Adopted Minutes
June 16, 2003
Regular Meeting

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 5:33 p.m.

Roll Call

Present: Canady, Heywood, Holden, Jeffries, Mason, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Absent: None

Trustee Canady was present telephonically.

Limited Public Comment

Gretchen Whitmer - I've been told that this is the appropriate time to come forward. My name is Gretchen Whitmer. I'm from East Lansing and I'm here to actually present the chairman with a special tribute for his service here at LCC. If I may go ahead and read this then. This is a special tribute from the Legislature signed by Joe Hune, Dianne Byrum, Michael Murphy, myself, Susan Tabor, Scott Hummel, Valde Garcia, and our Governor Jennifer Granholm. This is a special tribute and it's nice to be here before a group of educators and not be talking about the budget. And I'll read you the tribute. It's not very long, but I think that it better summarizes some of the things that we've seen under Brian Jeffries? leadership. ?Let it be known that it is with deep appreciation for the hard work, dedication and professionalism that Brian Jeffries has put forth on behalf of the people of Lansing , that we offer this expression of our thanks and best wishes. As the people of Lansing recognize the loyalty and devotion to public service of this conscientious individual we add our sentiment of gratitude for a job well done. In addition to his role as chairman, Brian is also an attorney who received his J.D. from Cooley Law School . Mr. Jeffries has been general partner in the law firm of Jeffries and Newton in East Lansing since 1984. His law practice includes an emphasis in zoning and land use. During Mr. Jeffries term at LCC the College prepared a Facilities Master Plan that resulted in the passage of the 2001 millage securing substantial new resources for the institution and the construction of four major new instructional and administrative facilities including the M-TEC, Technical Training Center, and Health and Human Services Careers Building. Mr. Jeffries service on the LCC Board of Trustees also provided the largest wage increase to faculty and staff while maintaining one of the lowest tuitions in the State of Michigan . As Mr. Jeffries well knows financial pressures and change of expectations have combined to make the recent past a challenging time to work in local government? and state government for that matter? ?with the personal sense of duty that Brian Jeffries brings to work each day, however, he has been able to meet these challenges with enthusiasm and a genuine interest and efficiency in public service. This has been deeply appreciated both by citizens and organizations in Lansing that have benefited directly from Brian Jeffries? work as well as other public servants who have witnessed his fine example. Over the years Brian has held a number of positions on boards as well as elected offices. He has served 10 years with the Lansing Housing Commission, Vice President. Member of the Board of Commissioners of Lansing City?I'm sorry?Chairperson and Personnel Committee. Brian was elected by the voters of the City of Lansing in November 2002 as a member of the City Council. He is serving as a member of the Planning and Development Committee, Chair of Intergovernmental Relations Committee, and member of the Personnel Committee. This special tribute, therefore, this document is signed and dedicated to join the citizens of Lansing in saluting Brian Jeffries. Acknowledgement of his service as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Lansing Community College .?

(Applause and standing ovation.)

Chairperson Jeffries - Thank you very much. And as you all know that all of you that have been here for so long that all of these things that are mentioned here certainly were not done by one person, but by everybody in this room. With the Board, certainly with the staff and President I think we have worked very well together, contrary to what you may read in the paper, toward putting Lansing Community College forward. I truly really appreciate this. This is very nice. I will honor this, cherish this, put this in my home. But I do want everyone to know that they have a piece of this for the work that they?ve done. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving with you all and we?ll have a little bit more about that a little later on. Thank you very much.

Jeff Cole - Hi, my name is Jeff Cole and I work for the Michigan State Building Construction Trades Council. And I'm here tonight and I?d like to thank the Board for the opportunity to speak to all of you regarding project labor agreements and the opportunity of the new work that you?ve got going out. You?ve got the M-TEC building, which is going on right now. I work very closely with Bill Darr in setting up the project labor agreement on the site and we're also looking to answer any questions that you may have regarding a project labor agreement on the Health and the Administration building that we had the groundbreaking for recently. One of the things that I want to express is that the opportunity to proceed with these projects this year is extraordinary. One because the work situation. People are looking for work. Contractors are, what we refer to as they're hungry, they're looking for work. The bids come down, the prices are a little bit better. Within the next year and I'm going on everything I know as of today, the General Motors project will start. They're talking about February 2004. that's going to take a lot of people. On the Grand River Assembly we had almost 1700 people at the pique period, which takes a lot of the workforce for one project. So, one of the opportunities that's happening this year is the workforce is available, contractors are available, and they're looking for work. Economically it's going to be a better deal for you. I know one of the questions regarding project labor agreements is that you exclude some non-union employers from working on a site. Project labor agreements does not exclude anyone, but it does say this that if you are?you can bid this work, but if you do work on this project you will work under the collective bargaining agreement with the appropriate craft on this site only. It does not lock them in for years to come or anything like that. It is site specific, so that the site which is drawn up as we have all done on the M-TEC that site is?clearly there's boundaries there. Across the road, if there's good things that go on, contractors are not bound by the project labor agreement. You also have in your specs regarding the prevailing wage. Prevailing wage is essentially the local collective bargaining agreements for the state of Michigan . Any county that's covered by the collective bargaining agreement that is the State?s prevailing wage. You in Ingham County , it is very clearly stated. So the opportunity I think and the best interest for Lansing Community College is to proceed with these projects. I'm not trying to rush anyone in, but I do think that this is an opportune time to proceed to get some of these bids. I think you?ve already looked at a construction manager, Clark Construction, which is the same construction manager who is on the M-TEC, so it won?t be anything that will be out of the ordinary because you?ve worked with them in the past. I?d be happy to answer any questions that anyone may have.

