President’s Monday Briefing - December 17, 2007
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On a personal note… I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who put in numerous hours each week to serve our students. Many faculty, administrators, and staff work tirelessly to improve teaching and learning at College of Marin. I am grateful to all of you for your commitment to excellence. Best wishes for the holidays and have a very Happy New Year! Budget FAQ: What is a fund balance reserve? Fund balance is required to be reported in two components—reserved and unreserved. When the fund balance is reserved, it either means that the resources are in a form that cannot be appro-priated and spent (such as inventory) or that the resources are legally limited to being used for a particular purpose. The portion of the fund balance that is not reserved is called an unreserved fund balance. An unreserved fund balance represents resources that can be used for any purpose of the fund they are reported in. Unreserved fund balance in a debt service fund can be used to repay any outstanding debt. Unreserved fund balance in the general fund can be used for any purpose at all. Why does COM have a reserve? Since the College of Marin is a “Basic Aid” district, a sizable reserve is required to protect the college from unforeseen events. The revenue from taxes in a fluctuating real estate market is less predictable than the guarantee of state apportionment that non-basic aid districts receive. For that reason, basic aid districts generally maintain a fiscal reserve in excess of state minimum guidelines in order to soften the possible effect of local property taxes plummeting due to an unexpected downturn in the real estate market or other factors. How is the amount of the reserve determined? The State recommends a minimum reserve of 5%. COM’s reserve is currently projected at 7.6%. The Grand Jury recommended that the college have a reserve of over 30% to cover expenses in the event that the district falls out of basic aid status. At its monthly meeting in October 2007, the COM Board of Trustees adopted a resolution addressing Reserve Operating Principles and Guidelines, which established a minimum reserve of no less than 7.6% and, to the extent possible, a target of achieving a 17% reserve over time. A prudent contingency reserve is at least equal to the current-year differential between a district’s basic aid revenue and the state’s funding formula guarantee. What is the source of reserve funding? Reserve funding is the ending fund balance, which is set-aside or designated (reserved) for a particular purpose. What is an ending fund balance? A fund balance is created when the school district has money left over at the end of its fiscal year from either under spending the budget or taking in additional revenue or a carryover of its beginning fund balance. It is also the difference between assets and liabilities in a governmental fund. As of July 1, 2007, the Board designated $1.4 million from the 06-07 ending fund balance for one-time use in the 07-08 budget. Fund balances in all other funds are restricted and designed for the purposes of those funds only. How much of a reserve does COM have? COM’s reserve is currently at 7.6%. For the 07-08 budget year COM has a projected budget reserve of $3,429,120.
What is an unfunded liability? COM, like many other community colleges, provided an employer paid health benefit to retirees. GASB 43 and 45 require that 1) the past liability is calculated, and 2) the actual expense or cost of the benefit is recorded each year over the working career of the employee. The unfunded liability is an actuarial estimate of the cost to fund the past, present, and future cost of the benefit. COM is funding its liability in advance of the required date. As of June 30, 2006, the Board designated and transferred $1,000,000 into the Retiree Unfunded Medical Liability Fund. By reserving for the unfunded liability, the college is positioning itself so that the mandatory payments are smaller than they would be without the reserved amount. Kudos At the November 11, 2007 General Assembly of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, Student Trustee Hoa Long Tam authored a resolution for the statewide Student Senate to make California Community Colleges carbon neutral by 2035. The resolution passed unanimously. Upcoming June Yokell, Outreach Assistant, will be having a one person show featuring her recent oil paintings at the Mill Valley Community Center. The event is scheduled for January 3-30, with a reception on Tuesday, January 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 2008 Mileage Reimbursement Effective January 1, 2008, the Mileage Reimbursement Rate will increase to 50.5 cents per mile. Personnel Actions from the December 11, 2007 Board Meeting Classified Personnel
Academic Personnel
Educational Management Personnel
January Flex Program Update All scheduled Flex workshops, locations, and updates will be posted on the online Faculty and Staff calendar (click on “Faculty and Staff” under the “Calendar of Events” section at the College homepage). Flex guidelines and complete Flex workshop descriptions will be sent via College email and posted on the Organizational Development and Planning Website (click on “People at Marin” on the College homepage.) Independent Flex Days: Wednesday, January 16, and Thursday, January 17 Attention Program Review Participants! 2-day Program Review Boot Camp Wednesday, January 16, and Thursday, January 17 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., BC 101 Lunch provided! To comply with WASC’s urgent recommendations, College of Marin’s Institutional Planning Committee invites all persons scheduled for Program Review to a two-day intensive Boot Camp. This hands-on workshop will give you the tools, data and guidance to jump start your program review. By the end of this workshop, PR participants will understand how to:
Facilitators: Yolanda Bellisimo, Patrick Kelly, Sarah McKinnon, Patty O’Keefe, Derek Wilson, and Blaze Woodlief. Please email Kathleen Kirkpatrick if you plan to attend. A complete description is on the Faculty and Staff Calendar Online Calendar and will be emailed to all faculty. Rosters and Gradebooks Made Easy! Thursday, January 17 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., SC 144 Presented by Alice Dieli This session will begin with a demonstration of a working “automated gradebook,” followed by a hands-on activity beginning with logging in to the COM Intranet from an off campus computer through finding your roster, copying and pasting it to Excel, adding data, creating formulas, applying the formulas quickly to the entire list of students, and finally sorting the data. Participants will receive a handout with step-by-step instructions along with a phone number and email contact for help. Prerequisites!! Participants need to know their COM Login Name and Password. If you do not know your Login Name and Password but still want to attend the session, email Alice Dieli or call her at x7540 before January 14 to have that information ready for you at the session.
