AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Monday, October 18, 1999, 6:00 p.m.
Austin Community College
Highland Business Center
San Jacinto Conference Room (502)
5930 Middle Fiskville Road
Austin, Texas 78752
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Fall Retreat - Agenda
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I. |
Call to Order |
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II. |
Discussion of Board Operations and Policy Approach
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III. |
Announcements |
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IV. |
Adjournment |
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Copies of the official agenda are filed with the County Clerks of Travis and Williamson Counties, and a copy is posted in the main entrance foyer of ACC's Highland Business Center located at 5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, Texas 78752. |
***************************************************************************************FALL 1999 ACC BOARD RETREAT
Monday, October 18, 6-9 p.m.
San Jacinto Conference Room (5th Floor)
Highland Business Center
Retreat topic: Discussion of Board operations and policy approach
The three "topic questions" listed below are suggested as the basis for Board discussion. On the next page, an outline of subcategories is provided for each topic to facilitate systematic review.
[1] How much meeting time should the Board spend on different functions? This is critical in determining a Board's definition of its role, and it should reflect conscious consideration and choices. The goal for this retreat is for people to identify areas where they think that significantly more or less meeting time, or significant changes in meeting format, would be appropriate. The outline lists seven categories which encompass most of current Board time usage, plus one (subcommittees) which is traditional on most Boards but not currently used by the ACC Board.
A survey of 1998 Board agendas gives this breakdown of items (not time): 6 new policies, 14 policy amendments, 26 routine approvals of purchases, etc., and 12 non-routine, non-policy items. These consisted of 4 choices of officers or advisors, 2 new-program approvals, 2 community-linkage resolutions, 1 budget approval, 1 annexation approval, and two planning-priorities directives. In addition, the Board received input from citizens, students, and employee groups at almost every meeting and held 9 organized "community dialog" meetings.
[2] What elements of the current policy approach need attention and possible adjustment? A discussion of only an hour or so is obviously not suitable for reviewing particular policy provisions. The goal for this retreat is identification of broad areas of concern and potential directions for modification. As the attached "Review of Policy Approach -- Schedule" indicates, this preliminary discussion will be followed up by Board decisions during November and December indicating the context under which revision proposals for specific policy provisions will be developed for Board consideration during the spring semester.
The outline lists five different aspects of this topic. Sections [b] through [e] summarize the major elements of the current policy approach. A goal is to identify any of these elements which people feel might need to be adjusted. Section [a] is even more fundamental -- what are the standards by which individual policy provisions should be judged?
As a result of this discussion, specific alternative "revision guidance statements" reflecting different approaches will be drawn up for subsequent Board consideration.
[3] How can the Board increase its capabilities? In addition to the policy approach and the format and content of Board meetings, the Board's effectiveness might be enhanced by improvements in information, in the use of community input, and in professional development for individual trustees. The outline gives some subcategories for these three topics, and the goal for this retreat is to assess interest or concerns about these possibilities.
ATTACHMENTS:
Outline of discussion topics and subtopics
Schedule for follow-up steps in review of policy approach
Materials from ACCT talk on ACC's earlier policy-consolidation process
***************************************************************************************FALL 1999 BOARD RETREAT -- suggested discussions (about 1 hour for each major topic)
[1] How much meeting time should the Board spend on different functions?
[a] community linkages/conversations
external community
internal community
[b] review of policy related to desired ends
[c] other Board-led policy development/revision
[d] approval of administration proposals (other than ends-related ones)
[e] review of Board operations (including schedule planning, self-evaluation, meeting evaluation)
[f] review of College operations (required or strategic reports)
[g] "show and tell" reports on College programs and activities
[h] subcommittee meetings prior to full-Board consideration?
[2] What elements of the current policy approach need attention and possible adjustment?
[a] standards for judging policies
Useful? Clear? Comprehensive? Values-based? Top-down? Non-administrative?
[b] levels of Board involvement in decisions
Board initiative -- policy development
Board review/amendment -- strategic plan, largest budget items
Board approval -- large purchases, most budget areas, large program changes
plans/principles/systems required to exist (but not submitted for Board approval)-- budget
allocations; systems for recruitment, advising, instruction, placement
[c] style of directives
preference for policy over resolutions and approvals
deliberate lack of administrative detail in policy provisions
provisions for occasional exceptions
[d] verification of policy compliance
reports mandated by policy
systematic voluntary reports by President, arranged by policy category
provisions for trustee-initiated inquiry into possible noncompliance
[e] policy-development process
coordinated by Board Chair, but any trustee may develop proposals
multi-meeting consideration
"composite-draft" process for coordinating alternative suggestions
[3] How can the Board increase its capabilities?
[a] regularize information and decision flow
templates for a core set of desired reports
biennial calendar for recurrent decisions
[b] better system for community input
more use of citizen advisory committees?
web-based notifications and comment solicitation?
[c] professional-development planning
orientation to ACC Board role and methods for new trustees
individual professional-development planning by trustees
review variety of events attended
***************************************************************************************The schedule given below is a suggestion of how the Board might follow up the discussion at this retreat so as to cause the appropriate policy amendments to be developed and considered.
