August 14, 2024, Global Connections (GC) Executive Committee (EC) Meeting Minutes

Members in Attendance:
Voting members: Bruce Truitt, Debbie Leo, Sunny Jiang, Shannon Holliday, Marco Damasceno,

Non-voting members: Bob Persiko, Wenjie Fu, Rose Sharp (following their formal appointment, Bob and Rose were granted voting rights)

Call to order at 7:11PM.

 July meeting minutes were accepted as submitted.

 Appointment of Officers

 The Executive Committee voted unanimously to appoint the following people to officer positions ad interim for the remainder of the calendar year:

            Bob Persiko, president

            Ciara Halloran, vice president

            Rose Sharp, public relations

 Reports of officers:

 President, Bob Persiko

• Bob thanked the committee members for their vote of confidence in him. He said that in the long run it is important for GC to develop new leadership, so we should continue to encourage people to volunteer for the leadership team.
• Bob told the members that a year ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome and that he is in the early stages of the disease. He hopes that the development will be slow and said he will continue to work and volunteer as long as he is able.
• Bob said we should have a goal to hold a cultural event (meal) this fall to revitalize this traditional GC activity. He asked the members to help Shannon identify people willing to cook a meal representative of their culture.

 Treasurer, Bruce Truitt

• Bruce proposed dedicating an EC meeting to reviewing and discussing the proposed revisions to the bylaws and other procedural rules. The committee agreed to make this the principal topic of the September 11 EC meeting.  Bruce will circulate the documents to the members for review.
• Bruce said the EC needed to vote on the disposition of the $1116 in annual distributions from the English Literacy Program fund being managed by the Centre Foundation. Bob proposed the following motion: (1) Use the $1800+ received from the Centre Gives campaign to fund 4 scholarships per semester (8 in total) for ESL classes for immigrants at the MidState Literacy Council under the GC English Literacy Program; (2) supplement whatever additional amount is needed for the 8 scholarships from the GC general operating funds; and (3) have the Centre  Foundation leave the $1116 in the Literacy Program fund until such time as it is needed. Shannon seconded the motion. The vote to approve as unanimous.   
• Giving Circle – The members authorized Bruce to complete the application for funding through the Giving Circle.

Public Relations – Marco

Bob welcomed Marco back from Brazil, thanked him for his outstanding service to GC, wished him well with his graduate studies, and thanked him for his willingness to train Rose. Marco said he will be nearby whenever we need him. He and Rose will get together next week. They will also put together the August newsletter, which will include a spotlight on Rose.

Membership Chair, Sunny

 The members thanked Sunny for all she did to help Jan Jaekel, the German Visiting Scholar, secure an apartment for his two-month stay in State College. Bob noted that this may be a new service GC can provide, and he is putting together a list of possible resources for housing needs. Sunny said she will participate in the October 27 UN Day dinner, where GC will have a table with promotional materials. Bob said he will take an inventory of materials in his possession. Bruce offered to make additional copies of the “postcard.” Shannon also plans to participate. Bob said he would forward the email with the details to Sunny and Shannon.

Cultural Events – Shannon

 Shannon still hopes to have a Scottish theme event this year.

 Small Groups – Debbie Leo

Deb reported on the status of small groups during the summer break. She noted that Bob’s discussion group

Penn State Global – Wenjie Fu

1. Conversation Partners Program is looking for Native English-speaking volunteers. (Big thanks for Sunny for connecting Wenjie with Juniper Community @State College. Wenjie is working on providing further information for their members). 
2. Conversation Partners Program will provide 2 in-person free events in the Fall semester:

• Ice Cream Socialon Sunday, September 8^th at Penn State Creamery from 2 – 4 pm.
• Movie Timeon Sunday, November 18^th at Business Building Room 110 from 2 – 4 pm. 

1. Our office is recruiting volunteers for the 2025 Spring tax workshops. Please refer any questions to Wenjie Fu ([email protected])
2. Community Engagement Programs and Penn State OLLI are hosting 3^rd International Day Social this fall on Thursday, November 14^th, from 1:30 – 3 pm at Innovation Park. Any international individuals who are interested in representing their home cultures are welcome to connect to Wenjie for further information. 
3. CEP is tabling events in August (Fall Involvement Fair, LION Bash, School of International Affairs Resource Fair).
4. United Nations Day Celebration event (Norma Keller: 814-327-9247; [email protected]) 

 New Business

• Bob proposed sponsoring the annual catered fall general membership picnic and the members concurred. Bob will ask Ciara if she would be willing to organize the event, as she did last year.

