NORTHERN ESSEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES OF MEETING (OFFICIAL) – April 06, 2022
A meeting of the Northern Essex Community College Board of Trustees was held via a Zoom Teleconference at 5:00PM.
Attendees:
Ms. Borislow (Via Zoom)
Mr. Cox
Ms. Fernandez (Via Zoom)
Mr. Guilmette
Mr. Linehan
Ms. Modeen (arrived at 5:28PM)
Ms. O’Rorke (Via Zoom)
Ms. Quiles (arrived at 5:34PM via Zoom)
Ms. Paley Nadel (arrived at 5:06PM)
Ms. Sanchez
Unable to attend: Ms. Worden
Also Present: President Glenn
CALL TO ORDER: Chairwoman Borislow called the meeting to order at 5:03 PM.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Chairwoman Borislow opened up nominations for the election of Vice Chair. Trustee Cox nominated Trustee Paley Nadel as Vice Chair. Trustee Linehan seconded this nomination, and there were no further nominations or discussion.
Chairwoman Borislow then opened nominations for the position of Secretary. Trustee Cox nominated Trustee Shalimar Quiles as Secretary and it was seconded by Trustee Linehan. With no further nominations and discussion, the nominations were closed.
Trustee Paley Nadel arrived at 5:06PM.
A roll call vote resulted in unanimous approval of these two nominations. Chair Borislow thanked both Trustee Paley Nadel and Quiles for their willingness to serve, their participation, and their leadership.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Prior to the motion to approve, President Glenn noted one change on the minutes from the March 2022 meeting. The agenda should reflect that these minutes were from the March 2, 2022 meeting, not March 6th. On a Motion presented by Trustee Guilmette and seconded by Trustee Cox, it was voted unanimously by roll call vote to approve the March 2, 2022 minutes as presented.
CORRESPONDENCE: There was no correspondence.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
a) Introduction of Newly Hired Employees (Verbal)
President Glenn welcomed Joshua Croteau (via Zoom) to his new role as a full-time Administration Coordinator for MassHire. He also welcomed in person Sandra Rochon, NECC’s new full-time Director of Career Services. The Board welcomed the two new employees.
EDUCATION REPORT:
a) Lawrence Health Center with Scott Lancaster (ADM-3716-040622)
President Glenn introduced Dr. Paul Beaudin, Vice President of Academic Affairs who would introduce the Education Report. Dr. Beaudin noted that tonight’s report on NECC’s Lawrence Health Center would be given by Dr. Scott Lancaster who has been employed at NECC for seven and a half years and most recently serves as the Dean of the Health Professions. Dr. Lancaster holds a bachelor’s of science from Granite State College, a master’s of Healthcare Administration from Seton Hall University, and a Ph.D. from Simmons University. During his tenure here at NECC, he has served as a full professor in the EMS department and also served as Chair and Assistant Dean. Dr. Lancaster has taught at several institutions and serves on several national committees in his field.
Dr. Lancaster noted that the Health Center is located on first floor of the El Hefni building (the old CPAC center) and was opened last fall. As of today (and since August 2nd), staff at the center have held over 1,400 advising appointments with students, noting that the college currently has approximately 800 Allied Health students. The Center has become a hub for the Health Division, and students use the space for both study and as a place to meet faculty for advising and coaching. Students are also encouraged to use the center as a student lounge. The informal spaces can be used to hang out with friends, talk with faculty, or obtain some informal career planning, etc. The center also provides a great opportunity for freshmen to meet upperclassmen and future faculty members.
A professional advisor and a fulltime faculty advisor are a constant resource for students and can help them navigate academic and career choices. Center staff make students feel welcome, and are very good about walking students over to the college’s other buildings/locations at the Lawrence Campus.
Dr. Lancaster noted that currently, the Health Center is underutilized for events like Lunch & Learn (a chance for students to hear from outside speakers) due to the ongoing pandemic, but this type of programming for students is slowly coming back. Most of NECC’s Health students were back a year ago, but with strict Covid-19 protocols.
In closing, Dr. Lancaster noted that the staff try very hard to keep students engaged with this multi-faceted center which can serve students well in a variety of capacities. He noted that the Health Division as a whole has remained robust, and he thanked everyone who assisted him and his staff over the last two years.
Trustee Modeen arrived at 5:28pm.
