At the Kellogg Community College Board of Trustees meeting last month, KCC sophomore Jaylyn Taylor was presented as the first student representative to the board.
Taylor is a Lakeview High School graduate majoring in political science and transferring to Western Michigan University this fall. As student representative, Taylor will attend regular board meetings as a non-voting member to represent students’ interests and give the student body a voice. In addition to attending board meetings, the student representative will have the opportunity to attend workshops, meetings and conferences with the board and with the college president.
“I’m hoping for the student body to have a better connection and knowledge of what’s going on within the Board of Trustees,” Taylor said. “The board makes all the important decisions for KCC, and it’s crucial that the students’ concerns and voices are heard.”
Taylor said he’s especially looking forward to representing the voices of students he said aren’t heard or represented enough, such as students of color and those who are part of the LGBTQ community.
“My goal is that students will graduate or transfer from KCC having a great experience,” Taylor said. “My hope is that KCC will be a place where students feel safe, have the best options to succeed academically, and feel like they’re part of a genuine community.”
Taylor will hold this position until he transfers. At the March board meeting, Taylor was introduced and board members were excited to bring him onto the team.
“One of the things we wanted to do was internally challenge ourselves,” Board Chair Steve Claywell said at the meeting. “We have always been very close with the students and very available to the students, but this board wanted to take it to the next level and actually have a student at the meeting to provide us input directly in a public forum on how we’re doing.”
Also at the March board meeting:
· Students Autumn Thornton and Dawson Morgan were recognized for being named to the 2019 All-Michigan Academic Team. They were selected on the basis of academic achievement, community service involvement and leadership accomplishment.
· Comments were made about KCC and Olivet College formalizing an articulation agreement for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
· Updates were given on the Regional Manufacturing Technology Center renovation project and the Miller Gym project.
· Nursing professors Kimberly Barnes-Kalkowski and Karen Kulhanek were recognized for being selected by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing to serve as peer reviewers.
· Counselor Mitch Walinski received tenure status.
The Kellogg Community College Board of Trustees is a seven-member body of publicly elected officials that meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month. Meetings are open to the public; taxpayers, residents and KCC employees are encouraged to attend.
Unless otherwise announced, Board of Trustees meetings are held inside Room 301A of the Roll Health and Administration Building on campus at 450 North Ave. in Battle Creek. Notices of regular and special meetings, as well as cancellations, are physically posted in the Roll Building.
