Minutes are not final until approved by the Board of Regents at the June 2010 meeting BOARD OF REGENTS and its CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION Building D, Room 101 College of Southern Nevada 6375 West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas Friday, March 5, 2010 Members Present: Mr. Cedric Crear, Chair Mr. Kevin J. Page, Vice Chair Dr. Andrea Anderson Mr. Robert Blakely Dr. Jack Lund Schofield Other Regents Present: Dr. Jason Geddes Mr. James Dean Leavitt Others Present: Mr. Daniel J. Klaich, Chancellor Dr. Jane Nichols, Vice Chancellor, Academic & Student Affairs Mr. Bart Patterson, Vice Chancellor, Administrative & Legal Affairs Mr. Bob Moulton, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, Technology Ms. Crystal Abba, Assistant Vice Chancellor Ms. Sandi Cardinal, Assistant Vice Chancellor Mr. John Kuhlman, Manager of Public Information Dr. Michael D. Richards, President, CSN Dr. Stephen G. Wells, President, DRI Dr. Maria C. Sheehan, President, TMCC Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, President, UNLV Dr. Milton D. Glick, President, UNR Dr. Carol A. Lucey, President, WNC Ms. Mary Kaye Bailey, CSN Mr. Thomas Brown, CSN Dr. Arthur Byrd, CSN Mr. Mark Cahill, CSN Dr. Sondra Cosgrove, CSN Dr. Darren Divine, CSN Ms. Ann Johnson, CSN Ms. Shirley Johnston, CSN Dr. Chris Kelly, CSN Ms. Melise Leech, CSN Dr. Shari Lyman, CSN/NFA Mr. Larry Mason, CSN Ms. Jacqueline Matthews, CSN Dr. Joan McGee, CSN Ms. Anne Poliquin, CSN Mr. Dustin Rains, CSN-ASCSN Mr. Jack Sawyer, CSN (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 1 of 8 Page 2 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 Others Present: (continued) Mr. Greg Bortolin, DRI Dr. Cleve McDaniel, DRI Dr. Mike McFarlane, GBC Ms. Sonja Sibert, GBC Ms. Angela Brommel, NSC/NFA Dr. Lesley Di Mare, NSC Ms. Ly Doan, NSC Ms. Nichole Miller, NSC Ms. Nayelee Villanueva, NSC Ms. Kimberly Williams, NSC Mr. Lee Young, NSC Dr. Jess Carreon, TMCC Ms. Delores Sanford, TMCC Mr. James Menzel, UNCE Dr. Bill Boldt, UNLV Dr. Michael Bowers, UNLV Dr. Juanita Fain, UNLV Ms. Sharrie Mayden, UNLV Mr. Jose Melendrez, UNLV Dr. Sandra Owens, UNLV Dr. Ron Smith, UNLV Mr. Jason Wasden, UNLV Dr. Marc Johnson, UNR Ms. Connie Capurro, WNC Ms. Bernetchia Cooper, Cemetrics Mr. Clifton Miller, Cemetrics Ms. Juana Hart Akers, J-Hart Communications Mr. Kevin Melcher Faculty senate chairs in attendance were Mr. Mark Rauls, CSN; Dr. Alan Gertler, DRI; Dr. Frank Daniels, GBC; Dr. Gregory Robinson, NSC; Mr. Scott Huber, TMCC; Dr. John Filler, UNLV; and Mr. Gil Martin, WNC. Student body presidents in attendance were Mr. Nathaniel Waugh, CSN; Ms. Paulette Batayola, GBC; Ms. Amsala AlemuJohnson, NSC; Mr. Adam Porsborg, TMCC; Ms. Jessica Lucero, UNLV-GPSA; Mr. Eli Reilly, UNR; and Mr. Andy Pozun, WNC. Chair Cedric Crear called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. with all members present except Regent Schofield. 1. Approved-Minutes – The Committee recommended approval of the minutes from the December 4, 2009, meeting (Ref. CD-1 on file in the Board office). Regent Page moved approval of the minutes from the December 4, 2009, meeting. Regent Blakely seconded. Motion carried. Regent Schofield was absent. Regent Schofield entered the meeting. (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 2 of 8 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 2. Page 3 Approved-Supply Chain Inclusion Program – Vice Chancellor Bart Patterson and consultant Clifton Miller of Cemetrics presented for the Committee’s consideration a report and assessment of current NSHE practices (Ref. CD-2a and Ref. CD-2b on file in the Board office), as well as recommendations to establish a supply chain inclusion program. The Committee accepted the report and directed staff to bring an implementation plan back to the Committee at its June 2010 meeting. Chair Crear observed that the report submitted to the Committee is the culmination of a lot of hard work done by many people including institutional presidents, business officers and procurement officers. He offered a special thank you to Mr. Bart Patterson, Vice Chancellor of Administrative and Legal Affairs, and Dr. Maria C. Sheehan, President, TMCC, for their leadership and vision. Vice Chancellor Patterson reported that Mr. Clifton Miller of Cemetrics was selected to assist the NSHE in developing a supply chain inclusion program that is workable, implementable, sustainable and legal. His recommendations have been vetted through the presidents, business officers and procurement officers. Vice Chancellor Patterson noted that the current budget situation has made it