Three vie for two seats on Harper board
Phil Collins is running against incumbents Walt Mundt and Pat Stack for two, 6-year terms on the Harper College board. Here are excerpts from their answers to the Daily Herald candidate questionnaires; complete answers are at dailyherald.com.
Q: Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?
Collins: When I lived in Kansas, my dad was on a school board, so I decided that I'd also like to help ensure that my area had good schools. I want to help ensure that my area will have a low property tax levy.
Mundt: I am proud to be part of the Harper College mission "by providing quality, affordable, and accessible education."
Stack: Harper is a community asset that needs knowledgeable, committed individuals to support it. I believe that my background and experience with many aspects of Harper's programs will be helpful in fulfilling my board duties.
My relationship with Harper College spans many years. My daughter, Megan, is a graduate of the Harper nursing program and is enjoying a career as a critical care nurse. During my career in a variety of leadership roles at Northwest Community Hospital, I had the opportunity to employ many Harper graduates. I have always been impressed with the quality of education that they received at Harper.
In recent years, I have also been a student in the Continuing Education program, taking classes online and in the classroom.
Higher education is facing some of the same issues that have challenged health care, such as how to produce consistently excellent outcomes for the lowest possible cost.
My knowledge of performance measurement and optimization is not industry specific and can be useful in these economically challenging times.
Q: Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?
Collins: I don't know of any service that it needs to provide. If I win, I'll try to get suggestions from many students and staff members.
Mundt: The Promise Scholarship Program launched in 2014-2015 has been viewed by the community as a major opportunity in helping remove some of cost barriers to provide access to college. This initiative needs to be expanded to other community colleges across the state.
Stack: With incoming high school graduates, Harper has instituted a number of programs to improve college readiness in key academic subjects. There are also special programs, clubs and activities for students of any background, including recently expanded services for veterans. We are fortunate to have a student trustee on the board who keeps the board informed of any potential student concerns.
I also have personal contact with students from diverse backgrounds through my work with Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars and One Million Degrees. These efforts help keep me attuned to the needs of many students.