 |
| Jay: determined to honor Kevin O'Connor in all ways appropriate--and some not |
6:09 - Trust me, dear reader, I actually want to be here, in the Ronald Reagan room, during this pleasant Spring Break evening. I'm assuming, of course, that the meeting will be short.
Aha! Trustees are beginning to emerge from the dark recesses of the 3rd Floor. So far: Prendergast and Lang. Chancellor Gary Poertner is out and about as well.
Here comes the B Team: Burnett, et al.
6:12 - Wright, Jemal, and Jay have arrived.
While we're waiting for the women—Padberg and Milchiker—I draw your attention to the absence of a "discussion item" on tonight's agenda.
Marcia has arrived.
6:14 - still no Nancy Padberg. We're all hoping this will be a brief meeting, but it can't start without the Nance. She's got the gavel, and boy does she know how to wield it!
6:15 - She's entered the room. She has a brief word with Wright. Now Poertner joins them. Off they go somewhere. Top secret, I guess. What's up with that?
6:17 - Now IVC's Glenn Roquemore is conferring with Prendergast. Aha, Nancy and Co. have returned! More ducks being put in rows, I guess. Nancy's in full Nancy mode.
6:18 - Any minute now.
6:19 - it begins.
No actions to report from closed session.
Correction from last meeting's readout: approval to reject the recommendation to "nonreelect
2 IVC instructors. The vote should have been reported 7-0, not 6-1. (Bill Jay had been reported as registering the only negative vote, which seemed odd.)
All rise: ... Wright offers prayer: "Dear Heavenly Father... Thank you for...our veterans...Amen." (I left out the details, but that was the gist of it.)
Nancy: No resolutions tonight, but we do have "commendations." Burnett comes up, calls Dr. Kevin O'Connor to come up. He's the "volunteer of the year," evidently, according to some organization (ACCA?). Applause. According to the organization, he's "a joy to be around." O'Connor comes up and thanks "all my colleagues" here in the district.
No public comments, natch.
Board reports:
Bill Jay: Congrats to "you" (looking at O'Connor) for attending all the board meetings! Thank you very much. "That's it," he says.
Tim Jemal: I was on Channel 6 a couple of weeks ago, Laguna Woods (Seizure World). Spoke about benefits of the district.
Marcia Milchiker: Attended various events. IVC forum. Learned a lot. Went to Learning Resource Center Dedication. It was created in 1973. The Library was built as a fortress, with only one window, which was obscured by stacks. Now, the whole building's been renovated with windows everywhere. Why they first built it without windows—a matter of speculation. (Nancy struggles not to roll her eyes.) Marcia commences comparing her visit to the new library to a three-course meal. Nancy interrupts: you need to wrap up.
TJ Prendergast: Congrats to O'Connor. No report.
Nancy Padberg: I remember when you (O'Connor) first arrived. Blah, blah, blah. Also attended opening of Learning Resources. Busy always, but I enjoy everything I do for the District, College.
James Wright: Congrats to Kevin. Attended some basketball games. (I'm beginning to feel sleepy. My eye lids are feeling droopy.) Attended open house, Learning Resources Center. Looks wonderful. Spoke with David Begay, VC Human Resources. Met with Faculty Association. Snoooooooooz.
Dave Lang: no report
Heather Park: complained about parking somewhere. Nice kid.
Chancellor Gary Poertner: on Wednesday, going to Washington, DC, a contingent of legislative task force. Advocating for student veterans. Ever growing group. Will grow by 60,000 in coming years here in Cal.
Presidents' reports:
Glenn Roquemore (IVC): Congrats to Kevin O. Thanks IVC folks re Senior Day. About 2,000 high school students visited. Hard to believe, thinking already about Commencement. Moving into a very busy period.
Tod Burnett (Saddleback): Thanks all re opening of Learning Resources Center. Our high school senior day coming up. Health and Wellness fair coming up. Saddleback College Foundation gala coming up. Still looking for sponsors, attendees.
Board members requesting reports? None.
Consent calendar: Wright pulls 5.5. (IVC travel to Taiwan).