Trustee Rasmusson - I have a question. At the time I was elected I contacted Butch Ford, you probably know Butch and some of the people in the building trades and asked them their view. We exempted jobs under $30,000 from prevailing wage. I think that's needed because it's so hard to monitor a lot of very small jobs. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Mr. Cole - I would like to see all projects be monitored, but using the $30,000 threshold, I guess, that gives the opportunity for a job that comes in quickly. Something that happens yesterday that you have to get done. And Bill, I know has worked on several projects and has to have them done right away. They don't add up to a whole lot, but it is something that's necessary. We like to have the opportunity, I guess, for the building trades even on those smaller projects to show you what we can do.

Chairperson Jeffries - I know that with some of the other project agreements some of the funds are going to go into the HOPE scholarship.

Mr. Cole - Yes, with the Lansing Area Building Trades we have committed to five cents per hour for every hour that a building trades person works on site that that will go into the HOPE scholarship. Now that is not a cost to the College. It's not going to be passed on and added to the bid. These are the local trade unions that are taking out of their general fund or their labor management monies. So, it's not an added cost, but it is a benefit in the long run to the fund, the HOPE scholarship fund. We are doing that with all jobs that are under a 100% project labor agreement. Any of the City projects, we've worked with the City to put that into their programs also. Anything that's happening pretty much downtown or here in Lansing will come under that project agreement.

Trustee Holden - Any estimate as to what the total will be on our project?

Mr. Cole - It would be strictly a guess. I'm looking at, don't hold me to this, but probably about $40,000 at least on the M-TEC portion from the building trades. that's a guess.

Trustee Pelleran - Thanks for coming here, Jeff, and explaining this to everyone. I?d like to just for clarification, you said that no one is excluded, it's a non-union contractor, their not excluded then from bidding on a portion of any of these contracts that have labor management agreements or project labor agreements.

Mr. Cole - No. A project labor agreement does not exclude anyone from bidding on a project. that's one of the things you?ll hear that, well, it's a union only project and we can't bid it. They can bid it; it does state that if you are successful on bidding it, you will be working under the terms and conditions of the local collective bargaining unit for that site only. And again I got to reiterate that we're talking about specific boundaries. we're talking about the Health, Administration that building?that's what we're talking about. Not talking about campus wide. We?d love to go into a campus wide agreement. we're more than willing to talk to you about that. But on any of these projects and I guess the thing that I really want to stress to you, if it does work out in the budget, if it does work out that you can move on these projects, now is the time to move on them. Because of the work opportunities and the contractors (inaudible). Any other questions.

Chairperson Jeffries - Any other questions? Jeff, thank you very much.

Public Hearing

Chairperson Jeffries stated that this public hearing is on the budget for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, which the College proposes to levy 3.8544 mills. This millage rate is the amount of millage to be levied to support the fiscal year 2003-2004 and the approval of the budget by the Board of Trustees will meet the requirements of the truth in taxation statute for levy of the proposed mills.

Chairperson Jeffries opened the floor for comments.

There were no comments from the public.

Chairperson Jeffries closed the public hearing.

Chairperson and Board Member Reports

Chairperson Report

Nominating Committee Report

Chairperson Jeffries provided the report from the nominating committee. He reminded the Board that this is only a recommendation and the new Board may do what it desires.

Chairperson - Canady
Vice Chairperson - Laverty
Treasurer - Rasmusson
Secretary - Pelleran

Chairperson Jeffries recommended to the new Chairperson that Trustee Rasmusson be considered to chair the Audit Committee, which is something he worked for this year. He said that this recommendation will be discussed at the Board's organizational meeting.

