LCC board wraps up 2024 fiscal year

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

The last LCC Board of Trustees meeting of this academic year occurred June 17 in the administrative building, but opened with a special public hearing on the 2025 budget proposal.

Chair Angela Mathews opened the hearing with a welcome and a few reminders.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to open a public hearing on the fiscal year 2025 proposed budget,” Mathews said. “As required by law, the Board of Trustees published a formal notice in the Lansing State Journal and on the LCC website.”

She said any speaker would have only three minutes, after which they would be asked to step down from the podium.

“We don’t want to do that,” she said. “We want to hear you.”

Unfortunately, no one offered any comments. A motion was made to close the public hearing and the motion was carried.

From there, the normal board meeting began with a brief but meaningful presentation on the meaning of Juneteenth, followed by the monthly president’s report.

Most characteristically, LCC President Dr. Steve Robinson opened things with something funny.

“I always like to start off by showing a written copy of the president’s report,” Robinson said, holding up a copy. “The cover this time is a motorcycle safety class that we do through the State of Michigan, which happens out at west campus. I can tell you they do this in all weather, so if it is happening today, it is happening in a very hot parking lot.

“I actually took the advanced rider course this year, and I managed to make it through registration, taking the class and passing the class without anybody knowing that I was the president of the college, so it was really good that I passed.”

He added since there was a full agenda, he planned to keep things brief.

“There have been four collective bargaining agreements which have been ratified by the labor organizations,” he said. “I do want to let you know that the team and I very strongly recommend board approval of these four collective bargaining agreements.”

Robinson reminded the board that each member was invited to the unveiling of the Dr. Brent Knight Arts and Sciences Building that occurred on June 25.

He thanked the event planners and also the designers of the project, individually and by name, and then cut straight to introducing the new hires to allow more time for discussion surrounding agenda topics.

After all introductions, the new hires were allowed to leave. Then LCC Senior Vice President of Business Operations Dr. Selena Samuel and an assortment of strategic planning consultants discussed the first draft of the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan that, according to the informational packet released, “promotes student success and institutional growth.”

Notably, Trustee Samantha Vaive spoke up to tell folks of the variety of parenting scholarship going unused every semester.

“This is a reminder that LCC offers a variety of wonderful courses, for all types of people, in all stages of life,” Vaive said. “So, if you are faculty, or staff, or a parent, or a partner, or a spouse or a friend, you can take a class at LCC. YOU could qualify for an LCC scholarship.”

Other consent agenda action items included an amendment to a lease agreement between LCC and Howell Public Schools; extending the lease until July 31, 2025. It is proposed to cost $284,784, but over 100 LCC classes will continue to be an option for Howell residents.

A blanket purchase order was requested in the amount of $272,676 for LCC’s customer relationship management software services over a course of three years and there was a request for proposal to select qualified contracts to provide fabrication and restoration services.

A total of $1.7 million was requested for the proposed renovations of the third level of the Gannon Building. Trustee LaShunda Thomas politely asked for a better explanation of the funds’ use.

Dr. Robinson fielded the question and shared a bit of LCC history.

“The Gannon Building was built in 1976 as one of our workforce buildings and this is the last pocket of the building that has not been renovated,” he explained. “If you have been up there, you can tell it has served us very, very well, but a few of the adjacent rooms and especially the bathrooms are very dated. They look like they are out of a movie from 1975.”

He also said that the centerpiece of the third floor is an African American Commemoration. He expressed concern that the rest of the space, if not renovated, would detract from the exhibit.

There was also a request for an additional $65,000 to cover financial aid services and a request for $2.6 million for continued business with the LCC Architect and Engineering Pool.

A total of $100,972 was requested for LCC’s Sierra Library System and $424,730 was requested to renew LCC’s work management software system, Team Dynamix, for a five-year period.

Another $300,000 was requested to be paid to a qualified contractor to provide needed metals to support students, and $194,779 was requested to renew services needed for labor and material to support annual maintenance and utility management.

There was a request to renew a purchase order, in the amount of $287,400, for LCC’s VMware Horizon Enterprise Licenses to support the virtual desktop infrastructure. Another $382,250 was requested for library resources to be provided by Midwest Collaborative for library services over a two-year period.

Lastly, Robinson requested to amend board bylaw 1.7.4, in order to be immediately forwarded all communications or complaints sent to the board via the board liaison, so he can personally respond in a timely manner if necessary.

No police report for the month of June was dispersed.