John Duffy: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Elgin Community College School Board Age: 82Family: Wife: AnneChildren: Jane Jorgensen Paul Duffy Sarah Sophie Steve DuffySeven grandchildren and one great-grandchildOccupation: Retired Teacher: Larkin High, ElginEducation: B.A., Loras College, Dubuque, IAM.S.Ed: The Creighton U., Omaha, NBAdditional work: University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, and Elgin Community CollegeCivic involvement: St. Laurence Catholic ChurchFormerly: Elgin Catholic Social Services, Catholic Charities,and United WayElected offices held: Board Chair, 7 timesBoard Vice Chair, 5 timesBoard Secretary, 4 timesChair, Building Grounds Comm.,9 timesMember, Building Grounds Comm.,22 timesQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?I am running again for the ECC Board of Trustees because I am still passionate about Elgin Community College. Our goal is to be one of the best community colleges in the nation. I am proud to say that we are there, and we have the track record to prove it.ECC has had a balanced budget every year that I have been on the board. Out of more than 1200 community colleges in the nation, ECC has three programs that within the last five years have been recognized as top ten finalists for the national Bellweather Award. No other community college in the nation can make that statement.ECC has been recognized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, by the U.S. Dept. of Education, and by the Aspen Institute for demonstrating strong outcomes od student success in persistence, completion, and transfer; for consistent improvement in outcomes over time; and for equity in outcomes for students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.In tough economic times, many students (and working professionals) turn to a community college for its educational value. How do you ensure that a person's financial sacrifice results in an educational benefit?First and foremost, our academic advisors are there to help students decide what goal and what program or certificate is right for them. Then they help students decide exactly which classes they need, and in what order, to reach that goal.Should they need financial assistance, a one-on-one session with one of our financial aid advisors will help them decide exactly how much financial aid they will actually need.From the college's point of view, what budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?In these financially troubling times, we have already cut programs, cut employees, and cut expenditures in every department . The fat is long gone, the cuts are now deep into the muscle. Our current goal is to keep them from scraping the bone. When it comes to the actual cuts, the board sets the parameters. It is my personal belief that every cut that is made must be the one that is least disruptive to student success. I am pleased to say that is also the belief of our college president who is ultimately responsible for recommending those cuts to the board. With the state such as it is, our income sources are two-fold: tuition and taxes. The board will responsibly examine both, but the honest answer is that both will need to increase.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?First, ECC's Latino students have closed the achievement gap between themselves and their counterparts. This has yet to happen for our African-American students, particularly, among African-American males. That is one of our focuses. Second, we have a program in place whereby high school juniors and seniors can earn fifteen semester hours of college credit per semester while still in high school. The only cost to the student for this program is transportation and textbooks. Yet, not all the high schools in District 509 have allowed their students access to this program, whereby students could actually complete one or two years of college while still participating in all the activities at their high school. They could receive their associates degree in May, their high school diploma in June, and be ready to transfer as a college junior to the four-year university of their choice with no college loan or debt for their first two years. Third, we need to identify students for Reverse Transfer and explain the process to them. Many students transfer from ECC to a four-year college before they get their associates degree. Many of them for financial reasons or family obligations never get their four-year degree. Yet many of them, while at the four-year institution, do complete the courses necessary for the associate degree. If those credits are transferred back to ECC we can award them the Associates Degree, which they could then use toward salary increases, promotions, or a new job opportunity.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the community college board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.First of all, let us understand that this is a Board of Trustees and, to paraphrase any coach, there is no "I" in Board. A good board member communicates, advocates, deliberates, and helps the entire board reach a consensus. I am proud to say that I have actively and energetically engaged in each of those four board-member responsibilities on a regular and consistent basis. The ECC Board operates under our form of Policy Governance. We set the policies, adopt the budget, hire the president, empower the president with running the college, and monitor all college activities without micro-managing.Thus, our annual evaluation of the president also becomes our annual evaluation of the college.Over the past ten years, the ECC Board of Trustees, with Dr. Sam as our president, and an amazing team of administrators, faculty, and staff,has helped ECC become recognized as one of the best community colleges in the nation. And, while recognition is important, that is not why we exist. We exist to improve peoples' lives through learning. It is the people we serve, our students and their successes, that really matters. Anything I have done to keep your Board of Trustees focused on the needs of the students we serve: that is the leadership role of which I am most proud.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?1. The needs of the 10,000 businesses in our district.2. The genuine concerns of our taxpayers.3. The citizens of our district who still do not know what we have to offer for them.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis, because he is a leader who brings people togetherWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Live by a sound moral code. Value hard work. Cherish honesty, responsibility, compassion, a quest for knowledge, and the value of others' opinions.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more time with my children while they were young.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Latin. It gave me my life's career in teaching for 38 years.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?We are called to act with justice;We are called to love tenderly;We are called to serve one another;To walk humbly with God.