Trustee Pelleran referred to section 1.2.2 of the Board bylaws, which states that the election of officers shall be drawn from nominations from the floor and not from this particular Board. She said that last year everyone on the Board, except Trustee Mason and herself, on December 17 had voted to affirm the Board bylaws and she found it incongruous that Chairperson Jeffries would elect to violate those Board bylaws at this time as he goes out of office. Trustee Pelleran recommended that the nominating committee report be withdrawn and that Chairperson Jeffries should abide by his Board bylaws and allow the next Board, at its organizational meeting, per the Board bylaws, to select its officers from the floor.

Chairperson Jeffries responded that this issue was raised at the meeting before and as he indicated at that meeting, he would review the legality with the College's legal counsel. He obtained an opinion from Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone regarding this issue (the letter is on file with the official Board materials.) Chairperson Jeffries distributed the legal opinion to the Trustees. He said that the issue that was presented to legal counsel was whether the bylaws prohibit an officers nominating committee. Chairperson Jeffries requested the opinion through President Cunningham. He read the legal opinion for the record.

?Dear President Cunningham:

You have posed a question that we understand arose during a recent Trustees Board Meeting concerning whether the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees prohibit the Chairperson from appointing a nominating committee to present a slate of officers at the Board's organizational meeting in July. We understand that the use of a nominating committee is consistent with custom and past practices of the College. From our review of the Bylaws and Robert?s Rules of Order Newly Revised, it is our opinion that the Bylaws do not prohibit the Board Chairperson from appointing a nominating committee.

Your question hinges on two issues 1) does the Chairperson have authority to appoint a committee, and 2) do the Bylaws prohibit a nominating committee. First, 1.3.1 of the Bylaws authorizes the Chairperson to appoint a special committee. It states:

There shall be no standing committees of the Board; however, there may be appointed special committees to study issues and perform tasks. These committees shall be appointed by the Chairperson for certain expressed purposes and periods of time.

Under this Bylaw, the chairperson is authorized to appoint a nominating committee. The next question, therefore, is whether the Bylaws expressly or implicitly prohibit a nominating committee. The only pertinent Bylaw is 1.2.2, which states:

All officers of the Board shall be nominated from the floor and elected by roll call at the organizational meeting of the Board provided for in 1.4.2.

This provision requires officer nominations from the floor, i.e., from members at the organizational meeting. It does not, however, prohibit nominations from the floor in the form of a slate recommended by a nominating committee. Moreover, it is evident from Robert?s Rules that the two means are not exclusive. Under the heading, NOMINATION FROM THE FLOOR, the text of Robert?s Rules states:

Under the procedure of nominations from the floor, the chair calls for nominations at the time established by rule or custom of the organization or assembly - which may be while the election is pending or earlier, but in any case is subsequent to the report of the nominating committee if there is such a committee.

Accordingly, the Board's use of a nominating committee for Board Officer positions is not inconsistent with the Board Bylaws. Rather, it appears that the use of a nominating committee is an accepted means of adding an element of organization and foresight to the nominating process in organizations electing officers.

We hope this letter is fully responsive to the question posed.?

Chairperson Jeffries stated this is the position the Board should stand by.

Trustee Pelleran appreciated the review done by Miller Canfield. She noticed that the letter was dated May 20 and it certainly could have gotten to the Trustees in a timelier manner. Trustee Pelleran hoped that as the Board continues it will be able to offer timelier communications to the rest of the Board members when they are received by the President and the Chairman.

Chairperson Jeffries stated that Trustee Pelleran had questioned whether this process had been done in the past, which the Board had while she served on the Board. He had asked Ms. Norma Mendez to pull from the past four years Board meeting minutes where the nominating committee had given their report. The meeting minutes clearly indicate that this is a custom and practice that the Board has done for the past several years. Chairperson Jeffries requested that the information be part of the minutes.

Trustee Canady thanked the nominating committee for its vote of confidence. He had initially agreed with Trustee Pelleran on her assessment of the bylaws; however, his understanding is that this is only a recommendation and not a formal nomination. Trustee Canady agreed with the legal opinion that having a nominating committee does not violate the Board bylaws. He said that having a slate is a reasonable way to proceed with a congruous leadership of the Board and would be in the best interest of the College.

