Vote for Joan for Junior College Trustee
April 2, 2013 General Election

 

For Junior College Trustee Representing the Affton, Bayless, Brentwood, Kirkwood, Maplewood-Richmond Heights
and Webster Groves School Districts and South and Southwest Portions of the City of St. Louis. 

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We Won by 554 Votes
April 2, 2013


            Vote for Joan on April 2 because experience and dedication matter.

This race for Trustee of the St. Louis Community College has heated up. My opponent has raised $15,000---from unions/labor and is trying to make this non-partisan election into a glossy, high-profile campaign. If she wins I fear that special interest groups could have extreme influence on the decision-making of the College.
             I have a grassroots campaign and have this website so citizens can read what I’ve been doing the last year and understand the complexity of our College.  And, I’ve met with people from many neighborhoods, organizations and nonpartisan groups to tell them about the College. I have kept an open mind and I endeavor to make decisions that are in the best interests of both our College and our St Louis area.
            There have been lies told about me:
            1.  I was part of the Board that hired the Chancellor.
My response:  I was not on the Board when the Chancellor was hired.  And, I will not comment on her performance as this is a personnel matter and I think ethically and legally I am bound to privacy.
            2.  I have always voted against Labor/union contracts.
My response:  Labor/unions are making inferences that I am anti-union. This is not true.   I’ve looked at each bid and asked questions regarding the quality of work, the terms of the contract, the background of the contractor.  I have not voted for a contract because it was union or non-union.  I respect unions-both  my father and brother were union members.  The Board has followed the College policy on bidding and awarding contracts. 
           3.  I get paid for this job and I get an expense and travel account.
My response: This is a volunteer position.  I have taken two trips to advocate for the College—met with government officials in Washington DC and Jefferson City. I took a 3-day Trustee training course in Washington DC and attended two state community colleges association conferences—in Kansas City and Lake of the Ozarks.   I was reimbursed for my expenses, for which I provided receipts. 
            4. I am part of the inner circle of the Republican party and they are working hard for me.
My response:  I have kept my position as Trustee as non-partisan.  I have not contacted Republican groups to help me in this race.   I think we citizens have had enough bickering among Republicans and Democrats on all levels of government.  I respect the non-partisan cooperation of the College and will not digress from this in order to get votes.
            Feel free to email me with your concerns and comments. I will not respond until after April 7 but I assure you that I want to hear from anyone who wants to talk about the St. Louis Community College.
I ask for your vote on April 2. 
 Thank you
Joan McGivney

 

Re-elect Joan McGivney

Candidiate for 6-year term for
St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees
April 2, 2013

I have had the honor of serving as a Trustee of the St. Louis Community College after being elected in an April 2012 special election to fill the final year of an unexpired term. Since then, it has been my privilege to work with the rest of the Board in assuring that St. Louis Community College fulfills the needs of both our students and our community.

I’ve kept an open mind as I listened to members of the community so I could better understand their concerns. I also acquired an overall perspective of the St. Louis Community College by attending various events on all our campuses, established alliances at state community college association conferences, and met with members from all levels of government. In addition, I completed a 3-day national training course with the American Association of Community Colleges.

With my background in education, business and community service, I’ve brought my insights to the Board and I endeavor to keep contributing to the well-being of the St. Louis Community College.

I ask for your vote on April 2.
Joan McGivney

February Update

TRIP TO ADVOCATE FOR STLCC WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
FEBRUARY 11-14, 2013   

                 We met with the staffs of Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Claire McCaskill, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, Congressman William Lacy Clay and Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer.  And, we actually had a few minutes of  ”real person”  time with Senator Blunt and Senator McCaskill and Representative Clay and Representative Wagner as they hurried in and out of subcommittee meetings.   We shared our story of how STLCC uses federal dollars to improve the lives of students, the region and the overall economy of our nation.    For example, for 2012/2013 school year, 11,744 STLCC students received an average PELL grant of $ 1,925 (total PELL grant dollars of $22,608,143 awarded to STLCC students) and numerous federal grants.   I was impressed with the attentiveness and sincere interest in STLCC of all the people we met.

