David HeyenEDITOR'S NOTE: Below are statements from both the chairman of the Lewis and Clark Community College Board of Trustees and LCFA Executive Committee after the recent officer decisions and also thoughts on L&C future. David Heyen, the present board chairman, will remain in that position after a 4-3 vote. These are Heyen's comments, followed by the LCFA Executive Committee statements.

Editorial: Future Looks Bright for L&C

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As chairman of the Lewis and Clark Community College Board of Trustees, I am very excited to see two new certificates developed that we hope will increase college enrollment.

I was reading about a possible law being passed in the Illinois Legislature that would require Pharmacy Technicians to be certified. I brought this to the attention of Drs. Sue Czerwinski and Jill Lane. They took the thought and ran with it. Thanks to their hard work, L&C is now authorized to offer a Pharmacy Technician Certificate of Completion (https://www.lc.edu/Major/Pharmacy_Technician/Pharmacy_Technician/) beginning this fall. This should increase our enrollment substantially.

The second offering that should increase our enrollment is the Diesel Technology Certificate of Proficiency, which was added to the Automotive Technology program (https://www.lc.edu/program/autotech/) at L&C. Diesel mechanics are in high demand. Completing the program at L&C will offer immediate employment and high salaries for graduates.

Another positive for L&C is the plan to re-open the campus this fall with the improvement of COVID-19 metrics. Continued flexible modes of instruction, including our new Blendflex model, will allow students to attend college in-person or remotely as needed. Competency-based education, which will begin in Welding in the fall, will also streamline students’ paths to a degree and a job in the workforce.

I am excited about National Great Rivers Research and Educational Center. Dr. Ken Trzaska and I have been in conversation with Dr. Gary Rolfe, the director of NGRREC, about supporting NGRREC to step up to the world stage with their excellent research.

Dr. Trzaska and I have been exploring ideas for possible funding sources to support a renovation of the Main Complex, which is in need of attention.

It is exciting to see Dr. Trzaska realign the administration of the college for a more efficient operation.

The college is offering an early retirement program for those who wish to participate.

Many on-campus teams are exploring many avenues to increase enrollment.

L&C continues to work with employers to offer courses for those employees who need upgraded training.

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Dr. Trzaska and I are working on having the student trustee, an advisory member of the Board who represents the student body’s interests, give a report at each month’s board meeting to give us a good perspective of student activity.

We are working with Dr. Trzaska to grow L&C.

The future for Lewis and Clark Community College looks very bright for students, faculty, staff, and taxpayers. All are important players in the success of the area and the college.

David L. Heyen

Chair

L&C Board of Trustees

Lewis and Clark Faculty Association Executive Committee Issues Statement After Survey, Board Officer Decisions and Future:


At the April 29 special meeting of the L&C Board of Trustees (Board), LCFA President Debbie Witsken shared the results of a faculty survey examining the current relationship between Board leadership and faculty.

President Witsken also read a statement summarizing the faculty position that Board leadership is falling short of its obligation to review faculty interests in decision making. The statement concluded with the suggestion that the Board consider allowing new voices to serve in officer positions.

The LCFA EC only arrived at the decision to survey faculty and issue a statement after much deliberation. The guiding principle motivating this decision is that of shared governance. The college accrediting agency requires that shared governance at the institution engages its internal constituencies. Thus, it is our responsibility to ensure that the faculty point of view is heard both by administration and the Board. Board leadership chooses to casually disregard this long-standing principle. This was never more apparent than at the special meeting itself where neither the survey results that had been shared with Board members earlier in the day nor a public statement were not acknowledged in any meaningful way.

We had hoped that this era of new administrative leadership at L&C would encourage Board leadership to reconsider the manner in which it engages with faculty, students, and the community. Unfortunately, Board leadership chose yet again to completely disregard any opinions other than their own. This behavior is curious considering the results of the most recent board elections when candidates aligned with Board leadership were overwhelmingly defeated. The public has clearly spoken. More times than not, the student trustee has voted against the Board leadership. The faculty have attempted to speak. Board leadership is not listening…to anyone. It seems to be a four person show that includes David Heyen, Julie Johnson, Kevin Rust, and Charles Hanfelder with their myopic views and personal agenda.

- The Lewis and Clark Faculty Association Executive Committee

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