KIRTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES RETREAT

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP

From Good to Great: Meeting the Educational Needs of the Community Through

Effective Governance and Leadership

January 14-15, 2005

R. A. MacMullan Conference Center, Higgins Lake

 

 

Members Present:              Robert Bovee, Jan Farmer, Sally Galer, Richard Silverman, Roy Spangler, Patricia Webb, Roberta Werle

Members Absent:                None

Others Present:  Charles Rorie, Kathy Koch, Narcisa Polonio

 

Friday, January 14, 2004

The Board of Trustees Retreat began at noon with lunch in the administration center main dining room at R. A. MacMullan Conference Center at Higgins Lake, Michigan.

 

1 p.m., Lake Huron meeting room

Welcome

Narcisa Polonio, Ed. D., Vice President, Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Board Leadership Services, welcomed everyone and suggested reviewing and discussing the agenda to be sure each member’s concerns and interests will be addressed.  Discussion was held about specific topics individual board members expressed interest in for this retreat.

 

Narcisa Polonio discussed the stewardship role of the board and standards of good practice.  A general assessment exercise was conducted addressing the board’s greatest strengths, major accomplishments, areas the board could improve on, what each trustee is most pleased about, or has concerns about, and changes they would like to see in how the board operates.

 

Answers for the general assessment were shared and discussed.  Board strengths were identified as diversity, knowledge of the internal/external communities, status as long-term residents, commitment, knowledge and life experience, historical perspective, connection to schools, sincere conviction, desire to lead, lack of personal agendas, and willingness to learn.

 

Major accomplishments of the board in the past year and a half were identified as M-TEC development, AQIP progress, success in improving class size efficiency, commitment to technology, becoming a deliberative body, and working together in a positive way.

 

Areas identified in which the board could improve were listed as follows: greater opportunities for study and deliberation, opportunity to focus on important issues, greater planning and assessment, clarification of the board’s role (policy, process, administration), need to be proactive, and greater financial oversight responsibility.

 

 

Areas identified as very positive included: shared responsibilities in areas of interest; friendliness; maintenance of programs and growth during a difficult financial time; uniqueness; independent spirit; progressive attitude; and exemplary relationships with K-12s.

 

Concerns listed were tough financial choices, community perceptions of isolation, geographic challenges, technological challenges, and manipulation by special interest groups.

 

Dinner break was at 5 p.m.

 

7 p.m., Lake Huron meeting room: Roberta Werle was absent.

The evening session continued the examination of the board’s role, characteristics of a great board, innovative governance, visioning, empowerment, and the board’s mission, responsibilities, and performance.

 

The evening session ended at 9 p.m.

 

Saturday, January 15, 2005

8:30 a.m., Lake Huron meeting room

The morning session continued the previous day’s topics and moved to board relationships, communication, a “social contract,” exercises on good judgment, professional development, primary concerns for the well-being of the institution, and quality.  A review of the previous day’s work was provided with a handout listing strengths, accomplishments, areas for improvement and concerns with actions, and suggested assignment of responsibilities and timelines.

 

Break for lunch at noon.

 

1 p.m. afternoon session, Lake Huron meeting room

Presidential evaluation and visioning was the topic of the afternoon session.  Narcisa Polonio provided background and circumstantial conditions for the Santa Fe (New Mexico) presidential evaluation instrument recently examined for possible use by the Kirtland board for evaluating the President.  She presented and suggested a model for evaluation and self-assessment which includes a self-assessment report from the President with annual goals/objectives and strategic initiatives established jointly by the President and the Board.  The model would include a state of the college status report from the President on the college, based on key indicators such as enrollment, fund raising, overall functioning and stability of the institution, status of strategic plans, etc.

 

The model would allow trustees to complete a survey form on the President’s performance and a self-evaluation on the board’s performance, both as a board and individually.  This could be followed by a retreat/workshop held as an opportunity to meet and discuss the evaluation, summary findings from completed surveys on the President’s performance, and the board’s self-evaluation.  The conclusion would involve setting goals and priorities and time frames for the next evaluation and self-assessment process.

 

A modified form of the Santa Fe survey instrument will be distributed to trustees. at the January 20 special board meeting. Bobbie Werle offered to make these modification in the suggested survey form.   The trustees agreed that they will mail their completed surveys directly to Narcisa Polonio who offered to compile the completed surveys into a graphic presentation from a specific program at her disposal.  The President’s self-assessment and status of the college report could be made due in early April and a compilation of the survey could then be brought together in April for presentation in an executive session which could result in a recommendation letter from the board listing what the board wants addressed, plus goals and objectives for the coming year.  The outcome of the evaluation process and recommendation would then become a public record at a board meeting as an information item.

 

The board’s self assessment could be adapted from the ACCT website, depending on the issues the board wants to address, such as board relationships and communication (sample on pages 15-16 of the PowerPoint presentation).  Directions were given to the website at  www.acct.org/ to the Center for Effective Governance to Board Self-assessment. All board members were encouraged to go to the site and pull out ten questions they may want included.  Jan Farmer and Bobbie Werle offered to prepare a recommendation, along with a printout of all the questions available, for consideration.  They acknowledged that this would require a special study session to be in place for the first week in April.

 

Charles Rorie provided a copy of the AQIP Team presentation made at Convocation and forums of the AQIP Visioning action project with recommendations for vision, mission and guiding principles statements which will be  presented at the February board meeting for  action.  An additional community forum is being planned by special/specific invitation on Feb. 10.  It was suggested that the presentation to the board at the February 20 board meeting be as a first reading.  That would allow the board members time to digest the recommendation and consider possible additions as amendments before final action.

 

Adjournment

The workshop concluded at 2:55 p.m.