Rockford Sun

Illinois Community College District #511 Board of Trustees Met March 23.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Call to Order 

The Regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 511, Winnebago, Boone, DeKalb, McHenry, Ogle, and Stephenson Counties, Illinois, convened via remote video conference at 5:15 p.m. The meeting was called to order by Board Chair Patrick Murphy. 

Roll Call 

The following members of the Board of Trustees were present at roll call

Mr. Patrick Murphy 

Mr. Jarid Funderburg 

Mr. John Nelson 

Mr. Bob Trojan 

Ms. Gloria Cudia 

Ms. Lynn Kearney

Student Trustee Annika Vincent

The following trustee was absent at roll call: Mr. Paul Gorski 

Also in attendance: Dr. Howard Spearman, President; Mrs. Beth Young, Vice President Finance and Operations; Mr. Ron Geary, Vice President Academic Affairs and Campus Safety; Mr. Jim Handley, Vice President Human Resources; Mr. Christopher Lewis, Vice President Workforce Development; Ms. Heather Snider, Vice President Institutional Effectiveness and Communications; Dr. Patrick Peyer, Vice President Student Affairs; Dr. Amanda Smith, Associate Vice President Liberal Arts and Adult Education; Mr. David Costello, Executive Director Communications and Marketing; Ms. Ann Kerwitz; Assistant to the President; Ms. Kris Fuchs; Assistant to the President; Attorney Joe Perkoski, Robbins Schwartz; Attorney Matt Gardner, Robbins Schwartz. 

Communications and Petitions (Public Comment) 

No public comments were received. 

Adjourn to Session 

At 5:17 p.m., a, motion was made by Trustee Funderburg, seconded by Trustee Keamey, to adjourn to closed session to discuss: l) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees per Section 2 (c) (1); and/or 2) Collective negotiating matters per Section 2 (c) (2); and./or 3) The purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body per Section 2 (c) (5), all in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 

Reconvene Open Meeting 

At 5:30 p.m., a motion was made by Trustee Nelson, seconded by Trustee Kearney, to adjoum to open session. The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 

Trustee Gorski arrived at 5:32p.m. 

Action as a of Closed Session 

Board Chair Murphy explained that trustees have reviewed and discussed the proposed Memorandum of Agreement with the Rock Valley College Faculty Association. 

A motion was made by Trustee Kearney, seconded by Trustee Nelson, to approve the Supplement to Pandemic Adjustments for the Spring Semester 2021Memorandum of Agreement with the Rock Valley College Faculty Association as previously discussed by trustees. 

There was no further discussion. The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 

General Presentations 

There were no general presentations. 

Approval of Minutes 

1. February 8,2021Special meeting to appoint trustee 

2. February 8,2021Committee of the Whole meeting 

3. February 23,2021Regular meeting 

A motion was made by Trustee Gorski, seconded by Trustee Kearney, to approve the minutes of the February 8,2021 Special meeting, the February 8,2021Committee of the Whole meeting and the February 23, 2021 Regular meeting. 

There was no discussion. The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote 

Action Items 

1. BR 7791 - Claims Sheet #784 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the claims sheets from the Ellucian check register for the period from February 1,2021 to February 28, 2021. The total is $2,073,949.47. 

A motion was made by Trustee Kearney, seconded by Trustee Nelson, to approve Board Report 7791, Claims Sheet #784. 

There was no discussion. The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 2.4 BR 7792-A - Purchase Report #760-A- FY21 Purchases 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the marked items for purchase on Board Report 7792-A, Purchase Report #760-A.

$ 12,880.00 A. Net World Sports, Wrexham, UK

$ 25,000.00 B. ProVenue/Tickets.com, Costa Mesa, CA

$ 11,500.00 C. Stratus Networks, Peoria Heights, IL

$ 19,600.00 D. Hunter Entrepreneurial Inc., Naperville, IL

A motion was made by Trustee Trojan, seconded by Trustee Keamey, to approve Board Report 7792-4, Purchase Report #760-A. 

Vice President Beth Young confirmed that no changes have been made since the March 8, 2021Committee of the Whole meeting. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote 

2.8 8R7792-B - Purchase Report #760-B- - FY21 Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Addendums 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the marked items for purchase on Board Report 7792-8, Purchase Report #760-8. 

$ 273,000.00 A. Belvidere CUSD#100, Belvidere, IL 

A motion was made by Trustee Funderburg, seconded by Trustee Trojan, to approve Board Report 7792-8, Purchase Report #760-8. 

Vice President Beth Young confirmed that no changes have been made since the March 8, 2021 Committee of the Whole meeting and that only additional explanation has been added. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote 

2.C 8R7792-C - Purchase Report #760-C - FY21 Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FFE) Purchases 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the marked items for purchase on Board Report 7792-C, Purchase Report #760-C.

