Author Archives: Admin

8/20 Hansen and Jarman comments, other public comments

Glenn Hansen – Good evening. I’m Glenn Hansen, President of the Faculty Association and Faculty Senate.

Fall semester has begun. I think it’s important to note that at yesterday’s Convocation activities there was a markedly better spirit on campus. I’ve been to a few of these days and yesterday was different. Healing is starting.

It’s interesting that the plan to fire Dr. Breuder comes one year after we asked the faculty to think about what they believe College of DuPage stands for. The faculty proceeded to vote in September overwhelmingly for the removal of Dr. Breuder. The faculty will greet your action as good news when you, the BoT, votes tonight, most likely 4-2, for his dismissal. But, the joy will be tempered by the damage left in his wake. At this time we are focused on repairing the damage and he has become a small reflection in the rear view mirror. While the faculty are looking to a brighter future, we are constantly reminded of the past by the undying support he receives from a small faction of Trustees every two weeks. Regardless, this anticipated action by the Board will clearly indicate that the abuses of the past are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. This vote should initiate some serious soul searching amongst people who have empowered and participated in the chronicled activities.

We have serious work to do and this needs to be over. So tonight, I plead with you, the Trustees, to stop and think about the College of DuPage, not Bob Breuder. The termination of this presidency is inevitable. If you didn’t see this coming, I’m very surprised. If you look at the documents made pubic, including our 13-page Vote of No Confidence document, there is a preponderance of evidence that Robert Breuder has damaged the College in many ways. He cannot make a legitimate claim to any of the positive accomplishments you granted him in January, they are the work of others. He did overcharge, overtax, overbudget, and underspend. Anyone in this room could do that, but few would.

Tonight, you will vote for or against the College. The agenda item is about the president, but it is not really. Seize the moment, you can make this the day we move forward and stop focusing on the past. The primary responsibility of the college president is to protect and promote the reputation of the College. If you have thought of firing him, you need no more cause than this failure, I suggest you vote 6-0 and seal the deal by negating any question of a 5-vote minimum.

Thank you.

Richard Jarman – Cycles of life at the college tend to be in periods of one year. This Monday I will be welcoming a new generation of students into my classes. Come May I will be saying farewell as they make their way in the world, and will await the next generation come August once more.

Out of a sense of nostalgia I reviewed the minutes from the board meeting one year ago. How were things then? I noted that I reported on my visiting Northwestern University’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center to listen to the final presentations of two COD students who had spent the summer doing internships in that most prestigious facility, funded in part by the Resource for Excellence Grant that I had obtained from our Foundation. Well I did exactly the same thing today, spending a happy couple of hours listening to two of our fine students giving a wonderful account of their work and representing the college so well. Echoing what Doctor Collins said in his address yesterday, it is just one of the things that we do here; one of the things that sets this college apart in all the right ways. So, again, thanks to the Foundation for their support of this activity.

In that way, life today is much the same as one year ago. In the larger picture it is much different. For in our little Narnia, spring has sprung. The White Witch is dispatched. New signs of life are everywhere. Those figures turned to stone are alive once more. We could sense it yesterday in the assembly: a renewed enthusiasm for the coming year and a sense that the faculty and teaching really matter once more.

We look forward to the return of the community farm and the impact that will have on many avenues of college life, academic and otherwise. We look forward to the Waterleaf space being populated by students and faculty. You have heard from the community concerning Buffalo Theatre. You got a petition, signed by over 1000, including me. BTE represents another ensemble driven by faculty that benefits students and the community directly and indirectly. Look at the support. While BTE is perhaps the most vocally supported, let us not overlook other faculty-driven ensembles in voice and music that were shriveled during the long winter. With spring come, it is time to support all these endeavors once more.

Kirk Allen – Termination for cause – we have been begging for this. Press focused on super-majority clause, but this won’t hold water. Reads law – statute refers to quorum and majority vote. Breuder was out of control, your internal investigations have probably revealed even more than what has been disclosed so far. This vote is not about money, but about education. What message is being sent to students by a college president who abuses taxpayer funds for his own pleasure? If you cannot vote for this, then abstain, to avoid further embarrassment to yourself and this fine institution.

Keith Yearman – 15-year veteran of the faculty. Met many new faculty today and welcomes them. Feels sorry for our FOIA officer, has fielded many more requests this year than last year. Many are repetitive. Can responsive documents be uploaded to the web?

