bly, Communications Coordinator, LCC, shared a brief overview of the Internal Communications Survey conducted in February. He advised one of the college’s strategic goals was to look at communication within the organization. To assist in creating benchmarks to support an ongoing communication strategy, a staff list was provided by human resources and a survey was distributed to 50% of the individuals on that list on a random basis. He advised the response rate gave a good representative of how people viewed communication around the college.

He advised the survey looked at the kinds of information employees are receiving, how they are receiving it and what they find of value to them. Variations among the three groups (administrative, faculty and support staff) were noted. As well, the survey pointed out that personal meetings with supervisors provided the most positive response for obtaining information. He noted the results are right in line with communication survey results taken by large marketing organizations across North America.

Mr. Bly advised a final report on the survey and recommendations is being prepared and input on the recommendations through small discussion opportunities will continue into the fall semester to assist in determining their effectiveness.

Dr. Allan confirmed that the input from the Board on the Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Goals had been taken out to the college community through e-mail communication and focus groups. She advised there had been a fair amount of communication which had provided more clarification of intent rather than any request for broadly different directions. She noted, as an example, it was felt the concept of lifelong learning needs to be retained; the words “honesty, trust and fairness” were felt to be important; and it was requested that the use of “aboriginal” be confirmed as being correct.

Approval of Vision Statement - Dr. Allan referred to the Proposed Vision Statement as outlined in Attachment #5 and advised there were no substantive input to changing the proposed wording and therefore it was recommended as noted.

Moved by Pat McMillan THAT the Board of Governors approve the Vision Statement (Proposed) as outlined in Attachment #5.

Approval of Mission Statement - Dr. Allan advised both focus groups were concerned about removing “lifelong learning” in the Mission Statement and the recommendations recognize this.

Moved by Barb Cunningham THAT the Board of Governors approves the following Mission Statement: “Lethbridge Community College supports lifelong learning by providing a high-quality, innovative environment that prepares learners for success in the workforce.”

Approval of Values Statement - Dr. Allan reviewed an e-mail received from Rick Blakeley, confirming input from a meeting of the faculty association and requesting “honesty, trust and fairness” be included in Values Statement.

The Board agreed with the revised wording with the exception of the third value which they agreed would remain “Ethical and Socially Responsible Behaviour”.

Moved by Henry Doeve THAT the Board of Governors approves the Revised Values Statement as outlined in Attachment #5, as amended.

Approval of Strategic Goals - Dr. Allan referred to the handout outlining Strategic Goal #5 in the NB2000 document Empower Employees: Enable All Employees to work effectively in a team Environment. The faculty association has requested, by formal motion, the Board revise the proposed Strategic Goals to include this Goal and the outcomes outlined.

The Board discussed this matter at some length. During discussion at the Board Retreat, they worked at keeping the college goals in line with the provincial goals. Recognizing that not including this goal may cause some concern, the Board felt they had included the intent of this goal in other strategic goals. The Board felt the Strategic Goals were appropriate, however, in recognizing the Faculty Association’s request, they directed Dr. Allan to include an outcome statement under Institutional Sustainability which will specifically refer to empowerment of employees.

Moved by Bart Davies THAT the Board of Governors approves the Revised Strategic Goals as outlined in Attachment #5.

Mr. Jong thanked the college administration and budget managers and especially Rick Buis for the work which has gone into this budget. For the first time since he has been on the Board, a Board sub committee was struck to work with the Executive on the budget. The 2003-04 budget reflects a great deal of work and will require some difficult decisions which will hopefully put the college back on track for the future.

Mr. Buis advised the college was faced with a shortfall of $4,184,218 which was basically made up of wage and cost increases outpacing revenue growth. Other issues affecting the bottom line include a shortfall of funding due to enrolment shortfall in the access funded programs as well as required upgrades for computer equipment. As well, the budget needs to include the funds required by the Board to ensure future growth, support for the Business Plan initiatives and a sum allocated to ensure capital equipment replacement.

Mr. Buis advised, with the review of the tuition fee policy, administration was anticipating the ability to increase tuitions, however, as the policy amendments were put on hold, this ability did not materialize. He noted as well wage and salary costs will increase by a minimum of 5% with the increase in operating grant from the government anticipated to be 2%. As the college works at their goal of increasing enrolments, it is recognized that this will result in additional costs to the institution as new growth is not fully funded by Alberta Learning.

