The Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees met Monday night for the regular monthly meeting. Bill Mathena of Kell was recognized by a formal resolution as the recipient of the Kaskaskia College Honorary Associate of Arts Degree. This honorary degree is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the Board of Trustees and was created to recognize individuals who have given so much of themselves to the growth, development, and promotion of the College as to warrant an award of such high prestige and esteem. The honorary degree will be formally presented at the Kaskaskia College Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16th. Mathena has been employed at Kaskaskia College for nearly thirty years and currently serves as a Professor of Biological Sciences. During his career at Kaskaskia College, he has also served as a Professor of Agriculture. The Board accepted the Base Bid of Shores Builders in the amount of $1,944,144 for the construction services for the Crisp Technology Center Project. The Board also approved a resolution to award bids for purchase of computer and technology equipment, a resolution to approve a contractor to provide asbestos abatement services and renovation for the Science Lab Phase V. In other action, Courtney Gerstenecker of Carlyle was seated as the new Student Trustee for the 2014-15 academic year and outgoing student trustee Karlie Nattier was recognized for her service. They approved a new Cisco Certified Network Associate Certificate. This certificate is an industry standard for network administrators and network engineers. It prepares students for successful positions in network installation, network equipment system maintenance, perimeter security defense, troubleshooting network issues, and technical support positions. Projected job growth in the region, which includes the Saint Louis metropolitan area, is very strong at 17 percent. The target audience for the program consists of individuals seeking to gain entry-level positions in the field of network installation, network operations, and network technical support positions. The Board approved the hiring of Adam Esses of West Union, Iowa as the new Women’s Basketball Coach, Mary Huston of Aviston as the new Full-Time Accounts Receivable Specialist, Julie Obermark was named a Full-Time Assistant Professor of Nursing and David Koleson was named Full-Time Assistant Professor of Welding. They accepted the retirement of Mathematics Professor Sandra Cox and Adult Education Recruitment/Retention Specialist Susan Bryant. They also accepted the resignation of employees Garren King, Web Developer and Arlene Covington, Director of the Trenton Education Center.