TSO Council meeting Minutes

Mar 26, 2025 – 03:30 PM

Top of Form

Attending:        Jerry Bunce, Bryan Leyton, Chris Steele, Laura Stanely,

Ted Watts, Phil Andrews, Chris Stoynov

Quick recap

The team discussed the TSO Student Organization’s activities and future plans. They also met with the new Director of Continuing Education, Esteban Maldonado. They discussed the use of BC Foundation funds for advertising and instructor recruitment. Lastly, the council considered disbanding and the need for someone to update the website with meeting minutes, as well as the usefulness of a storage booth on campus.

Next steps

Jerry to send a note to Esteban Maldonado asking for an update on Telos program status, course numbers, and future expectations.

Jerry to inquire with Esteban about the status of cross-advertising between Edmonds Creative Research Institute and Bellevue College Telos.

Jerry to visit Student Programs to find a computer science student to help update the TSO website.

TSO Council to make a decision about disbanding at the next meeting on May 28th.

Jerry to report back to the council on any feedback from Esteban Maldonado regarding Telos activities.

TSO Student Organization’s Activities and Plans

In the meeting, Jerry led the discussion about the TSO Student Organization’s activities and future plans. TELOS had 20 classes in the winter quarter, with 5 being canceled, and 325 registrations. However, there was a question about the organization’s impact and whether it should continue. The group also discussed the upcoming spring quarter, with 16 classes planned for spring quarter. Fewer classes and registrations expected in summer. The possibility of adding another session of the generative AI for daily life class was also discussed. But George Liu now has a full time job and is not teaching at this time.

As always thanks go to Donna for collecting and sharing the TELOS class and registration information.

Esteban’s Role and Program Updates

Jerry, Ted, and Phil discussed their meeting with Esteban Maldonado, the new Director of Continuing Education and IBIT. Esteban was described as honest, earnest, and interested in their work. Phil suggested asking Esteban for an update on the college’s pulse regarding their program in their next meeting. Ted emphasized the need for Esteban to focus on their mission and not just be a nice face. Jerry noted that Esteban took over Liz Hollerman’s responsibilities, including the IBIT program, and expressed satisfaction with Esteban’s support for their program. The team agreed to send a note to Esteban, asking about the decrease in course numbers and what they can expect in the future.

Advertising and Instructor Recruitment Discussion

The team discussed the use of funds for advertising and instructor recruitment. They considered donating remaining funds in the TSO Student account with Student Programs to the foundation for more advertising and instructor recruitment. The team also discussed the process of hiring instructors as contractors, which simplifies the hiring process. The treasurer’s report showed that no money had been spent since the last meeting, leaving around $5,000 in the TSO student account. The team also discussed the potential for cross-advertising between Edmonds Creative Research Institute and Bellevue College.

Council Considers Disbanding and Storage

The council discusses the possibility of disbanding and agrees to make a decision at their next meeting on May 28th. They consider holding a final general meeting if they decide to disband. Jerry mentions the need for someone to update the website with meeting minutes, suggesting they might recruit a student for this task. The group also discusses the storage booth they have on campus, questioning its usefulness and contents. No new business is brought up, and the meeting is adjourned.

TSO Council meeting Minutes

January 22nd, 2025

Draft

Attending: Jerry Bunce, Tim Hay, Sandi Medendorp, Laura Stanley, Phil Andrews, Ted Watts, Jan Rea, Chris Steele

Jerry read the TSO Mission statement.

The TSO Council meeting minutes for November 20th were approved.

The meeting discussed the current status and future of the Telos Student Organization (TSO) at Bellevue College, along with class registrations, new instructor recruitment, and the possibility of disbanding the organization.

