[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:05] Good afternoon, everyone. Since it's election day, let's get this meeting going. I do confirm that we have a quorum of the board present. In accordance with chapter 551 of the Texas Open Media Act, I call to order the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Dallas College from March 5, 2024 at 414 p.m. Members of the public who have followed the instructions on the Dallas College Board of Trustees website,
[0:35] for registering to speak during the public comment portion will be given five minutes to speak.
[0:40] This regular report meeting is being broadcast over the internet. And now you're recording and
[0:45] transcript of this meeting are being made and will be available to the public on the fourth website
[0:50] after the meeting at a later date. Chancellor, can you please confirm this meeting has been posted in
[0:55] accordance with the law? Madam Chair, I can certify this meeting has been posted,
[0:58] Court in Section 5, 5 1.054, Texas, going on the code.
[1:02] Great.
[1:02] We want now rise for the pledge of allegiance.
[1:08] I pledge allegiance in the爭 of the United States of America.
[1:13] In truth, republic for which to change my tradition.
[1:19] In your vegetable.
[1:20] In your vegetable, in your vegetable.
[1:21] In your vegetable.
[1:23] In your vegetable.
[1:24] In your vegetable.
[1:25] In your vegetable.
[1:30] In your vegetable.
[1:31] and individuals.
[1:39] In accordance with the Texas Education Code Section 39.306, the public hearing on
[1:47] the Texas Academic Performance Report is now open in being held in person and through Cisco WebEx
[1:54] software application. Members of the public who have followed the instructions on the Dallas
[2:00] College Board of Trustees website for registering to speak during the public hearing will have five
[2:06] minutes to speak. Miss Molina, can you confirm that we have received no requests from persons
[2:12] wishing to speak today? Thank
[2:17] you. Since no one has been confirmed to speak, the public hearing
[2:23] is now closed.
[2:27] Item 5. Citizens is iring to address the board. Do we have any citizens signed
[2:32] up to address the board today?
[2:38] Thank you. Okay, we will now move on to our special presentations.
[2:43] Chancellor Lennon, would you please like to introduce?
[2:46] Thank you, Madam Chair.
[2:47] I want to start talking about the National Legislative Summit.
[2:51] This year, it was one of the largest gatherings ever.
[2:55] It's the Association of Community College Trustees that puts this on.
[2:58] It brings community college leaders to Washington, D.C. to advocate on behalf of our students
[3:03] to focus on federal policy.
[3:06] There was over 1,300 community college leaders that were there this year.
[3:09] So it was one of the larger groups, and there was over 100 students there this year, which
[3:17] is significant, because as some of the long-timers around here know that we have taken students,
[3:26] it's the 18th year in the road that we have taken students, except for a COVID year there,
[3:30] taken students participate, and we really were the first to take students and to really engage
[3:38] our policymakers with the student voice directly from them.
[3:43] And so we've got four amazing students
[3:45] that participated this year.
[3:48] Three of them are able to join us today.
[3:49] It's like the Ask Dev Bridgers come up and introduce them
[3:52] and you can get them a little bit better.
[3:59] Yeah, I'll enjoy the pictures while I'm up here.
[4:02] Chair Bravo, Board of Trustees and Chancellor Lonon.
[4:05] Thank you for this opportunity to address the board
[4:08] and highlight our trip to the National Legislative Summit
[4:10] in Washington, D.C. To begin our journey, we again this year took the 7 a.m. flight on Sunday
[4:17] morning from D.C., from DFW to D.C., and Trustee Boyd joined us on that wonderful early morning flight.
[4:26] Some of us made it on time and some of us didn't.
[4:32] When we got to D.C., we had half a day to spend
[4:36] and sometimes some of the students went to the National Basilica
[4:39] and then some went over to the African American Museum.
[4:43] We started Monday morning with a breakfast
[4:46] with Mr. Bill McBride, the executive director
[4:49] of the National Governors Association.
[4:51] We had lunch with Amy Walter,
[4:54] who's the publisher and editor-in-chief
[4:56] of the Cook Political Report.
