The Treasure Valley Community College board gave President Dana Young a glowing assessment – and a bump in pay – earlier this month.
In a special board meeting May 10, the board renewed her contract, extending it through June 2021.
Board chairman John Forsyth lauded Young, who has headed the college through years of declining enrollment and recent staff retrenchment. In a press release announcing the contract, he cited her “calm, effective leadership” in the past year.
Forsyth said a three-year deal ensures a long-term commitment “to insure critical decisions can be made – and will be supported – in the best interest of the college.”
According to the release, the new contract gives Young:
• Five additional paid vacation days, for a total of 25.
• A sum of $2,500 “to use at her discretion to support community events and activities on behalf of TVCC.”
• A $10,000 bump in her base salary upon completion of doctorate. She expects to complete her doctoral degree this summer. Her base salary for next year is $130,049. College spokeswoman Abby Lee said the $10,000 incentive has been promised since 2010, when Young was hired by the college.
Young’s contract in the past has included 20 paid days off each year to work on her doctoral degree, but that ends with the new contract. She had not used all the days in any year.
Young said she appreciates the board’s support, and said she will continue working to build partnerships with the community.
“We have a renewed focus on insuring our programs help students reach their goals,” she said. “Whether they want to transfer to a four-year university or need to gain job-ready skills, we will continue to review our offerings to meet student needs.”
The contract comes after a contentious period in which faculty members protested instructor layoffs intended to help the college deal with declining enrollment. The college this spring terminated six instructors as a budget-cutting measure, thinning the full-time faculty about 18 percent.
Young was at the helm as the administration and faculty union negotiated a new teacher contract, a pact the college says will save another $900,000 over the next three years.
Announcing the contract, Forsyth gave a nod to the broader college community, calling TVCC’s success a shared accomplishment.
“We know it takes everyone to make the college successful and we are extremely appreciative of our dedicated faculty, staff and students,” he said. “We also look forward to the campus community continuing to work together over this next year to move the college forward.”
The board directed Forsyth to work with Young on finalizing the contract, and Lee said that is expected to be done early next week.
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