Acting Chair Mazzochi calls the meeting to order.

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll Call:  Missing Trustees Birt, McGuire

All others present

Public Comments

Dilyss Gallyot, Professor of Nursing

Speaking for myself and for a group that is often not talked about– the students. I was also a student here once.  You BoT members are the guardians of this institution. What has happened in the past has to be corrected. Our students are not front and center. I feel that academics and the students are collateral damage here. As an alumni, faculty, community member, I find this very disturbing.

Bob Hazard, Professor of EnglishGood evening:

I’m here to ask you to pull agenda item 6. b. -Approval of non-renewal of faculty appointments- from tonight’s board agenda.  The faculty member in question, Elizabeth Anderson, is a hard working, inventive, compassionate professor on the cutting edge of online education and has earned her tenure, despite what you’ve been told.

She was the outstanding part time faculty member for school year 2012-2013.   She was a presenter at the January 2014 in-service days sharing her knowledge of computer programs to make online teaching easier. She was a presenter at the 2015 fall in-service days for a program to raise faculty awareness of veterans issues and she was a co-organizer for the fall 2015 Veterans Day Read in.

I understand your impulse to not micro manage this level of administrative decisions, but, please remember, the people who are telling you Elizabeth does not deserve tenure are the same people who have been telling you that there was nothing amiss at Waterleaf, that there were no problems with faculty other than 30 malcontents, that the SLEA debacle was nothing to worry about, that the problems we have are only caused by faculty leaking information to the press, that the yearly audits prove COD has appropriate controls on spending, that there was nothing wrong with Breuder’s email that outlined a plan to embarrass a sitting governor to give the college 20 million dollars for a building we didn’t need. And, most recently, that all the concerns the HLC have, have been taken care of.  Why would you continue to take their word without question?

For years faculty representatives spoke out about these issues and those boards ignored us just as those administrators ignored us.  Don’t make that same mistake with Elisabeth.

Despite the fact that her evaluation process has been terribly flawed this past year, Elizabeth has been strong, engaged and active in the life of our college. She continues to do the hard work of teaching, of mentoring students, of service on committees.

Don’t fire her.  Elizabeth is a valued colleague and a valuable asset in the COD community and there is no reason to let her go. We will all be diminished by her absence.  Please pull agenda item 6.b. from tonight’s agenda.

Thank you for your time.

Karin Evans, Professor of English

Good evening:

I’m here to ask you to pull agenda item 6. b. -Approval of non-renewal of

faculty appointments- from tonight’s board agenda. The faculty

member in question, Elizabeth Anderson, is a hard working, inventive,

compassionate professor on the cutting edge of online education and

has earned her tenure, despite what you’ve been told.

She was the outstanding part time faculty member for school year 2012-

2013. She was a presenter at the January 2014 in-service days sharing

her knowledge of computer programs to make online teaching easier.

She was a presenter at the 2015 fall in-service days for a program to

raise faculty awareness of veterans issues and she was a co-organizer

for the fall 2015 Veterans Day Read in.

I understand your impulse to not micro manage this level of

administrative decisions, but, please remember, the people who are

telling you Elizabeth does not deserve tenure are the same people who

have been telling you that there was nothing amiss at Waterleaf, that

there were no problems with faculty other than 30 malcontents, that the

SLEA debacle was nothing to worry about, that the problems we have

are only caused by faculty leaking information to the press, that the

yearly audits prove COD has appropriate controls on spending, that

there was nothing wrong with Breuder’s email that outlined a plan to

embarrass a sitting governor to give the college 20 million dollars for a

building we didn’t need. And, most recently, that all the concerns the

HLC have, have been taken care of. Why would you continue to take

their word without question?

For years faculty representatives spoke out about these issues and those

boards ignored us just as those administrators ignored us. Don’t make

that same mistake with Elisabeth.

Despite the fact that her evaluation process has been terribly flawed this

past year, Elizabeth has been strong, engaged and active in the life of

our college. She continues to do the hard work of teaching, of mentoring

students, of service on committees.

Don’t fire her. Elizabeth is a valued colleague and a valuable asset in the

COD community and there is no reason to let her go. We will all be

diminished by her absence. Please pull agenda item 6.b. from tonight’s

agenda.

Thank you for your time.

Jackie McGrath, Professor of English

My name is Jackie McGrath, and I am a teacher in the English department. I am speaking about item 6.b. I would like this board to know that in 2013, when Elizabeth Anderson was hired into my department, after a long hiring freeze. She had worked as a COD adjunct for several years, and her reputation within the subdivision was extraordinary. The coordinator and associate dean at the time regular praised her ability, her work ethic, and her willingness to take any assignment, at any time, and to do it with excellence. If there was a last-minute need because someone abruptly quit teaching a class, the first phone call went to Elizabeth Anderson. They knew, as an experienced COD teacher, that she could step into any class, re-establish a classroom community, and ensure the students would learn the material. Her teaching experience was vast, and she was enrolled in a doctoral program in educational technology—a skill set that is, to be honest, needed, in my department and across the college. Naturally, when the hiring freeze ended, and the department hired three people, she was one of the top choices.

As a new full time faculty, she is especially generous with her colleagues. Her knowledge of classroom technology makes her a leader and driver of our curriculum, and she is always ready and willing to share with other faculty. She has a way of sharing information with an eagerness that makes it easy to learn from her, and just today a colleague in another department told me she regularly refers other faculty to her for advice and support.

It is disheartening to me that throughout her tenure-track period, the current administration has been more focused on finding ways to dismiss her than to develop and utilize her abilities, and it seems clear they have not evaluated her for the entirety of her contribution to the college community. So because I believe that Elizabeth Anderson fully and unreservedly deserves tenure, I respectfully ask that this board tables this item, and takes more time to investigate this recommendation. As some people know, there was an error in the board packet that was released yesterday. It has since been fixed. But I must ask: how can this board be sure Professor Anderson’s process wasn’t riddled with similar administration mistakes and oversights? Quite simply, the reckless and sloppy disclosure of personal information in an earlier version of tonight’s packet is symptomatic of the thoroughly faulty nature of the entire process. Ultimately, I implore you: as the board, I understand that your role is to review and vote on recommendations from the College administration. But I ask you, very sincerely, to consider that the probability that error is just another mistake in a long string of poor judgment and sloppy work. The outcome is that the recommendation you are considering tonight is wrong.

David Goldberg, Professor of Political Science

comments to be included

Deborah Adelman, Professor of English

reads a petition signed by more than 70 COD faculty to protest the firing of Elizabeth Anderson, item 6B. Calls for the BoT to pull the item.

Noel Manley — gives his time to Roger Kempa

COD graduate of ’72. I would also like to request that these items be pulled from the agenda: 6e and 6f and ?? concerning financial advisor being hired. Kempa questions recent hirings as well as the appointment of David Olsen as the 7th trustee – clearly a political appointment.