Community Colleges for Iowa Trustee Conference Agenda
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - Iowa Hall
1:00 pm Registration
1:30 pm Welcome and Introductions - Dr. Lori Sundberg, President
1:45 pm The Changing Higher Education Landscape: Top 10 Things Confronting Community Colleges from ACCT’s Perspective - Jee Hang Lee, President & CEO, The Association of Community College Trustees [ACCT]
Session description: Community colleges are facing a myriad of challenges as they work to meet the demands of their students and communities in a competitive higher education marketplace. This session will delve into the top 10 things confronting college boards and college leaders in the near and broad term.
2:15 pm Inclusion Starts with “I” - Kate Hightshoe, Assistant Vice President and Diversity Officer, QCR Holdings
Session description: As we all continue to try and create transformational and sustainable change for our teams, students, key stakeholders, our communities, and our incredible state for many generations to come, we’re going to have to work together. We have many barriers to remove, but perhaps the most important is changing how we continue to have the diversity, equity and inclusion conversation, identifying strategic opportunities, and then taking the best actions for all the right reasons to drive meaningful outcomes. Inclusion is where the magic happens, and this is where we must start in order to move forward.
3:45 pm Break
4:00 pm Campus Tours (Optional)
Campus Tour Description: For those conference attendees that would like to see the Kirkwood campus, optional guided tours will be available for various points of interest on the college grounds. Sites to be visited include:
- Iowa Hall (Brand new student center)
- Veterinary Technology Center
- Washington Hall (Agricultural Sciences programs)
- The Iowa Equestrian Center
- The Hotel at Kirkwood (Hospitality programs)
- Automotive Technology
Transportation will be provided.
4:45 pm Social, Sponsor Activities and Presentations
5:45 pm Welcome and Dinner
6:15 pm General Session – Legislative Panel
7:00 pm Closing Remarks
Thursday, July 20, 2023 - The Kirkwood Center, The Hotel at Kirkwood
7:30 am Breakfast – The Hotel at Kirkwood, Ballroom
8:30 am An Essential Partnership: The Roles of Board Governance and Institutional Accreditation in Advancing the Student Experience - Dr. Eric Martin, Executive Vice President, Higher Learning Commission
Session description: This session will examine the roles of board governance and institutional accreditation in advancing institutional quality for the benefit of higher education students. After a brief overview of the structure and responsibilities of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the speaker will explain HLC’s specific interest in board governance as a driver of institutional quality across an expansive membership that includes over 960 institutions of higher education where the missions, strategic priorities, constraints, and student populations vary widely. This session will highlight a few of HLC’s requirements related to governance with the wider aim of conveying HLC’s profound interest in partnering with its member institutions to advance the quality of higher education in service to students and other stakeholders.
9:15 am Break
9:30 am Community Colleges for Iowa General Membership Meeting
10:30 am Leadership Competencies for Presidents - Dr. Angel Royal, Senior Vice President-Strategic Initiatives , American Association of Community Colleges
Session description: The revision of the Competencies for Community College Leaders was completed in 2022. This session will highlight new features in the document. While the Competencies are most known as a tool for self-assessment and preparation for new professional opportunities, but the document has several other important uses. This session will provide practical examples of ways that the competencies can be used to draft job descriptions, to assist with performance improvement, to craft presidential evaluations, and to establish curriculum for grow-you-own programs.
11:30 am Break
12:00 pm Community Colleges for Iowa Banquet and Awards – The Hotel at Kirkwood, Ballroom
1:45 pm Break
2:00 pm Midwest Workforce Challenges and Solutions - Dr. Ronald A. Cox, Retired CIRAS Director, Iowa State University
Session description: Many Midwest organizations are facing significant workforce shortages. These issues are not new and will require a significant and coordinated effort to resolve. Workforce is discussed from 1950 until today to explain the various causes of the current shortages and then projections for the next two decades are discussed. A new approach to looking at workforce is highlighted that includes key steps a company or community can take to help address their workforce needs.
3:30 pm Break
3:45 pm Policy Governance: Role and Responsibilities - Rebecca Reif, Attorney / Shareholder, Ahlers & Cooney
Session description: In this presentation, Higher Education/Employment Law attorney Rebecca (“Becky”) Reif will outline statutory and common law responsibilities of community college board trustees, and particular to the area of policy governance. This will include discussion of the board as the “governing body,” and compliance with the Open Meetings Law, Public Records Law, conflicts of interest, and appropriate delegation in matters of policy drafting and adoption. The presentation will also outline best practices and considerations in policy governance, including adherence to institutional policies for complaints/hearings.
4:30 pm Adjourn, Grab and Go Snacks for the Road