Board Meeting -- Minutes

Wagner College, Staten Island, January 12, 2008

Note:
Text from the agenda or reports is indented and in typewriter font.
Numbered items refer to the numbers in the agenda.
Alpha-numeric designators, such as "1A" refer to items not on the original agenda.

Attendees

Lawrence D'Antonio (LD) (Chair)
Adrian Ionescu (AI)
Stephen Block (SB) (not Board member)
Lonnie Fairchild (LF)
Frank Ford (FF)
Adrian Ionescu (AI)
Ingrid Russell (IR)
Jim Teresco (JT)
Karl R. Wurst (KW)
Richard Wyatt (RW)

I. Previous Meetings

1. Minutes 


Motion: To accept the minutes.
No discussion, no action.

1A. Budget for 2009 Conference

After a little discussion, a few minor changes were proposed to the current 2009 budget. The changes did not alter the fact that the budget balances.
Motion (FF/AI)): To accept the 2009 budget subject to the minor changes proposed.
Passed: unanimously

1B. January Board Meeting

The matter of whether we should have a Board Meeting in January was (again) brought up. After some discussion, no action was taken.

II. Reports

2. Chair's Report: Larry D'Antonio

Submitted Report


					   CHAIR'S REPORT

I. Report from National

1. The previous national board meeting was held at Myrtle Beach, November
9-10, 2007. The next meeting will be at SIGCSE in Portland, March 12-15,
2008.

2. Brent Wilson and Jim Aman (who is the new Membership Chair) will be
working on redoing the database.

3. Several regions are using gift cards (from Best Buy for example) for
student awards.

4. National vendors may be good resources for running student workshops.

5. Much further discussion occurred on the issue of presenting conference
attendees with the proceedings in electronic form (i.e., not printing them
out for meetings). No consensus was reached.

6. Several hours of discussion ensued concerning the new travel
policy. Mileage is reimbursed at the rate of $.40/mile. Meals are
reimbursed at the rate of $5/10/20 (breakfast, lunch, dinner). What was
left undecided are the following issues: should board members get
reimbursed for attending the regional meeting, can regions have their own
travel policy. With regard to the latter question, no specific decision was
reached, other than regional travel policies must be budgeted for and
cannot be at variance with National’s travel policy (for example, regions
cannot set their own reimbursement for mileage).

7. Regions are encouraged to hold K-12 workshops. CSTA can help regions
organize the workshops.

8. Ernie Ferguson has been active in recruiting National Partners. Epic
Systems recently signed up, making for six National Partners in total.

II. Future Conferences

1. 2009 Conference at SUNY Plattsburgh This meeting will be held April
24-25. SUNY Potsdam will help Plattsburgh with the meeting costs. 

2. Future Conferences

2010-11 Meetings I visited University of Hartford on November 16 and
Western New England College on November 30. Both institutions are very
interested in hosting a meeting. Both sites have good facilities and
commitments from their administration. I highly recommend both sites as
future hosts. Future meetings. Quinnipiac College and SUNY Fredonia have
expressed interest in being a future host.

Remarks from the meeting on, or made at the time of the discussion of, the Chair's Report

• As regards item I-3, there was discussion as to whether we in the NE want to use gift cards for prizes instead of cash. It was decided that we do not want to do so.

• As regards item II-1, it was agreed that for the 2009 conference, non-research posters by faculty would be introduced. It was emphasized that by "non-research" it was meant that the content must involve research, but on an education-related topic. It was also agreed that an announcement about faculty posters to this effect would be made at the upcoming 2008 conference.
• As regards item II-2, there was the following motion:
Motion (FF/AI)): That the venue for the 2010 conference be the University of Hartford, and that the venue for the 2011 conference be Western New England College.
Passed: unanimously

There was discussion, also, on possible venues for 2012. Quinnipiac College and SUNY Fredonia were mentioned as possibilities. It was noted, however, that we may not want to have three conferences in a row in Connecticut. It was further noted that SUNY Fredonia is a long way away from the core of the NE region; nonetheless, it was agreed that it should not at present be excluded on this ground.

3. Treasurer's Report:

No discussion or action.

III. Old Business

4. Travel Reimbursement Policy 


See the Chair's Report. We need to decide if
we want to change our travel policy.
The following motion was proposed:
Motion (FF/IR)): Effective from the September NE Board meeting, the maximum amounts reimbursable for travel to Board meetings are: $120 for hotel per night, and $200 for actual travel (car, road tools, gas, flight, etc).
Passed: unanimously

5. Faculty Attendance/Paper Submissions 


The number of paper submissions
seems to be dropping. Faculty attendance has also decreased somewhat in
recent years. This seems to be a problem that all regions are facing. Any
suggestions for what is the cause or solution to this problem?
Lonnie made the following suggestions and observations:
• we might formulate some ideas to enhance our conferences.
• the number of panels is increasing.
• we might discuss at the upcoming April Board meeting the possibility of including in future conferences faculty posters (which would need reviewers), lightening presentations (of about 10 minutes), and nifty assignment sessions.

6. January Board Meeting 


Regions vary in how many board meetings they
have. Some only have a single meeting, other have two or three meetings. If
we want to eliminate the January meeting, we need to discuss how to arrange
our affairs to clear the calendar in January. Or if we want to meet by some
electronic medium, then we need to discuss how that would be accomplished.
See item 1B, above.

IV. New Business

7. By-Laws 


Our regional by-laws are outdated or lacking in various ways
(e.g., there is no stated policy on how to change the by-laws). I would
like to appoint a committee that will examine and, as needed, propose
changes to the by-laws.
• A committee to review and/or re-write our NE bylaws was formed consisting of Lawrence D'Antonio (Chair), Frank Ford, and David Hemmendinger. The committee is to report back to the Board at the April, 2008, meeting, and this report is to include their view as to whether the new bylaws (assuming there are to be new bylaws) must be put to a vote of the whole of the NE membership.

• The reviewing and/or re-writing of our NE bylaws by the committee is to be understood as including a set of Standing Rules.

• Guidance was given to the committee by way of the following motion:
Motion (IR/LF)): The Board suggests to the Bylaws Committee that the (new) bylaws, insofar as they address the matter of the number and locations of Board Meetings, that the Board meet one or more times per year, and that one such meeting be at the NE conference.
Passed: unanimously

8. Motion to Adjourn: (no proposer/no seconder)

Passed: by acclamation.

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Respectfully submitted,
Richard Wyatt
(CCSCNE Secretary)