[4:59] And on Wednesday we had breakfast with chairwoman,
[5:02] excuse me, Virginia Fox,
[5:03] who chairs the House of Committee on Education and Workforce.
[5:08] The students on Mendy participated in a three-hour advocacy session with the other 120 students
[5:14] who have written attendance.
[5:16] They also attended the CCAT, Texas delegation reception, and were able to network with other
[5:22] college presidents, chancellors, and board of trustee members.
[5:26] On Tuesday, we met with Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz, Congressman Mark Veezy, Congressman
[5:33] Colin Allred, Congresswoman Beth Fendine, Congressman Jake Elsie, and legislative staff from
[5:40] Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Congressman Lance Goodon's office.
[5:44] Congresswoman Allred's office arranged for the group to have a tour of the White House
[5:49] on Wednesday morning, and then also we had a private tour of the Capitol.
[5:53] The Dallas College student leaders better known this year as the FAB 4 of 24 were selected
[6:02] from over 40 applicants received from Dallas College students.
[6:06] And at this time, I would like to present the Dallas College 2024 FAB 4 and we're going
[6:12] to start off with Arianna Villarreal, who is president of PTK and vice president of
[6:22] the Student Government Association at Richland College.
[6:25] Sorry, I'm sorry.
[6:30] Thank you, Ms. Richards.
[6:32] Good afternoon, members of the board, Dr. Lawnen and guests.
[6:35] As Ms. Richards mentioned, my name is Arianna Yarrell,
[6:38] and I'm a student at the Richland campus.
[6:41] And at Richland, like Ms. Richards mentioned,
[6:43] I am the Student Government Vice President
[6:45] and also the Phi Theta Kappa President.
[6:48] So my experience attending the National Legislative Summit
[6:51] was nothing short of amazing and filled
[6:54] with a lot of funny memories as Dr. London can attest, the summit really provided a unique
[7:00] opportunity for us to put our words into action as student leaders and really advocate for
[7:05] the student that we represent. So giving back by serving as a voice for thousands of students
[7:11] was one of the biggest honors I have had during my Dallas College career. I must add that as someone
[7:18] who was not born in the United States being able to meet with legislators at the highest level
[7:23] of government is something that 10-year-old Arianna would have never believed, so it was
[7:27] really an honor of a lifetime.
[7:30] And my favorite part of this experience was witnessing the bipartisan support for education.
[7:35] It didn't matter if we were walking into an office with a D or an R next to it, everyone
[7:40] agreed.
[7:41] Community colleges are crucial to our nation as a whole.
[7:45] I was also fortunate enough to join two meetings, one with being led by Dallas College students
[7:51] and another being led by a trustee from a different district.
[7:54] The contrast between the two was stark.
[7:57] And I mentioned this because we're one of the few colleges
[8:00] that does take students to DC,
[8:02] so kudos to Dr. Lawnen for spearheading that.
[8:05] Because let's be honest,
[8:07] in virtually every meeting that Congress members have,
[8:10] there's usually an ask behind it.
[8:12] But we were not going there to ask for funding
[8:14] or ask for grants.
[8:16] We were going there to simply share our stories
[8:18] and how Dallas College changed our lives.
[8:22] And education accessibility for me matters,
[8:25] education affordability matters,
[8:27] because education really is a key
[8:30] to a prosperous society and to change lives,
[8:33] help people improve and just make a better world.
[8:37] And we were really able to show Congress members
[8:39] how Dallas College is spearheading that.
[8:42] And to me, that was the biggest honor.
[8:44] It was such a fantastic experience.
[8:46] And I have you all to thank this work.
[8:48] so thank you.
[8:56] We'll see her on election day someday.
[9:01] Our next student is Caleb Wilborn.
[9:04] Caleb is this, he is the president of the Student Government Association at Cedar Valley College.
[9:18] Good afternoon. Thank you Mrs. Richards for the introduction. As she said, my name is Caleb Wilburn.
