MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
July 17, 2003
Minutes
The Board of Trustees of the Houston Community College System met as a Committee Of
The Whole on July 17, 2003, at the System Administration Building, Auditorium, 3100 Main,
Houston, Texas.
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
James R. Murphy, Chair
Herlinda Garcia, Vice Chairman
Christopher W. Oliver, Secretary
Herman Litt, Deputy Secretary
Jay K. Aiyer
Bruce A. Austin
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
Abel Davila
Yolanda Navarro Flores
Michael P. Williams, D. Min.
ADMINISTRATION
Bruce H. Leslie, Chancellor
Charles Cook, Vice Chancellor, Educational Development
Jose Villarreal, Vice Chancellor, Economic Development
Gloria Walker, Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration
Irene Porcarello, Interim Vice Chancellor, Institutional Development and
Deputy to the Chancellor
Rosie Barrera, Associate Vice Chancellor, Communications
Margaret Forde, President, Northeast College
Sue Cox, President, Southwest College
Diana Castillo, Interim President, Southeast College
Miles LeBlanc, General Counsel
Winstorn Dahse, College Operations Officer, Southwest College
Michael Kyme, Executive Director, Purchasing
Karl Lindquist, Executive Director, Facilities
John Ramsey, Executive Director, Foundation
Willie Williams, Jr, Interim Executive Director, Human Resources
David Ugwu, Assistant to Chancellor, Special Project
Houston Community College System
Committee of the Whole – July 17, 2003– Page 2
OTHERS PRESENT
Arturo Michel, System Counsel, Bracewell & Patterson
Butch Herod, President, Faculty Association
Other administrators, citizens and representatives from the news media
FINANCE
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Oliver called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. and declared the Board convened to
consider matters pertaining to the Houston Community College System as listed on the duly
posted meeting notice. Present were Trustees Aiyer, Austin, Garcia, Litt, Murphy, and
Oliver.
2003-2004 BUDGET CONSIDERED
Dr. Leslie presented the proposed budget for 2003-2004. He explained that the
development process was a collaborative effort involving staff throughout the System.
HCCS will continue to emphasize student achievement and the operational means to
improve college performance, and the budget plan will implement State performance audit
recommendations. Ms. Walker explained that a balanced budget was achieved by
implementing cost reduction and resource allocation strategies. The proposed budget
incorporates key initiatives such as The Learning Corridor, Student Success Model, and
The Learning College. The Trustees asked questions and presented concerns.
Administration will report back to the Board at the meeting of the Committee of the Whole
on August 21, 2003. The Board reached consensus to defer approval of the proposed
budget until a later meeting.
RECESS CALLED
Mr. Oliver called a recess at 6:45 p.m.
BOARD OPERATIONS
CALL TO ORDER
Mrs. Garcia reconvened and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and declared the
meeting convened to consider matters pertaining to the Houston Community College
System as listed on the duly posted meeting notice. Present were Trustees Aiyer, Austin,
Garcia, Litt, Murphy and Oliver.
POLICIES DEVELOPMENT STATUS REPORT
Mrs. Guadalupe Rangel, Rangel Consultants, presented a status report on the policies
revision project. The Human Resources policy revision teams are scheduled to complete all
revisions and present a final document to the Executive Team in August. Due to budgetary
constraints, the project was put on hold for three months. An internal survey was conducted
to determine employee satisfaction with the proposed policies.
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Committee of the Whole – July 17, 2003– Page 3
Mrs. Rangel introduced Dr. David Ugwu, Assistant to the Chancellor, who presented survey
results. He explained that a website was launched to gather employee comments on the
proposed policies and approximately 20% of HCCS employees responded. The survey
revealed general satisfaction with policies related to ethics, sexual harassment prevention,
and confidentiality issues. Less satisfaction was expressed with policies on nepotism, hiring
procedures, and employee evaluations. Dr. Ugwu also responded to questions from the
Board.
BOARD TRAVEL POLICY AMENDED
Motion – Mr. Oliver made a motion to amend the current Board travel reimbursement
procedures. Mr. Murphy seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0. The amended policy
allows Trustees reimbursement for travel either on a per diem basis at the same rate as
stipulated for employees (currently $35.00 per day), or on a reimbursement basis with
actual receipts. The individual Trustee will decide which method for reimbursement, subject
to review.
OTHER MATTERS
Mrs. Garcia indicated she would like to discuss a personnel matter regarding
recommendations from the TSPR audit on the Alumni Association and sought advice
from counsel. Mr. Michel indicated that would be appropriate.
FINANCE (Continued)
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Oliver called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. and declared the Board convened to
consider matters pertaining to the Houston Community College System as listed on the duly
posted meeting notice. Present were Trustees Aiyer, Austin, Garcia, Litt, Murphy, and
Oliver.
CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED BUDGET DEFERRED
Mr. Oliver recommended the following items be deferred to the July 24, 2003 Regular Board
meeting.
Approval of fiscal year 2003-2004 proposed budget for current restricted funds;
Approval of fiscal year 2003-2004 proposed budget for current unrestricted funds.
FINACIAL AID DISBURSEMENT CARD SERVICES APPROVED
Motion – Mr. Aiyer made a motion to authorize the Chancellor to negotiate a contract with
Bank One to provide Financial Aid disbursement card services to HCCS. Mrs. Garcia
seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
Houston Community College System
Committee of the Whole – July 17, 2003– Page 4
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR TSPR RECOMMENDATIONS DEFERRED FOR
FURTHER CONSIDERATION
Mr. Murphy made a motion to approve administration’s plan for the implementation of
recommendations from the TSPR Performance Audit. Mr. Aiyer seconded the motion.
Motion was withdrawn.
There was general agreement among the Trustees that the recommendation summary
lacked sufficient detail and required further consideration. Dr. Leslie explained that an
analysis was performed to determine implementation.
Motion – Mrs. Garcia made a motion to recommended further review of the plan with a
revised recommendation summary to be provided to the Board. Further consideration was
deferred until the July Board meeting. Mr. Aiyer seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
FACILITIES ITEMS TABLED
Motion – Mr. Litt moved to table several agenda items until the July 24, 2003 Board
meeting. Mrs. Garcia seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
The following recommendations or reports were tabled:
Ratification of agreement for use of Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical
Center library for library services for the period of September 1, 2003 through August
31, 2004, in the amount of $47,762;
Approval of Adult Education grant-funded subcontracts for FY 2003-2004;
Approval of PSI technology to provide Data Server Platform upgrade for an amount
not to exceed $3 Million;
Renewal of agreements and contracts;
Approval of Amigos/OCLC Network Services for library;
Approval of changes to HCCS investment policy;
Report of the Information Technology Assessment committee;
Approval of the investment report for June 2003.
ADJOURNMENT TO CLOSED OR EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. LItt adjourned the meeting to Executive Session at 8:00 p.m., notice having previously
been given, and reiterated by him, in accordance with the Open Meetings Law. He stated
that any final action, vote, or decision on any item discussed in Executive Session would be
taken up in Open Session or in a subsequent Public Meeting. Mr. Murphy reconvened in
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Committee of the Whole – July 17, 2003– Page 5
Open Session at 9:45 p.m. and entertained discussion. Present were Trustees Aiyer,
Austin, Garcia, Litt, Murphy, and Oliver.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Murphy adjourned the meeting
at 9:45 p.m.
Minutes Prepared by:
Reviewed, Finalized and Submitted by:
Erica Carmen DelValle, Secretary
Board Services
Christopher W. Oliver, Secretary
Board of Trustees
Minutes Approved as Submitted:
August 28, 2003
Reviewed & Edited
Linda Gray 8/18/03