Quincy Reporter

John Wood Community College Board of Trustees met April 9.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

The Executive Committee met on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. in the office of the President. Attendees were Mr. James Gay, (via phone) Ms. Diane Ary, Mr. Larry Fischer (via Zoom) trustees; Mr. Michael Elbe, president and Ms. Leah Benz, executive assistant, note taker.

April Board Agenda Items

April Board agenda items were discussed. This month is the reorganizational meeting of the Board of Trustees. The committee also heard that recognition will be given to the outgoing student trustee Ms. Macyn Seaver and a new student trustee Mr. Clayton Dyer will be seated. There is a submission and acceptance of a grant from IGEN for solar arrays for the Ag Center.

Business agenda items included appointment of a representative and alternate to the ICCRMC Board of Directors, acceptance of a bid for the Sound System in the auditorium, authorization to implement a revised staff compensation plan, and approval of a Memorandum of Understanding to the Collective Bargaining Agreement regarding Covid-19.

The committee heard that in closed session the Board will be asked to review closed session minutes and destruction of audio recordings.

President Evaluation

The evaluation comments have been received and are in the process of being compiled.

Professor Emeritus

Due to the postponement of graduation Administration’s recommendation of professor emeritus has been withdrawn until next year. Faculty leadership has agreed this is best given the pandemic situation.

Compensation Plan - Administration worked on a staff compensation plan to meet Senate Bill #1 and address longevity. The Board received a copy of this document at their March meeting and Administration plans on placing it on the April agenda.

Board Retreat – Due to the coronavirus, the Executive Committee discussed the feasibility of holding the May 6 Board retreat. The committee’s recommendation is to postpone until June.

Adams County Together (ACT) – Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore, created this A.C.T. task force which consists of various community member leaders to address the concerns of the community due to COVID-19. President Michael Elbe was appointed chairman. The committee took a survey of clergy, government officials, city and county leaders to determine and prioritize the needs of the community. The outcome of the survey indicated the community needs were:

•Financial need

•Technology assistance

•Mental health assistance.

A one stop center has been created to address these concerns. Additional information can be found at adamscountytogether.com

Kinscherff Center - No additional update regarding the Kinscherff Center. The Illinois stay at home order as stopped this from moving forward.

Illinois River Valley Initiative - For the past two years President Elbe has been meeting with rural leaders on an initiative for the Illinois lower river valley. This group has hired a consulting firm to explore the options of obtaining funding through grants to assist these initiatives. President Elbe inquired on allowing him to use his “special” funds in the amount of $2,000 to applied toward this initiative. The Executive Committee recommends this request.

Telecommuting Policy/Procedure – Administration is working on a policy/procedure to address telecommuting for employees of the College. This is anticipated to be brought to the Board in May.

https://www.jwcc.edu/board-of-trustees/agendas-minutes/executive/