                We also met with Assistant Secretary Jane Oates, who is responsible for the Employment and Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor.   She told us how impressed she was with the proposal STLCC made for MOManufacturingWINS.  This $ 14.9 million federal grant is a three-year consortium grant to enhance the abilities of nine participating colleges to meet the manufacturer’s skill needs by adopting the National Association of Manufacturers certification model.  She stressed how we could continue to get more grant funds for other projects if we can demonstrate how the training skills help businesses and the national economy and put people back to work.   She said that even though there will be budget cuts in Congress due to sequestration*, the $2 billion funds for TAACCCT (Trade Adjustment Assistance Act Community College and Career Training) have already been allocated for the next couple of years.  Congress will not go back and take these funds away because they provide needed training to bring our workforce up the necessary level to compete in the global economy.

                I also went to a one-day training class that I thought was valuable.  I learned how to advocate and understand the federal budgeting and legislative process.   I realize that building a relationship with our federal elected officials is crucial to helping get our message out about how STLCC is helping raise the level of skill and knowledge in our students, which benefits our region and our economy.   I learned that there is a genuine concern that our federal tax dollars are spent wisely.   There has to be accountability.   Colleges must prove that students succeed in getting jobs and skills or in transferring to four-year institutions.  There were discussions about how to measure success.  (more on this topic at another time)

(*see below for notes about Sequestration)

Sequestration
* On August 2nd 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) was signed into law, preventing the United States from defaulting on outstanding spending obligations.
* The BCA sets forth a timeline of spending reductions and new triggers for raising the debt ceiling.
* Since Congress and the Super Committee were unable to pass a plan reducing spending, sequestration was triggered. • On March 1st, most federal discretionary programs will receive an across-the-board cut of approximately 5%.
* For years 2014 - 2021, it is up to the Congressional appropriators to determine where the cuts are made, however they must find at least $42.7 billion in savings annually in non-defense programs.
* The Pell Grant program is exempt from sequestration in 2013, but is eligible for cuts by the appropriators beginning in FY 2014.

FY 2013 Appropriations
* Congress passed a six-month continuing resolution (CR) in September to keep the federal government operational well into the new year.
* The CR has an overall funding level of $1.047 trillion, which reflects levels agreed to in the Budget Control Act.
* The overall funding level is $8 billion more than FY 2012, resulting in a 0.612 across-the-board increase for most programs.
* The CR is largely a 'clean' bill, and free from most policy riders.
* Other than the small across-the-board increases, programs are level funded .
* Various policy and funding proposals seen in the House and Senate appropriations bills for FY 2013 will be revisited next year before the CR expires on March 27th.
* Above information from ACCT Legislative Overview, Feb. 11, 2013

JANUARY 2013 Update

January 7, 2013 started with a “bang” with Professor Michael Hauser’s Lecture on “Teacher-Student IneREACTION:Establishing Proper Chemistry in the Classroom”. Professor Hauser is the 2013 Meramec Faculty Lecture Award Honoree who gave an innovative talk on how to engage students in learning. Not only did he show us chemical reactions I have not seen since I took Chem101 many years ago, he was inspiring in his dedication to assuring that his students learn. Thank you, Professor Hauser for your dedication and putting our students first for the 20 years you have been with STLCC. Our college shines brighter with people like you. And, thank you to the Meramec Faculty Lecture Award Committee for offering these selection and awards since 1988. I’m sure it has been uplifting experience for all involved.