[9:26] I am the SGA president for the Cedar Valley campus and again I attended the National Legislative
[9:33] summit. I stand before you today with immense gratitude for Dallas College. Upon my
[9:40] arrival at the nation's capital, I embarked on the National Legislative
[9:44] Summit with uncertainty. However, it quickly became a remarkable
[9:51] opportunity to advocate for community colleges nationwide and share my personal
[9:57] narrative with Congress. Illustrating how their legislation could shape our
[10:02] collective future. From the outset of the summit, I was humbled by the caliber of individuals
[10:09] I encountered. The chance to engage with prominent figures was not only a privilege, but also
[10:18] a profoundly enlightening experience. Thanks to the summit, doors of opportunity began to swing open.
[10:26] Congressman LZ's potential nomination for West Point facilitated through my participation
[10:32] stands as a testament to the impact of such gatherings.
[10:38] Additionally, Congressman VZ's introduction to a former Air Force JAG officer provided
[10:44] invaluable insights into navigating the military landscape and aspirating, I'm sorry, an
[10:51] an aspiration of mine for quite some time.
[10:55] As I prepare to embark on a new chapter at Bayley University,
[10:59] I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support of Dallas College.
[11:03] The journey towards seeking a full tuition scholarship through the Army ROTC
[11:08] has been challenging, yet incredibly rewarding.
[11:12] It underscores Dallas College's commitment to propelling its students
[11:16] not only to success, but through it and beyond.
[11:20] In closing, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Dallas College for
[11:26] insilling me the drive to strive for excellence.
[11:31] My experience and exposure to boundless opportunities are testament to the college's mission.
[11:38] Thank you.
[11:46] And next we have Nonvorio Mark Hartony, sorry, and she is the co-president of Phi Phi
[11:54] at North Light College campus.
[12:06] Thank you, Derry.
[12:07] Good afternoon, Board of Trustee, Board of the Trustee.
[12:12] Good afternoon, Chancellor.
[12:14] My name is Novoia Makatini.
[12:16] Born and raised in South Africa,
[12:18] and I'm so happy to be back.
[12:19] Last time we were standing here,
[12:21] I was being honored as a minor school scholar.
[12:23] And today I'm here to talk about being one of the FAB 4
[12:27] to go to the National Legislative Summit.
[12:29] They already shared a lot about why we went there, what it meant for us, but I would
[12:36] like to share more on the personal side.
[12:39] I honestly think my experience was summed up by the relationships we built with people
[12:45] like the board.
[12:47] We went there, there was so open, they were welcoming, they were telling us like opening doors
[12:52] for us, they were like try this, try that, I personally am trying to pursue public health
[12:57] in policy and I got to talk to Trustee Ritter and he gave me advice and he even mentioned
[13:03] like would you think about going to medical school, which is something that I've never thought
[13:08] about.
[13:09] So this meant to me that Dallas College, the board of the Trustee, they don't just look
[13:14] at the numbers, they look at the students, they want to know what the students are doing,
[13:19] they want the students to succeed.
[13:21] And my trip going to DC, I had never been to DC and as an international student it was
[13:27] a dream come true for me to just step foot at D and D C and I got to learn a lot. I got to meet
[13:33] with congressman congresswomen which was very informative and going forward I'm currently gonna
[13:39] transfer for the fall of 2024. I have bigger dreams than I have ever had and this was made possible
[13:45] by Dallas College and I want to go forward and look at schools that would let me be a student leader
[13:51] because Dallas College showed me that if anything I can be anything that I want to be and I want
[13:57] go forward and look into schools that I can go and represent them and say that Dallas College
[14:02] showed me the way and I can go forward and lead with that. So with that I want to say thank you
[14:08] to Dallas College, thank you to North Lake, Dr. Christus Lago. She is writing recommendation
[14:12] latest for me, even Yale University. So fingers crossed I have bigger dreams now and aspirations
[14:18] because of Dallas College and the trip to DC just summed it up to me like I'm not just a number at
[14:24] Dallas College. Everyone wants the students to succeed. And I'm going to go forward and
[14:28] tell everyone that goes to Dallas College. Dallas College, they want you to be a student.
[14:33] They don't want you to just be a student. They want you to be someone for the community.
