"We must begin now to do a rigorous self-study that must be completed prior to the 2006 fall semester," Kieft said. "This must be a major focus of the next administration and it will take dollars to complete."

Kieft also announced that the college has received two grants from the U.S. Department of Education under the "No Child Left Behind" act. The college submitted two proposals, one in math and one in teacher preparation, and both were funded for an approximate total of $200,000. "This is quite unusual for more than one grant to be funded, so the college should be proud," he said.

These new grants bring to 54 the number of grants the college has received this past year, as compared to 32 last year. Dollars awarded jumped from $2.2 million last year to $8.5 million this year. When calculating the total over the life of the grants, the figures go from $25 million to $43 million. "We are getting more aggressive and better at preparing grants," Kieft said.

Change in student insurance requirement

The Board of Trustees voted to increase the waiver standards for student health insurance, effective with the 2005 fall semester. The vote came after Steve Monaco, director of the Health Center at Auraria, proposed the change to address the Board's concern that the cost of mandatory health insurance might be a deterrent to enrollment for some potential students.

Students taking 10 or more credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and eight or more credit hours in the summer are required to participate in the college-sponsored health insurance plan or show proof of current health insurance that meets Metro's standards for waiver.

With the new standards, students will be able to opt out of the college's health insurance plan if, prior to the waiver deadline, they show proof of coverage with the following stipulations:

• a deductible of no more than $5,000 (previously $1,000)
• co-insurance amounts of no more than 50% (previously (20%)
• a maximum benefit of no less than $250,000 annually

Monaco pointed out that there are no data presently that show what the impact of this change will be. "One concern is that this creates adverse selection, meaning more people who have chronic health problems will take Metro's insurance, creating a situation where the rates could go up," he said.

Trustee Alex Cranberg, who previously had expressed concern that the cost of health insurance was prohibitive to potential and current students, said that Monaco's proposal was a reasonable and fair compromise to dropping the mandatory coverage requirement.

However, trustee Adele Phelan said that the new standards should be revisited at a later date, "so that we're not trading one set of problems for another."

Other BOT News

Cranberg reported that the Finance Committee will work with Kieft and Interim Vice President of Administration and Finance Natalie Lutes to finalize the job description for internal auditor. The committee is responsible for hiring the position.

Considerable time was spent discussing the potential impact of the new Democratic leadership of the state's Joint Budget Committee and the House and Senate Education Committees. Of particular concern to the trustees are proposals that may come out of these committees to resolve the state's higher education funding problem resulting from the Tabor Amendment and Amendment 23. The board decided to hold a special meeting to talk further about the upcoming legislative session. (Watch for a recap of the legislative changes pertinent to higher education in @Metro this coming January.)

Finally, the board reviewed the latest draft of the college's Performance Contract with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. Chair Bruce Benson said that he and the board would like to see examples of other contracts before Metro's is finalized.

During the public comment portion at the end of the meeting, management Professor Madison Holloway expressed that he and other faculty members would like to work collaboratively with the board and that there should be more open communication between the faculty and the trustees. It was decided that the Faculty Senate and President's Office will facilitate several meetings for those trustees and faculty members who wish to attend.