By\u00a0Jennifer Howard<\/p>\n
Pass the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visit with ease, find a new president, collect $1.5 million owed to Daytona State and hire a law firm to protect its interests: Working as a united front, the Board of Trustees is working toward those goals.<\/p>\n
Caf\u00e9 101 was the setting for this month\u2019s board meeting. On April 21, Dr. Steven Miles was the only board member not present.<\/p>\n
Committee chairs Nancy Morgan and Eileen Hamby gave the presentation on the upcoming SACS visit, offering the trustees an itinerary, listing exactly what will be reviewed and the requirements that have to be met by the College.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that this is a lot of information to process,\u201d said Hamby, \u201cbut the only way to successfully pass this inspection is to be vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Areas of concern include the creation of a procedures manual for the Board of Trustees that clearly states their duties, powers and responsibilities. Supervision of family members by relatives has been questioned at DSC and any acts of potential nepotism will be investigated by the visiting committee. Also, Interim President Frank Lombardo and members of the Board of Trustees will be interviewed by the SACS representative. Board Chairman John Tanner said, \u201cSACS visits are like I.G. (internal gear) inspections in the military. Nobody likes them but it\u2019s necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
The search for a new president is coming close to an end. To date, there are 34 people seeking interviews. The application deadline was April 29. Each presidential search-committee member has to submit an evaluation of the candidates. They will collectively meet May 23 and 24 to narrow their selection to 10 semifinalists. Of those 10, a comprehensive background and qualifications check will be performed, after which only five applicants will be notified and given interviews. During the week of June 20 finalists will come to\u00a0campus and each will be given one day to interview, tour and ask questions.<\/p>\n
The $1.5 million lost this summer by the unsuccessful American Music Festival is a hot topic of conversation in Tallahassee this month. In early April, Governor Rick Scott met with all of the board members regarding their appointments. According to Trustee Bob Davis, \u201cThe governor does not care who wrote the checks and why, he wants the money back in this school as soon as possible. We (trustees) are responsible and need to act.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of pending state budget cuts the State\u2019s Auditor General Office has requested action against the Community Cultural Foundation be taken. The state can\u2019t make up the loss in revenue. A promise of payment is not enough. Trustee Forough Hosseini said, \u201cI can\u2019t believe that we are being held responsible for this. All of these checks and contracts were signed without board approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before excusing herself from the meeting, Hosseini went on to say, \u201cHow can we control something that was done behind our backs? It is just not right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of this dispute, DSC will not support the CCF sponsorship of the London Symphony Orchestra\u2019s return in 2013 until all money is paid back to the institution.<\/p>\n
DSC is looking for a lawyer or firm to represent the board on various issues. Peter Heebner, current board attorney, and three other firms, Cobb Cole, Greenberg Traurig, and Holland & Knight all have submitted proposals to the board.<\/p>\n
The Bahamian Technical School that received 60 surplus computers from DSC will not get the remaining $60,000 of the grant money back. As advised by the auditor\u2019s that came to the college in November, Lombardo said, \u201cThe contract has been severed and the computer equipment is now out of date. It would cost us more money to have the computers shipped back to us. So we\u2019ll keep the money and they can have the computers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other issues discussed were graduation and the splitting of ceremonies. Graduation is May 16 at the Ocean Center, with the first ceremony at 2 p.m. for the associate degree<\/p>\n
programs and 6:30 p.m. for bachelor\u2019s candidates. The Adult High School graduation will be at 6:30 p.m. May 17 in the Lemerand Center on the Daytona Campus.<\/p>\n
Because of the changes, the Board of Trustees will be split into two groups to accommodate their schedules and attend the commencement events. The keynote commencement speaker will be Herman Boone, an award-winning football coach and motivational speaker. The movie \u201cRemember the Titans\u201d was based on his life and accomplishments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By\u00a0Jennifer Howard Pass the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visit with ease, find a new president, collect $1.5 million owed to Daytona State and hire a law firm to protect its interests: Working as a united front, the Board of Trustees is working toward those goals. Caf\u00e9 101 was Continue reading No more hidden agendas, board steps up<\/span>