[14:37] They want you to grow. And that's one thing that I learned when I went there. Because I'm
[14:41] like, they didn't just take us just to go and represent. Because with most, most students,
[14:45] they told them what to say when they meet with the congressman. I was like, Ms. Debbie, what
[14:50] should I say? I don't want to go first. And she was like, just say a story. Tell them
[14:54] your story and I've got they proud with my story because I know my story is
[14:58] different from someone else and everyone has
[15:01] Thank you very much, and thank you. Thank you. Our fourth student, who couldn't be here today, is Tony Ramirez, and he is president of the Student Government Association, and I hope that he will continue to change the policy and advocate for students and everything that it does. So, thank you very much. Thank you.
[15:28] Our fourth student, who couldn't be here today, is Tony Ramirez, and he is president of the Student Government Association,
[15:35] at Richland and Vice President of the Phi Theta Kappa at Richland. He and I just kind
[15:40] of switched positions on the two different organizations. I also want to mention that
[15:45] two of the students currently are interning in some congressional offices and senators
[15:50] office in our delegation, so that was a nice thing for them to be able to participate.
[15:58] I want to thank you all again for the opportunity for us to take these students to the National
[16:02] legislative summit. It takes a lot of time and it's to come and get away from their studies
[16:08] and participate. But as you can see from what they said, they truly, truly appreciate it,
[16:14] love it. And the individuals that we met with could not have been more engaged with them.
[16:21] And I think this year they were more engaged than any other group we've had.
[16:25] And the conversations they had with the students. And that goes to the quality of the students
[16:29] that we took. So thank you.
[16:32] Anybody have any questions?
[16:37] Well, I just want to say quickly.
[16:39] First of all, you know, for 18 years,
[16:43] that we have done this,
[16:45] that I've had opportunity to be in front of a mic,
[16:48] except that COVID year.
[16:49] I was in front of other mics.
[16:51] That I've said,
[16:53] this is the most amazing group of students.
[16:56] And this year,
[16:58] these four, as you can see,
[17:01] just blew everyone away.
[17:03] They are the model for community college students to be able to tell the story, to put
[17:09] all of those policy issues into action and bring it to life.
[17:13] And they did that so extremely well in all of our engagements.
[17:17] And also, we had a lot of fun.
[17:20] It was a fun group.
[17:22] We enjoyed spending time together.
[17:25] And so, as Debbie just said, it takes a lot of time and effort to put this sort of thing
[17:29] together.
[17:29] so appreciate Debbie for all she did to help bring it all together and then certainly appreciate
[17:36] Vice Chair Ritter and also Trustee Boyd for their participation. Many of our trustees have
[17:42] participated in years past and it is a enriching experience to get to spend time with these students
[17:48] and so I appreciate you all joining taking time out of your schedule to participate as well.
[17:53] And if I could ask the other people that came with us, Brad and Perla, and Juan to come
[17:59] with the picture.
[18:00] Absolutely.
[18:01] Great picture.
[18:02] Thank you.
[18:03] Thank you so much for representing us.
[18:05] So well.
[18:07] Please join us.
[18:08] Thank you.
[20:26] Moving right along, not only are students accomplishing amazing things, but so are our administrators, staff,
[20:33] and faculty.
[20:33] And so I want to mention the Texas Association of Chicano's and Higher Education holds an
[20:40] event every year, the number of our staff participate in, and one of the things they do is they
[20:46] recognize they distinguish community college staff member who's nominated based upon their
[20:51] professionalism, productivity, customer service, and several other criteria.
[20:57] And Dallas College is proud to have one of our own that was recognized, so I'd like to invite
[21:02] Dr. Joseph Kama to come up and introduce our special guest.
[21:08] Good afternoon, Chair Rao, members of the board, Chancellor O'Lean, and I'm delighted to have
[21:14] the opportunity to share with you a little bit of information about our touch of chapter.
[21:19] And then I will introduce the president of the chapter that will be providing some more
[21:25] information about Mr. Robledo, who is the award winner.
[21:31] So, Dallas College, the Tatchet Chapter was officially formed over the summer of 2023
[21:38] after approval from the Tatchet Executive State Board.
[21:42] So we have a group, a leadership group, that works and has worked really well together
[21:48] to move this forward.