5.5. - Wright: quick question. Badmitton team trip to Taiwan. 8 student and 4 coaches? Odd. How come? Answer: students pay their own way. The four coaches have organized a foundation account. The foundation will pay their way. Craig Justice recommends tabling the item. Will come back with answers next month.
General Action Items:
6.1 - Five Year Construction plan. Deb. Fitzsimmons handles this, since Brandye the D is on much-deserved vacation. She draws attention to items. Buildings at ATEP per college. Something got relocated. Mentioned some other change.
Prendergast: I don't see the IVC pool. (Har har.) Fitzsimmons puts that project in perspective.
Wright: how many on list can we do? We'll probably go down to #10, with exception of "Gateway" building.
Wright: Science/Math Bldg. renovation seems very low on list. Fitz: yes, there's a need there. She feels his pain.
Unanimous approval—except for Wright's "no" vote!
6.2 - CCCT board elections. Lang and Wright have nominations. Padberg: let's hear your lists. Lang: names several people. Wright lists seven more. Some overlap. Padberg: how would you like to proceed? Jay: I will make a write-in rec for Kevin O'Connor. Nancy: I don't think he's eligible; he's not a trustee. Laughter. They try to begin the vote. Grace reads "names in common."
Marcia blurts out something. Padberg roars: "Wait to be recognized!" Jay wants to recommend Kevin O'Connor "by acclamation." We can do that, he adds. Padberg: no, Bill, he has to be a trustee to be nominated. Nancy to O'Connor: "you can have that [honor] in your next career." Laughter. Prendergast suggests a way to vote. They go for it. Five names in common plus two additional (incumbents). Unanimous, except Jay abstains. Golly.
6.3 - Board Policy revision (re local law enforcement) -- carries unanimously.
6.4 - BP revision, various policies - carries unanimously.
6.5 - Ac Personnel Actions. No changes. -- Lang: was very impressed with Mr. Mesa's(?) 1st prize in "I'm a hog" competition." Laughter. - Unanimous approval.
6.6 - Classified Personnel Actions. - Unanimous approval.
6.7 - Classified employee layoffs. -- Unanimous.
Reports:
7.1 - College guest speakers.
7.2 - Basic Aid report - Lang: noticed new footnote. Changes from Feb '13 report. Brief comment? Also: analysis of balances on Basic Aid projects. Comment?
Fitzsimmons: annual review of each of the projects—which should be closed out, which have excess money. Blah, blah, blah. Gives her typically competent report.
7.3 - Facilities plan status -- no comments.
7.4 - monthly financial -- no comments
7.5 - district trust fund -- no comments
7.6 - Saddleback College and IVC: business partnerships (report) (requested by Jemal)
Kathy Werle comes up to give IVC's report.
IVC's focus was as "premiere transfer" institution. But have moved increasingly to [technical?] under Roquemore. Distributed responsibility across the college with regard to business partnerships. Included examples of how faculty develop partnerships. We see slide of students at Getty Museum. Other students with textiles. Another slide: "volunteer income tax assistance." Happy students: manufacturer of high-end aluminum "widgets" that they produce at a local firm. (Laughter.) Development with partnership with nationwide job provider. Public-private partnerships, etc. Uh-oh, she referred to "synergistic opportunities." My eyes are getting sleepy again.
Now Rocky Cifone comes up. Dean of Business Science, etc., at Saddleback. There are many ways the college connects with the community, business sector. I'll focus on types of partnerships that exist. Partnerships of faculty with people in the business community. "Capstone" experiences. Or "cooperative work experiences" (CWE). The lynchpin of these partnerships are industry advisory boards. Blah, blah, blah. "Instructional enrichment" programs: job shadows, guest speakers, field trips, alumni mentorships. Last Friday: OC startup summit. Concluded with fast-pitch competition. Talked about "excellerators" and "incubators." (Uh-oh. My eyes are getting tired.) "Bridge to engineering." --A 2+2 project, with a "cohort." (Good grief. I think he's swallowed a bullshit-jargon dictionary.) Service providers and vendors. Pepsico, Schools First, Follet, etc. Exposure to not-for-profit sector. United Way, OC Food Bank. Finally, memberships in Chambers of Commerce, etc.
