Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.”
Activities of Note: Faculty and Staff
This section recognizes the good work being done and linkages to the Strategic Agenda, Strategic Directions and Goals are provided where possible.
- Northwestern Michigan College’s Dennos Museum Center recently hosted 51 Chinese students, along with their teachers and TCAPS chaperones, for a two-hour visit. The docent team organized project materials in the activities room and exhibits were reviewed. Curator of Education Jason Dake described the purpose of the day’s program by saying, “This group came to see us and our community. First we wanted to show them what Traverse City has culturally for students. Secondly, they were anxious to immerse themselves in our culture, so we wanted to facilitate that. We would like these kids to leave here with an appreciation for our museum and its collection and also with some excitement about looking at and making art a unique experience. Regardless of the culture, a universal theme of art is that there is some narrative to share. We tried to do that today.” The Chinese students are from Dalian High School visiting Central and West Senior High Schools as part of an exchange program. They are very impressed with our region, and want to promote all it has to offer. The experience at Dennos Museum was a highlight! Marguerite Cotto was part of a conversation with the Headmaster and Vice Principals about extending the partnership to NMC and its university partners. (SD1, SD2, SD4)
- We have received word from the product manager at Microsoft that MTA certification exams are delivered in 49 of 50 states, Michigan is in the top 10, and NMC leads in Michigan. Microsoft considers NMC as international leaders in this certification initiative. Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) is a recommended entry point into IT certification and job preparation. (SD1, SD5)
- NMC is collaborating with the COG to leverage a shared position through the Small Business Technical Development Center (SBTDC) that will provide direct services to students interested in developing a small business plan or who have an interest in the more detailed exploration of a start-up proposal. This position will add strength to NMC’s efforts to improve recognition of entrepreneurial activities across campus while extending our capacity to support business and industry through the Regional Entrepreneurial Collaborative (REC). (SD1, SD2, SD3)
- NMC and MSU’s Institute of Agricultural Technology have developed language for a shared position that supports our joint program offering in Applied Plant Science (which includes the MSU specialty certificates in viticulture, commercial horticulture, commercial turfgrass, landscape & nursery). This endeavor will provide capacity for industry outreach designed to better articulate and implement student internships and apprenticeships, and will improve our ability to understand and respond to the changing professional development needs of this economic sector. (SD1, SD2, SD3)
- The Compensation and Classification Work Group continues to make good progress in their discussions. Attached is my January progress update and a February update from the facilitators, Linda Racine and Aaron Beach, will be sent out next week and forwarded to you. As I’ve said before, this is important work for our future and I appreciate the effort the Group is expending.
Activities of Note: Tim
- The vice presidents and I participated in a conference call meeting with the president of US-Brazil Connect to learn more about their exchange program. This program is different than many travel abroad ventures in that our students serve as fellows, are eligible to apply for a federal scholarship, teach English as a second language to Brazilian students, and receive a stipend. In Michigan, Jackson Community College is in their third year of this activity. We are evaluating how this program can fit into our global education efforts this year or in the future.
- The vice presidents and I also met with Steve Cousins and several of TCAPS executive level staff to continue our discussion on collaboration. We have agreed to evaluate the possibility of creating a STEEM (science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, mathematics) early/middle college. Our target is to make recommendations within 90 days.
Legislative Issues
- In my earlier update, I promised to provide a “deeper discussion” on some of the important legislation that was passed last year. Attached are documents on two of those pieces. The first is related to establishing more seamless transfer opportunities for community college students as they transfer to senior institutions. Our appropriations bill required the establishment of a taskforce to provide recommendations by this March to the legislature. The second is a description of the Right to Work legislation passed during lame duck. I asked our college attorney to draft an “easy to understand” document that describes this legislation. While we have only one union on campus, I think it is important to understand what this legislation is. I will be attaching one or two deeper dives in future updates.
- The Governor presented his budget for fiscal year 2014. As has been reported in the news, community colleges receive on average a 2% increase. Using the Community College Funding Formula, NMC’s increase is estimated to be approximately 1.5%, an increase of $129,300. Additionally, the budget calls for a one time investment in the Community College Association Virtual Learning Collaborative of $1.1 million to implement the next generation of this program. Those funds go to the MCCA. An analysis of the Governor’s budget from the Senate Fiscal Agency can be found at http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Main/021313sacpres.pdf.
Miscellaneous
- NMC SGA members will be joining trustees for dinner at 5:30 p.m. in the Oleson Center on February 25. The regular Board of Trustees meeting will, therefore, not begin until 6:30 p.m.