REVIEW OF POLICY APPROACH -- SCHEDULE:
Fall retreat Discuss strengths/weaknesses of current system; identify alternative approaches
by Oct 25 Develop draft statement(s) to guide revisions
A draft would be provided for each desired approach (even though some of the proposals will be mutually exclusive). For example:
[a] Retain current approach, but identify any "top down" gaps and provisions which are candidates for minor pruning (as being too detailed).
[b] Systematically remove mandated means; specify only ends and limits.
[c] Heighten Board scrutiny of purchasing and operational changes.
[d] Incorporate specific efficiency/effectiveness standards into policy.
Nov 1 Discuss draft revision-guidance statements (also policy priorities for 2000)
The Board will critique the various drafts. The goal for this meeting is to ensure that an appropriate variety of drafts exist, and to identify other policy-development topics of potential interest for next year.
Nov 15 Select among draft revision-guidance statements (& policy priorities for 2000)
The draft closest to the overall Board preference will be identified by Board vote.
Dec 6 Amend/adopt selected revision-guidance statement (& policy priorities for 2000)
The Board will consider the preferred statement and, after any desired amendments, adopt it (and next year's policy-development priority list).
by Jan 10 Trustees identify policy provisions whose revision may be implied
This would be a "homework" exercise in which interested Trustees annotate a copy of the policy manual with "cut", "add", and "revise" notes, plus any specific suggestions. Copies of all versions would be made for all Trustees.
by Feb 7 Distribute draft package of revisions implied by guidance statement
Under the coordination of the Board Chair, a draft set of policy revisions reflecting the guidance statement would be prepared and distributed.
Feb 21 Worksession on draft revision package
This would be the occasion for detailed questions and commentary.
by Mar 6 Draft any alternative proposals for elements of revision package
As with the adjunct-use and compensation-principles policies, trustees would prepare alternatives in each area where they feel the draft is insufficient.
Mar 20 Select among revision-package alternatives
Again as with the adjunct-use and compensation-principles policies, trustees would identify specific alternatives as being the preferred approach.
April 1 Amend/adopt revision package
After any final perfecting amendments of the selected alternatives, the Board would adopt the set of revisions.
***************************************************************************************SOME SLIDES FROM ACCT TALK
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OLD ACC POLICY "MODEL"
300+ PAGES
(plus much "unwritten" policy)
DETAILED, BUT INCOMPLETE
OFTEN IGNORED
Board Policy V-34: Role of the ACC Jazz Ensemble
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARVER YES!
ONE BOARD VOICE
LOGICAL CONTAINMENT
BOARD SETS ITS OWN AGENDA
NO UNWRITTEN POLICIES
BOARD CONCENTRATES ON ENDS
Etc. . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
STEPS TOWARD POLICY REFORM
Policy-Governance Work Session
draft set of new Carver-style policies
A.C.C. Policy Road Map
Board Bylaws Revisions
Increase in Trustee-Initiated Activities
Trial Carver-Style Budget Policy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARVER --- OH, YEAH?
Loss of safeguards
Some means should be mandated
Committees needed
Policy-based approach too slow
Generalized policies too vague to enforce
Lack of real accountability
Trial Carver-style policies not followed
Whole approach too theoretical, faddish
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROJECT STRATEGY
Avoid arguments about governance theory
Minimize anxiety about loss of safeguards
Separate "policy reform" from "policy change"
Demonstrate that "reformed" methods can address some urgent issues effectively
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROJECT "ENDS"
Increased ACC effectiveness by:
Empowerment of both the Board & the President and staff by a clear division of labor
Promotion of Board action through written, values-based policies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOARD DIRECTS ITS OWN WORK AND ACTS AS A WHOLE
BOARD DECISIONS ARE CLEAR
POLICY IS CONCISE, ACCESSIBLE
POLICY GENERALIZATION & LOGICAL CONTAINMENT
EFFECTIVE COMPLIANCE & MONITORING
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAN OF ATTACK
POLICY ROAD MAP
where are we now?
A STEP AT A TIME
don't require commitment to a particular process
PROCESS REFORMS
make the Board's voice free & clear
TOP-DOWN OR BOTTOM-UP
take the most reassuring path
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOARD PROCESS REFORMS
Chair has general responsibility for procedure
(bylaws: 9 pages --> 1 page)
Vice-Chair coordinates Board-community linkage
Trustee elected as Board Secretary coordinates monitoring of policy compliance
Committee of the Whole for discussion
policy on Board Policy Principles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Policy on Policy
Policy is the primary mode of Board action
Non-policy resolutions expire after one year
No unwritten polices or individual trustee authority
President/staff free to act in areas not covered
Board policy not to echo legal/administrative rules
President can interpret/decide any vague or ambiguous Board policy provisions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VALUES-BASED SECOND-LEVEL POLICIES
Budget policy
(objective; adequate; open process; part of plan)
Purchasing policy [90% fewer required approvals]
(meet needs, good value, fair HUB/local access)
Principles for developmental courses
(flexibility, efficiency, relevance)
Out-of-district tuition
(match in-district tax effort per credit-hour)
College Organizational Principles
(single college, presidential leadership)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
83 policies (+ "unwritten" policies) ---> 0 policies
180 pages ---> 0 pages
61 policies ---> about 17 policies
119 pages ---> about 20 pages
10 policies, about 10 pages