BOARD CHAIR UPDATE: Chair Borislow noted that her report this evening would be very brief. She thanked trustees for all of the great progress that is being made on each of the sub-committees, and expressed her appreciation for the time and attention that everyone has provided during this very busy month. She also again expressed her appreciation to Jeff Linehan and Bill Cox for their continued service to the board until the successor is appointed by the Governor’s Office.
REPORT OF BOARD COMMITTEES:
a) Audit and Finance Sub-Committee
Trustee Cox reported that the sub-committee met earlier in the afternoon to review the numbers for the 3rd quarter of FY22 and preliminary information for FY23. He noted that the overall fiscal health of the college is very good, and after much work of the A&F team, the college has come through the last two unsettling years in a very good position with a net positive of $4 million. Trustee Cox also noted the sub-committee supports a very minor $3 fee increase. These minor annual increases prevent the college from charging a larger increase after several years and contributes to the positive future fiscal stability of the college. With that said, the Audit and Finance Sub-Committee recommended the following motions:
1) FY23 College Fee – Regular Courses (AFC-22-05)
On a Motion by Trustee Paley Nadel, seconded by Trustee Linehan, on a roll call vote, the board unanimously approved the Audit and Finance Committee’s recommendation of a $3 per credit fee increase on all credit courses that are non-Health resulting in a fee of $199 per credit.
2) FY23 College Fee – Allied Health Courses (AFC-22-06)
On a Motion by Trustee Paley Nadel, seconded by Trustee Linehan, on a roll call vote, the board unanimously approved the Audit and Finance Sub-Committee’s recommendation of a $3 per credit fee increase on all Allied Health courses resulting in a fee of $279 per credit.
Trustee Quiles arrived via Zoom at 5:34PM.
Chairwoman Borislow thanked Mike McCarthy and the Accounting and Finance Team for their overall guidance of the Audit and Finance Sub-Committee and for the sustained fiscal health of the college over these last two difficult years.
b) Alumni Advancement Sub-Committee – Trustee Fernandez, Chair of the Sub-Committee reminded everyone that tomorrow, April 7th is NECC’s First Giving Day! She thanked all of the trustees for stepping up to support the matching challenge from Trustees. She thanked Vice President Allison Dolan-Wilson and her team for their work building up to the event. So far, the college has received just over $16K in pledges, and every gift is appreciated!
c) Equity Imperative Sub-Committee – Trustee Paley Nadel, Chair of the Sub-Committee reported that she and Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora, VP of the Lawrence Campus have been in discussions about how the Center for Equity and Social Justice, the Center for Professional Development and the Human Resources department might work together in a more seamless fashion going forward to create a sense of equity across campus and to develop the campus culture we hope to achieve. Trustee Paley Nadel noted that the CPD recently hosted a Professional Day where 183 faculty and staff came together to access workshops on things like Compassion Fatigue.
She also noted the great work of the English Language Learner (ELL) task force and the Center for Adult Education who are developing strategies to help students and move them forward in the academic careers. Trustee Paley Nadel noted that the college continues to put resources into these programs and efforts which significantly impacts making a difference in student lives. She looks forward to the continued work of the Center after a Director is hired.
d) Nominating Sub-Committee – Shalimar Quiles, Chair of the Sub-Committee reported that the committee continues to wait to hear from the Governor’s office on new appointments. Chairwoman Borislow also thanked Jeff Linehan and Bill Cox for their continued service until the seats are filled.
e) Presidential Evaluation Sub-Committee – Marianne Paley Nadel, Chair of the Sub-Committee, noted that the sub-committee has received President Glenn’s Self-Evaluation and the DHE Guidelines for Presidential Evaluation. As part of the evaluation process, the Sub-Committee recently scheduled a series of interviews with some of the President’s direct reports as well as local business and educational partners. She noted that these interviews provide a deeper look into the work of the President and how that work is impactful to the communities. The full evaluation will be finalized for the June 1st Board meeting.
