Professional Council

PROFESSIONAL COUNCIL

MINUTES

January 21, 2011

Present:

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Cassandra Wilmore at 9:06 a.m. in place of Hector Valle (who was detained due to an earlier meeting and arrived later).

Introduction of Members

Meeting attendees introduced themselves and were greeted by the officers and members.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes from the November 19, 2010 meeting were unanimously approved following a motion by Nori Kross (seconded by Karen Petersen).

Treasurer’s Report

Devon Barnes reported that as of December 31, 2010, the Council had $376.73 in savings and $22.69 in checking. $129 in membership dues has been received to date for this fiscal year. One check for $200 was written in November 2010 as a donation to the SGA Basket Brigade.

Board of Trustees Report

Cassandra reported the Board reviewed the results of the state’s financial audit into issues surrounding the College’s handling of the American Music Festival. The auditors identified several “significant” deficiencies related to how money provided by the College for the festival was used and lack of compliance with the College’s own policies and procedures. The College is actively working on addressing the findings, including implementing new internal controls and providing training to appropriate administrators and staff.

The Board also opted to move forward in terminating a contract with Radiology Associates (RA) due to questions raised regarding whether the College violated conflict of interest policies by entering into the agreement (Board member Steve Miles is an associate of RA). The College’s Healthcare Task Force will look at other options to find cost savings for employees. Lastly, Sharon Crow informed the Board that the College’s $19 million request to the state for PECO funds would not be received this year due to slow funding.

Presidential Search Committee

Cassandra provided an overview of the presidential search process to date and asked that members who were unable to attend the open session with Dr. Parilla (who has been hired to conduct the search) send feedback regarding candidate qualifications to him by January 28. Dr. Parilla will be creating a draft document for the College community to review prior to releasing the official job posting. A website will be created to provide updates and information for the search.

Other Discussion

Council members discussed ideas to get more professional members involved in the Professional Council. The need for departmental support for attendance was stressed, especially in situations where work duties or location might make it more difficult to participate in meetings. One suggestion was to try to have at least one person from an area attend if all professionals in a department were unable to attend. Members also requested that meetings be continued during the summers and scheduled to accommodate those who may take Fridays off during the flex schedule period. Other ideas including having a presence at the Student Welcome Back and other events (need volunteers to staff tables) and starting a website and facebook page (Jane Davis will help establish the web pages).

Committee Update

Cassandra will send the draft version of the revised bylaws out to all members for review and comments. The final version will be voted on at the February Council meeting. Volunteers are needed for a Historical Committee to document the history of the Professional Council and a Website Committee. Renee Holloman, Charlease Banks, Cassandra Wilmore and Roxanne Lewis volunteered to assist with the Historical Committee.

Employee Salary Increase

Members discussed the need for a salary increase and (following a motion by Cassandra Wilmore and second by Karen Petersen) unanimously approved for Hector to work with other constituent heads to move forward in presenting a proposal to the Board of Trustees at the February 17 meeting.

Adjourn

Meeting was adjourned at 10:15 am.

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