• Telos Student Organization (TSO) Overview: Jerry Bunce provided an overview of the TSO, mentioning its mission to support Bellevue College’s programs and foster a sense of community through various activities.
• Class Registrations and Instructor Recruitment: The meeting discussed the current winter quarter’s class registrations, noting a happy increase in the number of classes to 20, 316 registrations and a few new instructors compared to previous quarters. TELOS is coming back without the help of TSO.
• New Students: It was noted that some of us are in classes with a good number of new students. Jerry has 10 new students in his Views class this quarter. Michelle, the new Communications person, is doing a very good job.
• Community: When we were on North Campus with all classes in person, it fostered and we developed friendships and community. This environment can’t be duplicated in the hybrid (zoom and in person) environment with TELOS classes spread all over BC main campus.
• Future of TSO: The future of TSO was debated, with some members expressing concerns about the organization’s relevance and impact, while others highlighted the importance of its social aspects.
• Decision on TSO’s Future: It was decided that a final decision on whether to disband TSO would be made at the May meeting.
• Meeting with Esteban Maldonado: The council planned to meet with Esteban Maldonado, the new head of continuing education, to discuss the Telos program and its future.
• Next Meeting Scheduled: The next meeting was scheduled for March 26, where further discussions on the organization’s future would continue.

These minutes were done with the help of Copilot AI.

TSO Council meeting Minutes

October 9^th, 2024

Attending: Jerry Bunce, Steve Denison, Chris Steele, Donna Oberembt, Tim Hay, Sandi Medendorp, Laura Stanley, Bette Murphy, Bryan Layton, Phil Andrews

Jerry read the TSO Mission statement.

The TSO Council meeting minutes for July 24^th and August 24^th were approved.

Jerry reported that the BC Provost Jess Clark has declined to meet with TSO and has referred us to meet with Liz Hollerman. The letters we signed at the TSO General meeting have been forwarded to Dr. Hollerman. The Council agreed that we should meet with Liz and that Jerry would schedule that meeting.

The TSO Council for 2024-2025 was proposed and approved at the August 24^th General meeting. The TSO Council is:

Council 2023 Officers:

Jerry Bunce                  President                          425-495-0294

Jan Reha                      Treasurer                          206-327-7470

Council Members (at large 2023):

2. Tim Hay 425-454-6636
3. Ted Watts          206-276-8111
4. Bryan Leyton 425-885-0812
5. Chris Steele 206-412-4135
6. Laura Stanley 206-718-7765
7. Sandi Medendorp 425-833-9897

We have an opening on the Council. Phil Andrews has been approached and has agreed to join the council. A motion was made and seconded and approved to add Phil Andrews to the TSO Council for the 2024-2025 period.

1. Phil Andrews 206-4981608

The TELOS Fall quarter is looking good with 16 classes going and only three cancelled. There are some new classes, a few new instructors and returning instructors. This is encouraging. The recent email advertising the Winter classes was the best we have seen. There is a new advertising person and she appears to be doing very well. Evidence being 16 classes being taught in the Fall quarter.

Tim Hay has made a proposal to approach Microsoft about the buildings being vacated in Bellevue or Redmond for potential space being made available or donated to the TELOS program. We miss the BC North Campus which was critical to building the strong TSO learning community. Now we have some classes on zoom and the in-person classes spread all over the BC Main campus. There were two trains of thought. One that TSO Could take over and run the TELOS program in vacant Microsoft building with support from MS Charities. There was strong pushback on this option as no one wants to run the TELOS program.

The second train of thought was that Bellevue College approach Microsoft to obtain space in a vacant building to host the TELOS in-person classes all in one location. A return to a North Campus environment. There was a strong sentiment that BC would not be interested in taking on additional space when they have empty classrooms on main campus and certainly not interested in potential rental costs.

We also discussed a potential collaboration of BC TELOS and UW OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute). Many of our former and current instructors also teach for UW OLLI. A possible merger might be beneficial for both UW and BC.

As we see new people in our TELOS classes keep an eye out for potential volunteers and possible future TSO Council members.

Steve reported that the cost for the August General meeting as ~$1500. We decided to start planning for a December General meeting.

Fall quarter is looking good with 16 classes going and 271 registrations.

The next TSO Council meeting will be November 20^th at 3:30 pm on zoom.

Meeting adjourned.