Now open for questions.
Jemal: thanks to board for approving this request. Thanks to Rocky and Kathy. Much appreciated. I have a few questions. How are we going about identifying sectors with high-demand skills?
Rocky: we've been getting help from State Chancellor's Office. We've been directed to concentrate on priority and "emerging" sectors: hospitality and entertainment, etc. Emerging: information technology, entrepreneurship. Kathy: we have significant experience in this area. Photonics, optics, etc. In past, some skills were then outsourced outside U.S. So careful about that now.
Marcia: IVC Spectrum is wonderful high-tech area. Will pay a premium to get people with right skills to work for them. What are we doing in that regard? --Nancy interrupts: "let them answer the question," she scolds.
Rocky: says something about OC Business Council. Will have a meeting of "stakeholders groups" next month. Will merge our "needs lists." (Good Lord, he's puking jargon buzzshit again.)
Jemal: how do you think we can bolster recruitment? ... What is your biggest challenge in developing business partnerships?
Kathy: faculty often have relationships with business. Getting industry people referred to us: that works. We can do "contract education" and training almost immediately.
Rocky: echoes that. He wants to "incubate" something. "Run it up the flagpole." (Good God.) See if it closes an "employment gap." Many of our partnerships are based on close contacts nurtured over the years. It's priceless. He mentions two faculty. It takes person-to-person contact, he says. We're now getting help from the state to pinpoint sectors.
Nancy closes this thing down: thank you very much, she says. She moves along.
Shared government reports:
IVC Ac Senate (Kathy Schmeidler): "I'm here, on spring break. Roy and I are here." Senior day was a success. She describes it. Campus-wide effort. Very successful. Our faculty involved in many shared government committees. Thanks chancellor for creating district-wide committees, inviting faculty. All of our faculty are involved in shared governance and are active in it.
Randy Peebles: ATEP--have good progress report. City of Tustin blah blah. ATEP related action items coming up soon.
Bob Bramucci: it's time to upgrade the network. Bandwidth is exploding. Students bringing gizmos that involve ever more connectivity. Some equipment nearing "end of life." Pulling fiber throughout the campuses.
David Bugay: we're in midst of hiring season. Committees are working very hard. Applicants are of very high quality.
Debrah Fizsimmons: audit committee kickoff. Coming to the board soon: info on some kind of liability. ATEP milestones coming up. Preparing for the budget cycle.
IVC Classified (Dennis Gordon): changes to Constitution and Bylaws.
CSEA: somebody sitting in. Looking forward to Classified Development Day.
Saddleback Classified Senate: we're also doing bylaw changes. New Sciences building at Saddleback College: concerned about bringing in chemical through hallway. Exposure to students in hallway. Says something about Rapid-Tech. Calls attention to person in back of room.
Prendergast: in memorium, Kirk Gorrie.
7:34 — meeting over. Lasted about an hour and fifteen.
Here comes the B Team: Burnett, et al.
6:12 - Wright, Jemal, and Jay have arrived.
While we're waiting for the women—Padberg and Milchiker—I draw your attention to the absence of a "discussion item" on tonight's agenda.
Marcia has arrived.
 |
| Guile |
6:15 - She's entered the room. She has a brief word with Wright. Now Poertner joins them. Off they go somewhere. Top secret, I guess. What's up with that?
6:17 - Now IVC's Glenn Roquemore is conferring with Prendergast. Aha, Nancy and Co. have returned! More ducks being put in rows, I guess. Nancy's in full Nancy mode.
6:18 - Any minute now.
6:19 - it begins.
No actions to report from closed session.
Correction from last meeting's readout: approval to reject the recommendation to "nonreelect
2 IVC instructors. The vote should have been reported 7-0, not 6-1. (Bill Jay had been reported as registering the only negative vote, which seemed odd.)
All rise: ... Wright offers prayer: "Dear Heavenly Father... Thank you for...our veterans...Amen." (I left out the details, but that was the gist of it.)