 Action Items

• Everyone will think of and suggest names of individuals who might be willing to prepare a cultural event/meal to Shannon.
• Bruce will circulate revised bylaws for review.
• Bruce will correspond with the Centre Foundation on the disposition of various funds for the Literacy Program.
• Bruce will prepare an application for the Giving Circle.
• Marco will train Rose.
• Bob will forward the email with details on the UN Day dinner to Sunny and Shannonn.
• Bob will write an item on the appointment of officers to include in the August newsletter.
• Bob will ask Ciara about organizing the fall picnic.
• Shannon will follow up on the Scottish theme event.

 Announcements

Shannon mentioned the Community Diversity Group potluck on August 15 and said everyone is invited. She followed up with an email giving the details.

Meeting adjournment: 8:10 PM

Minutes prepared by Bob Persiko

July 10, 2024, Global Connections (GC) Executive Committee (EC) Meeting Minutes

Members in Attendance:
Voting members: Bruce Truitt, Debbie Leo, Sunny Jiang, Yagmur Turker

Non-voting members: Bob Persiko, Wenjie Fu 

Call to order at 7:04 PM.

June meeting minutes were accepted as submitted.

Reports of officers:

Acting Vice President Bob Persiko

• Bob mentioned his wife is reaching out to contacts at the Bellisario College of Communications to recruit a PR officer.

Treasurer, Bruce Truitt

• Bruce reported he is almost done with the revision of bylaws and plans to finish them soon. He will circulate the revised bylaws for review.
• Bruce reported receiving communication from the Center Foundation regarding an expected EFT transfer into our account for Centre Gives campaign, but he hasn’t seen the check yet.

• Following Bob’s question, discussing the allocation of funds for the literacy project is to be carried out after the check is received.
• Bruce shared details from discussion sessions at the Schlow Library indicating sessions are currently scheduled through August, with potential for extension based on community interest. He explained the sessions are intended to enhance English language skills through community-based discussions. Bruce suggested monitoring attendance over the summer and considering promotional efforts through social media, newsletter, and website if sessions continue into the fall. Deb expressed interest in attending but noted the evening timing might be challenging.
• Bruce mentioned a new interest in the Vice President position from the Volunteer Centre County, where Bob posted vacancies.

Secretary, Yagmur Turker

• Yagmur reported on a meeting with Marco before his departure, where he briefed her on website management responsibilities during his absence.
• Yagmur noted upcoming visa-related travel to Turkey in August and the possibility of not returning. She mentioned that October might be her family’s last time in State College due to her husband’s impending graduation.

Membership Chair, Sunny

• Sunny provided membership updates, noting a total of 81 members, with various renewal dates for active members.

• Bob discussed the new membership policy where renewal dates are staggered throughout the year based on registration date rather than a universal December deadline. He clarified the distinction between active members and contacts, noting the need to manage the contact list to stay within a 200-contact limit to avoid excessive charges.

• Sunny sought clarification on the process for handling inactive memberships. Bob explained members are moved to an archive list after one year of lapse, and he offered to review and manage the current list of lapsed members.
• Sunny proposed a potential partnership with a local senior home for conversation partners, which received positive feedback from Wenjie, who manages the Conversation Partners program. 

Small Groups – Debbie Leo

• Deb reported on the status of small groups during the summer break, noting no new developments except for uncertainties regarding Becky’s involvement.

Global Programs – Wenjie Fu

• Wenjie provided updates on the Conversation Partners program, having matched approximately 40 volunteers with international participants recently. An in-person event is scheduled for September 8th, with plans for an ice cream social at the Creamery. Additionally, Wenjie mentioned the potluck signup progress and the need to reconcile registrations from different platforms.
• Wenjie highlighted Penn State Global’s participation at the Arts Festival, setting up cultural tables for community engagement, featuring Bolivia, Peru, Philippines, and Malaysia. She discussed the event’s impact and engagement with children through cultural education.

