ST. CLAIR COLLEGE OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY

MINUTES

of the

346th MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

HELD ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2002

In the Board Room #342, South Campus, 2000 Talbot Road West, Windsor, On. @7:00p.m.

PRESENT:
		Ms. M. Bearfoot-Jones
		Mr. J. Belanger
		Ms. K. Bevan
		Mr. L. Browning
		Mr. B. Cutler
		Mr. R. Feldmann, Vice-Chair
		Ms. D. Livneh
		Mr. R. Marentette
		Ms. Lynn McGeachy Schultz, Chair
		Ms. C. Pare
		Ms. K. Pitre
		Mr. R. Pollock
		Mr. F. Pugliese
		Ms. P. Williams
		Mr. M. Vourakes
		Mr. J. Strasser, President 

		Also Present:
		Mr. M. Benoit, Chair, Manufacturing and Skilled Trades
		Ms. J. Berkeley, Student Observer, Journalism Program
		Mr. E.P. Chant, Editor, SAINT Newspaper
		Ms. C. DiCarlo, Manager, Athletics & Recreation
		Mr. G. Docherty, Vice-President, Academic
		Mr. R. Erwin, Administrative Staff Association
		Ms. P. France, Chief Information Officer/Corporate Secretary
		Ms. S. Garant, Secretary, Board of Governors
		Mr. P. Hallahan, Observer, Retirees Association
		Ms. J. Harris, Executive Director, Student Support Services
		Mr. L. Iversen, OPSEU Local 138, Faculty Observer
		Ms. L. Logan, Vice-President, Finance & Corporate Services
		Ms. P. Messenger, Observer, Invited Guest of M. Bearfoot-Jones
		Ms. P. McFarlane, Principal, Thames Campus
		Ms. N. Ouellette, Student Athletic Association
		Mr. F. Sorrell, Director, St. Clair Foundation

 A quorum of the Board of Governors being present, and the notice of meeting and agenda having been duly sent to all Board members, the meeting was declared to be regularly constituted.  A copy of the Notice of the Meeting/Agenda is attached as Appendix A. 

Ms. Lynn McGeachy chaired the meeting and Ms. Garant was the Recording Officer.

The Chair requested that those present introduce themselves around the table and state their position.

1.0	ADOPTION OF AGENDA AND DECLARATION OF CONFICT OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of conflict of interest.

	RESOLVED THAT the Agenda
 be adopted  as circulated.

2.0	APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JUNE 25, 2002.

RESOLVED THAT the Minutes
 of  the June 25 2002 Meeting 
 of the Board  of Governors be
 adopted as circulated.

3.0	UPDATES – INFORMATION & EDUCATION

Ms. McGeachy Schultz explained that the purpose of the new item was to keep the Board aware of developments in the various departments that were formerly included as  “Sector Highlights”. This “Update” item would allow any information Department Heads felt note worthy to bring to the attention of the Board and encourage discussion and allow for questions or clarification sought by the Board. 

3.1	Information Updates

At this time, the Chair recognized the contributions of Mr. R. Pollock as Board Chair and presented him with a token of appreciation on behalf of the Board of Governors.

The following information items were announced;

•	Ms. McGeachy Schultz advised Board members of the passing of former Board Chair, Bill Case, in July 2002 and also the tragic loss of our student, Michael Bastien in September 2002.  She commended Dr. Strasser, Mr. G. Docherty and Ms. J. Harris for the kindness and caring displayed  to the Bastien family upon the loss of their son, Michael.
•	The Chair acknowledged the retirement of former Board and Faculty member, Joe Lucas, this past August.  The faculty group will be electing a replacement by the end of October 2002.
•	The Chair announced the recipient of this year’s Women in Technology Scholarship is first year, Electronic Engineering student Melissa Basden.  A congratulatory letter will be sent from the Board to Ms. Basden.
•	The Foundation Golf event, which was cancelled due to the untimely death of student, Michael Bastien, may be re-scheduled.  Details are pending.

