Executive Council Minutes
September 5, 2012
Present: Jeremy McMillen, Giles Brown, Brandy Fair, Jeanie Hardin, Gary
Paikowski, Marc Payne, Roy Renfro
Recorder: Shelle Cassell
Agenda Items
Employee Dress Policy (DH Local)
Giles Brown shared a draft dress policy for employees. Dr. McMillen said he has had
conversations with the faculty association on the topic, and would like to share the
proposal with staff representatives before presenting the policy to the Board.
Action/Motion: Council members unanimously approved the motion by Gary
Paikowski, second by Giles Brown, to accept the Employee Dress policy as edited. Dr.
McMillen will seek feedback from staff representatives before presenting a final proposal
to the Board.
In a related discussion on communicating this and other policy changes, members agreed
that a gccpeople email should be distributed, and that a link should be added to the
website to help inform students, employees and the general public about policy and
procedural changes. The link could also include access to official minutes of the Board of
Trustees’ meetings.
Blackboard Connect Texting System
Gary Paikowski initiated a discussion on the type of system the college prefers when
setting up the texting alert function of Blackboard. We can choose a ‘closed’ system that
is managed by the Information Technology department that allows all students to receive
emergency alert messages (no opt out option) and the option to choose from a menu of
other types of messages they wish to receive. Alternatively, we can install an ‘open’
system that anyone (public, parents, students, etc.) can join. General agreement was for a
cross between the two, depending on pricing, that would allow as much inclusion as
possible. The new system is to help communicate three levels of messages: 1) emergency
notifications and alerts, 2) direct communication with a specific set of students (example:
pay deadlines, documents needed to complete admissions, etc.), and 3) classroom and/or
grade information directly to the student. Gary was to get additional information on how
students update their contact information.
Action/Motion: Members will receive additional information at a future meeting. Once
the system design is confirmed and ready for implementation, training sessions will be
organized for employees and students.
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Enrollment and Strategies for Improvement
Dr. McMillen initiated a discussion on multi-year strategies to increase enrollment, and
asked that additional data be collected and used in the implementation of those plans. He
set the expectation that access and student success should both remain priorities. He
encouraged divisions to look for barriers to students, and to work together to improve.
Action/Motion: No action necessary.
Announcements
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Website usage: Gary shared a snapshot of activity on the website and portal for
one month that shows the website had 250,000 users, the portal 500,000; 104,000
hits were from mobile devices; the number two most active link was the
Bookstore; we had traffic from 25 different countries; the use of social media
links to the website is increasing. He also restated the priority for the website was
to migrate all of the pages to match the current homepage design and that a major
organization of the website would be addressed in the future.
Career Coach: Dr. McMillen offered information on the services of “Career
Coach”, who can build and maintain the program information content of the
website for approximately $9000. This service includes access to occupational
demand and salaries for program majors.
Email system: Gary reported that email systems were still being explored and that
a decision would be likely in the next two to three weeks.
CWL offering Social Media Use session: Jeanie offered to work with CWL on a
training and use session designed to incorporate social media for our departments
and student organizations.
TACC’s Mathways Project: Dr. McMillen shared information on TACC’s new
Mathways Project. We have an option to participate if it is believed to be a good
fit with our QEP plans. Jeanie will identify the similarities and differences for a
future discussion.
“Reclaiming the American Dream” article: Dr. McMillen shared a copy of a
recent report from the 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community
Colleges. The report challenges institutions to redesign their missions and
students’ educational experiences to meet the changing world. The report cites
seven recommendations to redesign students’ educational experiences, reinvent
institutional roles, and reset the system. Members will discuss the report at the
next meeting.
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