Nancy: No resolutions tonight, but we do have "commendations." Burnett comes up, calls Dr. Kevin O'Connor to come up. He's the "volunteer of the year," evidently, according to some organization (ACCA?). Applause. According to the organization, he's "a joy to be around." O'Connor comes up and thanks "all my colleagues" here in the district.
No public comments, natch.
Board reports:
 |
| Dean O'Connor |
Tim Jemal: I was on Channel 6 a couple of weeks ago, Laguna Woods (Seizure World). Spoke about benefits of the district.
Marcia Milchiker: Attended various events. IVC forum. Learned a lot. Went to Learning Resource Center Dedication. It was created in 1973. The Library was built as a fortress, with only one window, which was obscured by stacks. Now, the whole building's been renovated with windows everywhere. Why they first built it without windows—a matter of speculation. (Nancy struggles not to roll her eyes.) Marcia commences comparing her visit to the new library to a three-course meal. Nancy interrupts: you need to wrap up.
TJ Prendergast: Congrats to O'Connor. No report.
Nancy Padberg: I remember when you (O'Connor) first arrived. Blah, blah, blah. Also attended opening of Learning Resources. Busy always, but I enjoy everything I do for the District, College.
 |
| Commanding |
Dave Lang: no report
Heather Park: complained about parking somewhere. Nice kid.
Chancellor Gary Poertner: on Wednesday, going to Washington, DC, a contingent of legislative task force. Advocating for student veterans. Ever growing group. Will grow by 60,000 in coming years here in Cal.
Presidents' reports:
Glenn Roquemore (IVC): Congrats to Kevin O. Thanks IVC folks re Senior Day. About 2,000 high school students visited. Hard to believe, thinking already about Commencement. Moving into a very busy period.
Tod Burnett (Saddleback): Thanks all re opening of Learning Resources Center. Our high school senior day coming up. Health and Wellness fair coming up. Saddleback College Foundation gala coming up. Still looking for sponsors, attendees.
Board members requesting reports? None.
Consent calendar: Wright pulls 5.5. (IVC travel to Taiwan).
 |
| Guileless |
General Action Items:
6.1 - Five Year Construction plan. Deb. Fitzsimmons handles this, since Brandye the D is on much-deserved vacation. She draws attention to items. Buildings at ATEP per college. Something got relocated. Mentioned some other change.
Prendergast: I don't see the IVC pool. (Har har.) Fitzsimmons puts that project in perspective.
Wright: how many on list can we do? We'll probably go down to #10, with exception of "Gateway" building.
Wright: Science/Math Bldg. renovation seems very low on list. Fitz: yes, there's a need there. She feels his pain.
Unanimous approval—except for Wright's "no" vote!
6.2 - CCCT board elections. Lang and Wright have nominations. Padberg: let's hear your lists. Lang: names several people. Wright lists seven more. Some overlap. Padberg: how would you like to proceed? Jay: I will make a write-in rec for Kevin O'Connor. Nancy: I don't think he's eligible; he's not a trustee. Laughter. They try to begin the vote. Grace reads "names in common."
Marcia blurts out something. Padberg roars: "Wait to be recognized!" Jay wants to recommend Kevin O'Connor "by acclamation." We can do that, he adds. Padberg: no, Bill, he has to be a trustee to be nominated. Nancy to O'Connor: "you can have that [honor] in your next career." Laughter. Prendergast suggests a way to vote. They go for it. Five names in common plus two additional (incumbents). Unanimous, except Jay abstains. Golly.
 |
| San Juan Capistrano: Madame Modjeska and pals |
6.4 - BP revision, various policies - carries unanimously.
 |
| Occasional top administrative footwear |
6.6 - Classified Personnel Actions. - Unanimous approval.
6.7 - Classified employee layoffs. -- Unanimous.
Reports:
7.1 - College guest speakers.
7.2 - Basic Aid report - Lang: noticed new footnote. Changes from Feb '13 report. Brief comment? Also: analysis of balances on Basic Aid projects. Comment?
Fitzsimmons: annual review of each of the projects—which should be closed out, which have excess money. Blah, blah, blah. Gives her typically competent report.