8/20 public comments

Amber Mitchell – Warrenville resident, longtime COD student over 20 years. Advocates for the return of the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble. Has experience working with the ensemble. BTE integral to her life direction. MA in theatre, has her own black box theatre in Geneve. Praised mentoring by our faculty Canaday-Howard and Barrett.

Ed Garzaro – returning student. Argues for return of BTE. Professional company helps to set a higher standard, allows for better mentoring of students. Active in collecting signatures for petition and creating YouTube channel with interviews in favor of BTE.

Sean Thomas – Lombard resident, speaking in favor of BTE. Benefited from seeing the plays and from seeing teachers who stay active in the discipline they teach in. Believes those benefits should be there for other students into the future.

Tony Leyve – former COD student speaking for BTE. Important educational benefit. Not much Equity theater in the west suburbs. BTE comparable to Chicago. Also cultivates the audience for theater by having such a big presence along with the student theater. Experiences seeing BTE productions and talking about them were pivotal for him. Students got to work on Equity shows, which is not really possible in Chicago.

Victoria Depa – Advocates for BTE.

Will Austin – BTE should be a resident ensemble here. Took first acting class here, COD was great learning ground with both student theatre and BTE. Shocked and upset by its being cut. Has modeled his own theater work after what he learned from BTE. Inspired to transfer to Columbia College.

Don Westlake – 55 year resident of DuPage County, has supported COD since it began. Has seen every BTE play. Wrote a letter to BOT about disappointment that BTE was defunded. One of many mistakes of the last few years. This one can be corrected. It was a community treasure and can be again. You have many important issues before you, but hope this one will be a high priority. The community has been too long without this treasure. Thank you for your attention and service.

Erica Sandvig – former COD student and now a production director in Chicago. Success in the Chicago theater community directly related to her experiences with BTE. She and her husband both found early and rapid success and were very competitive based on their experiences here. Rare to find people who have the kinds of experiences that COD students can get from working among professionals. “I have my career because of BTE.”

Benedict L. Slabik II – former student and Belushi scholarship winner. Spoke about the inspiration of BTE.

Lynda Wellhausen – Former student and 2-time Belushi scholarship winner. Argued for the return of BTE and the connectivity of theater, a rare opportunity for students to connect with mentors and learn from them.

Jennifer Roper – former student, worked backstage for BTE. Saw the standards she was taught in class, in practice in the production. Gave her professional experience to build resume.

Dan Stromquist – BTE important to his college education and career. Had his first professional audition at BTE. Able to mirror his professors to learn how to be a better student, actor, worker.

Sarah Lensink – had many experiences related to the arts at COD including being editor of Prairie Light Review, but nothing was as important as BTE. Still working as a stage manager. Students able to develop as part of a team, problem solving, learn from mistakes. Student shows are great – but even greater to aspire to be part of a BTE show, something to look forward to.

Mary Johnson – has benefited personally from working with BTE, but also has made a contribution to the community through BTE. Not many speakers have mentioned what BTE provides to the community at large, there is nothing else like BTE available in the western suburbs. Hear the passion in the voices of those who came to speak about it.

Craig Berger – Founder of BTE. Wonderful to hear what the former students and present students have said, it’s what we wanted to do. Started here in my 20s, spent 33 years here, was director of theater. Founded BTE along with Hal Macininch, who had a degree in theater. It was founded for educational and theater purposes. In a university, there are graduate students and advanced students to help teach and lead the beginning students. At COD we needed the professional company because there are no advanced students. Thanks for putting up that poster, “The best way to become a professional is to learn from one.”

Mike McPherson – 70 years old and a student here in photography. Can’t be a money issue that BTE was terminated, since we didn’t need the money from premium parking. Also asked that payment for tuition for a class could be 72 hours instead of 24 hours.

Miguel Mariano – Switching gears from BTE. Thanked the old board and the new board. We are all on the same team. No one really owns this institution, we all borrow it, it is our responsibility to maintain it. Would be great to lower taxes but not if it effects us in the future. Every situation creates a ripple effect. It is our nature to look first for ourselves, but we can do more if we rise together as a community.

Alexa Hansen – reading on behalf of Emily Rose Dano. Statement about her decision to attend CoD because of BTE. It was cut just as she entered COD. Should be brought back.