To deal with these issues and the budget shortfall, the budget committee looked at the Budget Principles approved by the Board to direct them in finding solutions. Mr. Buis reviewed the Budget directions and Key Budget Elements contained in the Budget Document (Attachment #6). Key elements include:

· increased overall class sizes from 19 to 25 learners resulting in staff reductions in the faculty, AUPE and administrative areas and labour cost savings

· development of a Workforce Development Unit (entrepreneurial activity) and restructuring of delivery of off campus programs

· increase in fees such as the technology fee, parking fee and day care and residence fees

As well, Mr. Buis acknowledged that Mr. Jong and Dr. Allan had been very effective in having the Minister, Alberta Learning recognize that LCC has been negatively impacted by the tuition fee policy of the government. These discussions caused the department to revisit the formula to look more closely and, due to lost revenue due to lower enrolments, it appears LCC will be under the tuition cap for the first time in four years. This has allowed the college to increase credit tuitions by 10.5% for 2003-04.

Dr. Allan advised the Board that Jim Dueck, Assistant Deputy Minister, System Improvement and Report, Alberta Learning, recently visited the college and offered assistance. She advised she may ask him to have people from his department come to LCC and review our enrolment management system. She advised she is attending an enrolment management conference specifically targeted at Presidents.

Mr. Jong noted there are a number of contingencies built into the budget, including a $500,000 unrestricted reserve fund required by the Board of Governors. He noted the Auditor General’s office has commented on the lack of ability the college has to deal with unforeseen expenses. As the college has no real reserves which are not restricted, the Board has made this a priority for budget development in order to ensure future viability.

Mr. Buis distributed Lethbridge Community College Proforma Statement of Revenue and Expenses for the Fiscal Period July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2007 which projects revenues and expenses (based on assumptions outlined) over the 4 years of the new Business Plan. He believes the 2003-04 budget presented will position the college well for the future.

Mr. Buis distributed a document entitled Fee Structure Recommendations presented to the Board of Governors April 29, 2003.

Moved by Keith Dys THAT the Board of Governors approves the fee schedule for 2003-04 as outlined in the handout Fee Structure Recommendations, presented to the Board of Governors April 29, 2003.

Moved by Keith Dys THAT the Board of Governors approves the 2003-04 Budget Plan as outlined in Attachment #6 Lethbridge Community College Budget 2003-04.

Dr. Allan noted the existing Academic Timetable Policy had been distributed. She advised this policy has gone through a lot of discussion with PACT, CAT, the Faculty and Student Associations. The college is attempting to standardize definitions so that all academic policies will use the same definitions. The policy has also been amended to reflect organizational changes.

Moved by Rob Walker THAT the Academic Timetable Policy, as outlined in Attachment #7, be approved AND FURTHER THAT the existing policy (distributed) be deleted from the policy manual, all to be effective July 1, 2004.

Mr. Buis reviewed the memo from Irwin Olfert to himself dated April 22^nd, 2003 (Attachment #8) with the Board which clearly identified the deficiencies with the College’s high voltage electrical breakers. He noted two of the breakers had an anticipated 15 year life span, however the other two required immediate replacement. The costs outlined are anticipated and he asked the Board for a motion which would allow for some degree of flexibility.

Moved by Sandy Buczulak THAT the Board of Governors authorizes administration to proceed with tendering and awarding the switch controls required for the upgrade of high voltage electrical breakers to a maximum of $125,000

· attended the Kodiak Awards night and was pleased to do so. He advised the athletic department may be approaching Board members regarding the “sponsor a Kodiak” program.

· attended a luncheon on March 27^th, 2003 and, on behalf of the college, signed the agreement between the College, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the Alberta Fish Farmers Association to undertake the development of the Aquaculture Centre of Excellence at LCC.

· along with Cheryl Dick, attended the Chamber of Commerce Board meeting on April 2^nd and presented the socio economic development study.

· attended Council of Board Chairs meeting at Norquest. Attended a session with the Council of Presidents on “Strategies to Influence Government” facilitated by Rod Love.

As this was Dallan Oberg’s last meeting, Mr. Jong presented him with a plaque acknowledging his service to the Board of Governors over the past year.

