On Wednesday, December 17, the John Wood Community College Board of Trustees in closed session reviewed constituent feedback and discussed three candidates under consideration to become JWCC’s eighth president.
Trustees hired the Pauly Group to conduct a national search which attracted more than 50 applications. The Pauly Group narrowed the field to nine candidates who were virtually interviewed by the Presidential Search Advisory Committee that chose finalists for on-campus interviews. The Board gratefully acknowledges the efforts of this talented group from our community as a most valuable part of the search process.
Dr. Albert Lewis, Dr. Aron Potter, and Dr. Michelle Allmendinger recently spent a full day on JWCC’s Quincy campus sharing their experience, philosophy, leadership style and vision for JWCC with various stakeholder groups. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members provided their feedback directly to the Pauly Group, which Trustees reviewed as part of the selection of JWCC’s next leader.
Trustees plan to work with the Pauly Group to make an offer to a candidate in the next few weeks and expect to hold a special board meeting in early January to announce the College’s new president and date for the individual to assume the duties of the position.
“Hiring a president is the most important role of any board,” JWCC Board Chair Bob Rhea said. “We have three excellent candidates from which to choose, and we will thoughtfully and carefully consider feedback from all stakeholders to inform our decision. We want to select the leader who will best serve our students, college, and the people of the communities in our district.”
In regular monthly business, the Board:
Heard a report from Josh Welker, Interim President, who described many JWCC accomplishments and recognitions over the past semester. Bob Rhea added, “Many of these have been years in the making and it’s important we acknowledge the efforts of recent college presidents Mike Elbe and Bryan Renfro who along with their leadership teams provided the foundation for these positive results for students and our community. During the past 6 months, Josh Welker has continued to lead with passion, vision, and strategic success fully focused on delivering the best student experience at JWCC.”
Accepted four state grants totaling $639,294. A $100,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for an automatic door lock security project; a $264,083.20 grant from the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to help bridge non-credit workforce training to credit bearing courses and credentials; a $72,934.36 ICCB grant to provide mental health trainings, peer support programs and connection to community resources; and a $202,277 ICCB grant to expand high school dual enrollment opportunities in industrial maintenance, agriculture, truck driver training, Certified Nurse Assisting, welding and computer science.
Lowered the property tax rate to 38.5 cents per $100 Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) compared to 40.2 in the previous year. Although the rate decreased, JWCC will receive $498,280 in additional revenue because of increased property values in JWCC’s district.
Authorized payment for the second half of Illinois Community College Trustee Association Dues.
Accepted a $84,175 bid from Quincy Tractor for a tractor to be used at the Workforce Development Center.
Accepted a $29,776.41 bid from Quincy-based Republic Services for waste removal services.
Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between JWCC and the JWCC Faculty Association IFT/AFT 6086 for the prorated calculation of full-time teaching loads and overload eligibility for faculty who begin employment after the start of a semester.
Denied a request from an employee for compensable amicable separation.
The date of the special board meeting will be announced when a preliminary agreement is reached with a presidential candidate. The next regular meeting of the JWCC Board will be February 19 at 6 p.m. on the Quincy campus.