difficult to identify how much in the way of resources can be applied to various projects, and the Committee should keep that in mind as it moves forward. Mr. Miller gave a PowerPoint presentation on his conclusions and recommendations regarding the supply chain inclusion project (Ref. CD-2c on file in the Board office). With regard to slide 17 and the internal process owner’s dashboard on rationale and philosophy, Mr. Miller indicated that the important thing to take away from the data is that although internal stakeholders may not know what is happening at the campus and System level, they do believe that inclusiveness and diversity are important. Regent Page asked how the NSHE data compare to other institutions. Mr. Miller stated that, in his experience, the level of knowledge within the System regarding diversity initiatives is low. He noted that the NSHE’s decentralized purchasing system may have something to do with the level of awareness. With regard to the supplier diversity process modified for the NSHE, as shown on slide 9, Regent Page asked if the process could happen quicker so that a quality program is achievable before fiscal year 2014. Mr. Miller indicated that the process has to be implemental, achievable and based upon available resources. Mr. Miller explained that current NSHE purchasing practices are paper-based and end-user driven. Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, President, UNLV, noted that sometimes there are good reasons for an end-user driven process. For example, in his previous work as a scientist, if he needed something for a very specific and highly (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 3 of 8 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 2. Page 4 Approved-Supply Chain Inclusion Program – (continued) technical application and could not order it himself, he would need to write his specifications very carefully or else purchasing would order the wrong thing. Regent Page stated that it is important to differentiate between regular and specialized purchasing. He stressed the importance of automating the purchasing process. Chair Crear asked whether the program liaisons at NSHE’s three procurement centers have the autonomy, resources and support necessary to get their jobs done. Mr. Miller indicated that they have the support, but they do not have the autonomy or the resources. If the desired objective is to positively impact procurement results, Mr. Miller believes that the current model must change, and that tracking and reporting must be standardized and consistent. Regent Page suggested that the System examine the efficiencies of an online purchasing process as well as best practices. Mr. Miller indicated that the recommendations provided are meant to be a guideline and, due to resource and budget challenges, should be adjusted accordingly. In response to a question from Regent Page, Mr. Miller indicated that his timeline for implementing a similar program in the private sector would be 13 months. Regent Page stated that if the private sector can do it in 13 months, it should not take the System four years. He also suggested looking into whether the entire System can be combined into one account for purchases such as shipping services in order to obtain the best possible rate. Chair Crear concurred with Regent Page. He indicated that the next step is to turn Mr. Miller’s recommendations into an implementation plan. Vice Chancellor Patterson stated that this is an ongoing process and a lot of internal resolution is necessary. An implementation plan can be presented to the Committee in the fall, and at that point the timeline can be revisited. Mr. Miller observed that the NSHE has an opportunity to become a leader in terms of inclusion within the state of Nevada. 3. Public Comment (Agenda Item #7) – Ms. Juana Hart Akers, J-Hart Communications, representing Mr. Tom R. Akers of BIP Software, Inc., stated that BIP Software, Inc. is a computer software development firm located in southern Nevada. They offer tools to manage, track, monitor and report all of the outcomes the Committee has been discussing, and would be happy to provide a product demonstration at any time. (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 4 of 8 Page 5 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 2. Approved-Supply Chain Inclusion Program – (continued) Regent Page moved approval of the Cemetrics report and for an implementation plan to be presented to the Committee at its June 2010 meeting. Regent Schofield seconded. Motion carried. 