MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
January 23, 2017
There being a quorum present, the meeting of the Crowder College Board of Trustees of the Community College District of Newton-McDonald Counties, Missouri, was called to order by Board Chair, Mr. Andy Wood, at 10:02 a.m. on Monday, January 23, 2017, in the Crowder College Student Center Fireside Room.
Members present for the meeting were:
Andy Wood, Chair
Diane Andris, Member
Vickie Barnes, Treasurer
Rick Butler, Vice Chair
Al Chapman, Secretary
Larry Vancuren, Member
Also attending the meeting were:
Jennifer Methvin, President
Martha Nimmo, Administrative Assistant to the President
Mark Aubuchon, Campus Life Director
Bobbie Augspurger, Director of Institutional Research
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Kathy Collier, Grants Director
Glenn Coltharp, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Christina Cullers, Controller
Curtis Daniels, Computer Technology Instructor/CTE Division Chair
JP Dickey, Director of Admissions
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Assistant
Stephanie Ferguson, Director of Financial Aid
Mark Fitch, Interim Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Joel Lamson, Sustainable Energy Instructor
Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services
Melissa Oates, Director of MARET Center
Lisa O’Hanahan, HEP Program Director
Monte Padgett, Director, Nevada Instructional Center
Michelle Paul, Director of Human Resources
Jeri Phillips, Director, Training and Development Solutions
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Angela Seymour, Director, Cassville Instructional Center
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Melissa Smith, Director, Concurrent Enrollment and Regional Centers
Rick Wallace, Veteran Services Coordinator
Peggy Millikin, Attorney at Law, Millikin Intellectual Property Law
Matt Wallace, CPA, Supervisor – Audit Services, KPM CPAs, PC
Cortney Brown, KODE/KSN
Gary Headley, KODE/KSN
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following employees were introduced and welcomed for their new positions: JP Dickey, Director of Admissions; Melissa Smith, Director, Concurrent Enrollment and Regional Centers; Dr. Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center; Jeri Phillips, Director, Training and Development Solutions, and Gitana McAllister, Student Services Coordinator (HT) in Webb City.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the December 5, 2016, regular meeting and closed session were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the November 30 Current Fund Balance and reports through the end of November. There being no questions, he continued to review the January 9, 2017, Cash Flow Statement and reports. Four sets of checks were provided from November 15, 2016, through January 9, 2017, and Mr. Wood noted some questions had been previously answered by email. Checks in the amount of $1,456,181.22 were approved ON MOTION by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Andris, and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. When asked, Dr. Methvin reported the Servant Leader Professional Development agency account is new and made up of donated funds that we are using for books and supplies for the Servant Leadership groups. She said we hope to send employees to the annual Greenleaf Servant Leadership Conference through this account in the future as the fund grows. Mr. Wood said the other accounts look good overall. Dr. Methvin said we are on track similar to last year at this time for revenue and expenses.
Reconfiguration of Regional Centers
Mr. Wood said this is a second reading from a presentation last month. Dr. Methvin asked for action to discontinue instruction at Mount Vernon and Carthage at the end of this spring semester, and that we close those two facilities as of June 30, 2017. She said we have revenue loss at those sites, and we truly believe that we can serve students better with the full campuses at Webb City for Carthage students and Cassville for Mount Vernon students along with online classes. Dr. Methvin said we want to remain in Monett due to access to some technical teaching space, and we want to try to grow some technical classes at that site. She said the Monett site is experimental and will be evaluated as it progresses. Dr. Methvin said this proposal was made prior to the Governor’s withholdings from higher education, but it is clear this is a prudent financial decision. Mr. Wood noted we have been monitoring these sites for several years, and there has been no change in the enrollment trend over that time. Dr. Methvin concurred. Mrs. Andris asked how long the Monett experiment would continue. Dr. Methvin said we will do a year-to-year evaluation, and we believe it is worth continuing and attempting further. Mr. Wood said we reluctantly request a motion to discontinue the Mount Vernon and Carthage sites as specified. Dr. Methvin agreed saying this also includes reconfiguring the job description for the regional centers director. Without further discussion, a MOTION to accept the reconfiguration proposal as presented was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mr. Butler, and unanimously carried. Mr. Wood said this is reluctantly and prudently approved.
Personnel
Dr. Methvin reported Judy Clark, Accounts Payable Accountant, is requesting retirement after 39 years of employment. She said Judy is very fond of her time here starting classes as a high school student then a Crowder College graduate and as an employee. She has a wealth of knowledge, institutional memory, skill and dedication to her job. Dr. Methvin said we wish her well, but are sorry that her time here is ending. Mr. Wood noted that Judy began at Crowder under Dr. Dell Reed’s tenure; she is training others prior to leaving, and she could have taken retirement several years ago. Dr. Methvin said we will honor her at a later date. A MOTION to reluctantly approve her retirement was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of four resignations as follows: Michael Hurn, Security; Rachel Sanders, Security Officer; Chris Woitowitz, Director of Information Technology, and Kirsten Hargis, Project NOW Secretary (PT). A MOTION to approve all four resignations as requested was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of eight employments as follows: Jennifer Gilliam, Administrative Assistant, Academic Affairs; Kayela Horn, Academic Coordinator, Concurrent Enrollment and Regional Centers; Dr. Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center; Caitlin Carter, Upward Bound Math/Science Academic Coordinator; Kyle Ritter, Paramedic Instructor; Julie Postai, Nursing Instructor, Nevada; Andrew Aggus, Switchboard Operator (PT), and Sherry Lotufo, Secretary (PT), Cassville. A MOTION to approve all eight employments as requested was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.
