Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration Center on the Creston campus.
The meeting began with a public hearing for the Science Lab Renovation Project. No oral or written objections or petitions were heard or submitted. The board approved the Science Lab Renovation Project as presented.
Next, a public hearing was held for the Ag Center Addition Project. This project, which was initially discussed during the March board meeting, was approved as presented as well.
Jolene Griffith, SWCC director of human resources and education equity and Title IX coordinator, presented the college’s 2018 Affirmative Action Plan to the board. This biennial report is a measure of SWCC’s success of affirmatively recruiting females and minorities in positions and determining where underrepresentation may exist. Griffith said items to note in this year’s plan included the following:
• Minority populations have increased in most every category while the white/non-Hispanic population has decreased 8.5 percent in two years.
• The minority percentage of SWCC’s student population is 15.7 percent.
Griffith stated the qualitative analysis reveals the college will strive to increase the number of minorities employed at SWCC by 3 percent during the next two years. Following Griffith’s presentation, the board approved the plan as presented.
The board approved the college’s depository resolution. The depository resolution, which details the financial institutions used as depositories for the college and specifies the maximum amount kept on deposit, is reviewed annually by the board in accordance with Chapter 12c.2 of the Code of Iowa.
The board then moved on to changes in board policy including policies related to the annual board planning cycle and board member vacancy policy. The board approved both policies as presented.
Board policy discussion continued as Dr. Barb Crittenden, SWCC president, briefed the board regarding legislation recently passed by the Iowa legislature relating to free speech and expression at public institutions of higher education in Iowa. The bill was signed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on March 27, 2019, and took effect upon enactment. With the new law in place, the board of each community college is required to adopt a policy including specific language included in the bill. Following Crittenden’s comments and review of the policy, the SWCC board approved the new policy as presented.
In personnel, the board approved early retirement requests from Mary Jo Skarda, administrative assistant to the president and board secretary, and Cheralyn White, adult and continuing education secretary. Skarda’s early retirement will be effective May 31, 2019, and White’s tenure at the college will end Aug. 16, 2019.
In addition, the board received the resignation of Josh Keul, electrical technology instructor, effective at the end of the academic year.
During the president’s report, Crittenden reminded the board of spring commencement on Friday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center gymnasium.
Jerry Smith, board member from Osceola and designated Iowa Association of Community College Trustees (IACCT) representative, mentioned to the board the IACCT conference will be held July 24-26 at the Iowa Western Community College campus in Council Bluffs.
The board adjourned and then toured the science labs on campus to be renovated beginning this summer as part of the Science Lab Renovation Project.
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