The John Wood Community College Board of Trustees, meeting in Quincy Wednesday evening, April 29, held its canvass of election results and reorganizational meeting. During the Board’s regular meeting session, Trustees approved a slight tuition increase effective fall 2015.
The reorganizational meeting of the JWCC Board included the seating of two new trustees, the re-seating of one trustee, election of officers and appointing of trustees to board committees.
Jim Gay of Rockport, Illinois and Don Hess of Quincy, Illinois were declared winners in the April 7 consolidated election and were seated as members of the JWCC Board of Trustees. Hess, a challenger, and Gay, an incumbent, were elected to full six-year terms from 2015 to 2021.
According to canvass of official election results conducted by the Adams County clerk/recorder submitted to the Board, vote tallies for the nine counties in JWCC’s district were as follows: Hess – 9,175 votes; Gay – 6,670 votes; and Orville D. Jones Jr, DD – 5,917 votes.
The Board also appointed and seated Diane Ary of Quincy to fill the remaining two years of the six-year term of Dene Lambkin, who resigned from the Board. Lambkin was elected to serve as a Trustee from 2011 to 2017.
Luke Merritt of Payson, Illinois was selected by JWCC’s student body and took the Oath of Office as the College’s Student Trustee for 2015-16. Trustees recognized outgoing Student Trustee Seth Terwelp, also of Payson, who served from 2014-15.
The Board recognized outgoing trustees Jeanetta Green, who served the College from 2009 to 2015, and Dene Lambkin, who served JWCC from 2011 to 2015.
Trustees voted to elect Gay as chair; Larry Fischer as vice chair and Jerry Hagmeier as secretary for the Board. As elected officers, Gay, Fischer and Hagmeier will serve as the Board’s Executive Committee. As chair, Gay appointed trustees to the following Board committees: Finance and Audit – Hess and Randy Sims: Curriculum: Ary and Reggie Coleman. Gay appointed Coleman as the Board’s representative to the Illinois Community College Trustees (ICCTA) Association. Hagmeier will serve as alternate representative to the ICCTA.
Following the reorganization of the Board, Trustees approved increasing tuition by $5 a credit hour for in-district, out-of-district and online students effective fall 2015. The tuition increase of $5 is below the reported average increase for all other Illinois community colleges for next year and maintains JWCC’s position as the region’s educational value choice.
In-district tuition per credit hour will change from $129 with a $13 institutional support fee to $134 per credit hour with a $13 fee. The bump amounts to an extra $160 a year for in-district students taking 32 credit hours. JWCC’s average full-time in-district cost of $4,704 for next year compares favorably with other public and private colleges in the region that have annual tuition and fees ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 annually.
In other business, the Board:
Recognized the 2015 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Runner Up Trail Blazer Basketball Team and Coach Brad Hoyt, who earned Illinois Basketball Coaches Association NJCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year honors.
Approved letters of employment intent to be sent to nine-month and 12-month faculty members for the 2015-2016 academic year. Specific terms of appointments and salaries will be determined later as part of the 2016 budget development process.
Revised Board Policy 211 to comply with the Smoke Free Campus Act. The revision prohibits smoking on all JWCC property, with the exception of privately-owned vehicles traveling through or parked on campus.
Authorized entry into a two-year sublease agreement with the University of Illinois Extension for space at the JWCC Mt. Sterling Education Center.
Accepted a $31,700 bid from Black and Company of Quincy, Illinois to purchase two knee milling machines to support the manufacturing program at the Workforce Development Center. The purchase will be funded by the Mississippi River Transportation, Distribution and Logistics grant from the Department of Labor.
Approved entering into a contract with Northwest Comprehensive for broker services for the College’s employee health insurance plan.
Authorized submission of a $245,000 grant application to the Illinois Community College Board for an Adult Education Continuation Grant for the 2015-16 academic year. The grant funds all activities and positions that create pathways for adult learners to obtain a GED and move onto workforce or post-secondary education.
Authorized submission of a $22,000 to $24,000 grant application to the Illinois Department on Aging to support Retired and Senior Volunteer Program efforts in Adams, Pike and Brown counties.
Accepted a $145,190 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to support the Retired and Senior Program (RSVP) for one year. Previous funds resulted in 713 RSVP volunteers providing 71,893 hours of service to more than 90 agencies in Adams, Brown and Pike Counties. The value of the volunteer service to those communities is $1,653,447.
Authorized submission of a $40,000 to $50,000 grant application to the United States Department of Agriculture to upgrade and purchase welding units for JWCC’s Agricultural Center in Baylis, Illinois. Units will be used to train more certified welders for rural businesses in and around Perry, Pittsfield and Mt. Sterling. Funds will also purchase a portable virtual welding unit for use at the Agricultural Center, job fairs and high school demonstrations throughout the JWCC district.
Accepted $26,305 in grant funding from the Illinois Board of Higher Education to support work study and internship activities with district businesses that align with courses of study offered at JWCC. Previous funding allowed 22 students to earn 6,279 hours of paid internship experience in agriculture, early childhood, construction, business and hospitality fields.
Approved granting professor emeritus distinction to Gary DeClue, department chair and professor of fine arts, and Nancy Schneblin, professor of office technology. DeClue and Schneblin will receive the honor during the 2015 commencement ceremony.
The next regular meeting of the Board will be held Wednesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. at the JWCC campus in Quincy.