7.3 - Facilities plan status -- no comments.
7.4 - monthly financial -- no comments
7.5 - district trust fund -- no comments
7.6 - Saddleback College and IVC: business partnerships (report) (requested by Jemal)
 |
| Tim Jemal: asked for report |
IVC's focus was as "premiere transfer" institution. But have moved increasingly to [technical?] under Roquemore. Distributed responsibility across the college with regard to business partnerships. Included examples of how faculty develop partnerships. We see slide of students at Getty Museum. Other students with textiles. Another slide: "volunteer income tax assistance." Happy students: manufacturer of high-end aluminum "widgets" that they produce at a local firm. (Laughter.) Development with partnership with nationwide job provider. Public-private partnerships, etc. Uh-oh, she referred to "synergistic opportunities." My eyes are getting sleepy again.
Now Rocky Cifone comes up. Dean of Business Science, etc., at Saddleback. There are many ways the college connects with the community, business sector. I'll focus on types of partnerships that exist. Partnerships of faculty with people in the business community. "Capstone" experiences. Or "cooperative work experiences" (CWE). The lynchpin of these partnerships are industry advisory boards. Blah, blah, blah. "Instructional enrichment" programs: job shadows, guest speakers, field trips, alumni mentorships. Last Friday: OC startup summit. Concluded with fast-pitch competition. Talked about "excellerators" and "incubators." (Uh-oh. My eyes are getting tired.) "Bridge to engineering." --A 2+2 project, with a "cohort." (Good grief. I think he's swallowed a bullshit-jargon dictionary.) Service providers and vendors. Pepsico, Schools First, Follet, etc. Exposure to not-for-profit sector. United Way, OC Food Bank. Finally, memberships in Chambers of Commerce, etc.
Now open for questions.
 |
| Dean of Jargon |
Rocky: we've been getting help from State Chancellor's Office. We've been directed to concentrate on priority and "emerging" sectors: hospitality and entertainment, etc. Emerging: information technology, entrepreneurship. Kathy: we have significant experience in this area. Photonics, optics, etc. In past, some skills were then outsourced outside U.S. So careful about that now.
Marcia: IVC Spectrum is wonderful high-tech area. Will pay a premium to get people with right skills to work for them. What are we doing in that regard? --Nancy interrupts: "let them answer the question," she scolds.
Rocky: says something about OC Business Council. Will have a meeting of "stakeholders groups" next month. Will merge our "needs lists." (Good Lord, he's puking jargon buzzshit again.)
Jemal: how do you think we can bolster recruitment? ... What is your biggest challenge in developing business partnerships?
 |
| TJ Prendergast: focused |
Rocky: echoes that. He wants to "incubate" something. "Run it up the flagpole." (Good God.) See if it closes an "employment gap." Many of our partnerships are based on close contacts nurtured over the years. It's priceless. He mentions two faculty. It takes person-to-person contact, he says. We're now getting help from the state to pinpoint sectors.
Nancy closes this thing down: thank you very much, she says. She moves along.
Shared government reports:
IVC Ac Senate (Kathy Schmeidler): "I'm here, on spring break. Roy and I are here." Senior day was a success. She describes it. Campus-wide effort. Very successful. Our faculty involved in many shared government committees. Thanks chancellor for creating district-wide committees, inviting faculty. All of our faculty are involved in shared governance and are active in it.
Randy Peebles: ATEP--have good progress report. City of Tustin blah blah. ATEP related action items coming up soon.
Bob Bramucci: it's time to upgrade the network. Bandwidth is exploding. Students bringing gizmos that involve ever more connectivity. Some equipment nearing "end of life." Pulling fiber throughout the campuses.
David Bugay: we're in midst of hiring season. Committees are working very hard. Applicants are of very high quality.
 |
| The Debster |
IVC Classified (Dennis Gordon): changes to Constitution and Bylaws.
CSEA: somebody sitting in. Looking forward to Classified Development Day.
Saddleback Classified Senate: we're also doing bylaw changes. New Sciences building at Saddleback College: concerned about bringing in chemical through hallway. Exposure to students in hallway. Says something about Rapid-Tech. Calls attention to person in back of room.