Removal of Kieran from Presidency

• Bob raised the issue of scheduling a membership meeting to vote on removing Kieran from office, requiring 15 days’ notice and a quorum of 10 people. July 31st was proposed as the meeting date, with plans to post the notice on the website and conduct the meeting via Zoom.
• Bob agreed to draft a meeting notification for review, and Yagmur volunteered to post it on both Wild Apricot and the website.

Unfinished business

• Bruce is nearing completion of the revisions to the bylaws and standing rules, with plans to distribute them soon for executive committee review.

New Business

• Discussion of allocation of funds for literacy project at September meeting.
• Monitoring attendance at discussion sessions at Schlow Library; consider promotional activities if sessions extend into fall.
• The need to fill vacancies in the leadership team: vice president, public relations officer, and soon-to-be vacant secretary.

Action Items

• Bruce will circulate revised bylaws for review.
• Bruce will monitor the receipt of the EFT and report back.
• Bob will follow up on Vice President interest from the Volunteer Centre County.
• Bob will check on inactive members and update the archive list.
• Bob will draft a meeting notification for July 31st to vote on removing Kieran.
• Yagmur will post the meeting notification on Wild Apricot and website once reviewed.

Meeting adjournment: 7:49 PM

Minutes prepared by Yagmur Turker

June 12, 2024, Global Connections (GC) Executive Committee (EC) Meeting Minutes

Members in Attendance:
Voting members: Bruce Truitt, Debbie Leo, Marco Damasceno, Sunny Jiang, Yagmur Turker

Non-voting members: Bob Persiko

Call to order at 7:05 PM.

May meeting minutes were accepted as submitted.

Reports of officers:

Acting Vice President Bob Persiko

• Bob noted that he should be listed as a non-voting member due to his roles as past president and current interim acting president. He emphasized that he is a proposer and not a voter.
• Bob announced Kieran’s intent to resign, received via a brief message from Brazil. Details are scarce, but his letter of resignation is anticipated.

Treasurer, Bruce Truitt

Bruce highlighted significant financial contributions:

• A donation of $358.68 from the Center County United Way, attributed to Penn State employee deductions.
• An unexpected donation of $848.33 from a partnership involving Give Local and Kish Bank, related to credit and debit card processing fees at State College International Market. Bruce mentioned that the Give Local initiative might continue to provide similar donations annually unless there are changes in the partnerships or agreements.

• Bruce highlighted the significant financial outcomes from the recent Centre Gives campaign. There was an 80.22% increase in average per capita donations compared to the previous year. Total contributions increased by 65.2%, rising from $885 last year to $1,462 this year. The campaign also received stretch funds from the Hamer Foundation, which were distributed on a proportional basis among all participating organizations, leading to a total gift of $1,858.98 for the campaign.

• Bruce noted that these contributions broke the previous year’s record and expressed satisfaction with the results.
• Bruce mentioned that the campaign’s earnings represent between 25% to 33% of GC’s annual budget, which typically ranges from $5,000 to $7,500.
• The funds are critical for supporting the scholarships under the English Language Literacy Program.
• Bruce also informed the committee that the distribution of funds from the English Language Literacy Program set up at the Center Foundation is expected to occur in August. This timing aligns well with funding scholarships for the fall semester.

Public relations – Marco Damasceno

• Marco reported that he was finalizing the newsletter and coordinating with Bruce and Bob for content review and proofreading.
• Bob reported on the unsuccessful attempt to recruit a potential candidate for a PR position, noting that there had been no response to his efforts.
• Marco discussed another potential candidate he had considered for the position. She eventually declined the opportunity, citing inability to commit. Marco expressed his intention to remain proactive in seeking suitable candidates and to keep the recruitment process active. Consequently, the search for this position continues.
• Bruce proposed seeking an internship collaboration with Penn State’s marketing or advertising programs to attract social media and marketing volunteers.
• The committee discussed utilizing personal contacts and local educational institutions to recruit interns.

Small Groups – Debbie Leo

• Deb reported that book reading groups will have their last meeting on June 13^th before summer break.
• Bob noted that both English class and discussion group are going to have summer break, too. They will resume in August.

