Texas Community College Teachers Association

TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Executive Committee Meeting – December 7, 2002

The Executive Committee of the Texas Community College Teachers Association met Saturday, December 7, 2002, in Conference Room A of Love Field Terminal, in Dallas, Texas, pursuant to the notice of such meeting.

ATTENDANCE The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m., by President Susan Hult Edwards. The following members were present: Ms. Susan Hult Edwards, President; Ms. Lola A. King, President Elect; Dr. Gail M. Platt, Vice President; Mr. Larry C. Allen, Secretary; Ms. Danita L. McAnally, Treasurer, and Dr. Mel Griffin, Immediate Past President. Also in attendance were Mr. Jeff D. Edwards, Legislative Committee Chair, Dr. Tommy J. Thompson, Membership Services Committee Chair, Mr. Richard Moore, Executive Director, and Dr. Scott A. Nelson, Associate Executive Director. Due to travel schedules, Dr. Thompson arrived at 10:38 a.m. and Ms. McAnally at 11:07 a.m. Dr. Anamaria Shaw, Professional Development Committee Chair was invited to attend but was unable due to family commitments.

MINUTES The committee reviewed the minutes of the October 11, 2002 meeting. Dr. Griffin moved that the minutes be approved. The motion was seconded by Ms. King and approved unanimously. Ms. McAnally was not present for this vote.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Ms. Edwards submitted the following committee appointments for consideration:

Mr. Dale Foster to the Legislative Committee for a term expiring March 31, 2005, to fill the vacancy created when Ms. Brenda Jones declined the appointment.

Ms. Heather Mitchell to the Resolutions Committee for a term expiring March 31, 2003, to fill the vacancy created when Mr. Raymond Lew declined the appointment.

Dr. Platt moved and Dr. Griffin moved that the above mentioned appointments be confirmed. The motion was adopted unanimously. Ms. McAnally was not present for this vote.

Ms. Edwards also mentioned that no response has been received thus far from Mr. Dan Spencer – Resolutions, Mr. Mark Butland – Auditing, Ms. Heather Carpenter – Auditing, Ms. Sarah – Membership Services, and Ms. Kimberly Jones – Membership Services. Several names were suggested by members in the event additional vacancies arise. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD The members discussed recognizing Dr. Brian Dille, Odessa College, with the Distinguished Service Award during the 2003 Convention. Several members commented on his contributions to the Association including his six years on the Executive Committee and most recently as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Reform. Mr. Allen moved that Dr. Brian Dille receive the Distringuished Service Award during the 2003 Convention. The motion was seconded by Dr. Platt and adopted unanimously. Ms. McAnally was not present for this vote.

OTHER REMARKS Dr. Platt complimented Ms. McAnally on her recent SACS presentation at South Plains College.

Dr. Griffin thanked the staff for being creative and developing new convention ideas.

TREASURER’S REPORT The committee reviewed the Preliminary Treasurer’s Report for the period ended November 30, 2002. The report indicated revenue for the period of $393,846.65, expenses of $412,557.68 and an ending equity balance of $361,291.82.

Mr. Moore commented on the report. He identified several expenses that are higher this year including: (1) moving costs of approximately $8,000; (2) $3,000 given to the Foundation for Professional Excellence in the Community College; (3) $2,500 used for Web site design; and (4) higher than usual legal expenses – part of this will be reimbursed from the insurance company. Partly offsetting the additional expenses are (1) increased exhibit booth rentals; (2) increased Miscellaneous Income from the Adobe agreement – the first quarterly check for $1,500 from SHI should be received in January; and (3) increased sales of liability insurance.

Mr. Moore reminded the members that, even though the move was expensive, the Association will save $800 per month for the next 5 years due to a lower rent at the new location. The new monthly base rent is $2,000 and the Association also pays monthly operating expenses of $1,000.

Based on current expenditure levels and projections for the remainder of the current fiscal year, Mr. Moore suggested the following budget amendments:

Officers and Exec. Committee increase from $ 11,000 to $ 12,500 Nominating Committee decrease from 1,900 to 500 Membership Committee decrease from 28,000 to 27,000 Miscellaneous Committees increase from 5,000 to 7,200 Convention Speakers decrease from 3,000 to 2,000 State Office Rental & Utilities decrease from 48,000 to 45,000 Legal Counsel, Rights, decrease from 30,000 to 25,000 Grievances Prior Year’s Expenses increase from 500 to 1,000

The net change would be a budget reduction of $7,200. Ms. McAnally moved and Ms. King seconded that the proposed budget changes be approved. The motion was adopted unanimously.