Trustee Pelleran requested that the minutes of past meetings where the nominating committee gave their reports be forwarded to each of the Trustees. She thanked Ms. Mendez for her diligence in discovering that. Trustee Pelleran emphasized that the Board passed bylaws a year and a half ago and wanted to abide by those bylaws so much so that on December 17 they reaffirmed them. Last week she was told that the Board paid $70,000 to $80,000 for the bylaws to be drafted by Miller Canfield. Trustee Pelleran wanted to make that clarification for the record. She agreed with Trustee Canady and Chairperson Jeffries that the slate is a recommendation and thanked Chairperson Jeffries for his diligence.

Board Member Reports

Trustee Holden - Foundation Board

Trustee Holden stated that she did not have a report. She gave a report at the last meeting when she distributed a list of the Foundation Board Directors.

Trustee Pelleran reported that she attended the scholarship and awards ceremony at Eastern High School . She said that every time she attends a high school awards ceremony or graduation, she is reaffirmed that wonderful people are coming up the ranks who will be available to the College when folks will be making decisions for us. Trustee Pelleran was appreciative of the opportunity to represent the College.

President's Report

Informational

Human Resources

Professional/Development Leaves

Administrative ?

Andrea Belkin, Coordinator, Women?s Resource Center Counseling Services Student and Academic Support, Spring Semester 2002

Ms. Belkin?s Professional Development Leave was approved by the President. This leave extended from January 2 through April 30, 2002 .

President Cunningham explained that the Board no longer formally approves the professional and development leaves, but the College is learning that MPSERS is requiring some record that this has been reviewed by the Board. Therefore, the administration will be sharing professional, development, and sabbatical leaves with the Board on a regular basis for record purposes.

State Appropriations

President Cunningham stated that Ms. Ruth Borger attended a meeting with the community college presidents on her behalf where state appropriations were discussed. She said this ties in with Trustee Rasmusson?s request to review the dollars owed to the State of Michigan because of the tax cuts. The President asked Ms. Borger to provide an update.

Ms. Borger reported that in the last few weeks the federal government has passed a major tax cut packet. That package included subsidies to the states over the next two years to assist them with dealing perhaps loss of revenue based on that tax cut packet. She said the State of Michigan will be receiving approximately $665 million over the next two years. Some of that money is earmarked and must be spent toward Medicaid and the money that the Governor and State Legislature has allocated to cover Medicaid expenses can now be redirected to other initiatives. Ms. Borger stated at the present time $23 million is designated to the higher education budget to compensate for four universities who are highly dependent on State aid as well as provide a minimum of $100,000 for technology at each of the higher education schools. She reminded the Board that higher education does not include community colleges at the State Legislature. The community colleges are under a different appropriation. There is $17 million designated towards the K-12 fund. She mentioned that the Michigan Community College Association, community college presidents, and business officers are wondering if two partners in the higher education program are being addressed, why aren?t community colleges. Ms. Borger said the Michigan Community College Association has asked for the community colleges to contact their state legislators to ask that question and perhaps encourage them to designate a minimum of $10 million to be addressed toward the community college appropriation act. She stated that this needs to be done quickly as the Senate will be voting on the community college appropriation tomorrow. This addresses not only securing funds for our students, but to remind the state legislators that community colleges are a valuable partner in the education of our residents and should not be ignored in this.

Trustee Pelleran stated that she would be personally contacting several state legislators tomorrow morning.

Trustee Rasmusson asked from the settlement reached on the lawsuit against Merrill Lynch, Citibank, and others, what was the State?s share.

President Cunningham responded that Mr. Tom Bernthal, from the Michigan Community College Association, did not have that number yet as of today. She said that will be part of the lobbying effort to ensure that the community colleges receive their portion.

President Cunningham shared that Friday, June 13 at 4:00 p.m. was the deadline for any individuals to withdraw from the early retirement incentive program. She reported that 15 administrators, 13 faculty, 1 non-bargaining paraprofessional, and 7 support staff will be retiring.

Organizational Meeting

President Cunningham said she has spoken with several Trustees and several Trustees -elect regarding the organizational meeting. She asked that the July 7 meeting be cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and the fact that it falls on the Fourth of July weekend, and the President's Office will be contacting all Trustees to see which date works best in July. President Cunningham stated that if there are no objections from the Board, the July 7 meeting will be cancelled and then another meeting will be scheduled. She said we are in within the Board bylaws and the organizational structure for MCCA to do that.

There were no objections from the Board.

Trustee Pelleran said because there will be four people sworn in that day, she recommended that the venue be changed to Dart auditorium.

President Cunningham responded that when staff calls they will ask how many guests the Trustees -elect expect to have present.