Unfinished business

• Bruce is nearing completion of the revisions to the bylaws and standing rules, with plans to distribute them soon for executive committee review.

New Business

• Discussion on managing the transition after Kieran’s resignation, focusing on maintaining leadership continuity and filling vacancies.
• Bob shared plans to draft an announcement for the general membership about the leadership vacancies and the process for filling them.

Action Items

• Bob will share the flyer of July 27^th
• Bruce will finalize and distribute revised bylaws for executive committee review.
• Marco will complete and share the newsletter.
• Marco will promote the July potluck event through the website and social media.
• Bob will prepare the announcement about leadership vacancies and recruitment strategy.
• GC will continue monitoring Kieran’s situation regarding his formal resignation.
• Deb will look into the possibility of a second poetry evening this year.

• The EC will further discuss a possible GC role in the July 10, 2024, Arts Festival Children and Youth Festival events five (5) different cultural performances and five (5) cultural tables from 10 am – 3 pm).

• Shannon will report back on her efforts to find a cultural event date acceptable to Ciara, Laura, Sunny, and her.
• Shannon will pursue and provide additional information on a Dominican, Iranian, and Scottish cultural event and on available dates at the Unitarian Brotherhood Church.

The next meeting was scheduled for the second Wednesday of the following month at 7 PM.

Meeting adjournment: 7:43

Minutes prepared by Yagmur Turker

June 14, 2023:  Global Connections Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

Members in Attendance:
Voting members: Bob Persiko, Bruce Truitt, Melanie Miller Foster, Anna Borisova de Valdez, Deb Leo, Shannon Holliday.

Call to order at 7:09 PM. May minutes were accepted as submitted.

Reports of officers:

President – Bob

Bob reported:

1. Kieran attended a luncheon offered by the borough in which GC was honored. Moreover, GC got a $500 donation from the Borough for its excellent work. 
2. Bob has so far not succeeded in getting an Iranian team to cook at a possible Iranian luncheon. He’ll keep trying.
3. Rita stepped down from being the membership committee chair. Bob will be looking for a replacement. There are 96 members in WA, and 91 of them are active members, 188 contacts (250 is the limit).
4. Anna is going to step down from being the secretary in August/September 2023. Bob will be looking for a replacement.

 Vice President – Kieran – absent

Treasurer – Bruce

Bruce reported:

1. GC’s current balance in the checking account is $5,009 and $31,000 in the money market.
2. Major bills of GC have been paid.

Public relations, website, and social media – Marco – absent

Penn State Global  – Wenjie Fu – absent

Cultural Luncheons Committee – Shannon Holiday

Shannon has a negotiation with Unitarian Fellowship Church to utilize their facilities for GC luncheons with a feasible discounted rate.

2-3 luncheons are planned to be organized in 2023. The dates are still to be determined.

Possible luncheons:

1. Scotland: the executive director of Hope Center County (Scottish) is willing to host, cater and provide a presentation.
2. Japan: the pastor’s wife of the United Methodist Church has agreed to host it in their facility and cater a Sushi bar.
3. Africa: working on

Small Groups – Debbie Leo

1. The book groups (beginners and intermediate/advanced level) are on summer break till the end of August.
2. Number of members this year increased, and each group will try to attain ten members.

Unfinished business:

Centre Gives: Bob proposed that GC will use the money received during the Center Gives to sponsor scholarships for English classes for immigrant family adults through the Mid State Literacy Council. GC will make those recipients members of GC. If this pilot is successful it could become an annual project.

Motion: Bob

Seconded: Shannon

Discussions: none

The Motion passes. Bob will negotiate terms with the Literacy Council and report back to EC members.

New Business

1. Bruce said that the Google Drive of GC needs to be put in order. Decisions need to be made: Who should have oversight of the site? Should we delete old documents? Should we limit what gets posted? Should we share links with EC/publish on GC Website? Bob offered to go through the documents and delete old ones. Melanie said that a previous secretary had culled a lot. Bruce said that it’s important to make one person responsible for maintenance. It could be a responsibility of the Secretary. Melanie cautioned that we not overload too much on the Secretary. Anna agreed that this could be assigned to the Secretary, but she noted that a new Secretary would not know what is important. It was decided to assign this as a secretarial responsibility. Access to all documents needs to be given to all EC members. Make the Drive a repository of all key documents. The Bylaws and Standing Rules only provide vague guidance on such responsibilities. Bob will draft a list of duties and responsibilities of the secretarial position and circulate it to the EC members for consideration. Bruce will review the Standing Rules to see how they can be amended to reflect what the Secretary should do.
2. Discussion on Membership Picnic was tabled to a future meeting.
3. State College Spikes baseball home game on June 21. Need an event reminder to be sent to all members.