Prendergast: in memorium, Kirk Gorrie.
7:34 — meeting over. Lasted about an hour and fifteen.
13 comments:
Wow, no Neo-Nazi's, no left wing whacko's, no atheist protestors, no anarchists, no whining students, no animosity, no nothing! Well, perhaps a little boring, which is good!
Well, the "dear heavenly father" is a bit obnoxious, doncha think?
TOTALLY obnoxious! Incorrigible fool(s)!!! Geez.
Only to non-believers. Sad that you two feel such angst at those who believe. You could at least be just a wee bit civil and act as if. Just simple curtesy, don't you think? I know non-believers can be loving and tolerant. Can't you see that your anger and disgust with believers is simply intolerant self-centeredness? Must be terrible going through life all wrapped up in yourself. Consider this: The state of your soul is always expressed in your outer conditions and in the intangible influence that you radiate at large. As Emerson said: "What you are shouts so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." Prayer does work. Try it sometime. What do you have to lose? Just eternity.
It isn't church, my good man. It's a thoroughly secular trustee meeting. There's a time and a place for evangelical prattle, and these events, which you believe come wuith a pulpit, are inappropriate venues.
Well, my good person, your sense of propriety is YOUR sense of propriety. Why not practice a little love and tolerance, okay? Let's not replace what you describe as "evangelical prattle" with self-inflated secular ego. Both presumptions blind us from accepting difference. Sharing in prayer does not define a church. Think of others for a wee bit - get out of yourself - practice humility. Really there are only two feelings that a human can have, namely love and fear. It is generally supposed that the kinds of feelings we may have are legion, but this is an illusion. All other feelings, so-called, will turn out upon analysis to be either love or fear. The great difference between the two feelings is that love is always creative, and fear is always destructive. It is for us to decide which of these two feelings shall hold sway in our lives. Let's come together in love and tolerance.
Right, I'll remember that (and hope you do too) when we get a Muslim trustee who praises Allah.
"Let's not replace what you describe as "evangelical prattle" with self-inflated secular ego."
Breaking this down, we have (1) a specifically denominational prayer to some sort of "heavenly father," and (2) the trustees' business, which no matter how hard you try, is no sort of secular ego. (1) has no place at the meeting; (2) is the meeting.
The rest of your commentary, though obviously well meant, is rather New-Agy (if that's a proper adjective) and, as far as I can see, has nothing to do with the constant attempt at sermonizing by the abjectly religious.
This is an old concern of ours here on DtB. The objection to these prayers is not an objection to prayers (or religion) per se. Rather, it is an objection to public institutions incorporating religious (and especially narrowly religious) rituals in their proceedings when the ideology of the "founding fathers" and founding documents clearly urges the government's neutrality about religion. This sort of thing is obnoxious, not because it is religious, but because it is uncivil. --RB
"Employment gap"
"Mr.President, we must not allow a MINE SHAFT GAP!"
Thank you, RB.
My dear 8:43: the idea that there are only two emotions--love and fear--is bizarre to anyone who's reflected a bit on moral psychology; or for that matter, to anyone who's experienced emotions. Humiliation? Envy? Shame? Grief? Exhilaration? Disappointment? These are not just, at bottom, love and fear, though those emotions may be part of the infinitely complex mix that emotions can be.
You do seem to be well-meaning, but don't you realize that many atheists and agnostics exhibit just as much love and tolerance (sometimes more), just as much empathy and "getting out of oneself," as religious folks? You are probably a very good person, but you're confused and seemingly limited in experience.
Besides, plenty of religious, loving folks object on the grounds that Roy Bauer cites to prayer at governmental functions.
mah
I'd say fear is at the basis of most religions--behave, believe, proselytize, etc., or the fiery hand of god will begin the smiting and condemning.
Thanks to Prendergast for adjourning the meeting in memory of Kirk Gorrie. His service yesterday was lovely - standing room only. Many IVC teachers and students were there, including one former IVC student who transferred from Berkeley and was home on Spring break. Thanks to the college, Glenn and the foundation for sending flowers.
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