Parkland College is executively led by Tom Ramage as the 5th president of the college. Although his leadership guides the school day by day like other public institutions, policy is also developed by a legislature. Parkland’s legislature is the Board of Trustees of Community College District 505 which meets to discuss school policy on the third Wednesday of each month. On Wednesday, January 19 the board met to discuss issues concerning the school’s budget, available grant money for students, developing programs, and more.
Following the usual opening of the pledge of allegiance and approval of agenda items that did not require discussion, the board heard from Parkland College Association President Joshua Birky. This organization represents faculty, staff, and student representatives. While there were no updates to be given, Ramage reintroduced President Birky to the board as he begins another two-year term.
In regard to Birky’s contribution, Ramage said “the thing I’m most appreciative about Josh is that when he comes to the board and gives his grants presentation it’s quick, to the point, tells you everything you need to know, and he doesn’t fool around.”
Ramage would hold the floor for the next several minutes as he gave his monthly briefing to the board. This began with an announcement about a 2022 budget workshop taking place before next month’s board meeting. In explaining that the budget will be discussed, he noted the Parkland has kept tuition fees stable for 5 years but changes in other fees have the potential to be adjusted.
Following the announcement, Ramage turned to the C.A.R.E.S grant program. He reported that $1.54 million was distributed to students in the Fall 2021 term with C.A.R.E.S grants. While this has already serviced nearly 2,000 students, he noted that there is still enough money for 692 students to receive funding. Ramage said, “This is the time to register where the federal government is giving out free money.”
The last matter Ramage discussed was the new partnership and growing programs with AGCO. In the November meeting this was also discussed, Ramage at that time described AGCO as an agricultural technology company looking to move into our area. In November, the board was informed that Parkland was finalizing a partnership that could eventually lead to degree and certificate programs being developed. This process moved quickly leading to the launch of a partnership program. To begin the semester the new program was launched with AGCO that now includes eight students. This program is expected to grow over time. Along with this initial program, an additional program is being developed. Parkland representatives are currently working with AGCO to develop the curriculum for another new program.
The next order of business was a presentation by the Chief of Parkland Police Matthew Kopmann. This presentation discussed his own role as well as the role of the department on campus. While the board discussed policy matters such as action plans for replacing police equipment, this presentation highlighted the department’s presence on campus. Chief Kopmann especially highlighted Community Relations Officer Somphon Penland for her duties on campus. Officer Penland is involved in many campus and community activities while also sitting on the Courage Connection Board of Directors. Chief Kopmann expressed that the service officer Penland provides is a point of pride for the department.
Another matter before entering the closed session was a legislative update given by Vice President, Communications and External Affairs, Stephanie Stuart. Several pieces of legislation were discussed but the main point of the conversation was the upcoming Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) National Legislative Summit. Several Parkland trustees will be traveling to Washington DC to attend the summit on February 6th. This event will last several days, and a few details were discussed about the event, though Stuart shared that Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will be among the featured speakers.
For more information about the board and to access the minutes from past meetings, check out the Parkland Board of Trustee’s website.
