Shawnee Community College District #531 Board of Trustees met Jan. 15.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The Board Retreat of Shawnee Community College District No. 531 Board of Trustees was held January 15, 2026, in the Founders Room and via Zoom. The meeting was called to order @5:01pm by Chairperson Steve Heisner.
I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. A Few Moments of Voluntary Prayer and Reflection
IV. Roll Call
Code | TRUSTEE | Code | TRUSTEE | |
√ | Ms. Deborah Shelton-Yates | √ | Ms. Nancy Holt | |
√ | Ms. Andrea Witthoft | √ | Ms. April Moore | |
Dr. John Earnhart | √ | Ms. Tiffany Schultz | ||
Mr. Landon Stafford (Advisory Vote) | √ | Mr. Steve Heisner |
Others in attendance:
Dr. Tim Taylor, President
Chris Clark, Vice President of Administrative Services
Felicia Rouse, Executive Director of Human Resources
Tina Dudley, Executive Director of Human Resources
Jackie Hamilton-Smith, Executive Assistant to the VP of Student Affairs (via Zoom) Rhiannon Martin, HR Support Specialist (via Zoom)
John Schneider, Attorney, Arrived @6:08pm
V. Recognition of Guests and Public Comment
There was no public comment.
VI. Agenda & Addendums
ACTION – 1 A motion was made by Andrea Witthoft and seconded by Deborah Shelton-Yates to approve the Agenda and Addendums as presented. On roll call vote, the members voted as follows: N. Holt, S. Heisner, T. Schultz, Deborah Shelton-Yates, A. Moore and A Witthoft all voted Yea. Dr. Earnhart was Absent. The Chairperson declared the motion carried. |
VI. A. STRATEGIC PLAN STEWARDSHIP
No Motion – The Board engaged in discussion:
• What information does the Board need to confidently fulfill its oversight role with respect to the Strategic Plan?
• At what level should strategic progress be reported to support Board judgment without recreating operational or activity-level reporting?
• How should Strategic Plan monitoring connect to Board policy—particularly Strategic Outcomes and related Monitoring Reports—rather than operating as a standalone reporting process?
VI. B. FACILITIES MASTER PLAN
No Motion – The Board engaged in discussion:
• The role of the Facilities Master Plan as a long-range strategic and stewardship framework rather than an implementation schedule;
• The Board’s tolerance for financial and enrollment risk as it relates to facilities investment and deferred maintenance;
• Expectations for alignment between facilities decisions, enrollment realities, and the College’s multi-year financial planning; and
• The conditions or decision thresholds the Board expects to be met before major facilities actions are brought forward for consideration.
VI. C. COMPENSATION FRAMEWORK
No Motion – The Board engaged in discussion after a presentation by ED Rouse.
VI. D. FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY & GUIDANCE FOR BOARD FINANCE COMMITTEEÂ
No Motion – The Board engaged in discussion:
• Whether and how the five-year plan should explicitly integrate facilities planning, compensation structures, revenue uncertainty, and program lifecycle decisions; • The level of conservatism and flexibility the Board expects in long-range financial assumptions, given enrollment and funding variability;
• How financial tradeoffs and emerging risks should be surfaced to the Board in a timely and transparent manner; and
• What conditions or thresholds should trigger further Board discussion as part of ongoing financial oversight?
VI. E. BOARD GOALS
No Motion – The Board reviewed the draft goals, with attention to:
• Whether the goals appropriately reflect the Board’s governance-level responsibilities and priorities for the coming year;
• Whether the scope and emphasis of the goals align with recent Board discussions and anticipated areas of focus; and
• Whether any clarification, refinement, or adjustment is needed to ensure the goals clearly communicate Board intent.
VII. EXECUTIVE SESSION
ACTION – 2 A motion was made by Nancy Holt and seconded by Andrea Witthoft to adjourn and go into Executive Session at 7:40 pm for the purpose of: A. Consideration of Extension, Alteration, Performance, or Compensation of Employees’ Employment pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(1) B. Consideration of Approval of Items That May Lead or Have Led to Litigation pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(11) On roll call vote, the members voted as follows: N. Holt, S. Heisner, D. Shelton-Yates, A. Moore, T. Schultz, and A Witthoft all voted Yea. Dr. Earnhart was Absent. The Chairperson declared the motion carried. |
ACTION – 3 A motion was made by Deborah Shelton-Yates and seconded by Nancy Holt to adjourn out of Executive Session at 8:36pm. On roll call vote, the members voted as follows: N. Holt, S. Heisner, T. Schultz, D. Shelton Yates, A. Moore and A Witthoft all voted Yea. Dr. Earnhart was Absent. The Chairperson declared the motion carried. |
ACTION – 4 A motion was made by Andrea Witthoft and seconded by Nancy Holt to approve the minutes of the Executive Session held on January 15, 2026. On roll call vote, the members voted as follows: N. Holt, S. Heisner, T. Schultz, D. Shelton Yates, A. Moore and A Witthoft all voted Yea. Dr. Earnhart was Absent. The Chairperson declared the motion carried. |
VIII. EXECUTIVE SESSION ACTION ITEMS
There were no Executive Session Action Items.
XIV. TRUSTEE COMMENTS
There were no Trustee comments.
XV. ADJOURNMENT
ACTION – 5 A motion was made by Nancy Holt and seconded by Andrea Witthoft to adjourn at 8:39 pm. On roll call vote, the members voted as follows: N. Holt, S. Heisner, T. Schultz, D. Shelton Yates, A. Moore and A Witthoft all voted Yea. Dr. Earnhart was Absent. The Chairperson declared the motion carried. |
https://shawneecc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26.02.19-BOARD-BOOK-to-post.pdf#page=40&zoom=100,93,96
