Governing Board Agenda Review - September 10, 2024

Summary

The Maricopa Community College District Governing Board held an agenda review meeting on September 10, 2024. Key topics included faculty emeritus approvals, numerous grant acceptances for educational and workforce programs, and property lease agreements. Board members discussed ways to enhance the faculty emeritus celebration and asked for more detailed information on which colleges are involved in specific grants. Additionally, a proposed change in financial planning and budgeting policy was presented, alongside updates on community engagement activities. The meeting concluded with preparations for an executive session.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Maricopa Community College District Governing Board met on September 10, 2024, to review the agenda for the upcoming board meeting.
• 😀 The meeting included a roll call of board members, with a few members joining late, including Ms. Davis and Ms. Smith.
• 😀 A key item on the agenda was the approval of faculty emeritus awards for distinguished members, which prompted a discussion about consolidating such celebrations into fewer, more celebratory events per year.
• 😀 The board discussed multiple new and continuation grants, including a $2.5M semiconductor workforce training grant from the U.S. Department of Education and a $496,917 grant for an AI Consortium.
• 😀 Dr. Thor requested more detailed information on which colleges are involved in the grants, and Dr. Gonzales agreed to provide that.
• 😀 Several grants were presented, including those for sustainability, innovation, open educational resources, and various STEM initiatives across different colleges in the district.
• 😀 The board also approved lease agreements for space to be used by local school districts and organizations, including a five-year lease with Calvary Chapel of Phoenix.
• 😀 There was a focus on transparency for future meetings, particularly in sharing contractor information for construction projects and grants.
• 😀 Dr. Nerini thanked staff for their work in preparing the course fee changes for the upcoming semester, noting that fee increases were mostly due to course substitutions rather than new charges.
• 😀 The board also reviewed non-consent action items, including a financial planning and budgeting policy change and employment/separation reports from July to August 2024.
• 😀 The meeting ended with a review of community linkage activities and a reminder about upcoming meetings in October.

Q & A

What was the main purpose of the meeting on September 10, 2024?

The main purpose of the meeting was to review the agenda for the upcoming September 2024 board meeting, with a focus on approving grants, faculty recognitions, and financial items.

Which board members were present at the meeting?

The board members present were Ms. Jackson Long, Ms. Butler, Dr. Nerini, Ms. Sullivan, and Dr. Thor. Ms. Smith and Ms. Davis were expected to join later.

What was the discussion about the Faculty Emeritus recognition?

The discussion centered around the recognition of three distinguished faculty members with the Faculty Emeritus award. Ms. Sullivan suggested consolidating these celebrations to be held twice a year in a more celebratory manner, with a reception-style event.

What was Ms. Sullivan’s suggestion regarding the Faculty Emeritus celebrations?

Ms. Sullivan suggested consolidating the celebrations of Faculty Emeritus awards into two events a year to make the occasion more festive, rather than holding individual recognitions.

What is the focus of the $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education?

The $2.5 million grant is designated for a semiconductor workforce training program, spanning from September 2024 to August 2027.

What did Dr. Thor request regarding grant details?

Dr. Thor requested more detailed information about which colleges are involved in each of the grants, as not all grants specified the colleges participating.

What financial matter was discussed regarding course fees?

The discussion about course fees focused on proposed fee changes for the spring semester of FY 2024-25. Dr. Nerini thanked everyone for their work on the fee requests and clarified that most fee increases were due to class substitutions rather than new charges.

What was Dr. Nerini's comment regarding the course fee increases?

Dr. Nerini commented that the fee increases were not as significant as they appeared, as most of the changes were due to the substitution of dropped classes with others that had title changes, rather than true fee increases.

What was the purpose of the item related to the board policy change on financial planning?

The purpose of the item was to present a second reading and adoption of a change to the governing board policy 2.6, which pertains to financial planning and budgeting.

What was discussed regarding the lease agreements for the Maricopa Community College District?

Two lease agreements were discussed: one with Chandler Unified School District for Chandler Early College and another with Calvary Chapel of Phoenix. Both leases involve the use of college facilities for specified periods.