Update on the Committee on the Transferability of Core College Courses
February 2013
Background
In 2012 the Michigan legislature included boilerplate language in the community college appropriations bill that focused on improving the transferability of core college courses by revising the current Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (MACRAO) agreement. The language (see below) creates a committee that includes 5 community colleges representatives, 5 individuals from the public universities, and 4 legislators (two from each chamber). The legislation also requires an interim report in March 2013 and a final report in September 2013.
To launch this work, the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) and the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan (PCSUM) identified individuals from a previous study committee to develop recommendations to be vetted by each sector. Community college representatives (from Glen Oaks, Macomb, Mott, North Central, and Schoolcraft) met with their university counterparts (represented by Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Michigan State, Oakland, and U of M – Dearborn) to identify the critical issues and/or barriers and lay out a process for vetting recommendations for improving the transfer of core college courses. Individuals from the leadership of MACRAO have also participated in these discussions. The draft recommendations developed by this group are below.
Guiding principles and draft recommendations for a revised “Michigan Transfer Agreement”
Guiding Principles:
- Make the agreement simple and easy to understand
- Keep the agreement student-focused
- Treat transfer students the same as native students at the receiving institution
Draft Recommendations for the revised Michigan Transfer Agreement:
To fulfill the requirements in the agreement, students must successfully complete at least 30 credits, with a 2.0 in each course, at a Michigan community college according to the following distribution:
- 2 courses in English Composition and/or Communications
- 1 course in Quantitative Reasoning
- 2 courses in Social Sciences
- 2 courses in Humanities and/or Fine Arts
- 2 courses in Natural Sciences including one with laboratory experience
Rationale for the draft recommendations
Providing institutional flexibility and while eliminating existing provisos – There is a consensus that the current MACRAO agreement has too many provisos or exceptions. The goal of this revised agreement is to establish requirements that would fulfill many of the general education requirements at Michigan public universities. Similar to the autonomy provided by High Learning Commission, our accrediting body, the agreement does not attempt to dictate specific courses as this is the purview of individual colleges and universities—specifically the faculty.
Recognizing multiple student paths – The recommendations recognize that students enroll in higher education institutions with different education goals and needs. For example, students intending to pursue programs in the social sciences or liberal arts may not require more rigorous courses in mathematics. The recommendation of one quantitative reasoning course, while acknowledging the need for numeracy, is intended to avoid creating a barrier for students to satisfy the requirements of the agreement.
Treating the 30 credits in the agreement as a block – The draft recommendations treat the requirements as a block of courses that would not be subject to individual review by the receiving institution as long as students earn a least a 2.0 in each course. Further, several community colleges are currently offering some form of a general education certificate that could be a model for how to treat these core courses statewide and, along with new name of the Michigan Transfer Agreement, these type of certificates could help to minimize misunderstandings about what the agreement is.
Promoting credential attainment – There was a discussion among the group about the need to promote credential attainment. The concept of a general education certificate may contribute to this goal, but the committee also acknowledged the more important aspect of improving the transfer between community colleges and universities is to help students move more quickly to bachelor’s degrees.
Next steps
These draft recommendations will be shared broadly to solicit additional input and feedback. The Michigan legislature requires the submission of an interim report to the legislature by March 1st. MCCA and PCSUM will facilitate the discussion with appropriate legislators and their staff to ensure this requirement is met. Following the March 1st deadline, the committee will incorporate additional feedback from the colleges and universities, facilitate any additional discussions that are needed, and work through the appropriate channels with in each sector and MACRAO to finalize this agreement by the end of summer 2013. This will allow the group to submit the required final report to the legislature by September 1, 2013.
The “Right to Work” Act, Public Acts 348 and 349 of 2012
The “Right to Work Acts” was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder on December 11, 2012, and will take effect on April 1, 2013. There are actually two acts. The two acts are virtually identical; however, Public Act 348 addresses private sector employers and unions; while Public Act 349 addresses public sector employers and unions. Any contract between an employer and a union in effect or expiring after April 1, 2013, will be subject to the “Right to Work Act.”
The Act outlaws “closed shops.” What this means is that neither an employer nor a union may require that an employee join a union or pay union dues. Under current law, an employer and a union may agree in the collective bargaining agreement that any employee within the unit represented by the union must join the union and pay union dues as a condition of employment. This is no longer allowed. The Act also sets forth civil fines for violations and creates a mechanism where an individual injured by a violation of the Act may file a court action for damages and an order to stop the violation. Public police, fire departments, and state police unions are exempt from the Act, meaning their collective bargaining agreements may still contain a “closed shop” provision.
