SIC swears in new board members, discusses finances and completion rates
The Southeastern Illinois College Board of Trustees met on Tuesday in a special organizational meeting to swear in new members, elect officers and discuss the school's finances, which look to be tight in the coming year, according to college officials.
Conservative budgeting, early retirement incentives and ongoing initiatives will be engaged to control costs in a time of dwindling resources for higher education.
"Cumulatively, our past five-year composite financial index score is about a full point above the prior five years," said Dr. Jonah Rice, SIC President. "That is an important number to our accrediting agency and demonstrates that we are on solid ground. It hasn't been easy to get to this point but necessary to remain stable and provide vital services to our students and community."
College officials say completion rates have increased nearly 20 percent between fiscal years 2012 and 2014, an accomplishment Rice attributed to the efforts by the entire college community, adding that SIC had the smallest dip in enrollment compared to regional cohorts in a five-year period.
Sworn-in during the special board meeting were six-year office holders Richard Morgan, Blake Bradley and David Dennison<span class="s1">,</span> and two-year office holder Debbie Hughes. Officers elected by the board include Chair Dr. Pat York, Vice-Chair Dr. Frank Barbre and Secretary Jim Ellis. Alternates were selected, as was the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) representative, Dr. Frank Barbre.
The board also accepted the retirement notice of Vice-President Dr. Dana Keating, effective May 31.
SIC President Dr. Jonah Rice said of Keating, "Dr. Keating is a cornerstone of SIC. She has been my left-hand and being left-handed, that means more than saying she's my right hand. She will be greatly missed by the College as she's always put the interests of others and the entire College first. She is a true servant leader."
Holding a variety of positions at the college, Keating has gone from part-time employment when she began her career at SIC to registrar, Dean of Career and Technical Education, Acting President, and Vice-President, her current position.
"I am so blessed and thankful for having been given the opportunity to spend my career at Southeastern Illinois College," Keating said.
Model Illinois Government, the Speech Team and the Archery Team presented this past year's state and national achievements to the board, including multiple first-place finishes.
The board also approved nine public, health and safety (PHS) bond-authorized safety projects including roofing, tuck pointing, abatement work and lighting. Two other PHS projects will be brought to the board in the future, including plans for the theatre and water tower.
"Much of this work is deferred maintenance work as well as preventative measures to avoid substantial repair in the future," said Dean of Administration and Business Affairs David Wright.
The board also approved six new members for the Alumni and Friends Association.
In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Angela O'Hara, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Career and Technical Education, effective May 8, 2015; approved the employment of Art Fitz-Gerald as the part-time TRIO Counselor; approved Michele Intravaia as the food service manager; approved the employment of Terri Absher as a part-time, as needed, receptionist for the David L. Stanley Center in Carmi, IL; approved an Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) for exempt employees; awarded tenure to Maggie Calcaterra and Jeremy Irlbeck retroactive to February 2015; approved several advisory council members and adjunct faculty.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, May 26 at 6 p.m. in the Rodney J. Brenner Boardroom on the Harrisburg Campus.