Action Items

Approval of Minutes - May 16, 2003 Special Meeting; May 19, 2003 Regular Meeting; May 22, 2003 Special Meeting; June 3, 2003 Special Meeting

President Cunningham presented the minutes for the Board's approval.

Trustee Pelleran requested that the verbatim transcription of the Chairperson and Board Member Reports of the May 19, 2003 meeting minutes that Ms. Mendez prepared be included in the minutes.

Chairperson Jeffries said with regard to the May 16 meeting Trustee Pelleran expressed a concern that there was a violation of the Open Meetings Act. He received a legal opinion indicating that there was not a violation of the Open Meetings Act, and he requested that it be included as an addendum to the May 16 special meeting minutes. Chairperson Jeffries expressed the importance of when issues of impropriety are raised that they are dealt with and an appropriate and accurate record is made.

Trustee Pelleran said she did not ask for a legal opinion on this issue. She made a personal and professional decision. Trustee Pelleran stated that she did contact the Board secretary to inform her that that would be her reason for not attending. She said when the Board secretary explained the situation to her; she accepted what the Board secretary said. Trustee Pelleran stated that she was available by telephone to receive any questions that Chairperson Jeffries might have had that could have averted the College another legal expense. She apologized to Ms. Mendez for having questioned that.

Chairperson Jeffries said for those of the Board members that were present at the May 16 meeting, including faculty and staff, this issue was of great concern about moving forward when a Trustee raises these issues. He felt it was important that the record be clear that a violation did not occur.

The Board of Trustees approved the May 16, 2003 ; May 19, 2003 ; May 22, 2003 ; and the June 3, 2003 meeting minutes.

President Cunningham appreciated the approval of the minutes. She said there was a question raised today with Board secretary Mendez whether or not the minutes were tampered with. President Cunningham assured everyone that no one tampers with the minutes and that can be proven by the verbatim document (the document is on file with the official Board materials.)

Trustee Pelleran said she was the person that had questioned the May 19 meeting minutes as it related to the nominating committee appointment. She stated that she was told that there were edits and that is why she requested the verbatim transcript of that section. Trustee Pelleran expressed that it is a responsibility of her job as a Trustee and appreciated the opportunity to respond to President Cunningham?s comments.

2003-2004 Proposed Budget

President Cunningham presented the 2003-2004 proposed budget for the Board's approval.

IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Holden and supported by Trustee Mason to approve the 2003-2004 proposed budget.

Trustee Pelleran said because there are four new trustees joining the Board she would like the availability for them to have proper training. Trustee Pelleran made the motion to move $5,000 from the President's Office budget that deals with training to the Trustees? budget that deals with training. She also requested that $5,000 be moved from the President's budget dealing with professional fees to the Board budget dealing with professional fees. Trustee Pelleran said this would decrease the President's Office budget to $150,000 for professional fees and increase the professional fees for the Board to $20,000. For the training area it would reduce the President's budget to $32,811 and increase the Board's training budget to $25,000.

Chairperson Jeffries asked if there was any support for Trustee Pelleran?s motion.

There was no support for the motion from the Board; therefore, it failed.

Trustee Pelleran made the motion to amend the budget by moving $20,000 from the legal fees budget in Human Resources and move those funds to the Board budget for legal fees. She expressed the importance of having a parliamentarian at the Board meetings. Last year there was a question when there was occasion to have additional inquiry and there were no funds in the Board budget.

Chairperson Jeffries asked if there was any support to Trustee Pelleran?s motion.

There was no support for the motion from the Board; therefore, it failed.

IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Heywood and supported by Trustee Pelleran to vote on the course fees separate from the proposed budget.

Trustee Heywood stated that he is making the motion because he is opposed to the course fees and he has made it very clear for the last six months.

Roll call vote:
Ayes: Heywood, Pelleran
Nays: Canady, Holden, Jeffries, Mason, Rasmusson
Absent: None

Motion failed due to lack of support.

Trustee Pelleran thanked everyone for the extra work that they put in to answer the Board's questions. She said that they know it hasn?t been easy for the Deans and department directors to cut their budgets. The College has become leaner and at the same time maintained instructional training. It hasn?t been easy for the Deans and it hasn?t been easy for the Board. The Board has been asked to increase tuition and course fees and at the same time receive a reduction of the state appropriations. Trustee Pelleran expressed her appreciation to the staff for what they have gone through and their commitment to make it work. She will be supporting the budget knowing that we will do everything to meet those obligations for maintaining the high level of integrity in our instruction, the accessibility, the availability of courses to the students because we are one of the finest institutions for workforce development and feeder programs to the additional systems of higher learning in this state and country.