•	The Chair announced two upcoming events.  The first is, the Alumni of Distinction Award Ceremony on October 24 2002.  Secondly, Homecoming Weekend is scheduled for October 25 – October 27, 2002. There will be hockey games on both Friday and Saturday evening.  Board members were encouraged to attend.
•	Mr. P. Hallahan, on behalf of the Retirees Association announced the 35th Anniversary Books are now available.  This book is a pictorial account of the College’s thirty-five year history, from the days of W.O.I.T. to the present.  There is also a section devoted to past and present Boards of Governors.
•	Parking permits for Board members are included in tonight’s folders.
•	Dr. Strasser spoke to the increase in enrollment and its impact.  The Ministry indicates the provincial average is about 6.8% in full time post secondary.  St. Clair is at an 8.2% increase and with part-time equivalent taken into account, the enrollment will be 6300 compared to last year’s enrollment of 5800.  The growth at St. Clair is significant when you consider our Northern counterparts are experiencing significant declines in enrollment.
•	The President shared his information from the Executive Summary submitted by the Quality Assessment panel presented with respect to the St. Clair College proposal for Applied Degrees.  The first statement indicates that the panel is convinced that the College could and would meet the various challenges set out in the detailed assessment and in so doing would set a fine example of Applied Degree Programs that could exist and flourish at the college level in Ontario.  The panel also states in its summary, that the program outlined is unique among the programs offered or proposed to be offered by various colleges, and concluded that the program we have put forward would present a significant benefit to the Ontario public.  However, ours is only one of thirty submissions and there will only be twelve Applied Degree programs endorsed by the panel.  Full marks to Gary and Lynn and those individuals who met privately with the panel as advocates for our proposal and it appears that we are headed in the right direction.

•	Mike and John went to Windsor’s twin city in Poland, Lublin, to pursue various training initiatives.  EASL programs, International Trade and Economics would appear to be some areas of interest for future revenue generation.

3.2	Board Event Schedule

Ms. McGeachy Schultz presented the Board Event Schedule
for information.  She noted that the Board Retreat falls on the same weekend as Homecoming Weekend.   Board members were encouraged to attend after the Board retreat.

4.0	POLICY ISSUES

4.1	Foundation By-Laws and Memorandum of Understanding

Mr. Sorrell presented to the Board the Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out the guidelines by which the Foundation Board operates.  He indicated that it was being presented to the Board after legal advice had indicated that the Memorandum was viable for the next five years.

 RESOLVED THAT the Board approve 
 the Memorandum of Understanding as
 presented.

4.2	Program Approval of the New  Industrial Apprentice Trade;  
Machine Tool Builder and Integrator Trade (430M) for a September 30, 2002 start. 

This program already has approval of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Mr. Docherty opened with remarks about the need for this program in the industry.  By increasing the number of apprentices, we would be fulfilling a local and provincial need for growth.  He then introduced Mr. Benoit to speak to the program details and answer any questions posed by Board members.

Mr. Benoit then led the discussion and indicated how the new program dovetailed nicely with the existing Tool and Die and Millwright programs.  This hybrid skill was brought forward to the Provincial Advisory Committee for the metal cutting trades, by local industry.  Now St. Clair is in position to offer this program and support our local industry.  Future demand will be for the particular skill set of these graduates. 
 
The Chair explained for the benefit of the new Governors, how programs come to the Board for approval.  This allows the Board members to hear the rationale for new program initiatives, their graduate potential and their adherence to College Strategic Plans and Directions.  It also gives perspective of how the College strives to meet the needs of local industry. 

A Board member questioned how the College would be able to equip the new program.  Mr. Benoit responded that the first year of the program, sharing a common core with the millwright trade would be able to access the same equipment.  He added that the College would be applying for an apprenticeship enhancement grant at the end of this week (September 27, 2002).  According to Mr. Benoit, the provincial government is making these funds available for new trade initiatives, such as this, and there is also local M.T.C.U. office support for this program.

	Once the FCEM is in place, the new machines installed will satisfy the needs of existing as well as new training programs for the next ten years.

	One Board member asked if the skill sets of the Machine Tool Builder trade meet industry demands, and Mr. Benoit responded in the affirmative.

	Board members were also assured that the program objectives were consistent with the College’s Strategic Directions.

RESOLVED THAT the new Machine
Tool Builder and Integrator Program be
approved.

5.0	STRATEGIC ISSUES 

5.1	Core Business for Chatham

This item was being brought to the Board to remind Board members of the task of defining the core business for St. Clair’s Thames Campus.  Ms. P. McFarlane, principal at Thames reminded the Board that she was seeking their feedback in looking for areas of focus, whether in the field of mechatronics or health, whether offering new programs or expanding on existing programs would better serve the Chatham/Kent catchments area in meeting their needs with skilled graduates.  The Board Chair felt that perhaps providing the members with information on the area demographics, program KPI’s, student population data, grad data, the Board would be better equipped for discussion at the Board Retreat on October 25 and 26, 2002.
As a follow-up to how Thames is currently looking at keeping programs competitive, Ms. McFarlane mentioned that the Information Technology Program at Thames is currently looking at a new format, to attract students.  The existing program hasn’t attracted the numbers originally anticipated.

Thames Campus currently makes up for 15% of the total College enrollment.

Mr. Feldmann asked whether the College was considering areas of specialization for Windsor and Chatham, as discussed previously.  
At that time, he added, the College was looking at making Windsor the home for manufacturing and technology programs and looking at keeping nursing and health related programs in Chatham.

