Highlights from the October Board of Trustees meeting

By Carson Lemon
Staff Reporter

On Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, the Lansing Community College Board of Trustees met in the Administration Building.

The board first heard concerns about raising health insurance premiums for LCC employees. The board said that LCC does not set the premiums; rather, healthcare costs are negotiated through the union. The board said they were happy to hear comments from employees on the issue and also encouraged those affected to discuss the issue with their union representatives. During public comment, Academic Advisor Dustin Abrego spoke to the board about how rising health insurance costs have personally affected him, and asked that the board keep employee sustainability and security at the forefront of negotiations.

Additionally, during the public comment period, LCC English Professor Melinda Hernandez praised LCC Academic Advisor Eva Menefee upon her retirement for her courage, conviction, and passion for working with students. Menefee then spoke about her time working on the academic advising team, and how important it is for the college to strive to maintain their status as a great employer.

The board then moved on to a recap from the Audit Committee. Audit Principal Michelle Fowler—a Certified Public Accountant with Rehmann—distributed the college financial statements for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to the Board. Fowler reported no adjustments made and no errors identified. The audit was rated as clean. She then thanked everyone involved in the auditing process, and the Board praised the committee for its work. The Board unanimously approved the annual financial report.

Next, LCC President Dr. Steve Robinson presented the President’s Report. Robinson introduced S.N.O.O.P. DOGG, a newly acquired drone dog used for education and training at LCC’s West Campus, to the board. Robinson then invited Chief of Staff of the President’s Office Layne Ingram and Provost Sally Welch to speak about LCC’s efforts to highlight the transfer pathways from LCC to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Ingram discussed the multiplatform advertising campaign “I Started at LCC” which has been featured on billboards, social media, and print materials and directs prospective students to the lcc.edu/hbcu webpage. Ingram also discussed a 2025 HBCU Experience panel hosted in February 2025 by the college. The board then viewed a television segment from WILX News 10 covering the event.

Welch then spoke about the college’s new application system, which helps to connect students directly to the Transfer Center. Welch also shared some transfer data, noting an increase in LCC-to-HBCU transfers in the last five years.

The board then offered up thoughts, opinions, and questions to Welch about the HBCU transfer program’s direction and data. Robinson wrapped up the President’s Report by welcoming new employees to the college.

The board then moved on to discussing the LCC Capital Outlay Plan. Executive Director of Administrative Services Chris MacKersie spoke to the board about a capital project that would make better use of the space in the Health and Human Services building, as discussed in the approved Capital Outlay Plan. MacKersie discussed proposed renovations to HHS that would repurpose existing storage space, as well as one classroom, to create a simulation center for LCC medical students. The board approved of the plan, meaning that the project will be moving forward.

Next, Robinson moved on to the monthly public safety report. The board had no questions, and Robinson then presented the report on the diversity of employees. Board Treasurer and Trustee Robert Proctor requested a comparison between Lansing area and LCC employee demographics.

The board then approved letters of support for Trustee Hope Lavell, Board Secretary and Trustee LaShunda Thomas, and Board Chair Angela Matthews to serve on the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) committees. Then, the trustees shared their experiences from the ACCT Leadership Conference held in New Orleans from Oct. 22–25, 2025.

Next, the board moved on to committee reports, led by different trustees. Trustee Chatum Taylor spoke about the potential benefits of installing kiosks throughout LCC to help track visitor and student activity across campus. The board moved to send the research findings to the president and administrative staff for their analysis, with results to be returned to the board within 60 days.

The LCC Board of Trustees typically meets monthly. Meeting dates and information can be found on the board’s webpage.