4. Information Only-Institutional Diversity Report, CSN (Agenda Item #3) – Dr. Arthur Byrd, CSN Vice President for Student Affairs, led a collaborative PowerPoint presentation on the institution’s initiatives to promote student success, especially efforts to improve recruitment, retention and graduation of students from diverse backgrounds (Ref. CD-3 on file in the Board office). He was joined by Mr. Larry Mason, Interim Vice President for Diversity and Cultural Affairs, and Ms. Anne Poliquin, Director of Tutoring. The presentation included information on student demographics, recruitment and retention efforts, tutoring and resource labs, transfer and graduation rates, persistence rates, diversity and cultural affairs advisory boards, heritage month recognitions and various programs including the CSN High School, JumpStart, Tech Prep, Learning and Earning, TRIO and ReEntry. Chair Crear expressed the Committee’s gratitude to Dr. Byrd, Mr. Mason and Ms. Poliquin for their presentation. Regent Page congratulated CSN on the progress made in this area. 5. Information Only-Institutional Diversity Report, NSC (Agenda Item #4) – Mr. Lee Young, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Student Services, NSC, led a collaborative PowerPoint presentation on the institution’s initiatives to promote student success, especially efforts to improve recruitment, retention and graduation of students from diverse backgrounds (Ref. CD-4 on file in the Board office). He was joined by Ms. Nayelee Villanueva, Director of the Student Academic Center, Ms. Kimberly Williams, Director of Upward Bound and Ms. Ly Doan, Program Specialist in Multicultural Affairs. The presentation included information on student demographics, enrollment management and student services, retention programs, centralized advising, the Student Academic Center, Upward Bound, the Heritage Center, ethnic student clubs, the Crossroads program and NSC promise. Mr. Daniel J. Klaich, Chancellor, stated that the NSC Promise is a great program and the college should really start thinking about funding it. It is a contingent liability that NSC is obligated to fulfill and currently there are no funds behind it. Mr. Young indicated that NSC is looking at that going forward. Regent Anderson complimented both NSC and CSN on their programs, outreach efforts and retention. (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 5 of 8 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 6. Page 6 Information Only-Diversity in Faculty Promotion and Tenure (Agenda Item #5) – At the September 2009 meeting, the Committee received information on the current number of tenured and tenure track faculty, by rank and ethnicity. At that time, the Committee also reviewed information on the number of applications for promotion and/or tenure over the past two years, by ethnicity, including those applications ultimately approved. Institutional representatives reported on progress to date toward plans to improve faculty diversity. Dr. Jane Nichols, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, stated that this work has been assigned to the presidents, with President Sheehan serving as the lead. In order to ensure that the process is completely inclusive of faculty, the final report will be presented to the Committee in September instead of June. Chair Crear observed that when the final report is presented in September, it will have been one year since the topic was first discussed by the Committee. He advised that the final plan should be extremely well-vetted and ready to implement immediately after the September meeting. President Sheehan stated that the institutions are heavily engaged in meeting that deadline and will be ready to hit the ground running. She invited Mr. Scott Huber, Faculty Senate Chair, TMCC, to provide a brief update. Mr. Huber indicated that there is engagement at the faculty level in the recruitment and tenure process, and they are keenly aware of the diversity side of the issue. Mr. Huber read the following statement into the record: TMCC proudly serves a diverse population in northern Nevada. As a community college, we remain aware of how closely our faculty and staff workforce reflects the diversity of the population we serve. Planning for future faculty hiring requires us to prioritize institutional needs and goals including diversity efforts. Excellence remains the primary criterion in faculty hiring. Our college has accomplished several tasks so far. Dr. Sheehan appointed an ad hoc task force to develop a faculty recruitment plan that addresses diversity issues. At a college-wide diversity workshop in January, faculty and administration developed strategies for attracting diverse candidate pools for future