[21:51] So the Dallas College Tatchet Chapter Officers are Martha Fernandes, who's the President,
[21:56] Robert Reyes, the Vice President, Betsy Rivas, Secretary,
[22:00] Johnathan Estrada, Tresher,
[22:03] Carelli-Rossas,
[22:05] membership coordinator, and Francisco Breone,
[22:08] the communications coordinator.
[22:10] And we also have a touch of chapter advisors
[22:13] who have state positions on the board,
[22:17] Jennifer Bustillos, who's the state pressure
[22:19] and she works in our HR department,
[22:22] and Dr. David Barrentos, who's the VP of Technology,
[22:25] who works at the belief board of Gloria.
[22:27] area. And so there's been a lot of work and a lot of dedication and a lot of hours
[22:33] that these individuals have put together to make sure that this having a chapter became
[22:38] a reality. So building up to the conference, the chapter hosted a series of professional
[22:43] development events. So they had a kickoff session in the fall with guest speakers from HR,
[22:50] are from student success and from advancement and innovation.
[22:53] They had a webinar for self-advocacy to attend the conference.
[22:58] And they also had another webinar to provide instruction for folks who might not know how
[23:04] to put a conference proposal together for Tatches, so they walked them through to make sure
[23:10] that they knew what was required for participation in the conference.
[23:16] So this is just a bit of the information of the work that have been done and without further
[23:22] ado, I would like to introduce to you the inaugural president of the touch of chapter,
[23:27] Ms. Martha Fernandez.
[23:31] Good afternoon, good afternoon, board and chancellor.
[23:34] I have the distinct honor of presenting Hector or Bledo, which true to the theme of tonight
[23:40] and of the conference which was crecemos juntos.
[23:43] We grow together. Hector is an example of us growing our own, from serving as a
[23:50] work study student in 2016 to 2017 and graduating from Dallas College Eastfield.
[23:56] He is now in high-regitation in our own industry, so go Dallas College for
[24:02] investing early in our own talent and go Hector because he is now a distinguished
[24:07] success coach, has been so for two years, is actively engaged in his community,
[24:12] and he received the Distinguished Community College Staff Award at the Taché Conference,
[24:18] where folks are nominated by mentors and or peers.
[24:22] And so now I handed over to Hector to share a little bit about his experience.
[24:36] Good afternoon board members and esteemed guests.
[24:40] I wanted to start off that I was also a National Legislative Summit back in 2018.
[24:46] So I've seen a lot of familiar pieces out here.
[24:52] I just want to say that I am a current success coach here at Dallas College at the L Central location.
[24:59] I am privileged to work closely with our students.
[25:04] I get to see everybody's story.
[25:06] I get to see everybody's background.
[25:08] I get to see how everybody has a different challenge, how everybody wishes to transform their lives.
[25:14] and I just want to start off that you have truly transformed my life.
[25:19] If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here.
[25:23] Each day I get to collaborate with amazing success coaches, different departments,
[25:28] and I just, my heart is full.
[25:32] It's full that it's kind of hard navigating through this right now.
[25:39] But it's okay.
[25:40] I, I, I am lost at words with the amazing things you have done towards Dallas
[25:48] College. I know you don't get it right the first time. We're not perfect, but we
[25:52] are, we will get there eventually. I know for a fact that as a success coach, there's
[26:00] much more that we have opportunities to do, whether it's finding new barriers, new
[26:06] possibilities for our students, deep diving into new opportunities. I know for
[26:13] fact there's other innovative workforce opportunities for our students.
[26:18] There's always funding out there but we really want to be intentional. And you
[26:24] providing the services that you provide to our students and our staff, I can attest
[26:30] that you are being intentional. So thank you so much for this and if it were for
[26:34] me. And Dallas College I wouldn't be here. So I really am thankful for your time, your
[26:41] presence and for transforming my life. Thank you so much.
[26:52] Yes, Trustee Flores.
[26:53] I'm so glad to see that in recent years, Dallas College has really invested in our employees
[26:59] being able to participate in this conference. I have a doubt just story, but I will repeat
[27:03] it for the 20th time in terms of when I was an employee. But coincidentally, Hector and
[27:10] And I were in the Masters of Public Leadership program at UNT Dallas, and at that time he
[27:15] was an employee over there.