Meeting adjournment: 8:15

Prepared and submitted by Anna Borisova de Valdez 06/25/2023 with edits by Bob Persiko, 6/26/23.           

The following GC EC meetings will be in August.

May 10, 2023: Global Connections Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

Members in Attendance:
Voting members: Bob Persiko, Kieran Holland, Bruce Truitt, Marco Damasceno, Anna Borisova de Valdez, Deb Leo, Shannon Holliday.

Call to order at 7:10 PM. April minutes were accepted as submitted.

Reports of officers:

President – Bob

Bob reported:

1. Discussion group (members + families and friends) held a picnic and went hiking on Saturday, May 6, at Stone Valley Recreation Area/ Lake Perez; around 30 people attended the event. Marco will post pictures in GC’s social media after the Centre Gives campaign ends.
2. Bob is regularly receiving and responding to emails with requests for help with translating and other services.
3. There was a meeting of the ad hoc committee (Bob, Bruce, and Kieran) working on archiving inactive members in Wild Apricot. WA:188 contacts, 96 members with 91 active members. They have been emailing many of them, asking them to renew or let the GC know that their membership can lapse. Then, as the committee gets their answers, decides their status. Some remain active, some stay non-member contacts, another 100 or so are archived, and others have been deleted altogether. The committee is still defining criteria for these categories and is working on recruiting a person to help monitor members’ status as their circumstances change.
4. In the summer, GC EC meetings will be in June and August.

Vice President – Kieran

Treasurer – Bruce

Bruce reported:

1. GC’s current balance on the checking account is around $4,600.
2. Saudi Arabian Cultural Luncheon resulted in a $530 loss.
3. “Central Gives” $260 (6 donors) – as of that moment.

Public relations, website, and social media – Marco

1. Marco launched an advertising campaign for “Centre Gives” and will reinforce it before the end of it.
2. Sabrina posted a newsletter with the information “CG.”
3. Bob passed the Penn State Global newsletter to Marco.

Penn State Global  – Wenjie Fu – absent

Cultural Luncheons Committee – Shannon Holiday

1. Shannon met with new GC member (Ciara Halloran), who expressed an interest in being on the committee and assisting with organizing future cultural luncheons.
2. After the Saudi Arabian Cultural Luncheon, GC needs to reconsider the parameters of the next luncheons (additional discussion is pending!)
3. Cheaper venue (work on cost efficiency in general; think about Borough Building as a venue)
4. Time (evenings?)
5. Day (weekends?)
6. Advanced advertising/marketing budget. Kieran offered to print flyers for luncheons (2 weeks prior) to distribute at Ten Thousand Villages.
7. Separate payment of membership and payment of attending the luncheon at the luncheon itself (see new business).
8. Themes being considered for next luncheons:
9. Scotland
10. Japan (Shannon is exploring the basement of United Methodist Church)
11. Iran

Membership – Rita– absent

Small Groups – Debbie Leo

1. The book groups (advanced and intermediate level) will have a summer break.
2. Number of members this year increased.
3. Bob said the discussion group and English class will meet periodically in June and August and likely take a break during July.

Unfinished business:

Centre Gives (see discussion above)

New Business

Proposal:  Increase the price of membership for 2024 (January 1^st of 2024) from $10 to $20 per regular member.

Reasoning: economic situation, inflation, insufficient revenue from other sources, etc.

Motion: Bob

Seconded: Kieran

Discussions: none

The motion passed unanimously.

Discussion on incentives and discounts related to GC activities was tabled to a future meeting.

There’s a State College Spikes baseball home game on June 21. Bob will write the note for the May newsletter, website and social media posting.

Meeting adjournment: 8:02

Prepared and submitted by Anna Borisova de Valdez 05/12/2023 with edits by Bob Persiko, 5/14/23