Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Highlights of Tere's highlights

     Owing to a nasty cold, I was unable to attend last night’s meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees.
     Nevertheless, as always, the indefatigable Tere Fluegeman, Director, Public Affairs and Government Relations, has provided highlights of the board meeting (last night). Check 'em out! (Streaming video of the meeting is available here.)
     Here are some highlights of her highlights:

PRESENTATIONS:
ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTING

     SC President Tod Burnett and IVC President Glenn Roquemore provided an overview of the colleges' recent Accountability Reporting for the Community Colleges (ARCC) Report, a requirement stemming from legislation (AB 1417) in 2004 to provide accountability data….
     Saddleback College Director of Research, Planning and Accreditation Caroline Durdella illustrated how SC [Saddleback College] outperforms the state on 5 of 7 indicators. Completion rates for CTE [i.e., Career Technical Education] are on par with state performance. Her overall assessment is that SC contributes to state performance but there is still room for improvement. SC will examine their strategic planning process for improvements to meet completion agenda initiatives.
     Irvine Valley College Director of Research, Planning and Accreditation Craig Hayward said IVC is a high performing college with 5 of 7 indicators ranking above peer groups, 5 of 7 showing improvement, and overall, above state average. Completion rates exceeded state performance. He said the ARCC [i.e., Accountability Reporting for the Community Colleges] reports provide an opportunity to examine progress and performance and make improvements. Both colleges stated that the student success task force outcomes will bring more focus to these metrics, especially in basic skills and ESL areas.

COLLEGE COMPLETION AGENDA - STUDENT SUCCESS TASKFORCE RECOMMENDATION #2: STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR ENTERING STUDENTS

     Both colleges provided an overview of Student Success Task Force Recommendation #2“Strengthen Support for Entering Students” and highlighted the colleges’ efforts in meeting these requirements. ... The first phase of the student success task force recommendation will increase access and success through effective core services such orientation, counseling, matriculation and assessment. Future phases include use of technology to guide students through planning their educational progress. IVC has successfully implemented these measures using small cohorts, now it’s time to expand these successful models to the larger student population, presenters noted….
     SC counselor Mike Engels provided an overview of past outreach efforts, mostly focused on parents, students and professional development and how that is changing by improving the high school to college pathway to success. He highlighted a recent pilot project to improve articulation between local area high schools and SC. The pilot projected involved offering Applied Psychology 140 at two high schools, resulting in an overall 98% pass rate and 68% persistence rate. This was accomplished through outreach efforts including early application, early assessment, and early intervention for low placement scores. … Added outcomes of the pilot program include permanent, focused efforts to align high school and community college curriculum, improved communication, and student to student mentorship. Using this model, students are much more prepared when they arrive on campus. Academic Senate President Bob Cosgrove added that SC is expanding this program to include all local area high schools. He stressed the need to use seasoned instructors for these efforts.…

THE BOARD APPROVED
     All consent calendar items and academic and classified personnel actions….
     Acceptance of a $120,000 Career Technical Education Teacher Preparation Pipeline grant renewal from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO)….
     Two Saddleback College transfer degrees: Associate in Arts in Mathematics for Transfer; and Associate in Arts in Geography for Transfer….
     (Etc.)

REPORTS
. . .
     President Roquemore on attaining a military friendly status for IVC. He called attention to both Veterans ceremonies on Nov. 8. Trustee Lang attended homecoming and joined Trustees Milchiker and Padberg for a meeting of the audit committee. He was happy that the district again received a clean audit, and commended business services for the fine work they do on behalf of our district. He called attention to the upcoming election, and encouraged everyone to learn about the issues and VOTE....
     Chancellor Gary Poertner invited everyone to attend college-wide forums at both colleges on Nov. 7. The forums will include a brief update from the Chancellor and Board followed by open discussion and Q&A. On Nov. 9, the colleges will have accreditation visits to discuss their follow up reports. He expects the visits to go well, following widespread progress made on recommendations….
. . .
     Human Resources - Vice Chancellor David Bugay’s report included: 37 classified employees will take part in the Supplemental Early Retirement Program for classified staff. These individuals will retire on or around December 31, 2012 and collectively represent hundreds of years of service to Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College or District Services and leave with their valued expertise and knowledge. We are working closely with our classified union for the replacement of these employees.

2 comments:

Dennis Gordon said...

The highlights are fine, but just not the same without your fine journalistic skills. You bring life to the mundane meeting reports....missed you at the meeting!

Bob Cosgrove said...

Yea, Roy. I missed you at the meeting. Thought you might be covering the debate among candidates for Irvine City Council. But you were ill. Recovered? Hope so.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...