Chairperson Jeffries stated that this has been the most extensive budget review that this Board has ever undertaken. He said this is a very creative budget in dealing with the structural changes that are occurring at the institution and he doesn?t believe this is a one year recession. Chairperson Jeffries believes that the cuts we have seen from the State are cuts that we will be dealing with many years out. He wishes the College the best in financial health as the institution moves forward into the future and he hopes this process doesn?t occur again. Chairperson Jeffries felt that the process was extremely well balanced in terms of cuts having to be made, the early retirement incentive program, and reviewing everything prior to raising tuition. Even though Lansing Community College is the third largest community college in the state, the students will be paying tuition that is the fourth least expensive. He said in the media it has been stated that the College will be raising tuition by 5.9%, but comparing it to Michigan State University they will be raising their tuition by either 10 or 12%. There will be a $30 dollar increase in tuition at Michigan State and there is only a $3 increase at the College. Chairperson Jeffries stated that the Board's mission in terms of accessibility and having the resources available to everyone has been clearly addressed in a positive way in the proposed budget. He commended everyone for their hard work.

Roll call vote:
Ayes: Canady, Heywood, Holden, Jeffries, Mason, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Nays: None
Absent: None

Motion carried.

Finance

Approval of Bids

President Cunningham said some of the bids included in the Board packet are not ordinarily reviewed by the Trustees; therefore, she reviewed all of the bids with the Board and indicated which bids required approval (all bids are on file with the official Board materials.)

The five bids requiring Board approval were the following:

A sole source proposal for the HP hardware warranty extension in the amount of $603,215.42. The sole source went to Hewlett-Packark which meets all required specifications, including service, support, and updates.

The second bid was for Human Resources recruitment services. The first year estimate is $120,000 to $150,000. The successful vendor was Jawood Management and Associates from Troy , MI , whose proposal was deemed most advantageous to the College.

The third bid requiring Board approval was for infrastructure re-routing, landscaping and building site preparation services in the amount of $375,825. The successful vendor was MacKenzie Environmental Services from Grand Ledge, MI, who was the lowest bidder meeting all required specifications.

The fourth proposal requiring Board approval was for a sole source for the Voice Over Internet Protocal (VoIP) Telephone System in the amount of $202,619.47. The sole source went to Netarx.

The fifth proposal requiring Board approval was for a sole source for Oracle Implementation Services in the amount of $590,000.

Trustee Rasmusson said he was told that part-time faculty is excluded from searches for full-time faculty. He asked if it was true.

Mr. David Davidson responded that is further from the truth. The College's full-time positions are replaced with 65 to 70% of the part-time pool.

Trustee Pelleran asked who currently has the contract for the College's landscaping.

President Cunningham asked Ms. Beckie Beard to respond to Trustee Pelleran?s question.

Ms. Beard responded that Site Maintenance has the contract. She indicated that the current vendor does not have the capability to do this level of work. They handle all of the lawn mowing and snow removal.

Trustee Pelleran asked that once everything is landscaped, will they continue the maintenance.

Ms. Beard responded, yes.

Trustee Pelleran asked what was the difference between the Voice Over Internet Protocol telephone system bid and the PBX telephone maintenance bid.

Mr. Glenn Cerny responded that the PBX is an old outdated system and the $83,000 is to maintain it for one year until the entire campus can be converted over to the Voice Over Internet telephone system. With the new system we will also have access to the internet; therefore, only one line will be needed when the M-TEC is built versus two lines with the PBX system. It is estimated over time that the College will save between $80,000 and $100,000 a year in costs.

President Cunningham said with the amount of construction occurring on campus there will be numerous bids throughout the summer. Therefore, it is probable that at the next Board meeting there will be a large number of bids.

Trustee Pelleran asked Mr. Cerny to review again the two bids regarding Oracle.

Mr. Cerny first reviewed the HP Hardware Warranty Extension. When the infrastructure was purchased last year, it came with a one year warranty. That warranty will expire July 1, 2003 , and in order to maintain the 24/7 schedule this new warranty will cover that. He said there are 18 servers that are covered under this warranty. This means that the 18 servers will run about 90 to 95% of the College.

Trustee Pelleran was concerned that the vendor is increasing the costs over three years by approximately $50,000 considering the financial situation the College is in.

Mr. Cerny responded that there is an increase in the costs because there is a storage area network that is covered under a two-year warranty that expires in 2004. Between year two and year three, there is an increase because of the expectation of increasing the number of servers.

President Cunningham said there is no better negotiator than Ms. Beard. She shared with President Cunningham that she saved the College over $3 million last year.