[27:16] I didn't realize you had started out at Dallas College, but I'm so proud of you and your
[27:20] success.
[27:21] And I certainly know your worth at work ethic through knowing you in that program.
[27:27] So congratulations to you and congratulations for everything you do for Tatcha and Martha
[27:31] and the Tatcha chapter.
[27:34] Great work.
[27:35] Thank you so much.
[27:36] I just like to add.
[27:37] I think that's such, this is such a full circle moment for you to see the presentation
[27:42] right before you of other attendees and because we always think like all we hope they
[27:48] go on to better bigger and better things but we don't know, right?
[27:51] And you are like, you were there six years ago and now you're here again.
[27:58] So congratulations.
[28:02] And
[28:06] now we're ready for the photo.
[30:00] Okay, and that is all for our presentations today. So we will move on to Chancellor and Board
[30:05] announcements, announcements from the Chancellor. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a couple things
[30:09] that I'll mention. First of all, we are now in Women's History Month, and so I want
[30:14] to take a moment to acknowledge that. As everybody who looks up here at these amazing women
[30:20] leaders that serve on our board, as we look around the room, our executive team that is
[30:28] primarily female and so we thank you all for what you do to support Dallas
[30:34] College and there's a number of activities across the college to recognize
[30:38] women's history this month and so I encourage everybody to take a look at
[30:43] those. There's a women's empowerment leadership conference at Brookhaven and
[30:47] Mountain View later this week so I hope people will take time to participate and
[30:53] and learn about some trailblazing women in Texas.
[30:57] And then also, I want to mention
[30:59] and publicly welcome the board from the league
[31:02] for innovation who's in Dallas this week
[31:05] that we are hosting them with a number of activities
[31:08] to really showcase and share the innovative work
[31:11] that's going on here at Dallas College.
[31:13] And so I appreciate Dr. Slaco will be engaging with them
[31:19] both at our construction campus and also at Brookhaven
[31:22] to showcase some of our innovative programs.
[31:25] And as I've said before, we are a founding member of the league
[31:29] when it started in 1968.
[31:32] And we submitted our re-affirmation report in this last year,
[31:37] so it really captured and reflect the innovative work
[31:40] that goes on here, so we're glad to have them in town
[31:42] so we can showcase some of that.
[31:45] And then also I wanted to mention last week, last Thursday,
[31:48] We had our professional development days with a couple of days full of activities really to support our employees, engaging in a number of professional development activities that was kicked off by employee forum that we did virtually
[32:07] and had a number of participants with us at Eastfield where we engaged in some questions that had been asked previously and then took some additional questions
[32:17] from employees and so I appreciate the production team and the
[32:20] events team and everybody that made that happen. And then the rest of
[32:23] professional development just appreciate the professional development team,
[32:27] Lewis and somebody of his team to put those on. And then also our leadership
[32:31] teams that on Friday had more departmental activities. And so I appreciate all
[32:37] they did. If you have the chance to go on LinkedIn or some of the social media
[32:43] platforms you can see the number of posts the employees had around professional development
[32:50] day and so it was a tremendous success and so I appreciate everybody that helped support
[32:54] that and certainly two employees that took time to really stop and pause and force to
[33:00] learn together, network together, share together of how we can better serve our students and
[33:05] serve our communities and then finally employees and staff members probably aware next week
[33:12] spring break. So we'll be giving our team members a break, students will be taking a break.
[33:18] And so I hope everyone has an opportunity to refresh and recharge and come back after
[33:23] that to finish up the spring semester. So with that matter, Jenna concludes my remarks.
[33:28] Thank you. I do. We have any trustees with announcement.
[33:35] You know, I have been sitting here thinking and thinking about a lot of things for the
[33:45] past week and taking the students to the summit was one of the things that I had forgotten.
[33:55] I'm retired.
[33:58] This is my last term on the board.
[34:06] I was elected in June of 2000.
[34:10] I took my seat in June of 2000 and this will be 24 years that I served on the board.
