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THE OFFICIAL MINUTES

The Big Bend Community College Board of Trustees held a Regular Board meeting Thursday, January 27, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom Webinar.

  1. Call to Order
    Present: Anna Franz
      Gary Chandler
      Amy Parris
      Juanita Richards
      Thomas Stredwick

    The group welcomed new Trustee Gary Chandler and interim AAG Emily Yates.
  2. Mission Moments
    Board Chair Thomas Stredwick shared about the recent Transforming Lives event honoring two students, Lee Dreyer and Zackery Zykowski. Staff and faculty are living the mission by attending these kinds of events on their own time. Trustee Amy Parris reported she and Trustee Anna Franz attended the CEID Reads Book Club Evicted conversation and participated in rich discussion.
  3. Educational Presentation
    Presentation by VP Humpherys on being a federally recognize Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Tammy Napiontek Director of Title V, Rafael Villalobos Director of Title III also shared information. HSI funding helps develop grants, focus on servingness, and institutional change. In the last 10 years Big Bend has received $18.75 million in Title V and III Grants, which funded facilities including Emporium Lab, Physics Lab, STEM Center, SIM/MA Labs, and the Drone field. The grants also funded peer mentoring, MMT, BAS, and equity and professional development. Honoring our HSI role means realigning current efforts to serve low income Hispanic students. Servingness is an important concept and it is fulfilled through our mission statement, engagement, decision making, diversity of employees, and considering Latinx students while serving all. Directing resources to students with the greatest needs. We identify equity gaps and work to implement interventions to affect positive change. Staff and faculty are beginning to design structures to serve Latinx students such as ESCALA. 14 Faculty and staff members studied the data from one of their courses and implemented interventions and then shared their best practices.

    VP Bryce Humpherys responded to Board Chair Thomas Stredwick’s question about workforce stating post-Big Bend employment is tracked through student success measures and it is disaggregated to identify differences. The BASM program is another asset developed for place bound adults to earn their bachelor’s degree without leaving the local area.
  4. Consent
    a) Approval of Dec 9, 2021, Board Meeting Minutes (A); b) Accreditation (I); c) Student Success (I); d) Assessment (I); e) Finance & Administration (I); f) Human Resources Report (I); g) Foundation Report (I).

    Motion 22-01 Trustee Anna Franz moved to approve the consent agenda. Trustee Juanita Richards seconded and the motion passed.
  5. Remarks
    None
  6. Faculty Updates
    Faculty Association President Dawnne Ernette shared faculty news. Librarian Rhonda Kitchens shared that the next Passion Project Showcase Zoom is March 3 at 5:00 p.m. and will feature Art Instructor Rie Palkovic. Communications instructor Barbara Bush shared BAS students are sharing their universal design ideas for the BBCC campus on Wednesday in Organizational Communication. BEdA Instructor Jessica Strickland shared that “Marcus Antonio Gunn from the SBCTC asked her to lead a team of BEdA instructors from around the state to create a professional development training, which they have named: "Sustaining Instruction Past COVID: Building a New Normal". It will be presented via Zoom on March 11 and May 13, 2022 as a 4-hour training. Instructor Strickland is also a presenting the Guided Pathways course that she designed for BBCC at the National Coalition on Adult Education Conference in Seattle in April. World languages instructor Jen McCarthy shared she is meeting four days a week with her German students on Zoom. They are spending the first half hour of each meeting on greetings in German, songs, breathing and Simon Says in German (der Dumme Hans Sagt), and listening comprehension games. The students are making excellent progress in their speaking and listening comprehension. The second half hour of the class they read and translate personalized stories about themselves or a chapter of a simple German novel about a German girl who goes to the USA as an exchange student. Instructor McCarthy works to create a community with her students.
  7. ASB
    ASB President Colton Reynolds reported student activities including the pizza drive through and swag bag give away. Students do not enjoy the virtual event and online attendance is low. They hosted virtual bingo and pizza party for attendance at the motivational speaking event. There is also a comedian scheduled for tonight. GESA Credit Union sponsored t-shirt giveaways for Black history month. He also reported that the Men’s wrestling team are nationally ranked.

    ASB President Reynolds reported that most student are relieved and about not having a total shut down for the college; they appreciate some classes in person and hybrid.
  8. President’s Update
    Dr. Tweedy welcomed new Trustee Gary Chandler. Trustee Chandler is a former legislator who has served on the Foundation board. Cellarbration! for Education is scheduled on May 7, in person and the Foundation is accepting donations and sponsorships.

    Dr. Thompson Tweedy reported the Passion Project Showcase is a result of creating opportunity to celebrate employee talent and once per quarter someone from the college is chosen to share their passion.

    Dr. Thompson Tweedy welcomed newly hired employees Giselle Gudino and Hilario Castilleja. She also congratulated Tony Bergen and Katie McAdoo for their recent promotions.

    President Thompson Tweedy reported the employee turnover rate is higher than desired and staff are intentionally working to improve campus climate. She and the t trustee are planning meetings with legislators soon to discuss operating budget support and wage increases for employees which is in the supplement budget request.