Ms. Beard stated that the College saved $259,000 with this bid. The College has the highest discount that the vendor can offer.

Trustee Pelleran asked Mr. Cerny to review the bid regarding the Oracle implementation services.

Mr. Cerny stated that we've been working towards having staff mentored, coached on the Oracle systems. The systems that have been implemented are the Oracle portal, collaboration suite, the Ilearning component, and the human resources and finance components will be going live next week. The student system is the last piece to be implemented because it is a very large and complex system. He said that we want to make sure we are mentoring our staff for their ability to make the implementation successful.

IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Mason and supported by Trustee Heywood to approve the bids.

Roll call vote:
Ayes: Canady, Heywood, Holden, Jeffries, Mason, Pelleran, Rasmusson
Nays: None
Absent: None

Motion carried.

President Cunningham thanked the Board for their vote of confidence, support and their questions in doing their due diligence. She thanked the staff that worked so diligently to get the budget up and running. This was a tough and challenging year in terms of budget reductions. President Cunningham thanked the Board for their wisdom because we knew that our reliance on state appropriations was going to decline and the College had to prepare for that.

President Cunningham presented a plaque in appreciation to Trustees Heywood, Holden, Jeffries, and Mason for their service to the College. She addressed each Trustee.

President Cunningham addressed Trustee Heywood. She said they have known each for approximately 15 years. He has helped her to develop and learn patience. One of the things that has been constant with Trustee Heywood is his concern and care for the students and the institution. President Cunningham expressed her appreciation for his service and his willingness to serve on the Board of Trustees. She appreciates his communication and the way he has been able to talk directly with her and other members of the staff. President Cunningham thanked him on behalf of the staff, faculty, and students for his service and dedication to the institution. She said he is a product of Lansing Community College

President Cunningham addressed Trustee Mason. She has known Trustee Mason for approximately 10 or 15 years. She remembers when President Sykes came to the College and Trustee Mason was one of the first people to see him to offer her help and support. When President Anderton was here, Trustee Mason was one of the first people to offer her support to him and the institution. President Cunningham stated that when she became president, Trustee Mason was one of the first people to offer her support. Even though Trustee Mason has only served for a short period of time, it has been with grace, dignity and concern. She said Trustee Mason will continue to care about the institution because she has always been a tremendous supporter of the College. President Cunningham wished her well.

President Cunningham addressed Trustee Holden. She has known Trustee Holden for approximately 25 years and met her while working on the Academic Business Cooperative Project as an advisory committee member. Trustee Holden has become someone that, in spite of many personal hits throughout a very challenging time in the College's history, has a bigger heart than anyone she has ever met. There is no one that you will meet that cares so much about the institution as Trustee Holden. President Cunningham stated that Trustee Holden has over 24 years of service to the College as a former employee and a Trustee. Her heart is always in the right place and she never holds a grudge and that is one of the things President Cunningham most admires. President Cunningham said regardless of where Trustee Holden is she will always be a supporter of Lansing Community College . She thanked Trustee Holden for her service on behalf of the staff, faculty, and students.

President Cunningham addressed Chairperson Jeffries. She said from the first day he served on the Board until this day she cannot think of one person who has been more supportive of this administration, the faculty and staff. Even through the challenging times we all realize how much you care about Lansing Community College and wanted to make it a better place. President Cunningham stated that she could not have done half the things she has accomplished without the support of the wonderful staff, but also without Chairperson Jeffries? belief and support in her. His support, always being available, accessible, and having the desire for this institution to move forward and his leadership has been unsurpassed. President Cunningham felt that Chairperson Jeffries has been one of the best chairpersons she has ever worked with.

President Cunningham wished all the Trustees well. As they move on to other parts of their lives and professional careers, she knows that they also move forward with the support of this institution behind you.

Trustee Canady said there were times that all the Trustees didn?t agree on all of the issues, but can honestly say with all his dealings with the outgoing Trustees, the disagreements ended with the issues. He expressed the great deal of respect he has for all of them and takes a great deal of satisfaction knowing that they always believed that they did what they thought was in the best interest of the College, which is the key to successful service. Trustee Canady said this Board has done a lot of things that will set the College up to be successful in the future. Each and every one of the outgoing Trustees has good reason to be proud of the service that they?ve provided.

Trustee Pelleran thanked the outgoing Trustees for their service to the College. She agreed with Trustee Canady?s comments that they might not have always agreed on issues, but she can say that they won?t end their commitment to Lansing Community College . As she told the Lansing State Journal, there is no doubt in her mind that the people who serve on the current Board are as committed and dedicated as the incoming Board.