Get Online with Web-based Teaching! Thursday, January 17 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., SC 144 Presented by COM faculty Cheryl Goldman and Kathleen Smyth This hands-on workshop will teach you how to begin to integrate innovative web-based learning into your teaching curriculum. Blackboard/WebCT gives you the tools necessary to post your syllabus and homework assignments, create a class calendar, and develop a discussion board for your students. This workshop is designed for faculty who are new to online learning and/or Blackboard/WebCT. Email Kathleen Smyth by Monday, January 14, to register. Mandatory Flex Day: Friday, January 18 Spring College (Flex) Convocation 10 a.m. - 12 noon, Olney Hall 96 Department Meetings 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Check Department Chair for location. Reminder! Fall Flex Verification Forms from all full-time and part-time faculty are due in Human Resources by Friday, December 15. Forms can be downloaded from the Office of Organizational Development Website (link under “People at Marin” on the College homepage.) Police Training at IVC The College of Marin is providing space for "Active Shooter" training for all Marin County Law Enforcement Officers. Approximately 250 officers (about 25 at a time) will be training to respond to an "active shooter" situation. By using the College, they will be more familiar with our surroundings in the event they ever need to respond to assist us. Students and staff can expect to see uniformed officers in the area of Building 6 at the IVC Campus. Officers will be walking through scenarios and patterns as part of the training. You may hear loud yelling and noises if you are near the building, but most noise should be contained inside. There will be many signs posted in the area of the training to advise people that this is only a training exercise. The College Police would like to thank everyone for their help and understanding during the scheduling of this event, and during the actual training exercises. The classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates: January 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, and 18. COM Athletics Results Women’s Basketball: American River 76 Marin 33 Men’s Basketball: Butte 64 Marin 62 Upcoming Home Games Women’s Basketball vs. Cerro Coso, Wednesday, December 19, 4 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs. Lassen, Thursday, January 3, 6 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Napa, Friday, January 4, 7 p.m. Performing Arts Department Schedule Music For additional information on any of the following Music Department productions, call (415) 485-9460 (x7460). Contemporary Opera Marin Contemporary Opera Marin presents Homegrown 2 - more operas by Marin County composers, Broken Jukebox by COM faculty member Tara Flandreau, and two works by Tiburon composer Ron McFarland: Tamsen Donner and his micro opera, The Audition of Molly Bloom. Paul Smith is director of the production. The performances will be in the Fine Arts Building on Friday, January 18, and Saturdays, January 17 and 26, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, January 27, at 2 p.m. Admission is $10 general and $5 for students, staff, seniors, and alumni. Romantic Rarities II Paul Smith, with piano duo Szervanszky/Cavaye and guest violist George Thomson, will perform Hector Berlioz' Harold in Italy in Chabrier's arrangement for one piano/four hands and viola, and Camille Saint Saens' two piano transcription of the Piano Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt. In addition to performing, Paul Smith will also be directing this production. For details and reservations, call (415) 485-9460 (x7460). Performances are scheduled at the following venues:
Performing Arts Department A Performing Arts Department combined production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be offered on February 29, March 1, 7, 8, 14, and 15 at 8 p.m. and March 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. This production will be directed by James Dunn, with musical direction by Tara Flandreau and choreography by Sandra Tanner. It is set to the music of Felix Mendelssohn and will be performed by the COM Orchestra. Tickets are $18 for general and $15 for students, seniors, COM staff, and alumni. For reserved seating, please call the box office at (415) 485-9385. Happy Holidays! Frances L.White, Ph.D. Superintendent/President
President's Monday Briefing webpage |
College of Marin is one of 112 public community colleges in California and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Approximately 10,000 credit and noncredit students enroll each fall and spring semester. Classes also are offered during the summer.
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