CONSIDERATION OF INVESTMENT OPTIONS FOR ASSOCIATION FUNDS Mr. Moore commented on recent conversations with an Austin bank which will act as a broker for purposes of investing Association funds. The Association will have full FDIC coverage for all financial assets. Based on the current interest rate environment, Mr. Moore suggested a 3, 6, and 12 month laddering schedule with no funds invested over 12 months. He also suggested holding $50,000 in a savings account as an emergency fund. It was the consensus of the Committee to limit maturities on all Association funds to 12 months.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT Mr. Moore reviewed the Membership Report as of November 26, 2002. It reflected 5,031 members compared with 5,014 last year and 4,850 two years ago on the same date. Mr. Moore said he was aware of some Campus Representatives that have not yet turned in memberships. The State Office recently sent a letter to those who joined in earlier years but haven’t joined this year.

Mr. Moore discussed a fax sent to him by Mr. Allen showing a flyer sent to TCCTA members from Days Inn North – Austin. The flyer advertises low rates for the Convention dates. Mr. Moore indicated he contacted the hotel. Hotel management said they would stop sending out the flyers and indicated they had not made any reservations.

RENTAL OF EXHIBIT SPACE FOR 2003 CONVENTION Mr. Moore reported that 17 new exhibitors have agreed to participate in the 2003 Convention. A letter was recently sent to all previous exhibitors who have yet to commit this year. One exhibitor not coming is Academic Systems. Dr. Thompson suggested that getting an Academic Systems competitor to come might prompt action on the part of Academic Systems. Mr. Moore added that Micro Media from Long Beach, California has expressed an interest.

TRAVEL AND OFFICIAL VISITS BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mr. Moore described campus visits made by him this fall to Alamo Community College District, Trinity Valley Community College, and Panola College. He also reported on his participation at the League for Innovation Conference on Information Technology in Long Beach, California. Several good contacts with potential exhibitors were made at that meeting. Mr. Moore also described his participation at the American Society of Association Executives Winter Conference in Washington, D.C. It is an organization of management personnel who have responsibilities similar to Mr. Moore. STATUS OF CONTRACTUAL LICENSING PROGRAM WITH THE ADOBE CORPORATION Mr. Moore indicated Adobe has committed to pay for a booth but does not want booth space. SHI will be represented in the Exhibit Hall. Mr. Moore may suggest that Adobe share booth space with SHI.

Mr. Moore suggested that perhaps the Association should try “tiering” the Exhibit Hall in the 2004 Convention so that some inexpensive booths would be available. He added that the exhibitors are pleased with the new activities designed to increase Exhibit Hall traffic.

VOLUME DISCOUNT PROGRAM WITH THE EPSON CORPORATION Mr. Moore reported the Association recently discussed with Epson a discount program on their products. The Association currently receives revenue on Adobe agreements equal to 2% of the total – the Epson agreement calls for 1%. The Epson program would apply to both hardware and software. The Association will receive their contract after Christmas. Mr. Moore suggested the Executive Committee vote by email to approve the Epson contract. Epson will have a booth at the 2003 Convention.

UPDATE ON THE WORK OF THE FOUNDATION FOR PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Mr. Moore praised the work of Ms. Patsy Lemaster, Chair of the Foundation for Professional Excellence in the Community College. The Foundation has met twice. All members of the Foundation are exploring opportunities for funding including grant proposals for corporate funding (Houston Endowment) and Perkins funding. The Foundation is considering a bus tour – possible themes include women’s rights or a Texas tour.

CONSIDERATION OF DATES AND LOCATIONS FOR 2003 By consensus, the Committee agreed to establish the following dates for Association-sponsored functions in 2003:

Leadership Retreat – May 19-22 Workshop for Campus Representatives – August 2 Conference for Faculty Leaders – October 10 – 11

Mr. Moore reported that two hotels, Hilton Airport and Austin Airport Marriott South, have made offers to host the Austin 2003 events. Both made an offer of $80 for a single room. Although Mr. Moore said the Hilton is a beautiful facility, he recommended the Marriott because (1) it has already hosted TCCTA events and knows what the Association expects and (2) it is more convenient to car travelers. Ms. King moved that the Marriott be used in 2003 for the Leadership Retreat, Workshop for Campus Representatives, and Conference for Faculty Leaders. The motion was seconded by Mr. Allen and adopted unanimously.

Mr. Moore reported that current plans call for the Summer Institute for Leadership Development to begin on August 3. The tentative theme is “Leading from the Middle”. The sessions will be designed primarily for Deans and Division Chairs. Mr. Moore also reviewed the names of probable speakers for the meeting.