TSO Council Meeting Minutes

July 24th, 2024

Attending: Jerry Bunce, President; Steve Denison, Ted Watts, Sandi Medendorp, Donna Oberembt, Jan Reha, Chris Steele, Andrea Smith-Clark, Bette Murphy, Chris Stoynov

• Jerry Bunce read the TSO Mission statement
• Minutes for March TSO Council meeting were approved
• Jerry reported that he had visited Liz Hollerman to review the proposed letter to the BC Trustees. Liz told me that she has presented information about the Continuing Education including the TELOS program to the Board of Trustees twice. They are aware of TELOS. Liz suggested that the letter be sent to the new BC Provost Dr. Jess Clark. The Council decided to take the letter to the upcoming TSO General meeting so that everyone in attendance could sign the letter.
• We reviewed the letter and made some updates real time.
• The TELOS Course trends excel chart was shown. This chart is maintained by Donna Oberembt. This will be an attachment to the letter.
• The Summer quarter is down to only six classes.
• Jerry stated that the recent email from BC highlighting the Fall quarter was the best advertising he has seen. Some of the Council members had received the email while other had not. An indicator of the issues BC has in promoting TELOS.
• Jan Reported that we have ~7000 dollars remaining in our accounts

We looked at the proposed schedule of Fall quarter classes. There are new classes and new instructors.

• Steve Denison reported we already had 60 people registered for our next TSO General meeting on Saturday, August 24^th. The North Bellevue Community Center is reserved from noon to 3 pm. It will be $300. He is convening the usual suspects to plan the meeting. Will Stump and Ron will play music at the event. A planning meeting will be finalized next week.
• Next meeting is July 24th at 3:30 pm on zoom.
• Adjourn

TSO Council Meeting Minutes

May 22nd, 2024

Attending: Jerry Bunce, President; Steve Denison, Ted Watts, Sandi Medendorp, Donna Oberembt, Jan Reha, Chris Steele, Andrea Smith-Clark, Bette Murphy

• Jerry Bunce read the TSO Mission statement
• Minutes for March TSO Council meeting were approved
• Jerry reported that he had previous met with the President of the BC Faculty Union. He informed the union that TELOS instructors have to go through the full faculty HR hiring process. She was surprised at this. I suggested that they include a slimmed down hiring process for TELOS instructors and she agreed. Jerry has tried to visit the Faculty Union office after his Views class but the office has been locked. After his last class he did a drop in visit to Liz Hollerman. Jerry told her about his visit with the Faculty Union. Liz shared that she is on the BC bargaining committee and that she is asking for the same thing , eased hiring process, for all Continuing Education instructors including TELOS. We are on the same page.
• Jan Reported that we have ~7000 dollars remaining in our accounts
• TELOS Spring Quarter had 15 classes and 230 registrations and 14 instructors. Jerry showed the TELOS Course Trends chart maintained by Donna. Discussion on the gradual decline in courses offered, instructors and registrations.
• Steve Denison reported the date scheduled for our next TSO General meeting on Saturday, August 24^th. The North Bellevue Community Center is reserved from noon to 3 pm. It will be $300. He is convening the usual suspects to plan the meeting. Jerry offered to ask Will Stump if he and Ron will play music at the event. Steve is looking at options on the food for the event and more coffee. Plan for 60 – 80 people attending.
• Jerry shared a draft of a letter to Trustees. We had discussed this at the last meeting and he had committed to write a draft. We have not committed to send such a letter. Is the Board of Trustees the right place for such a letter? What do they do? Influence legislators and financial support for the College. President David May also has a focus outside the College more than day to day operations. Jerry committed to share this letter with Liz Holleman.
• Recruiting Instructors and Attracting Students
• We discussed the recruitment of new instructors the challenges of attracting new students. They considered various sources for recruitment, including contacting potential instructors at UW Osher and possibly Edmonds CRI. Ted raised a concern about competition from retirement facilities offering in-house seminar programs. The team acknowledged the need for quality instructors to attract students and discussed the difficulties of attracting new students without instructors, and vice versa.
• Next meeting is July 24th at 3:30 pm on zoom.
• Adjourn

ThenTSO Council Meeting Minutes

March 27^th, 2024

Attending: Jerry Bunce, President; Steve Denison, Bryan Leyton, Sandi Medendorp, Donna Oberembt, Jan Reha, Laura Stanley, Chris Steele, Barb Warburg, Andrea Smith-Clark, Bette Murphy, Jerry Harkleroad, Chris Stoynov

