The following constitute the results of the several topics discussed at Monday’s Chancellor’s Executive Committee (CEC) meeting:

• George Grondin, ACCD’s new Enterprise Systems Project Manager, was introduced.
• Mecca Salahuddin presented opportunities for mentoring through the ALAS program.
• As a follow up to the email sent to President’s on 9/20, Martha McCabe provided an update on community counseling in the context of the absence of liability insurance, stating that our new insurance does not provide a license to provide community counseling. The CEC agreed upon the following:
  
  
  • A limit of 6 hours for non-academic counseling, during which time the individual
  • may be redirected to outside services. The presidents will identify the counselors to be involved in these non-academic interventions.
  • ACCD will not offer or provide walk-in counseling services to the public.
  • Presidents will work with respective counseling departments to ensure we are abiding by policies and other requirements.
  • Dr. Drum will review the job descriptions for counselors and collaborate with Ms.
    McCabe on the insurance provisions.
• Dr. Carlos Ayala presented a draft of the powerpoint presentation to be used at Employee Development Day on Monday.
• Ms. McCabe provided an overview of an emergency notification system demonstrated at a meeting the prior week. The system has the ability to reach thousands of individuals (e.g. students, faculty, and staff) via email, cell phone, and text message within a matter of seconds/minutes. Ms. McCabe will go forward with an RFP for a notification system.
• A committee was appointed to determine the best approach to developing a common catalog. Dr. Zeigler will chair a committee made up of Jo-Carol Fabianke, Adena Williams Loston, Leo Zuniga, Jim Dublin, Lina Silva, Jacquelyn Kyle, and Christa Emig. Bob Zeigler and Paul Martinez will meet to discuss the topic as it relates to faculty.
• Mark Hagen, of the Office of International Programs shared a draft of a job description for an international student recruiter. This stems from a PIP to increase the number of international students and expand the international student services offices at each of the colleges.
• Members of the CEC were asked to reserve the dates of 11/2 and 11/3 for a Board Retreat.

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October 15, 2007

The following constitute the results of the several topics discussed at Monday’s Chancellor’s Executive Committee (CEC) meeting:

• Drs. Fabianke and Zaragoza are exploring the degrees and experience required for faculty employment in the context of ISD faculty requesting to teach dual credit courses. A district-wide approach that aligns with SACS and THECB requirements is being considered. An update will be provided to the CEC.
• College Presidents received a letter from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) with information regarding outreach to students with 55 hours or more, who never earned a degree. All colleges agreed to contact students based on data provided by the THECB. Stacy Johnson (PAC) will work with VP’s & Lina Silva to discuss the current process in place at PAC and determine the best process to use district-wide; this project will be added to PIP list. Dr. Reno will draft a letter to the THECB, for signature by all five president’s, speaking to the value of an associates degree. Our local legislative delegation will be cc’d.
• Dr. Claunch will send out an informational DISTALL email regarding the status of the distance learning faculty certification. A single certifying course has been developed for Blackboard and a pilot group of faculty at each college has been trained.
• A number of months ago, each president selected a district-wide area of focus to oversee. The areas are as follows:

Dr. Zeigler – Common catalog and curriculum
Dr. Loston – Entry level requirements
Dr. Claunch – Values team and Baldrige
Dr. Reno – Academic policies and procedures
Dr. Guzman – Distance education and financial aid

• Drs. Fabianke and Contreras distributed copies of the results from the Employment Development Day (EDD) survey, a calendar with an alternative proposed date, and general questions to pose to colleges and departments. Responses to questions will be discussed at the CEC on November 5th. Best practices from peer institutions will also be researched.
• Jim McLaughlin, Dr. Claunch, John Strybos will take the lead on exploring the feasibility and cost effectiveness of a district-wide recycling program.
• Dr. Loston shared information on the SPC Homecoming on the weekend of October 20 and 21st.
• Lina Silva met with the 29 student affected by the change in the intercollegiate program. Intercollegiate sports were never approved by the Board; students were notified and encouraged to participate in club sports.
  

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October 22, 2007

The following constitute the results of the several topics discussed at Monday’s Chancellor’s Executive Committee (CEC) meeting:

• The vice chancellor for workforce and economic development and the vice chancellor for administration are asked to present a progress report on Process Improvement Plans (PIP’s) for their respective area at each CEC meeting. They should also invite the chair of a PIP committee to provide an update. There are currently 44 district processes as part of this first PIP cycle.
• A status report of the 37 Strategic Priorities will also be reviewed at each CEC meeting to determine which priorities have been completed, which will require a phase two, and discussion of any new priorities to be added.
• Dr. Leslie reiterated that ACCD is not under a hiring freeze; the hiring process should continue throughout November and December, with any new employees starting in January.
• The Board will hold a retreat on Saturday, November 2, 2007.
• The facilities department is exploring the possibility of outsourcing some functions; presidents and others will be involved in developing a plan. A plan is tentatively scheduled to be presented to the Board in February.
  