DECEMBER 2012 Update

I attended the STLCC at Meramec first ‘EMERGING SCHOLARS AWARDS BANQUET’ on November 27. I was glad to sit at the table with 2012 Award Winning Scholar Amanda Potts and her Mentor Kathleen Daugherty. It was gratifying to hear about Amanda’s commitment to learning and plans for the future. I was thankful that Kathleen Daugherty teamed up with Amanda to be her mentor. There were three other scholars and their mentors honored that evening---Matt Naumann, Ana Sholla, Marsha Wendels with mentors Donna Zumwinkel, Charles Groth and Allan Shiller. This is an encouraging program that recognizes students and spotlights STLCC commitment to student success. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM.

There were four budget briefings made by Kent Kay (Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration) to the staff at the four campuses. I went to two of these --- at Forest Park on November 29 and Meramec and December 6. There were thoughtful discussions and comments made regarding student enrollment, Pell grants, funding issues, scheduling concerns and more. Although the financial picture is an on-going concern for all of us, I think it is important that we never lose our commitment to our students and our community. I was glad that the administration is reaching out to the campuses to keep them informed about some of our financial issues.

On December 8 the Board of Trustees and the Chancellor met in a work session with a number of faculty with the purpose of understanding ways to improve STLCC. I can only speak for myself, not the entire Board. I felt that there was a positive dialogue and I personally acquired a better understanding of some of the concerns that were addressed. There were a number of targeted areas that we will all work on. One key area is the “culture” of the college. A task force of faculty, staff, and board members is to be formed by mid January to identify what the “definition of culture” should be for STLCC. This will be an on-going committee and we will have another work session on this before mid April. More on this as we make progress.

 

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER-NOVEMBER UPDATE

It’s been inspiring as I tell folks about all the outstanding programs offered at STLCC and how “COMMUNITY” plays a vital role for both the College and to our area. We all benefit when we work in collaboration as we advance the lives of our students and our region.

I spoke at the League of Women Voters on September 11 and was encouraged by the positive dialogue and interest in STLCC and I addressed the Gravois Kiwanis Club on September 26. I explained how times have changed from when many of us earned our degrees years ago. Many of the STLCC students are not your typical first-year college students. Often they tried college before and didn’t achieve or they went into the work world right after high school. Some are returning veterans. They come to STLCC because they realize they need new knowledge and skills. Today there are programs that didn’t exist years ago that are now available at STLCC--- such as Event Planning, Digital Media, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Sustainable Energy Technology, and more. There are numerous cooperative efforts our students have with such companies as AmerenUE, Boeing, BJC, ConAgra, Furniture Brands International, Packaging Concepts, and many more.

I met several Directors of the STLCC Foundation Board on November 5 and thank Jan Holloway and the Monsanto Company for hosting the reception. I am impressed with the dedication of the Directors in providing students the opportunity to succeed in achieving their life’s goals.

The League for Innovation in the Community College review panel came to STLCC on September 12-13. Not all community colleges are members of The League. Community colleges must show that they value innovation, learning, service, diversity, stewardship, quality, integrity, community, positivity and celebration. After an extensive review and outstanding presentations made by the faculty and staff, STLCC was again granted the honor of continuing to have membership in the League. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this achievement possible and who continue to further the outstanding work done at STLCC day by day.

I attended the Missouri Community College Association conference in Kansas City with several of my fellow trustees in late October. We attended several inspiring and informative presentations. Just like our students, we value “life-long learning”. It’s imperative that we keep abreast of the latest information about education and community colleges in general. I met many new people from other community colleges in our state who care about the quality of the education of all students in Missouri.

At our Trustee meetings on September 27, October 18 and November 15 some of the topics we discussed were enrollment trends, financial aid changes, public perception of the STLCC, STLCC district-wide athletics, student success, audit and budget issues and concerns about professional development, broadband technology, and the aerospace institute. The trustees plan to meet in early December with the staff, faculty and administration to assure that there is open communication among all people who want to assure that STLCC is living up to its mission.

 

AUGUST UPDATE

It’s been a busy month. I was a “student” this month, learning how to be an effective Trustee.

