regular meeting of the board of trustees date - College of the Desert

Student Trustee Sterling reported that the American Cancer Society is having a relay at College of
the Desert this weekend. She suggested that maybe events could be posted and better advertised
on campus so that students would know about upcoming events ahead of time in order to participate,
resulting in good public relations for our campus.
Trustee Suitt recognized Ms. Sonja Marchand, Board Candidate for Trustee Area 3. Ms. Marchand
introduced herself, and commented that “it would be a great honor and privilege to be elected to this
Board.”
Trustee Stefan reported that she would not be able to attend homecoming, but wanted the team to
know that they had her support and she knows they will do an excellent job in representing our
school.
Dr. Stefan also commented that individuals such as Christopher Reeves and John F. Kennedy, who
have made a push for science and mathematics in education, would be proud of the excellent
science and math instructors that have been hired at College of the Desert.
Trustee Hayden reported that he had been busy campaigning and visiting most communities in the
valley and that views of the College are all very positive.
Mr. Hayden noted that he attended the Tenure celebration on Friday for newly tenured faculty and
commented that it was a “real joy to celebrate this important milestone.” He thanked Dr. Sheehan and
all who participated for making this such a special time for faculty. He also thanked Student Trustee
Sterling for hosting the student forum for Board candidates. Mr. Hayden emphasized that a strong
student government is needed, and it is important for student representatives to participate regularly in
Board meetings.
Trustee House reported that he had also attended the Tenure Awards event.
Chairman Gray reported that California STRS had just hit a new milestone of $118 billion and he
attended a meeting with the Council on Institutional Investors on behalf of CAL STRS.
Chairman Gray commended Dr. Sheehan and all of the employee groups that had worked hard with
regard to the budget and budgeting process in order to make sure that it could be easily understood by
all, and he felt that “we have in place now as good a process that I have seen anywhere.”
ACADEMIC SENATE— Academic Senate President, Chris Nelson reporting. Academic Senate
President Nelson reported that the tenure ceremony held on Friday was a very important milestone for
faculty.
Senate President Nelson reported that the Academic Senate has passed two Resolutions. One related
to the gap between the new cap and enrollments, along with further definition of the late adding period.
The second Resolution related to the “W” withdrawal period.
Senate President Nelson discussed a new procedure within the Educational Technology Committee,
which creates a short-cut version and sign-offs for projects identified by Information Systems as
meeting a certain standard.
Congratulations were expressed to the Board and College as a whole by Senate President Nelson for
achieving a balanced budget and coming up with a process to allow people to understand. He noted
that, over the last year, an annually planning process has been created, which is being implemented
this year. The final piece that needs to be put in place is long-term planning.
3) CCA/CTA—Not Present
4) C.O.D.A.A.—Not Present
5) CSEA—Not Present