Trustee Holden addressed Chairperson Jeffries. She said it has been a delight serving with Chairperson Jeffries and echoed Ms. Whitmer?s comments. Trustee Holden stated that a comment was made in the last several weeks that this Board had no direction and it was one of the few comments that she thought was not true. Under Chairperson Jeffries? leadership the College has accomplished quite a few things such as a comprehensive strategic plan which lead to AQIP and ISO 9000. Lansing Community College is a leader in conducting program review and respected and admired by many community colleges. He led the Facilities Master Plan, which was the first plan that was developed during her tenure. Chairperson Jeffries was instrumental in the passage of the millage and an M-TEC grant. Most importantly, during the planning process it became apparent, that the College needed the millage. She thanked Chairperson Jeffries for the opportunity to having served with him on the Board. Trustee Holden presented a plaque to Chairperson Jeffries in appreciation for his leadership on the Board of Trustees.

Trustee Mason thanked the staff, faculty, President Cunningham, and her colleagues. She has enjoyed this adventure, which has been very educational. She said she has done community work for many years, but on the Board she learned about individuals she has known and learned from them. Trustee Mason stated that she will continue to work with Lansing Community College .

Trustee Holden said she served nine years on the Board and fifteen before that she was employed in different capacities at the College. She considers her service to the College as the greatest honor and a privilege. Trustee Holden expressed her appreciation for her fellow Board members and the staff, who are a competent and outstanding group of people. She will continue to serve the College in a variety of ways.

Chairperson Jeffries thanked everyone for the plaques and their comments. He expressed his appreciation for the relationships that have been developed over the years and what has been accomplished at the College. Chairperson Jeffries said it was hard being a Trustee, figuring out what the role of a Trustee is. He came from a background that was more legislative in nature and you want to apply that to anything that you do. Therefore, coming here was different and it took a long time to figure out. He said this is a policy Board and the important thing is having to trust the people here to get the job done. Chairperson Jeffries said he has served on many different elected boards, but bar none the quality of work, the quality of people and the commitment of the staff at Lansing Community College outshines everything that he?s been involved in. It has been a pleasure for him and has made his job a lot easier. The accomplishments that have been highlighted are all due to the work of the staff. We may have wanted to go in a certain direction, but certainly it wasn't the Board's efforts that made it happen, but it was the staff?s. Chairperson Jeffries expressed his appreciation for the friendships that were developed on the Board. He said you leave boards and a lot of times you don't have the contacts anymore, but that certainly will be different with this Board.

Chairperson Jeffries addressed President Cunningham. He said that it was an easy job working with President Cunningham and developed a great friendship and respect for her. He believes the institution can do great things with President Cunningham?s leadership. Chairperson Jeffries thanked President Cunningham for the opportunities she gave him to be able to partake of what has gone on at the College. He certainly did not have those opportunities in the past with other things he has done.

Chairperson Jeffries addressed Ms. Mendez. He said that everyone knows Ms. Mendez as a straight shooter and a very competent person. Chairperson Jeffries said that of late there have been some issues, however, this Board can do no better than to have her here helping them and making sure the Open Meetings Act and other statutes are followed. He said that Ms. Mendez is very much the professional and this Board is very lucky to have someone like her.

Chairperson Jeffries addressed the Executive Leadership Team. He said as a Board member they do not get the opportunity to get to know a lot of people personally, but there are some people you interact with more on a daily basis or when issues present themselves. Chairperson Jeffries said he has certainly come to know the Executive Leadership Team and the friendships developed have made his time very much enjoyable with the College. He said they have a great deal of his respect and admiration.

Chairperson Jeffries introduced his wife, Mrs. Ellen Jeffries. He said she is why he is able to be here and to do a lot of things he does. She is very giving in allowing him to do these things. He said that many people don't realize the impact that public life has on family. It certainly has been different with his family. Chairperson Jeffries thanked Mrs. Jeffries for giving him this opportunity for the past 23 years. He said Mrs. Jeffries is the Deputy Director for the Senate Fiscal Agency.

Chairperson Jeffries expressed his appreciation for having served on the Board and considers Lansing Community College as part of his family. He looks forward to continuing working with the College.

Mr. Rich Howard addressed the outgoing Trustees on behalf of the Executive Leadership Team. He thanked the Trustees for their leadership, dedication, time, and commitment. The College is truly a better place because of their leadership specifically all of the difficult times have been made easier and the great times have been made better due to their leadership. Mr. Howard acknowledged Chairperson Jeffries? vision, dedication, and passion for Lansing Community College which never waivered.

Public Comment

There were no comments from the public.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.