Parkland Board Swears in Student Trustee, Renews VP Contracts

Board of Trustees General Meeting, May 19

Parkland College's Board of Trustees swore in a new student trustee and renewed the employment contracts of two top administrators.

During their regular meeting Wednesday, trustees administered the oath of office to Student Trustee Jayden Sortor. Sortor, a freshman Cobras Volleyball middle hitter, is studying elementary education at Parkland. She hails from Williamsville High School in Sherman, where she was a volleyball standout and a member of the National Society of High School Seniors.

After the swearing-in ceremony, President Tom Ramage gave his report to the board. He congratulated Nancy Roth, a Parkland instructor in the nursing program, on her nomination for the ICCTA's 2021 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member Award. Roth will also be recognized at the ICCTA Awards Banquet, June 4-5 in Bloomington.

In preparation for the summer and fall semesters, trustees also approved software and hardware purchases, including new licenses and license renewals, to support technology and infrastructure upgrades across the college.

Next, board members voted to renew the employment contracts for Stephanie Stuart, Parkland's vice president for communications and external affairs, and Tracy Wahlfeldt, executive director of the Parkland College Foundation, effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. Other appointments included approving Stephanie Davingman to fill the school's vacant dean of counseling services position.

In other business, trustees approved:

• the purchase of: 

  • aviation fuel from AvFuel Corporation, $180,000

  • maintenance services from FlightStar, $228,000

  • repair services from Poplar Grove Airmotive, Inc., $75,000

  • ramp services from FlightStar, $73,000

  • Learning Administration Manager Support Service from D2L Ltd., $61,665

  • Instructional/Office Computer Hardware & Software, $1,980,000

  • annual maintenance renewal of items as listed, $1,590,460

  • services and license to support the Microsoft Teams Voice deployment, $253,000

  • studio equipment and field kits from B&H Foto & Electronics, $27,000

  • 2021 Ford F350 XLT truck from Bob Ridings Fleet Sales, $35,342

  • 2021 Ford SUV Police Interceptor Package vehicle from Morrow Brothers Ford Inc., $35,210

• the filing of the following grant applications: 

  • Illinois Community College Board (ICCB): Early School Leaver Transition Program (ESLTP)

  • Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE): Illinois Cooperative Work Study (ICWS) Grant

• the acceptance of funds from external sources: 

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): Center for Global Studies: International Studies Research Lab Fellowship (Honorarium)

• personnel appointments: 

  • Stephanie Davingman, Dean, Counseling Services

  • James Kiser, Campus Technologies

  • Chris Thomas, Physical Plant