[34:22] And I was just thinking when I saw these students, when I sat on this board, the makeup and
[34:32] the personalities were completely different.
[34:36] I got them to loosen up because
[34:42] they were a little apprehensive because I was not the
[34:46] chosen candidate, I beat the chosen candidate. So they started asking around about me and
[34:55] so forth. And one of the things that they heard for sure that I was outspoken and they
[35:03] were a little apprehensive about that. But I want the ACCT for the first time and I know
[35:11] us there were students there and I know they wouldn't go for, we need to elect, create
[35:19] a seat for a student trustee because some community colleges have student trustees
[35:25] that are elected.
[35:27] So you know, got me to think that the least we could do was you know, take some students
[35:36] to these meetings and give them an opportunity to interact in a different
[35:43] world. So this was my idea and I always forget about it now and I guess this
[35:50] was my idea day for them to show up and talk about it all whatever most of them
[35:56] come back wanting to be a politician you know whatever but over the years we've
[36:04] provided this opportunity from students
[36:07] of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities.
[36:11] I remember one lady and she was up in eight.
[36:16] She had never been on an airplane,
[36:18] never been out of Dallas County.
[36:22] And I mean, she just had a biologist,
[36:24] she was so enthusiastic.
[36:26] So I'm gonna have we could do that.
[36:29] You remember that the honor when we decided
[36:31] to do that or whatever, but I thought I owed you a formal announcement that I'm
[36:39] retiring and I want everybody to know I've met some wonderful people and we've
[36:46] all clocked a lot of miles together. One of the things that I always get
[36:53] emotional about and I tear up about is that I've heard so many students say
[37:00] Since I've sat on this board,
[37:05] this gave me the confidence to do this or try this.
[37:13] I needed to believe in myself.
[37:16] And for everybody who's contributed to helping shape a life, provide opportunities, open
[37:25] doors, manner, advice, I thank you.
[37:29] you've done a really good job and you've made me proud over the years. I'm going to miss
[37:36] everybody because everybody keeps asking me what you're going to do every month and I keep
[37:41] telling them I find something called whatever but you know it's time for some new blood and
[37:50] I found it's just going to be a placeholder through mate but five people found to run for the seat.
[37:58] So, I'm thinking it'll probably go to a run out.
[38:02] So, you might have me a little bit longer, whatever, but I'll be with you through May
[38:10] for sure, but I want you to know it's been a hell of a ride, and I've been doing it
[38:17] and Community College has been a big part of my life for a long, long time, and I have
[38:25] I'm an associate's degree from Mountain View and I tell anybody that education changes lives.
[38:33] It opens new doors and new windows and it makes you see life from a different perspective
[38:40] and it certainly did that for me because I'm not afraid to try new things for sure.
[38:48] And I still be around hopefully I'm running the people's different places and if you
[38:55] let me probably come to some events when I can, but I wanted everybody to know that
[39:02] into here for me.
[39:30] Thank you, Trustee Compton for sharing those words with us.
[39:34] You were the board chair when I first got elected eight years ago, so for me it was very
[39:41] normal to see a female in this position, but you were the first black female chair of
[39:48] our board, so thank you for everything you've done for our board and our college.
[39:55] Do any other trustees have any announcements or comments?
[40:00] I just want to say I've heard in the student speaking was quite low, wanted to make sure
[40:06] everybody understood that two of those three speakers today are probably going to Baylor
[40:11] University.
[40:14] That says a whole lot for Dallas College, that Baylor would take our graduates, right?
[40:22] So that's an accreditation thing that's wonderful to know and so that's why I go on the trips
[40:28] I recruit every trip and so I mean those are really, really special guys.
[40:35] The one that didn't show up today, he's at a job, he's working, but he was homeless for
[40:42] a while when he came back to Dallas College and living in his car.
[40:48] And he had gone to New York to be in the music world and that just didn't work out after
[40:54] a few years.
[40:55] And when he came back, he realized he had to buckle down and college gave him a chance
[41:01] and they're really, really special people.
[41:06] Any other trustees?
[41:09] No, okay.