Unions can still request that employers include a “dues checkoff” clause in the collective bargaining agreement, which will permit the employer to deduct union dues from employees who sign authorizations for such deductions. This type of provision ensures that the union receives a steady collection of dues, which is a union’s primary source of income.
Although union membership and dues payment may no longer be mandatory under the Act, the Act does not change the existing law regarding union representation. A union representing an employee group will still represent all the employees in that group regardless of whether the employee is a member of the union, pays union dues, or agrees or disagrees with the union’s bargaining position in negotiations with the employer. Each union has its own rules regarding who can vote to approve a contract with the employer and who can be on the bargaining team. Typically those rules exclude employees who are not in good standing with the union or who do not pay union dues to the union.
As in other states, there will likely be challenges to the new legislation. The Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to hear any legal challenges to the Act. The Court of Appeals is authorized to consider any challenges on an expedited basis. Since the Act allocates money to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, the Act is not subject to a vote of the electorate to determine whether it should remain on the books and may only be repealed by the legislature.
SHRR 2387006v1
To: Campus Community
From: Timothy Nelson, President and the Compensation Review Work Group
Date: January 18, 2013
RE: Progress Update – Compensation and Classification Review
We are now almost three months into this important project and I wanted to provide an update on our status. First, I thank all of those members of the Work Group who are devoting considerable time, energy and thought to this job. As you recall, we asked each employee group to provide three members and I appointed three at large members. This group has been meeting every other week for two hours plus and have been meeting outside of that with their employee group members, plus working on issues outside of the meeting times. Next, thanks to Linda Racine and Aaron Beach who are providing great facilitation and guidance in the process. Lastly, thank you to all of you who are providing feedback to members of the Work Group.
If you have not yet visited the intranet site we have set up, I encourage you to do so. Minutes of the meetings and work that the Work Group is generating are found there. One of the operating principles we started with was transparency and we are working hard to meet that commitment. There is a separate link on the MyNMC page that will take you to the Compensation site. https://intranet.nmc.edu/depts/human-resources/compensation-review/index.html
At our last meeting, we recognized that while we are including all of our notes on the intranet site, we need to summarize where we are for all of our sakes on a monthly basis. This will be done in the future by Linda and Aaron with input from the entire Work Group.
Summary of Activity to Date
As a reminder, the Board of Trustees adopted a Board Level Goal last year that stated:
B5. NMC will evaluate the employee classification and compensation systems and make adjustments as required. (Institutional Effectiveness #4)
The Target/Metric adopted this year as it relates to this goal states:
Complete review and adjustments, as necessary, to the employee classification and compensation systems in time to inform FY14 budget.
Our College policies and practices instruct us to use the Mutual Gains process for this class of work. In reality, we use that approach pretty consistently throughout the College and it is fundamental to shared governance. We get representation from the affected stakeholder groups around the table, identify issues of interest and work toward a solution that is in the
best interest of all involved and the College. The process the Work Group adopted is described in the picture below.
While the process appears to be linear, it is iterative. As we progress and learn, we sometimes circle back and add to or refine previous work.
Important to our work is that as we review compensation, we are looking at “Total Compensation” or what one reference listed on our Work Group web site calls a “Total Rewards Model”. We have defined this model as including the following elements:
- Pay
- Benefits
- Performance & Recognition
- Development & Career Opportunity
- Work Life
As you can see, this is a comprehensive view that requires significant effort to evaluate.
The Work Group has identified 18 different values/interests to examine and determine if they fit into this Total Rewards Model framework and if so, how that might work. The Work Group is currently discussing whether a particular interest is a large, moderate, small or no piece of one of the five elements in the model. The Work Group recognizes any value/interest may fit and be demonstrated in different ways for different employee groups and that will require small group work.
The 18 values/interests we are working with right now include:
Longevity, marketplace equity, peer equity, internal equity, transparency and consistency, growth, credentials, experience, leadership skills, thoughtful risk taking, going above and beyond, social equity, performance/competency, achievement of organizational goals, achievement of individual goals, and choice.
Here is our work plan for next few months:
Last year, a good deal of work was done in examining our staff classification system. That work is continuing and is an important component of our review. In our meetings, questions have been raised about the efficacy of the current system and whether it appropriately differentiates among jobs. The work to address these issues is shown in the second row of the above diagram.
I am very pleased with the work we have done so far. It is important and not easy. As with all we do in our plan-do-check-adjust approach to work, we will examine our targets and make adjustments as needed. If we believe extra time is needed beyond our initial target, I will request that from the Board of Trustees.
Thank you all for your efforts and your support of all we are doing.
Tim