$ 946,880.00 A. Amatrol, Jeffersonville, IN

$ 130,440.00 B. Fanuc, Rochester Hills, MI

A motion was made by Trustee Trojan, seconded by Trustee Keamey, to approve Board Report 1792-C, Purchase Report #760-C. 

Vice President Beth Young confirmed that no changes have been made since the March 8,2021 Committee of the Whole meeting. In response to a question from Trustee Nelson, Board Chair Murphy confirmed that the Amatrol and Fanuc equipment meet with his approval. Murphy added that he has spoken with Mr. Dave Cunningham, ATC project manager, and stated that the purchase is for state-of the-art equipment. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. NOTE: Subsequent to this meeting, the names of the vendors were corrected as follows: Moss Educational & Industrial Training Solutions is the vendor for the Amatrol equipment purchase. AIDEX, the Fanuc Illinois distributor, is the vendor for the purchase of the Fanuc equipment. 

2.D 8R7792-D - Purchase Report #760-D - FY21 Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Change Orders 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the marked items for purchase on Board Report 7792-D, Purchase Report #760-D.

$ <4,000.00> A. Stenstrom & Sons Construction, Rockford, IL

$      660.00   B. Stenstrom & Sons Construction, Rockford, IL

A motion was made by Trustee Funderburg, seconded by Trustee Trojan, to approve Board Report 7792-D, Purchase Report #760-D. 

Vice President Young explained that information on this report was given verbally at the March 8,2021Committee of the Whole meeting. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote 

3. BR 7793 - 2021Summer Flex Days for Full-time ESP, SSA, PSA and Administrative Staff 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Rock Valley College Board of Trustees approve five (eight-hour) summer flex days for full-time Educational Support Personnel (ESP), Support Staff Association (SSA), Professional Staff Association (PSA) and Administrative staff to be used between May 17, 202I and August 6, 2021. 

A motion was made by Trustee Kearney, seconded by Student Trustee Vincent, to approve Board Report 7793. 

There was no discussion. The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 4. 8R7794 - Sub-Agreement Modification#9 Between Rock Valley College and The Workforce Connection 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Rock Valley College Board of Trustees approve modification#9 to the Sub-Agreement for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) One-Stop Operator and Career Services grant. 

A motion was made by Trustee Nelson, seconded by Trustee Cudia, to approve Board Report 7794. 

Associate Vice President Dr. Amanda Smith explained that the change in the amount is due to staff not attending a conference in Colorado due to COVID-19-related regulations. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 

5. BR 7795 * Revised Board Policy 5:10.140 Diverse Vendor Enterprise Use 

The Board Report reads in part: It is recommended that the Rock Valley College Board of Trustees approve the revisions to Board Policy 5:10.140 Diverse Vendor Enterprise Use. Attorney Reviewed. 

A motion was made by Student Trustee Vincent, seconded by Trustee Nelson, to approve Board Report 7795. 

There was no discussion. The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 

Other Business 

1. New Business 

There was no new business presented to the Board. 

2. Unfinished Business 

There was no unfinished business presented to the Board. 

Updates / Reports 

1. President's Update 

President Howard Spearman gave an update on his activities, noting the following: 

o This past month he met with students, staff and faculty in several "Eat and Greet with the President" and "Virtual Office Hours" events. These included Adult Education students and members of the Student Government Association. He also joined a meeting of the Allied Health team where he met new faculty and staff. 

o In celebration of Women's History Month, he welcomed participants to the Sister to Sister Conference. 

o Dr. Spearman thanked the RVC Foundation board for approving his fundraising campaign. An agreement will be prepared for the April board meeting.

o He has been working with Dr. Sandra Martell of the Winnebago County Health Department to utilize RVC as a site to offer COVID-I9 vaccine shots to higher education staff and students. Police Chief Rick Jenks has been appointed to serve on the planning committee. Dr. Spearman also is working with Mallory Wrenn, emergency manager of Winnebago County, to possibly use RVC as a mobile vaccination site for small businesses. 

o His virtual series titled PERC-UP with the President has featured several faculty members to learn what student success means from a faculty lens. The next part of the series will feature interviews with trustees to discuss what student success means from the lens of a trustee. Trustees will be contacted to schedule a video recording in the college's media lab. 