MATTERS RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE In the absence of Dr. Shaw, Mr. Moore presented the matters related to the Professional Development Committee. The Executive Committee reviewed the evaluations from participants at the 2002 TCCTA Conference for Faculty Organization Leaders.

Mr. Moore indicated Dr. Carol Tavris and Dr. Elliot Aronson have agreed to speak at the Professional Development Seminar during the Convention. Dr. Platt moved and Dr. Griffin seconded to pay $500 to Dr. Tavris and $500 to Dr. Aronson. The motion was adopted unanimously. Mr. Moore added that we are able to get such noted speakers due to Starlink also paying $500 to each speaker.

Dr. Platt suggested asking Starlink to put a link on their web site to TCCTA. She also suggested putting a link to Starlink in the Convention material on the TCCTA web site.

Dr. Nelson reported that seven sessions for Great Ideas for Teaching Students (GIFTS) have been listed to date on the TCCTA web site. This represents all sessions turned in to the State Office by Mr. Danny Moss of Northeast Texas Community College, Coordinator for GIFTS.

Mr. Moore indicated Dr. Terry E. Stewart, Austin Community College, is Coordinator for this year’s “Passing the Torch: Information for New Faculty” session at the Convention. Dr. Thompson suggested putting a special “first time attendee” tag on the convention badge of those attending their first TCCTA Convention. Mr. Moore indicated the TCCTA lapel pins have been ordered. They include the TCCTA seal and pins given to the Past Presidents will also have a small diamond.

MATTERS RELATED TO LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE Mr. Edwards reported that the Legislative Committee had a telephone conference meeting on August 16 before meeting on October 11 just prior to the Conference for Faculty Organization Leaders. Mr. Edwards thanked Dr. Platt for taking minutes at the Austin meeting. Mr. Edwards reported that the Legislative Committee voted to endorse two items but not include them as a legislative priorities: (1) alternative teacher certification (2) continued support of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) and the TexShare library program. In other action, the Legislative Committee voted 8 – 0 with two abstentions to not sponsor a “teach- in” at the Capitol during the Convention. Mr. Edwards presented the following for Executive Committee consideration as Legislative Priorities: 1. Support increasing the community and technical college formula funding as recommended by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the cost of instruction and administration. 2. Support ERS funding to ensure and improve quality health insurance benefits for all covered community and technical college employees. 3. Support the current state requirement and state funding of skills assessment and funding remediation in a uniform fashion. 4. Support measures to ensure that the quality of all courses and assessments offered through two-year institutions meet a standard of academic excellence and enhance goals to close the gaps. Academic standards for courses and assessments should not be compromised to achieve measurable student success. 5. Support measures necessary to ensure that state approved community college transfer courses apply fully toward baccalaureate degree requirements. 6. Support continued efforts to restore and enhance funding and benefits for the Teachers Retirement System and the Optional Retirement Program.

After a brief discussion of the recommended priorities, Dr. Nelson suggested including the following as a seventh priority :

7. Support for continuation of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) and the TexShare library program.

Dr. Griffin moved that the six priorities from the Legislative Committee plus number seven listed above be approved as the Association’s Legislative Priorities. The motion was seconded by Dr. Platt and adopted unanimously.

Following additional discussion, Dr. Platt moved and Dr. Griffin seconded to add the following 8th priority:

8. Support for continuation of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) and the TexShare library program.

The motion was adopted unanimously.

MATTERS RELATED TO MEMBERSHIP SERVICES COMMITTEE Dr. Thompson reported that two Financial Planning Seminars will be held at the 2003 Convention on Friday – one at 8:00 a.m. and the other 4:00 p.m. The afternoon session will feature a Social Security Administration presentation. Five major discussion issues will be given to the morning presenter. Dr. Thompson indicated that door prizes will be given at both sessions and asked if any TCCTA pins would be available to use. Mr. Allen moved and Dr. Platt seconded that two Financial Planning Seminars be held at the Convention with the Thursday 4:00 p.m. session devoted to the Social Security Administration. The motion was adopted unanimously. Ms. McAnally was not present for this vote.

The Membership Services Committee hopes to offer massages in the Exhibit Hall during the Convention. Dr. Thompson added that they plan to get several Austin companies selling wellness products to exhibit their products next to the massage location. He also reported that Ms. Jana Holt-Day from South Plains College will be coordinating the Great Ideas for Fitness (GIFFS) presentations in the Exhibit Hall. Dr. Thompson reported the Membership Services Committee also discussed having brochures from the American Heart Association, Mental Health and Retardation Association, and the American Cancer Society available in the Exhibit Hall. Dr. Platt moved and Dr. Griffin seconded that the Association (1) provide a brochure table for selected Austin wellness to display their products, (2) have a GIFFS Sessions area in the Exhibit Hall, and (3) charge $5 for a shoulder massage. The motion was adopted unanimously.

