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QuickTake:
Some board members, in the annual self-assessment of their work, admonished their colleagues to be less divisive.
Members of the Lane Community College Board of Education have given themselves mixed grades in an annual self-evaluation, with high marks for supporting the college’s efforts to boost enrollment — but relatively low marks for publicly supporting the college president’s goals and strategies.
The self-evaluation at the board’s June 18 work session was conducted in both spoken remarks and anonymous written comments by board members. It offered a window into still-simmering tensions on the board.
The tensions surfaced during an April board meeting, when Vice Chair Kevin Alltucker read aloud a letter he had written, accusing board Chair Zachary Mulholland of abusive and bullying behavior toward LCC President Stephanie Bulger. Mulholland denied the allegation, praised Bulger’s work and said the accusation was more a reflection of tension between him and Alltucker.
LCC has enlisted outside attorneys to investigate, and college officials say the investigation is continuing. Board members, citing the investigation, have had little to say publicly about the matter.
At the June 18 work session, Mulholland asked board members to list items that had excited them over the past year.
Alltucker said that “despite our differences … the vast majority of times, we were able to do the college’s business.”
Board member Julie Weismann echoed Alltucker’s sentiment: “On every substantive issue, we were unanimous.”
Other members pointed to LCC’s recent enrollment growth.
The written self-evaluation in which board members rated their performance on a 1-to-5 scale, with 5 being the highest — and which allowed the members to leave anonymous comments — offered somewhat different takes
The highest score the board gave itself was 3.6, for monitoring and supporting LCC’s efforts to increase enrollment.
One anonymous comment from a board member read: “The board supports the president’s efforts to increase enrollment by initiating outreach efforts, marketing, partnering with local high schools and employers to attract a robust diverse student population.”
The board gave its lowest score, 1.8, for how it publicly supported Bulger’s goals and strategies.
Wrote one board member: “At times, the board struggles to present a united front, with some members hesitating to endorse or reinforce the president’s leadership direction in public settings. This inconsistency undermines the president’s authority and the college’s strategic momentum.”
Another board member was blunter: “In my honest opinion, there is an agenda with some past and present members that is intended to undermine the president.”
Answering a question about how the board’s performance could be improved, a board member wrote: “The board as a whole continues to NOT trust the president to do her job. Neither have we, as a whole, earned the trust of the president.”
Asked what the actions the board could take in 2025-26 to advance its effectiveness, a board member wrote: “Learn that we are on the same team.”
Another board member answered the same question: “What good we may have done has been overshadowed by disrespectful divisive public displays.”
Survey of LCC staff
At the same work session, the board also heard results from a survey assessing the climate at LCC. The survey, administered by Gallup, showed overall improvement compared to similar questions asked last year, said Shane Turner, LCC’s vice president of human resources and labor relations.
One of the questions was: “How satisfied are you with your institution as a place to work?” The average response was 3.59 on a 1-to-5 scale, up 0.23 points from 2024.
The highest score, 4.18, was on the question “I know what is expected of me at work.” The lowest score, 3.03, came on the question: “I have a best friend at work.” In all, 565 staff at LCC responded to the survey.
“These are very encouraging results,” Alltucker said. “The trend line is going in the right direction. Good work — and lots of room for opportunity here, of course.”
Recognizing outgoing board member
The board also honored outgoing member Denise Diamond, who did not run for reelection.
“It’s been a pleasure to participate in this wonderful endeavor called Lane Community College,” Diamond said.
And she had a word of advice for the board: “I would encourage any board member and all board members to speak to and about each other kindly and carefully, especially in these times where we need extra, extra kindness. It won’t hurt. Not one little bit.”
Board to meet July 2
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for July 2 at the LCC Boardroom in Building 3 of LCC’s main campus, 4000 E. 30th Ave.
It will be the first meeting for two new board members: Jerry Rust, who won election in May to Diamond’s open seat, and Jesse Maldonado, who was unopposed in the May election, and will be its Zone 7, at-large, representative. The board will be at its full complement of seven members for the first time in more than six months.
The meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. with the swearing-in of Rust and Maldonado and two members of the board who won reelection to new terms, Weismann and Austin Fölnagy. A board executive session will follow at 4:45 p.m.; under Oregon law, members of the public are not allowed to observe executive sessions. The regular board meeting is scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m.
