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Board of Trustees Meeting – April 15th, 2020

In an effort to help our community stay informed about actions taken during governance meetings, I’m pleased to share a report from the most recent meeting of the Pasadena Area Community College District Board of Trustees.

State Sen. Anthony Portantino joined the beginning of the meeting to swear in three board members who were recently elected to new terms. Tammy Silver joined the board as the representative of Area 4 following her successful election in March. Trustees Jim Osterling and John Martin were also re-confirmed for their positions.

The meeting marked the beginning of the board’s operational year, so the board held elections for the year to come. Trustee Osterling was approved for a second year as board president, and Trustee Berlinda Brown was named vice president. Trustee Linda Wah was elected board clerk and Superintendent/President Erika Endrijonas was named secretary of the board.

With the approval of a series of agreements with the college’s collective bargaining units tonight, all PCC employees will receive a three percent salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2019. Trustee Sandra Chen Lau commended the college’s administration for increasing pay for faculty and staff during the coronavirus outbreak and its associated economic uncertainty.

The board adopted a resolution to recognize the month of May 2020 as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. As they cast their votes, Trustees Chen Lau and Wah spoke against the recent increase in race-based attacks on Asian Americans in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

A separate resolution proclaimed April 2020 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and another calls to honor community colleges during the month of April 2020.

The board endorsed nine college trustees to lead the California Community Colleges Trustees advocacy group. The endorsees are:

  • Adrienne Grey, West Valley-Mission CCD
  • Andra Hoffman, Los Angeles CCD
  • Pam Haynes, Los Rios CCD
  • Marisa Perez, Cerritos CCD
  • Larry Kennedy, Ventura County CCD
  • Loren Steck, Monterey Peninsula CCD
  • Suzanne Lee Chan, Ohlone CCD
  • Barry Snell, Santa Monica CCD
  • Cindi Reiss, Peralta CCD

 

A suite of curriculum actions received final approval from the board.

The demolition and reconstruction of the Sarafian Building took another step forward, with the board authorizing bids for construction management services. The college received approval for the project from the state Department of State Architect earlier this month.

A partnership with Azusa Pacific University’s nursing program was approved by the board. This agreement will allow students to attend APU and PCC at the same time, earning their bachelor’s degree in nursing after just five semesters of program-related study.

The college will be going to bid for a contract to offer food and beverage services in meetings, cafeteria settings, and other venues for the next several years.

Two construction contracts were issued: One for nearly $275,000 to remodel room R-125, and another $185,000 accessibility upgrade to the fifth-floor restrooms in the R Building.

Forty-nine members of the faculty were granted tenure by the board tonight.

 

The board approved a number of personnel actions:

  • Terryn Soelberg joined the college as head soccer coach and kinesiology instructor. Alisha Barreras (clerk, purchasing and contracting services), Greg Duran (locksmith, facilities and construction services), Darlene Inda (executive director, business services), Robert Jurado (director, technical services, ITS), Jennifer Kennedy (clerk, visual arts and media studies), Dave Thomson (grounds supervisor, facilities and construction services), and Erick Valadez (athletic equipment attendant, kinesiology, health, and athletics) all begin work at PCC this spring.
  • Eugene Chang has been promoted from assistant buyer to contract specialist in purchasing and contracting services. Robert Gordon moves into service as an acting educational advisor in Upward Bound, having served previously as a professional expert, and Riia Juvonen moves from technical assistant to helpdesk associate in information technology services.
  • Waimin Lui (natural sciences) and Paul J. Wilkinson (Math and Computer Science) have both retired from the college, with 44 and 21 years of service, respectively. Donald Eckmann (facilities and construction services) will retire at the end of the month after 31 years of service, and Jo Marie Jennings (campus use) retired April 1 after 25 years of service. David Van Pelt (facilities and construction services) will resign effective May 31.

 

Trustee Osterling adjourned the meeting in honor of those affected by the coronavirus outbreak, and in particular memory of those who have lost their lives.

If you’d like to know more, you can access the full board packet online (click “April 15, 2020” under the “Meetings” tab). Video of the meeting is also available on our YouTube channel.

The next regularly scheduled board business meeting will be Wednesday, May 20, at 6 p.m. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, this meeting will be conducted remotely. Details regarding public participation will be available soon.

Thank you,

Alex Boekelheide