Carl Sandburg College Board of Trustees Holds March Meeting
Aaron Frey
Friday, March 27, 2020 5:08 PM
Campus News
Galesburg, IL
Classes aren’t the only thing going online at Carl Sandburg College these days.
The Sandburg Board of Trustees held its regular monthly meeting Thursday night via Zoom teleconference to follow the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The College made the decision earlier this month to move to online instruction for the remainder of the semester. Sandburg faculty and staff also transitioned to working from home, shifting virtually all student services operations off-campus in less than two weeks. Sandburg President Dr. Seamus Reilly said the College is still working with the state to determine guidelines for students in programs with clinical settings, such as nursing. Sandburg is also communicating with leaders at the state and federal level regarding potential resources to assist the College as a result of the coronavirus.
“It’s been an absolutely incredible effort. The Board should be aware of the incredible response that we've had and the positive attitude,” Reilly said. “We're going to do everything we can to make sure that the students have the best possible rest of the semester. We realize that it's incredibly disruptive, especially with regard to events on campus that we are all excited about having and planning for. That, first and foremost, is what has been consuming all of our efforts over the past couple of weeks.”
Kris Gray, dean of health professions, shared with the Board that the College’s EMS/paramedic program has received full accreditation. The accreditation process lasted more than two years.
The Board also approved a five-year contract extension with Follett Bookstores to continue operating the bookstore location on the Main Campus and the College’s online bookstore services. As part of the agreement, Sandburg will receive a 10 percent commission on all commissionable sales and $2,000 in textbook scholarships to provide to students at its discretion. The initial contract with Follett was set to expire in July. The new contract will run through July 2025.
The Board’s next scheduled meeting is 7 p.m. April 23, also via teleconference.