Dr. Allan advised the past month has been very busy with meetings surrounding budget issues. She noted the following”

· along with Mrs. Valgardson visited Red Crow College and had an excellent visit. They are interested in a partnership agreement similar to that recently signed with Bow Valley College. She noted their expertise will be very helpful in dealing with aboriginal culture sensitivity in our program offerings. Mrs. Valgardson has had a follow up meeting with their Vice-President regarding program offerings. The college has given them library shelving to assist them in rebuilding their library after their fire.

· approved an expenditure of $29,835.88 to replace the tiles in the PE. building shower rooms

· met with Mayor Tarleck and the Chair for the Western Canada Games 2007 bid committee and agreed to assist in hosting the committee coming to Lethbridge to evaluate the bid. The College is committed to use of the gym, food services and accommodation.

· Fairview College and NAIT have signed an agreement to see NAIT take over Fairview effective June 30, 2004

· attended a news conference on Western Watts opening a call centre in Lethbridge. This will provide opportunities for our students for part-time work while attending college

· attended an aboriginal interagency meeting to discuss the Native Liaison position vacated by Nadine Tailfeathers.

· attended a number of the functions noted by Mr. Jong: luncheon regarding signing of the Aquaculture Centre of Excellence agreement; LCCSA Passing of the Gavel; Kodiak Athletic Award night and Convocation

· attended an open house for employers that work with the Student Employment Resource Centre

· attended a meeting of CMEC (Canadian Ministers of Education, Canada) on behalf of ACCC. This provided a valuable opportunity to meet with the 13 Ministers of Education throughout Canada and talk to them about how college education fits with their vision.

· met with Jim Dueck from Alberta Learning regarding assisting with a quality improvement project (enrolment management)

· attended a dinner honouring the Distinguished Alumni recipient as well as the NIT grad supper.

· met with Criminal Justice and Communication Arts students regarding their concerns surrounding the budget and its effect on their program

· attended the Council of Presidents meeting. She advised many institutions in the system are having the same problems with budget as LCC and are closing campuses and laying off staff.

Dr. Allan advised she had signed a number of contracts over the past month including:

· a Licence of Occupation agreement with the National Research Council to provide office space and services for Cal Koskewich, Industrial Technology Advisory to March 2006

· a contract with Nippon Institute of Technology to offer accredited college courses at the Inter-cultural campus in Blairmore to June 2005

· a contract with the Whitehorse General Hospital for Health and Human Services program practicums

· a reciprocal agreement with the University of Lethbridge for use of facilities for continuity of computing resources in the event of disaster at either location

Mr. McNamara advised Dr. Allan had reviewed the proposed changes to the Vision, Values and Mission Statement as well as the Strategic Goals with the Foundation Board at their recent meeting. Mr. McNamara advised the Foundation Board members appreciated the opportunity to have input. He advised that members of the Foundation Golf Committee were meeting with respect to a proposal to the Country Club for a long term contract to host the Foundation Golf Tournament. He noted this will be the 20^th Annual Golf Tournament and Richard Davidson, Ralph Thrall II and Val Matteotti will be recognized for having taken part each year. Mr. Redman has agreed to MC. It is hoped to bring in approximately $30,000 this year.

Mr. McNamara advised the Clayton Allan Wine Dinner/Auction raised approximately $80,300. This year’s event is scheduled for November 21, 2003. The Dinner/Dance netted approximately $22,000 and is scheduled for February 6, 2004.

He advised the Foundation Board is considering adding two more events and he would keep the Board apprized as discussions continued.

The Board reviewed the approved Academic Council minutes of March 12, 2003 (Attachment #9). There being no questions, the same were ordered received and filed.

Planning & Communications Team - the March 18^th, 2003 approved Planning & Communications Team meeting were reviewed (Attachment #10). There being no questions, the same were ordered received and filed.

Correspondence from ACCC re: SME Roundtable - a copy of a letter to Dr. Allan expression appreciation for her attendance at the recent SME Roundtable was reviewed for information.

Inside ACCC - the March 24, 2003 (Attachment #12) and April 22, 2003 (distributed), Inside ACCC were reviewed for information.

The next meeting of the Board of Governors will be held at 6:30 p.m. on May 20^th, 2003.