November Cabinet Minutes

Cabinet Members:

President Mike Richards

John Bearce, Interim Director of Institutional Research

K.C. Brekken, Communications Manager

Thomas Brown, Chief Campus Administrator, Cheyenne

Art Byrd, Vice President, Student Affairs

Patty Charlton, Senior Vice President for Finance & Facilities

Darren Divine, Interim Vice President, Academic Affairs

Richard Hinckley, General Counsel

Bill Kerney, Faculty Senate Chair-Elect

Penny McCollum, Campus Site Administrator, Henderson Campus

Joan McGee, Chief Campus Administrator, Charleston Campus

Larry Mason, Interim Vice President, Diversity & Cultural Affairs

Jacque Matthews, Executive Director, Foundation

Dave Morgan, Chair, Administrative Faculty Assembly

Mark Rauls, Faculty Senate Chair

Cat Maihen, President, Classified Council

Mugunth Vaithylingam, Chief Information Officer

Nathaniel Waugh, Student Government President

Anne Zemek de Dominguez, General Counsel – absent

Guests:                

Taylor Gray, Webmaster

Wai Ho, OTS Network Services Director

Rebecca Metty-Burns, Interim Director, DWED 

Rebecca Metty-Burns and Taylor Gray demonstrated the Division of Workforce and Economic Development’s improved website. The website, still under construction, was recently restructured based on call topics and call volume. Buttons for class selections are divided into three categories: Careers, Business Solutions, and Personal Enrichment. There is still work being done on the site. One area of concern is how to communicate to the general public the difference between classes for credit and DWED classes. The functionality of the site has been greatly improved, with search capability for classes made possible with new software (AJAX with jQuery) being utilized. The DWED website should be complete by early next year.

John Bearce reported on Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data, which compares CSN to its peer institutions in a number of categories. These categories include enrollment, student charges, graduation rates, finances, program completions, faculty, and staff. John showed the group how CSN compared to its peer institutions and informed the cabinet members of some changes in diversity reporting methods being established by the federal government. The full report can be viewed using the link below. http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter

Mugunth Vaithylingam and Wai Ho reported on plans OTS has for email upgrades. The reasons prompting the change include better security, more functionality, easier socialization for students, and reduced costs. The current email system is 11 years old and to keep competitive, CSN should offer a modern alternative. OTS is researching several options. Among them are Microsoft Live Edu and Google Student Apps. They offer portal capability, the inclusion of adjunct faculty, an improved overall experience, and permanent mail (as opposed to mail available only during the college experience). Security will be the primary consideration in making the decision, and exchange-supported functionality will also be important as it pertains to CSN‟s needs. 

Patty Charlton told the cabinet members of a change in the Cabinet reporting schedule that will begin in January. Instead of reporting every other month, cabinet members will report quarterly. Annette Lord will distribute the schedule at the next meeting and will send reminders to members the week prior to their scheduled reports. 

Dr. Byrd informed the group about a change in hours for certain Student Services departments. The changes will be sent out via “all” e-mail. The Emergency Notification System is ready for faculty, staff and students to register. The system will alert them in the manner they request (email, text, phone, etc.) when the situation dictates notification. It will be tested over the next few weeks. He asked that cabinet members encourage everyone to enroll for the notification. The link to enroll was sent out to “all.” Dr. Byrd also gave a brief update on CSN’s crime report and noted that car thefts have declined over the last three years. 

Thomas Brown met with Sherri Payne for their monthly meeting to discuss plans for the Cheyenne Campus. The plans include paint, tile, carpet, and signage. Thomas is working with Darren Divine and Dr. Richards on some beneficial partnerships in the community. The MOU’s are being developed. He also reminded everyone that Sexual Harassment Training is offered at all campuses at various times during the month, and that all employees are required to complete the training. 

Joan McGee reported progress with Strategic Planning. The committee has solicited feedback from the community through surveys, and once all the responses are collected a draft will be developed. 

Penny McCollum highlighted items from the Henderson Campus and Boulder City Center:

  • Henderson Italian Café has new vendors, better quality, and lower prices.
  • Parking lot behind Building C should be complete for spring 2010 semester.
  • Henderson Campus Environment Steering Committee will meet this winter.
  • Henderson faculty member, Dr. Gary Solomon, was selected as the Henderson Chamber of Commerce “Teacher of the Year.”
  • The November Social Gathering will be a Veterans Day Lunch and feature a red, white, and blue theme, photos of faculty and staff who served in the Armed Forces, and a web page for sending thank you messages to our currently deployed troops.
  • The Henderson Campus/Hinman School Partnership continues to help students at the elementary school. A school supply drive is being planned, and next year grant funding will be sought to assist the children with transportation issues.
  • The Boulder City site needs work before it is operational and Penny is working with Facilities, Financial Services, OTS, Academic Departments and the CSN Police Department to address the various issues.
  • The Boulder City Center will be hosting a Boulder City Chamber Mixer in January 2010. Community Business Leaders and the public will be invited.  

Jacque Matthews announced the new officers of the Foundation Board of Trustees: 

  • Chair – Robbie Graham
  • Vice Chair – Neil Friedman
  • Treasurer – Bryan Dziedzack
  • Secretary – Peter O’Neill

They approved a comprehensive fundraising campaign that should launch in Fall of 2010. Jacque said the President’s Breakfast had excellent support from faculty, deans and marketing; and the event had about 130 attendees. The program went very smoothly. A Dine-About card will be selling soon, and has the potential to raise a lot of money for the college. It should sell for about $20. She also reminded everyone of the Holiday Party on December 10 at the Las Vegas Hilton, and asked that everyone bring a non-perishable food donation for the backpack program.

Larry Mason reminded everyone that November is Native American Heritage Month and distributed a calendar of events. He also issued a flyer for the Sarah Winnemucca Scholarship Breakfast to take place on November 19 at the June Whitley Student Center on the Cheyenne Campus. The Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) program will take place on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for faculty and staff to help CCSD students with those areas of study. A leadership summit is planned for February 19 to address high dropout rates of students from Latino and African American descent. Larry and Dr. Byrd plan to attend.

Cat Maihen reported good attendance for the classified in-service classes offered in October. The classes will be offered in spring at the Henderson campus. The course in self-defense was especially well-attended. The bake sale raised $580 and another one is planned for December. The furlough days are causing some conflict with adjunct instructors who are also classified personnel. The conflict involves overtime pay for these employees and is being vetted out to find a solution. CSN, NSC and UNLV classified employees are planning to get together to discuss the upcoming legislative session and address common issues.

Dr. Richards expressed his appreciation to Jacque Matthews and the CSN Foundation for the President’s Breakfast. He said it was excellent, and he received many compliments on the quality of the event.

Nate Waugh presented appreciation awards to several members of the cabinet for their support of Student Government and its initiatives. Dr. Richards, Patty Charlton, K.C. Brekken, and Mugunth Vaithylingam were among the recipients.

Meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m.

Next meeting scheduled December 14, 2009.

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