Special President's Message: February 24, 2011

On Monday during our monthly Leadership Council meeting, among other issues, we spoke of Governor Walker's budget repair bill and budget bill. Terry Webb, VP Learner Success, made comments on the situation that might be helpful for all of us to ponder.

Here is a summary of Terry’s comments:

During this time of high uncertainty, sometimes it helps to focus on what we can control. We can and we will continue to provide education, training, and support services to our students. This is our strength. This is our reason for being here. We take this work seriously and we do it well. Our commitment to continue to serve students is the foundation of the success of this College and it has not wavered at all during this troubling time.

We can and will continue to respect one another. This is not the time for petty bickering over day-to-day issues. This is the time to recognize strongly held beliefs in ourselves and in our colleagues. It is time to acknowledge the power that those beliefs hold over individuals. The College values of Excellence, Respect, and Integrity are fully alive and need to be realized as we work through this together. We can and should be understanding of this unique time in our history. Collective bargaining agreements, work rules, and other systems were not always written with circumstances like these in mind. As long as we remain steadfast in our resolve to serve our students, we can work with one another to help us through the inevitable challenges we will face.

Many of the changes suggested in the budget repair bill will not directly affect our current collective bargaining agreements. Our current contracts with the PSRP and the Full-Time Faculty will not expire until June 30, 2013. That relationship creates some stability. We do not know what changes may be in store for the College as a result of the larger budget bill yet to be announced. But we do know that our fundamental purpose will not change. We will do what we need to do to continue serving the students who come to us. We will determine how to maintain that service together.

Nothing gnaws at you as much as uncertainty. The College will not respond to this uncertainty by making radical changes that create more uncertainty. Instead, we will all rely on the collaborative approach we must take in order to ensure our students continue to be served. Only if we do this together will we be sure that our service will be provided with excellence, respect, and integrity.