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<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; Board of Trustee members saw a sampling of baked goods created by Luzerne County Community College culinary students prior to a monthly meeting that included approval of a contract for a company to manage the bookstore &#8212; expected to save students up to 50 percent on textbooks &#8212; and an application for nearly $2.3 million in state money for five projects that could include a new firing range at the Public Safety Training Institute.</p><p>The meeting started with Business Department Chairman Gary Mrozinski reporting the school&#8217;s business program got high marks from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools on a submitted two-year quality assurance report. The council looks at six standards, the first two of which Mrozinski said did not apply to the LCCC program, while the college got &#8220;best practices&#8221; kudos for the other four (student and stakeholder focus, assessment of student learning, faculty and staff focus, and organizational performance and curriculum.)</p><p>Mrozinski said many schools get no &#8220;best practice&#8221; citations for any of the standards, and that the council dubbed LCCC&#8217;s achievement &#8220;unprecedented.&#8221;</p><p>Chef Kim McLendon, meanwhile, gave a presentation on the culinary program with the help of two students who praised their training. McLendon rattled off various field trips and outside experiences the students get, and mentioned non-credit, two-day courses running 9 a.m. to noon this spring: &#8220;Art of Pizza and Stromboli&#8221; March 2 and 9; &#8220;Big and Little Chef class&#8221; for adults and children March 16 and 23; &#8220;German cooking&#8221; April 6 and 13; &#8220;Sweet and Savory Pies and Pastries&#8221; April 27 and May 4; and &#8220;Dumplings of the World&#8221; May 11 and 18. Additional information is available from the Continuing Education Office: 570-740-0495.</p><p><strong>Grant sought for projects</strong></p><p>During the meeting, the board approved an application for a state Department of Education Capital Projects grant for potential projects President Tom Leary said were in order of priority: $472,876 to replace roofs on the Campus Center and the library buildings; $1.2 million to repave the main parking lot; $240,000 to upgrade restrooms in four campus buildings; $60,000 for a new storage building; and $310,000 for a Public Safety Training Institute firing range.</p><p>Leary said which projects get done depends on how much the state decides to grant, and that the college must match 50 cents for every dollar awarded.</p><p>The board also approved a &#8220;bookstore operating agreement&#8221; with Follette Higher Education Group Inc.</p><p>Vice President of Operations Don Nelson said the contract does not cost the school anything, and that Follette will pay LCCC a 14 percent commission on the first $2.5 million in sales with the commission rising with higher sales. Follette will also renovate a room separated by glass in the Campus Center cafeteria as a new book store space, and the three employees in the current store run by the college will remain on the payroll. The move is projected to save students from 30 percent to 50 percent on books thanks to Follette&#8217;s buying power.</p><p>Nelson also updated repairs and renovation plans at the Campus Learning Center, closed until the work is done, estimated at about $700,000. The money will pay for new windows, drywall and other efforts to seal the building from moisture damage. He expects the work to take about three months, and noted the building has not undergone major repairs since it was built in 1982.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A table of cakes and pastries prepared by culinary students greeted those attending Tuesday&#8217;s Board of Trustees meeting at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_LCCC-Feb-26-2019.jpg</photo0><caption0>A table of cakes and pastries prepared by culinary students greeted those attending Tuesday&#8217;s Board of Trustees meeting at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke. </caption0><photoCredit0>Mark Guydish | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Cakes, accreditation, new bookstore deal and repairs at LCCC trustee meeting