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The Northeast Iowa Community College Board of Trustees met on Monday, July 12, 2010.
Area business and industry are partnering with Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) on a new academic program to begin Fall 2012 which would supply lab technicians in the agriculture and food science industries. These technicians would gain valuable chemistry skills that would allow them to conduct research and testing in fields such as agricultural-based renewable energy like ethanol and biodiesel; and food science industries ranging from dairy processing to the development of technology-based food ingredients. This chemical technology program is in addition to a wind energy turbine maintenance and repair program that is beginning this fall as well as other non-credit renewable energy training programs.
To help fund the start-up costs of the program, the college has applied for several grants including one from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Community Facilities grant program. At their regularly scheduled board meeting, NICC trustees set a public hearing to review the application for this program as required by USDA. It was set for Monday, August 16 at 3:00 p.m. In other news, trustees approved a bid for welding electrode and filler metal, and fuel gases and shielding gases for the Peosta campus welding program. The bid was awarded to Superior Welding Co., of Dubuque for a total of $21,931. Trustees also approved the assignment and assumption agreement between Progress Casting Group Inc.and Atek Precision Castings, LLC. The New Hampton-based company has agreed to create 150 jobs at an average wage of $12.73 per hour plus benefits. Calmar Campus Provost Liang Chee Wee reported that the NICC's fall staff convocation will be held on Wednesday, August 4. The Calmar meeting will be held in the morning and the Peosta staff will meet in the afternoon. Faculty convocation will be held on Tuesday, August 17 via video conference between the campuses to save on travel costs. Vice President Curt Oldfield announced that the August graduation ceremony for the Peosta campus will be held on Wednesday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at the Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School in Dubuque. The Calmar campus has traditionally never had an August graduation ceremony. In the future, both campuses will only hold one graduation each year in the spring to save costs. John Noel, vice president of finance and administration, updated the board on campus construction. The project to improve the Calmar campus drive has been delayed, explained Noel. "We hope that the project can still be done this summer." Noel also stated that the Calmar campus entrance signage on Highways 150 and 24 are progressing as planned and the student center is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. In related news, Peosta Campus Provost Amy Esterhuizen stated that the Peosta campus industrial technologies building will be open for the fall semester and an open house is being planned for September 1 at 3:00 p.m. In her president's report, Dr. Penny Wills noted that due to construction on the Calmar campus, there will not be a Fall Fest held this year. This activity, which is usually held the first Thursday of September, will be replaced with an event in October to give community members a tour and update on the progress of the new student center. Board members approved collective bargaining agreements between NICC and the NICC Support Staff Association and the NICC Higher Education Association for FY 2011 pending ratification by the membership of each association. The Board voted to increase the base salary for full-time, non-bargaining staff members by $500 plus one percent for FY2011. The trustees approved the hiring of Tefera Alemu, electronics technology instructor; Amy Esterhuizen, Peosta campus provost; and Albert Grivetti, computer science instructor, all at the Peosta campus. Calmar Campus appointments included Tara Foster, administrative assistant to the vice president of finance and administration; Brian Ondrashek, carpentry instructor; Dana Orr-Dotzenrod, early childhood instructor; and Selene Schirmer, admissions/financial aid receptionist. Sharon Speckhard was approved for hire as the district-wide adult literacy director located at the Dubuque Center. The NICC Board of Trustees met on Monday, July 12, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. at the Calmar campus. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, August 16, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. at the Peosta campus. ### |
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