The Placement Subcommittee plans to operate the Placement Center from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Ms. Wendy Gunderson, Collin County Community College-Preston Ridge, will be the coordinator. The Membership Services Committee plans to sell new TCCTA lapel pins and advertise the upcoming Foundation bus trip at the Placement Center.

There was no Travel Subcommittee report.

Dr. Thompson indicated the Membership Services Committee would like to sponsor a Grant Writing Workshop at the Convention from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Thursday. Participants would need to be preregistered. Mr. Kevin Rose from Northeast Texas Community College will be handling the registration and coordinating this event. Dr. Lillian Cook, Panola College, was suggested by Dr. Platt as a possible workshop leader. Dr. Thompson suggested a registration fee of $100 and indicated his hopes for 50-100 participants. Dr. Griffin moved that a Pre-Convention Grant Writing Workshop be offered on Thursday morning with a registration fee of $100 and a minimum required registration of 30. The motion was seconded by Ms. King and adopted unanimously.

The Membership Services Committee discussed the idea of the Association offering liability insurance for adjuncts. Dr. Thompson asked Mr. Moore if he could get three proposals in time for the Membership Services Committee to discuss them at the Convention.

MATTERS RELATED TO 2003 CONVENTION Ms. Edwards reported that Ms. Liz Carpenter was asked to speak at the 2003 Convention. She already has, however, another commitment for Thursday night. With that in mind, Ms. Edwards proposed having two General Sessions. The noon session would include the introduction of officer candidates, presentation of the Charles Burnside Scholarship award, and speeches by Ms. Carpenter and the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society Regional President. The evening session would be limited to discussion of the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Reform report. It was the consensus of the Committee to have two General Sessions.

The Committee then discussed the charge for meals at both sessions. Ms. King moved that meal tickets be priced at $15 for lunch, $15 for dinner, and $25 for both meals. The motion was seconded by Dr. Griffin and adopted unanimously.

Mr. Moore asked Committee members to email him with arrival and departure dates plus any special hotel accommodations needed for the 2003 Convention.

EXECUTIVE SESSION By unanimous agreement, the Committee went into executive session. The Committee discussed its desire to present cash gifts to the state office staff. It was the consensus of the Committee to present each state office staff member with a $300 gift and an expression of appreciation from the Executive Committee.

The Committee then discussed the timing of considering employee performance evaluations and compensation increases. After a brief discussion, Mr. Allen moved and Dr. Platt seconded that compensation increases and performance evaluations be considered at the February, 2003 meeting. The motion was adopted unanimously.

REPORT OF NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Committee received as information the report of the Nominating Committee, submitted by its chair, Ms. Patricia C. Knight. Mr. Moore reported the Nominating Committee met by conference call on November 9 with all members present and selected the following slate of candidates for state office for 2003-2004:

For President Elect: Gail M. Platt, South Plains College

For Vice President: Larry C. Allen, Panola College

For Secretary:

Danita L. McAnally, Amarillo College

For Treasurer:

Jeff D. Edwards, Collin County Community College Theresa E. (Terry) Stewart, Austin Community College REPORT OF AD HOC COMMITTEE ON ELECTION REFORM The Committee received as information the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Reform, submitted by its chair, Dr. Brian Dille. Mr. Moore reported that 4 pages of the December Messenger will be devoted to the report. He added that the Resolutions Committee has received a copy of the report since it is their duty to bring the proposed changes to the floor during the Convention.

OTHER MATTERS Mr. Edwards questioned whether a parliamentarian should be appointed for the Convention General Session in which the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Reform report is discussed. Dr. Nelson suggested that Dr. Brian Dille, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, be consulted to get his thoughts.

SUMMARY REPORT ON GRIEVANCE MATTERS Dr. Nelson complimented Mr. Moore on his handling of grievance matters. There are 8 ongoing grievance situations at this time. Some of the more common causes of the disputes include sexual harassment and reverse discrimination. Grievances often involve a faculty member and supervisor. Grade disputes between faculty and students also continue to occur – especially in the Nursing area.

NEXT MEETING The next meeting was scheduled for 12:00 noon, Saturday, February 22, 2003 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin, Texas following the conclusion of the 2003 Convention.

ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 3:08 p.m., Saturday, December 7, 2002.

______Larry C. Allen, Secretary