REPORT OF ADMINISTRATION: President Glenn provided brief updates on the following topics:
a) Federal Budget (Verbal) – President Glenn referred to a handout developed by the ACCT Community College Facts & Stats and the federal legislative priorities. Dr. Glenn noted that this document provides the legislative priorities at the federal level. President Biden issued these priorities, and Trustees should be aware of these larger issues being addressed. Specifically, some of these priorities are: Federal Pell Grants, Federal Student Financial Aid & Institutional Aid programs, the Higher Education Act Reauthorization. Dr. Glenn noted that related to Pell Grants, it’s important to note that back in the 1980’s and 1990’s Pell Funds covered living expenses for students, but that not the case anymore, so students need other forms of aid. Also, the Higher Education Reauthorization is not likely to happen due to this year’s mid-term election, but he notes that there are some important items in there such as the student loan default rate and how colleges can provide financial aid counseling and exit counseling when they leave to help control an institution’s student loan default rate.
b) Policy Advocacy (Verbal) – President Glenn noted that he did not attend the ACCT conference in Washington this year due to the pandemic, but he will be attending next year and is in regular contact with the legislative delegation.
c) Massachusetts Community College Student Cost of Living Pilot Project (Verbal)
President Glenn noted that he has been working with a donor for this pilot program which would provide significant funding (several thousand dollars a year) to a cohort of students to help with their living expenses. President Glenn noted that we now have a few donors and a million-dollar match, so NECC will be moving forward with scheduling a collaborative meeting with Bunker Hill Community College to plan for a 3-year pilot project which could impact federal funding in the future. He noted that there has never been a study like this, and the teams are hopeful that it will be impactful to student success.
d) Enrollment Update (Verbal)
President Glenn noted that for the Spring 2022 semester, the college added several second 8-week sections which helped with enrollment. Currently, the college is running approximately 3% ahead after dipping 3% due to the student vaccination requirement. In the Spring of 2019, he noted, we had 21 sections with 326 students enrolled, where now we are running 32 sections with 475 students, so we are hopeful that this is a pre-curser to additional, more aggressive shorter-term classes in the future.
e) Budget Update (Verbal)
President Glenn noted that the budget was covered under the Audit & Finance Committee report above. He reminded trustees that one reason the college ended up with a larger surplus was because of reduced spending, careful budgeting and money management, as well as the infusion of CARES Act Funding.
f) Medical Assisting Certificate Program Accreditation (ADM-3717-040622)
President Glenn noted that the document in the packet is an example of an accreditation response. While NECHE covers the college’s full accreditation, at any given time, the college may have 3, 4, or even as many as 5 programs going through accreditation programming (mostly within the Health fields). The attached material is one example of an outstanding accreditation report.
g) Commencement Dignitary Invitation (ADM-3718-040622)
President Glenn noted that NECC Commencement will be held in person on Saturday May 14th, and he hoped that all Trustees can attend. Dr. Eric Dickson, an Alumni, is this year’s commencement speaker. The college will also be bestowing the Community Partner Award to Lawrence General Hospital, and the Social Justice Award to the ELL Task Force.
h) Haverhill Campus (Verbal)
President Glenn noted that the NECC Knights baseball team beat Southern Maine Community College yesterday, 19-0. The Knights are ranked 4th in nation, and will be playing this Sunday at noon Trinity Stadium.
i) Lawrence Campus (Verbal)
President Glenn noted that the Amesbury Street building has been undergoing some renovations including new flooring, ceiling tiles, partitions on the lower level. The college will offer art classes and ESL classes, etc. in those spaces.
In addition, the MassHire office has moved into the 420 Common Street location (from 255 Essex Street). President Glenn noted that this move, in particular, was important as the college had intended all along that this operation would be embedded into the college’s campus.
The Police Station project in Lawrence has begun construction. The college is proud of the leadership role it took in getting that work started/accomplished.
Lastly, President Glenn noted that the college entered into agreement for satellite location in Salisbury on Rte. 110. The building (owned by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department) is underutilized, so NECC will utilize some of the space to offer classes, meet with students, community education, etc. Dr. Glenn noted that he and Dr. Noemi Custodia Lora recently attended the grand opening of STAR program for folks on probation, and that NECC is happy to be a partner of the ECSD.
NEW BUSINESS:
a) Personnel Actions:
1) Emeritus Status Recommendations (ADM-3719-040622)
President Glenn noted that there were four well-deserving Emeriti recommendations and he was seeking Trustee approval. The candidates are: Stephen Mathis,
Richard Lizotte, Wendy Shaffer and Jorge Santiago. With Trustee approval, these Emeriti recipients will be awarded status at the May 14th Commencement.
On a Motion by Trustee Cox seconded by Trustee Sanchez, on a roll call vote, it was voted unanimously to approve the four (4) Emeritus Status Recommendations as noted on Addendum A.
OTHER BUSINESS: There was none.
ADJOURNMENT: With no other business, Chairwoman Borislow adjourned the meeting at 6:10PM.