[41:10] Just other announcements on my part.
[41:13] Last week, Trustee Boyd, the Chancellor
[41:17] and Vice Chancellor Ben Miguel went down to Lakeway, Texas
[41:23] and did a presentation at the Board of Trustees Institute
[41:26] on the ways we're implementing AI
[41:31] into our education model and I think we blew away many of the colleges there and I think
[41:38] Trustee Boyd and I learned a lot about all the different ways for implementing AI so
[41:44] that was a great experience and I think Trustee Boyd wants to add something.
[41:47] Well one other statement you remember when I told them I am an expert in AI all of my intelligence
[41:54] is artificial.
[42:01] I told him he had to bring in some comedy for the presentation. He did his job
[42:08] very well. Yes and also as always I'd like to recognize our retirees. We have two
[42:19] Dana C. 14 years of service and Sonja Gwyn 26 years of service. Thank you to the success
[42:28] of Dallas College and thank you and good life on your next step. And lastly I would just
[42:35] like to add hope everybody enjoys their spring break. I see a lot of smiles in the sky.
[42:41] I think everybody is going to enjoy their time off, especially after this meeting, I hope you enjoy it.
[42:51] Okay, and so now we will move on to item 8, opportunity for members of the board in Chancellor to declare
[42:58] a complex of interest specific to this agenda. Does anybody want to declare a complex of interest?
[43:05] Madam Chair, I have a conflict of interest for item 10.1 on this agenda.
[43:12] So I'll be recusing myself from voting when this item comes up first to vote on.
[43:17] No, thank you.
[43:19] I would like to clear a conflict of interest for item 10.1 of the March 5th, 2024 regular
[43:30] are amazing agenda and I'll be using myself when this item comes up for that.
[43:37] Thank you Trustee Compton and Flores we will consider that item separately.
[43:43] Okay and so now we will move on to the consent agenda.
[43:47] We will be at this time 9.2 we will be tabling item 9.2 from the consent agenda.
[43:58] So at this point I would like to entertain a motion to approve items 9.1 and 9.3.
[44:06] So move.
[44:08] Okay.
[44:09] All in favor, please say aye.
[44:10] Aye.
[44:10] Aye.
[44:11] All opposed.
[44:12] Please say nay.
[44:13] Any abstentions?
[44:15] The motion passes.
[44:17] And trustees, please be sure to stay a moment after the board meeting to sign the 9.3 resolution
[44:24] as it requires all of our signatures for adoption.
[44:30] Okay, now we will move on to item 10.1.
[44:35] Can I entertain a motion to approve 10.1?
[44:40] So move.
[44:41] Second.
[44:42] Okay, great.
[44:43] It has been moved in second.
[44:45] All in favor, please say aye.
[44:47] Aye.
[44:47] Opposites please say nay.
[44:50] Abstentions?
[44:51] Abstain.
[44:53] Abstain.
[44:53] Okay, two abstentions and I have have it in the motion does pass
[45:01] Item 11. We have a policy item for burst reading. Can we please have?
[45:11] Good afternoon. You've
[45:13] got 12 policy updates from the Texas Association of School Boards, our policy manager. They provide
[45:21] us quarterly updates, based on legislative changes and best practices. Since we just had
[45:27] legislative session. We have quite a few updates and I've been trying to bring them to you in buckets.
[45:32] This is the second bucket and it touches on a number of areas including personnel leave,
[45:39] protections for pregnant and parenting students, and board member training. So if you have any
[45:45] questions please reach out to our office. This is first reading and so we'll come back next month for
[45:50] second. Thank you. Thank you okay informative reports do we have any comments or questions
[45:58] on any of the informative reports? I did not see the NBE report typically they were
[46:05] a part of the informative reports on each agenda. I hadn't checked that report in a while
[46:10] so I'm not sure when we stopped including it. Yeah I won't follow up yet to push it in.
[46:20] Seeing no other comments on informative reports, we don't need an executive session.
[46:27] So with that, it is 5 p.m. on the dot.
[46:29] The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the House will have time to vote.
[46:32] Now, Jern.
[46:33] So, yes, please go about it.