At the beginning of the month I attended the 2½ day training for trustees offered by the Association of Community College Trustees. We learned about a comprehensive range of topics from advocacy, fiscal responsibility, Board-CEO relationships and more. Trustees came from all over the USA, including fellow STLCC Trustee Dr. Doris Graham and one Trustee from Canada.  A major emphasis was placed on “student success”---how to define it, how to measure it, how to achieve it. We found that this was a topic all colleges are dealing with and one that we cannot neglect. Our future is dependent on assuring that our students get the skills and knowledge they need to thrive and improve our world.

I reviewed the information from the class and compared it to what we are doing here at STLCC. I went to three campuses the week of August 13 and was impressed with the energy and dynamics of our staff. I’m proud to report that many of the ideas I learned about have been incorporated here --such as “New Student Orientation” planning, “Math Boot Camp” and “Smart Start” courses.

At the Board meeting on August 16 we discussed the equity distribution of State funds that we share with the other eleven community colleges in our state. Currently we receive approximately 34% of these State funds (approximately $42.3 million of the $125.6 million). Since the enrollment numbers have changed in the past few years, some of the other community colleges have requested that we take a reduction in funds so that the funds can be distributed to those institutions with increased enrollments. After extensive negotiations, it was agreed upon that we would take a reduction of $420,000 for each of the next five years. This equity distribution agreement will begin in fiscal year 2014. Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City) is also taking a cut--$262,000. Related to this topic, we realize we need to increase our enrollment to receive more state funds. And, we are all cognizant that community college encompasses many levels of learning---from the recent high school graduate to the adult learners who want/need to gain new skills. We recognize we must stay abreast of the trends, including on-line and hybrid classes and be open-minded to new ideas and innovations.


It’s important not to jump to conclusions ---be sure to look at all the facts

As I was reading over our trustee July 19 packet of information I came across a contract for rental agreement for $52,500 with the University of Missouri to provide temporary lodging for 18 international students who are participating in the SEED program.     I thought to myself---is this the best use of our funds?  Then, I continued reading our packet –under the next tab—“External Funds”—the SEED  program—Scholarships for Education and Economic Development—lists that STLCC will receive $734,400 in a grant from Georgetown University and the U.S. Agency for International Development.  So, of course, we must spend $52,500 in order to get $734,400. 

And, as I learned at the meeting, this is a wonderful collaborative effort of STLCC with University of Missouri, Georgetown University, and the U.S. Agency of International Development.   This grant is for educating 18 deaf students from Central America, Caribbean and Mexico in computer technologies with business applications.  Georgetown University knew that we had a program of deaf communications/sign language at our Florissant Valley campus and has been in collaboration with STLCC for a few years.  The first year the students live in family homes near campus and the second year, they live in the UMSL apartments.

In the broader scope, STLCC is doing its part to improve the economic and educational standards of our neighbors to the south.  Hopefully, these students will be able to go back to their countries and be positive agents in improving their nation’s economic conditions. 



JULY UPDATE


Hello, May and June were busy months---with student recognition events, budget review and hearing, and the Chancellor evaluation. The highlight for me came on May 20 at the Scottrade Center when I was shook the hands of many of the 2,800 students who successfully completed their St. Louis Community College education by receiving degrees and certificates. Great job students!!!!

Did you know that the STLCC is 50 years old? It was established in 1962 and the college first offered night classes at Roosevelt and McCluer High Schools. More than 1.2 million students have taken classes at STLCC in these 50 years.

Of special interest to me because so many of us are concerned about taking care of our planet and limiting our dependence on oil -- in June we awarded the purchase of four electric vehicles to be added to the “green” fleet of the college wide Police Departments at each of the four campus locations. I think this is an important step for the STLCC.



I believe its crucial that the STLCC continues to meet the challenges facing our society and region.
I will work for you with a common sense approach for fiscally responsible and collaborative leadership.

IT’S NOT ABOUT ME - IT’S ABOUT US

Let’s make St. Louis Community College work for us.

Elect me as your Junior College Trustee so we can address our needs together.