Tuesday, September 9, 2008 9:38 PM CDT
Shelbyville man is new member of Lake Land board
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
EFFINGHAM — The Lake Land College Board of Trustees on Monday night chose a Shelbyville man as a new board member.
Carl Hart of Shelbyville was appointed by the board after interviews of three other candidates. Hart, a retiree with 24 years of management experience with Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur, applied for filling the board vacancy to “contribute more time to community service.”
Hart also volunteers time with Habitat for Humanity in Shelby County. His sons completed undergraduate work at Lake Land.
The other applicants for appointment were William Hall of Charleston, Richard West of Mattoon and Jeremy Richey of Charleston. Hall works with the Illinois Secretary of State office in Charleston, and West is a certified public accountant and managing partner of West & Co, LLC, at Mattoon. Richey is an attorney and a former assistant state's attorney for Coles County.
Board members spoke separately with each candidate during a closed session to help with their decision. The appointment will fill the vacancy left with the recent resignation of Kent Metzger, whose term ends next year.
Hart will serve in that seat until the April 7 board of trustees election. The appointee would be eligible to seek election to a full term on the board.
In other business, the board approved changes to the hiring policy to include background checks in the future. The change takes effect with a revision of Board Policy 5.10 to include pre-employment screenings to “promote a safer working environment.”
“In today’s environment, it is best to make sure we’re putting the right people in the classroom,” said college President Scott Lensink during Monday’s meeting. “These background screenings used to be only for public safety and child care positions.”
The vote was unanimous for the policy change with votes cast by board Chairwoman Doris Reynolds and trustees Leland Glazebrook, Mike Sullivan, Jim Shaffer, Marianne Morgan and Tom Niebrugge and student trustee Brittany Hosselton.
The board also approved continuation of the foundation tax levy at a rate of 7.16 cents per $100 equalized assessed valuation, which is .84 cents below the rate last year. This rate will apply to areas of the college district in Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Shelby, Moultrie, Effingham, Clark, Edgar, Fayette, Jasper, Clay, Macon and Montgomery counties.
Lake Land is one of 19 community college districts eligible for this type of foundation since its combined operations levies are below the state average of 25.16 cents per $100 EAV. Lake Land’s levy average is 18 cents per $100 EAV.
Sullivan said recently only seven community college districts in Illinois were eligible for the foundation option.
The board also approved a $9,435-per-quarter lease agreement with Crossroads Workforce Investment Board at 305 Richmond Ave. East in Mattoon. The lease covers 2,516 square feet under an agreement from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009.
Academic transfer agreements were approved to assist community college computer-aided drafting students seeking industrial technology degrees with Eastern Illinois University and for Lake Land nursing students seeking degrees in nursing at Indiana State University.
Jim Hull, Lake Land vice president of academic services, said both agreements provide “a way to transfer seamlessly” from LLC to the four-year universities. Indiana State also has a long-time policy to offer in-state status to community college districts contiguous to that university.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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