    Enrollment declines are concerning at Big Bend and across the state. There are three primary sources of funding: state allocation, tuition revenue, and Running Start revenue. President Thompson Tweedy highlighted the CAREs and GEER funding. Big Bend used federal stimulus to help balance budget. Staff are addressing enrollment declines by expanding dual enrollment efforts, intensive communication campaigns, and support for new students in the intake process. Big Bend outreach is going where students are such as the high schools to assist with admission and financial aid applications. Othello, Mattawa and Quincy community needs surveys are being conducted in dual languages. An employer survey was also conducted and Dean Valerie Parton is reviewing results. The survey responses will help shape programmatic offerings in communities.

    Dr. Thompson Tweedy thanked VP Kim Garza for her dedication supporting employees through the pandemic and quarantine processes with kindness and efficiency. She also managed ctcLink migration in human resources and payroll ensuring all employees were paid on time. Since January 3, 50 employees have been directly impacted by COVID. Transmission is due to community spread not on campus. COVID’s impacts on students include 71 reports of illness in winter quarter with 35 confirmed positive cases. Employees must do contact tracing when someone reports symptoms or exposure. Some classes have moved online, some have stayed in person, instructors are determining how to proceed with their classes.

    Trustee Gary Chandler stated he appreciates outreach to outlying areas. President Thompson Tweedy stated the Grant County PUD is laying out fiber across our communities making online access possible.

    At 2:54 p.m., Bohard Chair Thomas Stredwick announced that the Board would adjourn to executive session for approximately ten minutes to discuss items provided for in RCW 42.30.110 (1): (g) to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. The Executive Session was extended by five minutes. A five-minute break was taken immediately following the Executive Session. The meeting reconvened at 3:05 p.m. with no action taken.
  9. Probationary Tenure Review
    President Thompson Tweedy informed all that legislative appointments are being scheduled. There are 15 probationers and the final decisions regarding contract renewal and tenure rest with the board. Board Chair Thomas Stredwick stated he appreciates the work and rigor that does into the evaluation process.
  10. Sabbatical Recommendation
    President Thompson Tweedy reported that Instructor Lindsay Groce’s sabbatical request was recommended for approval by the Sabbatical Committee, VP Humpherys, and President Thompson Tweedy.

    Motion 22-02 Trustee Anna Franz moved to approve Sabbatical Awards . Trustee Amy Parris seconded and the motion passed.
  11. Trustees’ Progress Toward Goals
    Board Chair Stredwick explained this new standing agenda item is set to provide time for the trustees to review progress toward their three goals:
    1. Develop and implement an improved system for monitoring Board effectiveness by establishing an annual checklist for monitoring the overall performance of Big Bend Community College and providing training and other educational opportunities for Trustees.

      Board Chair Thomas Stredwick and Trustee Juanita Richards are working on a draft for presentation at the next meeting.

      The trustees discussed holding a study session on the Ends Statements.
    2. Advance equity, diversity, and inclusion by establishing policies and institutional goals supporting operational equity, diversity, and inclusion programs.

      The Committee for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (CEID) reviews board policies as part of Shared Governance Council. Trustee Anna Franz reported training for the board is the first step and/or common reading to focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity.
    3. Ensure effective onboarding and support of new trustees.

      Board Chair Thomas Stredwick will reach out to Trustee Gary Chandler and review the onboarding document to ensure he has what he needs.
  12. Assessment of Board Activity
    Board Chair Thomas Stredwick reported that he met with President Thompson Tweedy regarding the scorecard and the agenda. He also met with Trustee Juanita Richards about the dashboard. He also attended the Transforming Lives event.

    Trustee Anna Franz reported that she attended the ACT Legislative Action Committee retreat, Transforming Lives event, and the CEID Reads event.

    Trustee Juanita Richards reported that she attended the Transforming Lives event, met with Trustee Stredwick, met with President Sara Thompson Tweedy and attended the ACT conference.

    Trustee Amy Parris attended the Transforming Lives event, the CEID Reads event, and the president’s campus community forum. She also attended the ACT New Trustee Orientation and ACT Winter Conference.
  13. Next Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting
    The next board meeting is scheduled on March 23, 2022.
  14. Miscellaneous
    President Thompson Tweedy reported that she received an email from ACT Executive Director Kim Tanaka with the trustees awaiting confirmation hearings listed: Amy Parris, Anna Franz, Juanita Richards, and Gary Chandler.

    Trustee Juanita Richards shared about the Big Bend Foundation’s Cellarbration! for Education gourmet and dinner scheduled in person May 7. Executive Director LeAnne Parton has garnered $18,500 in sponsorships and five table sponsors. Trustee Richards also reported that Foundation staff member Jen Starr is going to area high schools to connect with potential students.

    The meeting adjourned at 3:34 p.m.

thomas stredwick signature

Thomas Stredwick, Chair

ATTEST:

sara thompson signature

Sara Thompson Tweedy, Secretary