 

BOT meeting Thurs 8/20

The agenda and packet for this week’s Board of Trustees meeting are now available at this link:
http://www.cod.edu/about/board_of_trustees/index.aspx

Please note that the meeting is set to begin at 5pm, but a closed session is scheduled first. The agenda states that the closed session is expected to last until 7pm.

Today, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the trustees will vote to begin termination proceedings against President Breuder.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-robert-breuder-20150818-story.html

BOT Special Meeting Thursday, Aug 13

COD’s board of trustees will hold a special meeting on Thursday, August 13, at 6pm in the Student Services Center, Room 2206.

We expect the special meeting to be live-streamed at this link:
http://www.cod.edu/multimedia_services/botmedia.aspx

The board packet is available here:
http://www.cod.edu/about/board_of_trustees/index.aspx 

There will not be live blogging for this meeting. Within a day or two after the meeting, the video/audio recording will be posted at the same multimedia services link.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held Thursday, August 20, at 7pm.

Board of Trustees Special Meeting July 30, 6pm

Tonight’s special meeting will be live-streamed at this link:
http://www.cod.edu/multimedia_services/botmedia.aspx

The board packet is available here:
http://www.cod.edu/about/board_of_trustees/pdf/packets/2015july30packet.pdf

There will not be live blogging for tonight’s meeting. Within a day or two after the meeting, the video/audio recording will be posted at the same multimedia services link.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held Thursday, August 20, at 7pm.

Special Meeting with HLC Tues, July 21

The COD Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting in conjunction with the site visit from the Higher Learning Commission evaluators on Tuesday, July 21, at 6pm in the Student Services Center. The agenda is posted here:
http://www.cod.edu/about/board_of_trustees/pdf/notices/cod_spc_mtg7.21_notice.pdf

We do not expect to have bloggers covering this meeting. However, there may be live streaming and/or a recording posted after the meeting. For video/audio links, check here:
http://www.cod.edu/multimedia_services/botmedia.aspx

 

Special Meeting July 30 – new start time 6pm

There will be a special meeting of the COD Board of Trustees on July 30. The next regular meeting is August 20.

PLEASE NOTE: These meetings are scheduled to start at 6pm, not 7pm.

The BOT Bloggers hope you are having a fun, productive summer!

BOT Meeting Post 6

Kirk Allen

Our whole organization has focused on accountability. Ms Birt, I appreciate your comment that first readings should be publicized. I think it’s hypocritical of you. I asked over a year ago for all documentation about Max McGraw foundation — why didn’t I get those records a year ago. I should not have to wait a year to get those records. Somebody is snowballing those records.

Hamilton: I would like to let you know that Dr. Collins will be providing information on the Bauer grant by the 30th of this month.

Comments by the Board Chairman

Hamilton: The HLC is coming to visit next week to hear about the improprieties that have happened here. And next week the Stat’e attorney is coming to investigate.

On April 30th at our organizational meeting I said the causes of our CODs scandal is over. But their effects linger.

I made a statement asking all of the trustees to come together to lead us to a better tomorrow. The HLC already knows that thanks to Glenn /Hansen and his colleagues, the education at COD is intact.

I think the Commission is coming to look at us. The Commission is coming to see if we are up to the task of ending the Breuder regime. To see if we can attract a permanent top quality president.

We are trying to find out the bottom of all these improprieties.

We are building a new relationship with the faculty and the adjunct faculty, so they do the work they must. They are our top concern of all our concerns.

We are opening up the College to a blue-ribbon transition team. We are committed to offering a top-quality education.

We are respecting the taxpayers and every dollar. This Board will never allow the arrogant disregard that characterized that characterized COD under Breuder.

We continuously looking for ways to improve. We are looking to the organization. We are identifying issues. We are solving them. We transform lives. It’s a big job. We need every Trustee to understand his or her part and contribution to the Board.

When the State’s Attorney and the HLC get through their visits next week, I hope they understand that the new Board is committed to And that every trustee has a role to play in getting us from these scandals to that vision.

Chair Hamilton announces upcoming Board meetings.

Birt: Can we discuss the start times. 6pm? A lot of people work and then you expect them to come for four hour meetings?

Hamilton: It’s called commitment, Erin.

If there is no other Board business tonight then I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

Mazzochi moves, Napolitano seconds.