Feb. 16, 2021 Courier

February 2021

BOARD REPORTS

Grossmont College Student Trustee Benjamin Blevins said he enjoyed attending the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) virtual National Legislative Summit and meeting with federal legislators. He said the meetings highlighted key issues such as the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and Pell grants, and showed how much legislators care about community colleges. He thanked former Student Trustee Robert McClain for his service. Blevins also reported that Grossmont College is restarting its food distributions.

Trustee Julie Schorr said she attended several events held by Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges to honor Black History Month. She noted one presentation about America’s Black vote that recognized the achievements of Kamala Harris as America’s first Black woman vice president and Shirley Weber’s appointment as California Secretary of State. She shared some insightful information on the significance of Harris’ role as Vice President of the United States. Schorr said she wants to do her part to end systemic racism and contribute to meaningful change at the District.

Board Vice President Linda Cartwright attended the Community College League of California State Legislative Conference and the ACCT Legislative Summit. She said she was encouraged by the comments made by lawmakers about the importance of supporting community college students. The legislative agenda for community colleges includes free college, additional grants to colleges, expansion of the Pell grant, and more funding to improve facilities. Cartwright also noted the labor trades are partnering with Grossmont College to hold a food distribution for students and the community at the college on March 13.

Trustee Elena Adams said she attended the ACCT Legislative Summit and was impressed by Rep. Sara Jacobs’ professionalism and concern for community college students. She said Jacobs acknowledged that the cost of attending college is much more than tuition and she was also supportive of Dreamer students. A key focus of all the legislative visits was the mental health of students in addition to their academics.

Board Clerk Debbie Justeson noted that First Lady Jill Biden, a community college instructor, spoke during the ACCT Legislative Summit. Justeson said Biden will help to bring greater awareness of community colleges and how much they provide to their communities. She noted that her son and daughter are taking classes online, and said virtual education is the wave of the future.

Board President Brad Monroe commended both colleges for their virtual help centers that assist students. He praised the Grossmont College nursing program for ranking 8^th out of 127 programs in California by RegisteredNurses.org. He noted that Cuyamaca College is partnering with Operation Collaboration to provide a vaccination site. Monroe also said the groundbreaking for the new Student Services building at Cuyamaca College was a great celebration that he attended virtually.

GCCCD

Governing Board

Brad Monroe

Elena Adams

Linda Cartwright

Debbie Justeson

Julie Schorr

Student Trustee:

Benjamin Blevins

Chancellor

Lynn Ceresino Neault, Ed.D.

Grossmont College

Interim President

Marsha Gable, Ed.D.

Cuyamaca College President

Julianna Barnes, Ed.D.

Vice Chancellors

Tim Corcoran, Human Resources

Sahar Abushaban, Business Services, Interim

Next Meeting

The Governing Board's next regular meeting will be held Tuesday, March. 16. The open session will begin at 4:15 p.m., with closed session to follow.

Meeting agendas are posted on the District website 72 hours before and 24 hours before special meetings.

Site Reports

Grossmont College

Cuyamaca College

Facilities Status Report

8800 Grossmont College Drive

El Cajon, CA 92020

(619) 644-7010

www.gcccd.edu

BOARD ACTIONS

At the February 16, 2021 meeting, the Governing Board:

Heard a workshop on media relations training from Anne Krueger, Communications and Public Information Director; Lorena Ruggero, College and Community Relations Director at Grossmont College; and Christianne Penunuri, College and Community Relations Director at Cuyamaca College.
Announced no public response regarding the initial proposal from California School Employees Association (CSEA), Chapter 707, to the District for 2021 reopener negotiations.
Announced no public response from the District to CSEA, Chapter 707, for 2021 reopener negotiations.
Adopted the initial proposal from the District to CSEA, Chapter 707, for 2021 reopener negotiations.
Accepted the Follow-Up Reports from Cuyamaca College and Grossmont College to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).
Granted authority to establish a nonresident tuition fee of $307 for 2021-2022.
Ratified personnel actions.
Ratified sabbatical leaves for Peter Brooks, Gwenthy Mapes, Julie Middlemas and Irene Palacios at Grossmont College, and My-Linh Nguyen at Cuyamaca College.
Reviewed probationary and hired faculty for tenure-track positions for 2021-2022.
Heard a quarterly financial status report for the District.
Heard public comment from Michael Stewart, an associate professor at Grossmont college regarding retention.

CHANCELLOR'S REPORT

Chancellor Lynn Neault recognized the numerous events held at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges in honor of Black History Month.

She noted that more people were able to attend the state and federal advocacy meetings this year because they were held virtually. The meetings showed that elected officials strongly support community colleges.

Four teams have been set up to begin planning for returning to the campuses in the fall. The teams are: Facilities and Campus Safety, Employee Relations, Instruction, and Student Services.

Neault said she has been appointed as the CEO representative to a statewide workgroup on fiscal affairs.

Cuyamaca College President Julianna Barnes commented on the February 5 groundbreaking for the college’s Student Services building. The 36,000-square-foot building will centralize all student support services and will serve as a gateway to the campus.

Grossmont College Interim President Marsha Gable acknowledged the winners of the President’s Leadership awards – Counselor Dee Aceves and Jacob Angelo, Director of Instructional Technology. She said books were delivered curbside to students in an innovative and creative way to serve them.