LAS POSITAS COLLEGE HORTICULTURE ADVISORY BOARD ...

LAS POSITAS COLLEGE
HORTICULTURE ADVISORY BOARD
Thursday, October 28, 2004
4:00 P.M. Room 2014
MINUTES
Present:
• Earl Ault, Cedar Mountain Winery
• Linda Ault, Cedar Mountain Winery
• Neal Ely, Dean of Academic Services, Las Positas College
• David Everett, LPC Adjunct Faculty
• Ron Liljedahl, LPC Faculty, Horticulture
• Tom O’Malley, Tri-Valley Business Council
• Michael Orton, Friends of the Vineyards
• Sblend Sblendorio, LVWA/Sblendorio Estate & Vineyard
• John Silva, Caltrans, Retired
Called to order: 4:12 PM
I. WELCOME/INTRODUCTIONS
Dr. Ely welcomed everyone to the Fall 2004 Horticulture Advisory Board meeting,
thanked them for coming, and asked all to sign in and update e-mail addresses. He
introduced Michael Orton from Friends of the Vineyards and David Everett, who is
teaching the VWT Wine and Food Pairing class.
Dr. Ely offered all in attendance the “Gifts of Appreciation” listed below. They are the
College’s way of thanking Advisory Board members for their support, time, and advice.
‣ A voucher good for two tickets to any Las Positas College Performing Arts event
on campus during the Fall or Spring semesters. The vouchers must be redeemed
at the LPC Bookstore at least 24 hours prior to the event you wish to attend.
‣ Special parking permits are available to Advisory Board members. The permits
are issued on a two-year cycle and are valid through the current academic year.

Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
October 28, 2004
Board members themselves should only use parking permits. Anyone who needs
a permit should see Colleen after the meeting.
‣ LPC Library Cards are also available to Advisory Board members. Application
forms are contained in each meeting packet. They should be completed and
returned to Colleen so that a Library/LPC card can be issued.
II.
APPROVAL OF SPRING 2004 MINUTES
Motion: Accept the minutes from the April 29, 2004 Advisory Board meeting as
submitted.
Vote: Unanimous
MSC: Ron Liljedahl/Earl Ault
III.
COLLEGE REPORT TO THE BOARD
A. Fall 2004 Enrollments
Dr. Ely reviewed the Fall 2004 Enrollment handout. Enrollments look good
except for HORT 51 Plant Materials I. Dr. Ely reported that enrollments in the
VWT classes have exceeded expectations. The VWT 12 VINEYARD SOILS,
FERTILIZERS AND IRRIGATION class was originally sized at 35, was
increased to 40, and when it filled up again it was capped at 45 and moved to a
new classroom. VWT 45 FOOD AND WINE PAIRING class lost a couple of
students to job changes. There are still students who want to add, but it is past the
add deadline.
Horticulture
Fall, 2004 Enrollments
Course Title Allowed Enrolled Open Instructor
HORT 50 Introduction to Horticulture 30 28 2 Liljedahl
HORT 51 Plant Materials I 30 9 21 Liljedahl
HORT 59 Landscape Design 30 20 10 Liljedahl
Viticulture and Winery Technology
Fall, 2004 Enrollments
Course Title Allowed Enrolled Open Instructor
VWT 12 Vineyard Soils, Fertilizers and Irrigation 45 45 0 Liljedahl
VWT 45 Food and Wine Pairing 35 32 3 Everett
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Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
October 28, 2004
B. Spring 2005 Schedule
Spring 2005 schedules were passed out to board members. The following courses
will be offered in Spring 2005:
HORT 52
HORT 54
HORT 56
HORT 69
VWT 35
VWT 44
PLANT MATERIALS II
PLANTING MEDIA & NUTRITION
ARBORICULTURE
ADVANCED LANDSCAPE DESIGN
VINEYARD PEST & DISEASE MANAGEMENT
WORLD VITICULTURE & WINES
C. 2004-2006 Catalog
The 2004-2006 catalogs are available to anyone who would like one. There will
be an addendum in 2005 and a new catalog again in Fall 2006. Dr. Ely
announced that through the help of the Advisory Board, the VWT program is in
the catalog with degree requirements and courses descriptions.
D. Budget Update
Dr. Ely reported that it is a tight year, but there has been growth to where we were
two years ago. We have been frugal and prudent, even though there are increased
costs to cover, including the cost of benefits. He does not anticipate any major
cutbacks, expects the College to continue to grow and keep up with the growing
community.