• Jerry Bunce read the TSO Mission statement
• Minutes for January TSO Council meeting were approved
• TELOS Winter Quarter had 19 classes and 281 registrations
• So far: TELOS Spring quarter has 11 classes filled with 203 registrations
  • Final update: 15 classes (3 below minimum) with 232 registrations
  • Four fewer classes filled and 49 fewer registrations
• Most of the TSO Council received email and the catalog for Spring quarter
  • Jerry Bunce received neither
• Edmonds CRI (Creative Retirement Institute) is doing very well
  • 34 classes – 4 hour classes are $38
  • Andrea took a class recently, it was a great class with free parking
• There will be no meeting with Dr. May
  • His focus is outside the College right now
  • We were referred to Liz Hollerman. We have already met with Liz and it was decided to meet with her after a few quarters go by to see the impact of no TSO support for TELOS.
• After discussion we decided to plan another general meeting in the summer at a date to be decided. We still have money in our TSO account. Everyone agreed that the last general meeting was fun and important information was provided. Make it like the last meeting. Steve Denison will lead the planning for a June or July general meeting.
• Jerry and Barb committed to follow up with Sue Nightingale, President of the BC Faculty union, regarding faculty contract negotiations. Will the new contract exclude Continuing Education and specifically TELOS instructors from the full HR Hiring process. Negotiations are ongoing to be completed by August 10th.
• Jan proposed that we initiate a letter writing campaign to the BC Board of Trustees. Letter examples could be provided at the TSO general meeting. Bring everyone attending the general meeting into the process.
• This suggestion spurred a lot of discussion. We could do this. But what is the purpose? What do we expect the Board of Trustees to do? If Edmonds CRI is the model then are we willing to run the program as their TSO like council does? We just burned out without a role in running TELOS. Our biggest concern is the BC staff.
• Jerry Harkleroad suggested one big reason for the college to be interested in TELOS is the possibility of fundraising and estate grants from happy seniors taking great TELOS classes. This is not the case today. BC is not promoting the value of the College in the community.
• Most people taking TELOS classes do not know what is going on and do not want to get involved.
• We can vote on continuing the current Board at the next meeting.
• We can continue to meet as long as we have money in our BC account.
• TELOS generates very low income to the College. It may lose money on TELOS.
• There was concern from BCCE about the TSO website being out of date and getting phone calls from people about out of date information on the website.
• Jerry Bunce committed to reviewing the TSO website.
  • Update: the review has been done, problems identified, Steve has corrected or removed the problems and broken links.
• There was no resolution to the suggestion to do a letter writing campaign to the BC Board of Trustees. What is it that we would ask the Trustees to do? Would anything change as long as the current BCCE staff person is in place? If the model is the Edmonds CRI program, are we ready to take on the work and responsibility that our Edmonds counterparts are doing to make their program successful? Didn’t we just burn out?
• If the message is that there are people in our community with money to donate. Yes, but who among us wants to donate to a program that we perceive to be on the decline and hard to work with?

TSO Council Meeting Minutes

January 24^th, 2024

Attending: Jerry Bunce, President;, Steve Denison, Tim Hay, Bryan Leyton, Sandi Medendorp, Donna Oberembt, Jan Reha, Laura Stanley, Chris Steele, Barb Warburg, Andrea Smith-Clark, Bette Murphy

• Jerry Bunce read the TSO Mission statement
• Minutes for December TSO Council meeting were approved
• There was a lot of discussion on the future of TSO and what we should do now
• Major decisions:
  • We decided NOT to disband.
  • We will go to every other month meetings.
  • Jerry will continue as President
  • All the TSO members in attendance said they will continue on the Board
  • We will ask to meet with Dr. May.
  • Barb and I will try to talk with the BC Faculty union to see if they can add something about making it easier to hire TELOS faculty.
    • Meeting held with the BC Faculty Union President
    • She will our concerns to the contract negotiations
  • We will plan all TSO member meetings on a six month basis as long as money lasts.
  • We will ask to meet with Dr May just to inform of what we see on the TELOS program (request to meet has been made)
  •  
• Adjourn