faculty openings. TMCC participated in the videoconference with GBC and WNC in which, along with other ideas, the concept of sharing recruitment pools among northern Nevada colleges was discussed. TMCC’s ad hoc diversity committee has identified further steps to take including Web site development aimed at would-be faculty hires. Human resources has begun the task of reassessing our hiring process with special attention to supporting search committees and department chairs in outreach, screening, interviewing and follow-up efforts. We are committed to reviewing and amending the plan after each recruitment cycle. We are in the process of assessing our part-time faculty pools as we plan for full-time hiring. TMCC recognizes the value of the individual faculty-to-candidate contact in recruitment and retention efforts. Faculty and department chair buy-in to recruitment and retention efforts is key, therefore, the faculty senate is bringing the issue directly to the attention of the faculty. (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 6 of 8 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 6. Page 7 Information Only-Diversity in Faculty Promotion and Tenure (Agenda Item #5) – (continued) TMCC seeks better communication with UNR and its network of graduate students as a potential source of candidates. The state’s fiscal crisis makes this the right time to identify and plan for recruitment needs and strategies so that we are ready when hiring becomes possible. However, in order to plan adequately we must recognize certain realities that may present challenges to any faculty recruitment effort. Nevada ranks among the lowest in the states nationwide in per capita output of higher degrees. The state’s community college wage scale is not always attractive to candidates who may have opportunities in other state’s systems. We remain optimistic, however, that in addition to a highly skilled faculty, outstanding facilities and the college’s overall commitment to excellence, the quality of life that we enjoy in Nevada, cultural events and organizations, outdoor recreation, sports and other attractions will help us to secure an excellent and diverse pool of candidates for future faculty positions at TMCC. In order to keep the meeting on schedule, Chair Crear deferred the updates from the other institutions until the June meeting. 7. Information Only-Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council (Agenda Item #6) – Mr. Larry P. Mason, Co-chair, NSHE Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council, reported on the outcome of recent meetings of the Council. Mr. Mason reported that the EDIC has been discussing the Equity Scorecard and a recommendation from the University of Southern California’s Center for Urban Education that the NSHE look at its use at other systems across the country. NSHE Education consultant Dr. Magdalena Martinez arranged for a teleconference with the University of Wisconsin System in mid-January to gain a better understanding of their experience with the Equity Scorecard model. Initially, six UW System institutions took part in the implementation of the model. At this time, thirteen are utilizing the tool. The Equity Scorecard looks at data in areas such as access, retention and institutional excellence, and challenges the notion that only certain students can be successful. There was consensus among members of the EDIC that the next step should be to ask Chancellor Klaich to invite Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon, Co-Director of USC’s Center for Urban Education, to Nevada for a half-day presentation on the Equity Scorecard which institutional presidents and other critical stakeholders would be invited to attend. Mr. Mason noted that the EDIC’s next meeting is March 10, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. Vice Chancellor Nichols indicated that the NSHE will be applying for a grant through WICHE that will provide funding for five states to work with USC on the Equity Scorecard. If the NSHE is awarded the grant, work on the Equity Scorecard initiative will move forward much faster. (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 7 of 8 Page 8 Cultural Diversity Committee Minutes 03/05/10 3. Public Comment (Agenda Item #7) – (continued) There was no additional public comment. 8. New Business – None. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 a.m. Prepared by: Submitted for approval by: Keri D. Nikolajewski Program Officer Scott G. Wasserman Chief Executive Officer and Special Counsel Board of Regents (CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE 06/04/10) Ref. CD-1, Page 8 of 8