The Board will be prepared to discuss these issues at the retreat and offer some concrete solutions.

6.0	
MONITORING REPORTS

6.1	Report from Program Advisory Committees

Mr. Docherty spoke to this item and provided a brief report to the Board.  In his report he noted that Ontario has a great Advisory Committee track record.  The composition of the Committees themselves, are community leaders, successful college graduates, and high profile representatives of the business and industrial communities.  There are currently forty-five advisory committees covering a broad spectrum of the community.

Our advisory committees were instrumental in achieving the articulation agreements along with the Greater Essex County School Board and they are continuing to explore new agreement possibilities.  Our advisory committee for the Mechanical Techniques  Program provides input into program/semester lengths, program and individual course content, as well as the planning of the physical space and equipment requirements. 
 
Mr. Docherty concluded that our advisory committees are a valuable resource to the College and an excellent marketing tool for our programs.  The focus is to continue working with our advisory committees and looking toward developing new ones.

One Board member mentioned that perhaps there should be more emphasis placed on the high schools, counselors and teachers to promote college programs, especially the technical and trades programs.  There appears to be negative perceptions about a college education opposed to a university education.  The College has to focus on grad successes to get the word out in order to change some of those perceptions.

The Board Chair commended the College advisory committees for their continued good work and maintaining community and industry links that are valuable partners in learning.

Mr. Sorrell, Foundation Director, expressed his delight in approaching companies for donations to find that former St. Clair graduates are the presidents of many of these high profile companies.

Dr. Strasser added that the College is always seeking new ways of attracting corporate and private donations to enhance the College’s growth potential and provide programs with the latest equipment and resources to guarantee student success.  In addition, the College has been pursuing a geographic allowance from the Ministry since they first applied back in 1987, and on this issue alone, the President believes the College has been short-changed by approximately $5M in funding.  A meeting with Minister Cunningham is scheduled next week, where Dr. Strasser will re-affirm the College’s need for funding.
 
Mr. Docherty informed the Board that HRDC is currently going forward with an ad campaign to attract apprentice students.

RESOLVED THAT the report from
The Program Advisory Committees be 
accepted for information.

6.2	IT Strategy

Ms. P. France distributed the IT Strategy Progress Report to the Board for information and future discussion at the October 15, 2002 Board Meeting.  This progress report is attached to the minutes as item 6.2.  Ms. France asked the Board to review the report, and if any additional information or clarification was required to contact her by phone or email to allow for meaningful future dscussion.

6.3	Audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended March 31, 2002 .

Ms. Logan informed the Board members that the Audit Committee had been authorized by the Board in June to approve the Statutory Financial Statements for submission to the Ministry.  She was now before the Board to pass a formal motion approval for those same financial statements. 

RESOLVED THAT the Audited Financial
 Statements for the year ended March 1,
2002 be approved.

6.4	Financial Statements for the Four Months  Ended July 31, 2002.

Ms. Logan explained to new Board members how these quarterly financial statements were requested by the Board to help get a better picture of the College’s financial status and be better poised to respond if presented with any deficit scenario.  Ms. Logan added that a modification to the financial statement was made as requested by a Board member which provides an additional column that reflects the revised budget and year to date budget.  This was not provided in the past because it was not possible with the past tracking system, however, there have been changes in programming that now allow for such tracking.  Now we have extrapolated last year’s spending over this year’s budget to see where we stand.  Within the Executive Summary, the mid year review will take place in November.

	Given our current level of enrollment and the slip-year funding framework that the College continues to face with basically the same operating grant, Ms. Logan doesn’t foresee any major budget problems. The information will come from the Chairs with actual numbers of enrollment, costs involved in offering programs.  Ms. Logan explained to new Governors how challenging the budget process is when the college is being funded based on previous years enrollments.

	Dr. Strasser stated that the College’s have been promised help from the government to assist those College’s who are experiencing continued growth.  One Board member mentioned that the community should be made aware of the College’s predicament.  The Board Chair agreed that advocacy should come up on the November agenda.

	The six-month report will be brought to the Board in November, 2002 for their review.

 RESOLVED THAT the Financial
Statements for the Four Months Ended
July 31, 2002 be accepted at this time for information.

7.0	DATE OF NEXT MEETING

	Prior to adjournment, the Board Chair announced the changes to the format of agenda item submissions.  She indicated that any submissions will be taken up to two weeks prior to the Board meeting.  Any submissions received after that time will be considered an item for the subsequent agenda.  This will allow the Board better time to prepare and review the information.
 
	Nikki Ouellette distributed passes for athletic events to all Board members.  An invitation was extended to members to attend the St. Clair Women’s Softball games this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  There will be a barbecue for those in attendance.	

The next meeting of the Board of Governors will be held on Tuesday, October 15, 2002 in Chatham.