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November 5, 2007 

The following constitute the results of the several topics discussed at Monday’s Chancellor’s Executive Committee (CEC) meeting:

• The Student Outcomes, Assessment, and Research (SOAR) office shared a draft of the executive Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) report. The College President’s will review the report with their respective teams and bring back for further discussion at a CEC meeting.

• Two ACCD Department of Public Safety process improvement projects (PIP) were shared with the CEC, the first related to measures pertaining to police visibility and the second related to an employee ID card. The ID card discussion will continue at the next CEC meeting on December 17 th.

• The District Director of Financial Aid provided a status report on a PIP related to the student repayment process for Title IV program dollars. Additional information is to be compiled, with further discussion taking place at the next CEC meeting in December.

• The CEC discussed the need to clarify the role and function of the Continuity Committee and its relationship to other project-specific committees. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 15 th between the Chancellor, Presidents, Vice Chancellors, and members of the Continuity Committee.

• Employee focus groups, facilitated by Jackie Beede, will take place the week of November 12 th. A representative group of employees from all colleges and the district will participate in the focus groups; Presidents and Vice Chancellors are to submit names of individuals to Jo-Carol Fabianke.

• Leo Zuniga, Dr. Paul Martinez, Dr. Mel Indyk, and a rep from the Office of Legal Affairs were asked to convene a committee and develop a template to formalize the process for rolling out initiatives. The need for this committee stems from the lack of information related to new initiatives, such as how were committee members selected, who is responsible for communicating the information with other departments or offices, who is responsible for the rollout plan for the colleges and district, etc.

• Dr. Leslie reiterated that any data released for The Alamo Colleges should come from SOAR. On college-specific information, SOAR should be copied. SOAR ultimately retains the information and serves as a point of contact.

• The topic of Intercollegiate Athletics continues to be discussed; the Office of Legal Affairs, Dr. Silva, and Dr. Zaragoza, are working to define and address the issues, explore the options, and revamp our current model. Carol Riley has been charged to develop a policy proposal for Board consideration that clarifies the Board’s position as established in 1999.

• The next CEC meeting will be held on Monday, December 17 th.

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November 12, 2007  

The following constitute the results of the several topics discussed at Monday’s Chancellor’s Executive Committee (CEC) meeting:

• Ms. Pat Major presented the Payroll and Related Business Audit Findings and Recommendation Executive Summary. The report will be taken to the Board Audit, Budget and Finance Committee meeting on 12/6/07. There are approximately 150 findings and recommendations that will require resolution.
• The President’s and Vice Chancellor’s agreed to hold a workshop in January or February of 2008 to review the current process for developing new programs and to discuss a masterplan for all programs.
• In a previous meeting, the CEC discussed and agreed to the use of gift certificates for credit courses for purposes of a recognition, award, silent auction donation, etc. Dr. Reno distributed a sample certificate that can be modified for ACCD’s use.
• Dr. Leslie reminded the President’s of the 12/14/07 deadline for submitting nominations for NISOD awards. This year at NISOD, Dr. Leslie will host a luncheon for all recipients; additional information will follow as the date approaches.
• Presidents were asked to submit to Dr. Drum, a list of faculty positions to be advertised. Advertisements will run by the winter holiday break in December.
• The President’s and Vice Chancellor’s agreed that each of the Colleges will name a P-16 representative to work with Dr. Fabianke and the Coordinating Board. Dr. Fabianke will follow up with the Coordinating Board on the financial allocation for the Colleges.
• The President’s and Vice Chancellor’s agreed that Dr. Cha Guzman will lead a committee to review our financial organization and operations.

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December 17, 2007

 The following constitute the results of the several topics discussed at Monday’s Chancellor’s Executive Committee (CEC) meeting:

• The Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO) recommends excluding dual credit, early credit high school courses, and developmental courses from the new 6 Course Drop Limit ruling. ACCD currently excludes these categories and is consistent with the recommendations.

• Drs. Richard Drum and Eric Reno, in conjunction with the VPAA’s and others, will explore policies and procedures related to course loading and staff teaching courses, to ensure that all Colleges are consistent, that the policy is clearly understood, and that the information is communicated on a regular basis to faculty and staff.

• Dr. Fabianke clarified that when a student applies via applytexas.org, they need not reapply to enroll in another ACCD college. Students must inform the admissions representative at the second or subsequent college(s) that they have already applied; it does not happen automatically. Leo Zuniga and Arne Saustrup will coordinate to ensure that information in prominently noted online and College Presidents will ensure the information is included in catalogs and that staff are aware of the process.

• Dr. Leslie received an email concerning the mark-up at our bookstores. To clarify, ACCD does not set the rate, it is part of the bookstore contract. The new Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Success will be charged with forming a committee to explore best practices.

• Updates from three process improvement committees were given: Contracts that Provide for the Delivery of Services (Chair: Erick Akins); Acquisitions Customer Service Outreach and Training (Chair: Dwight Gillespie); and Inventory Control Process Improvement in Accountability, Communication, and Training (Chair: Gina Lopez).

• Mr. Jim McLaughlin reported that beginning in the spring semester, bills will be initiated when a student registers, which should alleviate the challenges associated with the gap between when a student registers and when a bill is initiated.

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