E. Enrollment Management
Dr. Ely explained that the Enrollment Management Committee is the College’s
process for sorting out what classes we offer, based on funds allocated to the
district. There is a structure to the process, which is based on enrollment trends,
future growth potential. The colleges each have Enrollment Management
committees, which allocate FTE to each division and respective disciplines.
F. Education Master Plan Update and Bond Activities
Dr. Ely reported that last spring the $498M Measure B bond passed. He noted
that there are two buildings in the pipeline being built with funds not from
Measure B. The gymnasium is under construction and the multi-disciplinary
building will house classrooms and computer rooms, and should start in the
spring.
The college is in the process of detailed planning for the efficient use of the
Measure B funds. There are three major task forces looking at the planning
opportunities, including facilities and organization plans and student learning
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Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
October 28, 2004
outcomes. Student enrollment is expected to double in ten years. The College is
fortunate to have acreage to plan out the usage of the space.
The Educational Master Plan was updated two years ago and is now being
reviewed for currency. The Horticulture and Viticulture and Winery Technology
sections are being reviewed and expanded.
G. Majors Faire (October 18) and Senior and Parents Night (October 27)
Dr. Ely announced that the Majors Fair was held October 18 th . It was well
attended; Jacquie Williams-Courtright participated. Ron Liljedahl reported that
many students stopped, student feedback was positive and there was lots of
interest. Senior and Parent Night was held the previous evening. In attendance
were high school seniors and their parents from Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin
and Sunol. They were given an overview of the College with breakout sessions
where they learned more about specific disciplines. There were more than 400 in
attendance.
H. Report to the Board by Ron Liljedahl
Ron Liljedahl reported to the Board that the VWT 12 class is interesting to teach
and covers subjects he is familiar with. There are 45 interesting students,
including a cellar master, 3-4 students with significant acreage, some with 100-
200 vines, and some that plan to plant 50 vines. A small number of students from
the horticulture program are interested in the VWT program and are enthusiastic
about it. As the instructor, Ron learns with the students. So far, he has had one
guest speaker; Michael Princevalle gave a presentation about soils. He reported
that the College president’s husband is in the class, as they co-own several acres
in Brentwood. Ron is looking for guests to speak about fertilizers and irrigation.
Sblend Sblendorio suggested that Ron call Mike Wanless, who works for Sterling
in Napa. He also referred Ron to Ken Kupperman (925-766-3679).
Ron reported on his recent activities, which include a booth at the Home and
Garden Show and participation at the Alameda County Fair. He has a good group
of students and enrollments are good, except for the Plant ID class, which has
been offered every semester for the last four years. He expects that enrollments
will also be good in the spring semester.
Earl Ault noted that one of his employees is taking Ron’s class and invited Ron to
bring his class to their winery; Sblend Sblendorio also invited them to his
vineyard.
I. Viticulture Program Update
Dr. Ely noted that Ron Liljedahl and David Everett are the inaugural instructors
for the VWT program and are largely responsible for how well the program is
being received. Feedback on both classes has been good and they have both
gotten off to a good start.
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Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
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Dr. Ely invited David to speak to the Advisory Board about his class. David
reported that he thought it was a “brilliant” idea to offer the Food and Wine
Pairing class as the first in the program. His students are very interested, are
having fun, and he expects at least half of them to take the VWT 44 class in the
spring. When asked how often VWT 45 would be offered, David said he thought
it was a good idea to offer it once in a while; Dr. Ely said that it may be offered
again in Spring 06. David said that teaching VWT 45 is challenging because food
and wine pairing is subjective; he noted that the wine knowledge of his students is
improving. He noted that an exhibition kitchen would be a fine “classroom” for
the class. He is looking forward to the next class. Dr. Ely added that there were
25 students who wanted to add the class the first night.
It was asked if there are plans for a vineyard on campus. Dr. Ely explained that it
is in the Master Plan and it was part of the Bond. One of the ideas was that half
of the vineyard would be for production of both white and red wines. Half of the
vineyard would be used every semester for practicing skills, teaching about
irrigation, planting vines, and other reoccurring hands-on activities.
Sblend was interested in how specific David’s classes would be. For example,
would they focus on Bordeaux or a particular region He wanted to know what
the students wanted. David answered that it is difficult to speak to some subjects
in general terms. He would like to bring students’ wine knowledge up to higher
levels.