2. Leadership Team Updates 

o Vice President Jim Handley announced that the spring Professional Development Day will be held April L This will again be a virtual event using the Whova application.

o Vice President Ron Geary offered congratulations to the College's Adult Education department for being recognized in the FY20 ICCB Adult Ed Report. RVC is the only college with a 100% success rate. 

o Vice President Dr. Patrick Peyer made several announcements: 1. RVC student Ms. Leigha Derango has been named a Coca-Cola Academic Team Silver Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship; 2. Summer registration starts tomorrow; 3. The student trustee election is being held this week; 4. Women's History Month activities will soon be announced. In response to a question from Trustee Cudia, Mr. David Costello confirmed that announcements of Ms. Derango's scholarship award have appeared in the local media, in the Daily News and on social media. 

o Vice President Heather Snider announced that RVC employee Ms. Vicki Benson is one of four finalists in the Remarkable Woman initiative sponsored by WTVO-17. Ms. Benson is a 33-year volunteer and founded Rosie's Birthday Club and Young Women's Leadership. In addition, Vice President Snider has contacted the Illinois DCEO regarding the status of the College's application for the Manufacturing Training Academies grant, but a decision has not been made. 

3. Trustee Comments 

o Trustee Funderburg thanked the team working on the ATC for their efforts to keep the cost down, adding that it's nice to see a credit and a cost reduction on change orders.

o Trustee Trojan commented that he will attend the virtual Trustee Candidate Forum to be held Wednesday, adding that he is surprised to see so few candidates and signs around town. He added that it appears Next Rockford will not be holding a trustee candidate forum this year.

o Trustee Nelson commented that he will attend the Trustee Candidate Forum as a candidate, and that he was the only candidate who appeared at the Rockford Ministers Fellowship (RMF) virtual meeting last Saturday. In addition, he urged everyone to wear a mask and get 8 vaccinated. A brief discussion followed on the trustee candidates and who received invitations to attend the RMF meeting. 

o Trustee Gorski added that people are contacted in various ways and voice mailboxes fill up quickly. He encouraged using multiple forms of communication to reach the candidates.

o Trustee Cudia complimented Student Trustee Vincent for her part in coordinating the SGA sponsored Trustee Candidate Forum. Trustee Cudia added that she has received a number of calls asking for information on the trustee candidates. 

o Trustee Kearney added that she has also been contacted for information on the trustee candidates. She added that the softball team had a scrimmage last weekend, and it is good to see sports again. 

o Board Chair Murphy also thanked those who are working on the ATC and that it is good to see credits and cost reductions on change orders. 

4. Student Trustee Report 

Student Trustee Annika Vincent reviewed student activities held in March to honor Women's History Month. She also gave an update on recent activities of the Student Government Association (SGA). Ms. Vincent will moderate the student-led forum to be held virtually at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24 for candidates who will be on the April 6 ballot to fill the two vacant positions on the Board of Trustees. Ms. Vincent will be speaking at the annual League of Women Voters meeting with the theme of "Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg." 

In response to a question from Trustee Kearney, Dr. Patrick Peyer explained that activities are being planned for April in relation to League of women voters activities. 

5. RVC Foundation Liaison Report 

Trustee Trojan reported that during the RVC Foundation's board meeting this month, Mr. Barry Kramer and Mr. John Wolf were welcomed as new Foundation board members. While Mr. Kramer replaces Mr. Pat Morrow who resigned, Mr. Wolf fills an open position. In other Foundation business, the board approved its FY2022 budget and heard a report on the Game-Changers grant to provide a summer manufacturing academy. A $1,000,000 goal was approved for Dr. Spearman's new fundraising initiative. 

In response to trustee questions, Mr. Trojan explained that there are currently 14 Foundation board members, and their bylaws allow 15 to 20 members. Potential board members are identified by their connections to the community, their willingness to help fundraise for the College, to consider RVC in their top three charitable organizations each year and to make an annual meaningful gift. 

6. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Report 

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) report was accepted as presented. 

Trustee Kearney asked about the FOIA request for a copy of the Zoom video and audio recordings of the entire EEOB hearing and why it included a court reporter. Attorney Gardner responded that he was not familiar with the case and would research the answer. 

Adjourn to Closed Session 

At 6:15 p.m., a motion was made by Trustee Funderburg, seconded by Trustee Kearney, to adjourn to Closed Session to discuss the following: l) The appointment, employment, Compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees per Section 2 (c) (1); and/or 2) Collective negotiating matters per Section 2 (c) (2); and/or 3) The purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body per Section 2 (c) (5), all in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. 

Reconvene Open Meeting 

At 6:43 p.m., a motion was made by Trustee Kearney, seconded by Trustee Trojan, to adjourn the closed session and reconvene to open session. 

The motion was approved by unanimous roll call vote. No action was taken as a result of closed session. 

Next Meeting 

The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be held Monday, April 12,2021at 6:30 p.m. via remote teleconference 

The next Regular and Reorganization meeting will be held Tuesday, April 27 ,2021 at 5:15 p.m. via remote teleconference. 

Adjournment 

At 6:45 p.m., a motion was made by Trustee Kearney, seconded by Trustee Cudia, to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. 

https://www.rockvalleycollege.edu/Community/BOT/upload/2021-03-23-Minutes-Regular-Meeting_SIGNED.pdf