Dr. Ely informed the Advisory Board that Ron Liljedahl has announced his
retirement, effective at the end of the current academic year. Dr. Ely anticipates
going out this spring to hire a full-time instructor to teach viticulture, enology,
and horticulture classes. This will allow the College to offer more than two VWT
courses per semester. He noted that it is important that the full-time instructor
oversee the on-campus development of a teaching vineyard and be a liaison to the
community. There will be a time when we will need someplace for students to
get hands-on experience in the community. The faculty person will also help to
build a relationship with Friends of the Vineyards, the Livermore Valley
Winegrowers Association, and local wineries. Dr. Ely has consulted with Steve
Krebs, the VWT coordinator at Napa Valley College, who hired a similar faculty
member four years ago, who was able to make recommendations for the job
announcement and trade publications in which to advertise the position.
During this transition time, Dr. Ely explained that we will need adjunct instructors
in horticulture. Although the new instructor will teach some horticulture classes
to keep that program functioning on campus, there will be a need for adjunct
faculty also. Dr. Ely asked that if board members know of anyone who might be
interested in teaching part-time, that they let him know.
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Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
October 28, 2004
Ron Liljedahl noted that it would be difficult to hire someone with experience in
landscape and plant science as well as viticulture and winery technology. It was
clarified that the VWT instructor will be a full-time position and the balance of
the horticulture classes will be taught by part-time faculty. John Silva will contact
Dr. Ely with names of people who might be able to teach a class. It was also
suggested that Jacquie Courtright-Williams might be interested in teaching a
class. Dr. Ely clarified that the Education Master Plan calls for a full-time faculty
member in Horticulture and a full-time faculty member in VWT and there is no
intent not to have the horticulture program here.
Dr. Ely explained that the VWT program was designed without prerequisites.
Linda Ault talked about the Education Committee of the Wine Growers
Association and the possibility of using it as a resource.
Dr. Ely reported that the program approval package for the VWT program was
recently sent to the State Chancellor’s Office and included a letter of support from
the LWGA and past minutes from the Horticulture Advisory Board. He expects a
determination of approval for the program before the end of the current academic
year.
Dr. Ely explained that the VWT brochures are being displayed in local wineries as
well as the wine shop in Brentwood. Mr. Silva asked about similar programs at
other colleges and whether students would come from out of the area. Dr. Ely
told him that the most well-known VWT program was at Napa Valley College. In
addition to local students, Dr. Ely expects students from Tracy and Brentwood
and has had calls from prospective students in San Francisco. Dr. Ely noted that
Fresno State has a VWT program.
Dr. Ely announced that personally, and on behalf of the College, he appreciates
the support of the Advisory Board for the VWT program and appreciates Ron
taking on the VWT classes and teaching them.
IV.
Recommendations by the Advisory Board
1. The Board recommends that the College dedicate land for a vineyard and that 2
rows of vines be planted every year and left permanently for use in teaching the
program. They recommend that any unplanned space be considered for the VWT
program.
2. The Board recommends that the College reserve 5-7 acres for the future
development of a “Horticulture/Viticulture/Enology” Center on campus. The
Center would include classrooms, smart classrooms with AV capabilities, a
drafting room, a minimum of three greenhouses, vineyard area, orchard area,
vegetable and flower garden areas, a shade house, out-buildings, and hospitality
facilities with a kitchen. The kitchen would include a cooler, specific classroom
with glass storage, a cold box for flowers, and dishwasher. The Center should be
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Horticulture Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
October 28, 2004
a beautiful facility to showcase various programs. There should be a secretary to
support the program and opportunities in the future to hold plant sales and wine
sales for revenue enhancement.
3. The Board recommends that the College continue its recruiting efforts. They
should continue involvement at the Fair and the Home and Garden Show. The
College should consider marketing the program in other districts to bring students
into the program.
4. Upon completion of the search for a full-time VWT instructor, that the College
initiate a search for a full-time Horticulture instructor.
5. The Board recommends that the College develop the unlimited potential for
interaction between the VWT program and other programs on campus, i.e.,
Business (Winery Management) and Graphic Arts (wine label design).
6. The Board recommends continued community interaction for all facets of the
program.
V. Date of the next meeting
Thursday, April 21, 2005 at 4:00 PM.
ADJOURNED: 5:30 PM
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