Certification of Board Candidates
Mr. Wood noted there will be an election on April 4th for two board of trustee positions, and the candidate filing period closed last week. He said there are two individuals running from Subdistrict 2 which includes Newton county and part of Jasper county who are C. R. ‘Rick’ Butler and Jeffrey L. Jones. He said there is one candidate from Subdistrict 1 which includes McDonald county and Stella in Newton county who is Larry Vancuren. Mr. Wood said we believe Mr. Vancuren will not need to be on the ballot since there is only one candidate for one position. Dr. Methvin concurred saying the other two candidates will need to be on the ballot in Newton and Jasper counties. Mr. Wood said this information must be certified to the county clerk offices for the ballots. A MOTION to certify the three Board candidates as listed was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.
Annual Audit Report for FY ending 06/30/2016
Mr. Matt Wallace reviewed the Crowder College Annual Audit Report provided by KPM CPAs & Advisors for fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. He congratulated the College on receiving an unmodified, clean opinion which is the same opinion that has been received in past years. He referred to the ‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis’ which is the administration’s review of Crowder’s fiscal position in 2016 and future outlook. He noted the ‘Combined Statement of Net Position’ which includes combined financial information from the College, the Foundation, and the Facilities Corporation with summary information included on page 18. He reviewed the ‘Combining Statement of Net Position’ saying College total assets were $51.2M, total liabilities were $23.5M, and total net position was $31.5M, up $1.3M from the prior year. Mr. Wallace said last year was the first year for the ‘net pension liability’ requirement to be listed which is an actuarial, calculated number, and it is $15.2M, down about $500,000 from last year. He explained how this number was calculated and responded to questions. He said the purpose of the Facilities Corporation is to pay off the debt issuance, and the Foundation’s total net position is about $6M for the year. Mr. Wallace reviewed various tables/reports in the audit. The ‘Summary Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs’ showed an unmodified opinion in the Financial Statement summary with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. Mr. Wallace said the unmodified opinion with no material weaknesses in Federal Awards in 2016 is better than last year, and the Financial Aid office should be congratulated for this rating. He reviewed the ‘Significant Deficiencies and Compliance’ items listed saying these are unique, isolated incidents which are required to be reported, but will likely not be reported next year.
Mr. Wallace called attention to a letter that included six additional comments and KPM recommendations. He said regarding ‘Attendance Taking vs. Nonattendance Taking’, Crowder is a nonattendance taking school for Title IV funding purposes, but other colleges who have had Department of Education audits have had to pay large fines in this area. He said the DOE wants schools to be attendance taking so we should “take all steps necessary to ensure that they (i.e. Crowder) will not be considered an attendance taking school by the DOE or change policy to officially become an attendance taking school.” Discussion took place, and Dr. Methvin said we are aware of this issue and are considering our philosophical stance in this area. Ms. Slinkard said we have not had a Title IV audit by DOE since the mid-1990s. Drs. Methvin and Coltharp responded to questions saying we will return to the Board on this issue in the future. Mr. Wallace said ‘Self-Insurance Loss’ was on the list last year, and although the loss was down this past year, steps still need to be taken to reduce the deficit. He said ‘Capital Asset Tracking’ was listed last year and capital asset tracking software is still needed. Mr. Wallace said ‘New Overtime Rules’ is on the list although the Department of Labor has not yet implemented the new rules. He said we understand that since the audit process, new Crowder policies have been put in place regarding this issue. Mr. Wallace said ‘GASB Statement Number 75 Implementation’ is regarding other postemployment benefits (OPEB) and begins after June 15, 2017, so steps should be taken now to be ready for this change. He said ‘GASB Statement Number 77 Implementation’ is regarding Tax Abatement Disclosures and will be effective for the next audit.
Mr. Wallace thanked Amy Rand, Christina Cullers, and all departments who helped to provide information for the audit, and the Board for allowing him to present. Ms. Rand thanked Mr. Wallace and his entire staff for their hard work. Mr. Wood asked several questions regarding: tax abatement, why investments are divided into different ‘Fair Value’ levels, more about the pension liability issue, and how changes in GASB regulations change the overall audit from year to year. Mr. Wallace responded to all and confirmed as well that there is no potential or pending litigation against the College. The Board thanked Mr. Wallace for his good report.
Room and Board Rates Proposal
Mr. Aubuchon said we left our room and board rates the same for several years, and we are now more aware of how much it costs to run residence halls. He said we are proposing a 4% across the board rate increase which is less than last year’s increase and is appropriate for general maintenance repairs needed such as replacing appliances and carpets in Brown and Roughrider Village. Mr. Aubuchon reviewed the proposed rates compared to last year’s rates and compared to a regional rates range. He said the proposed double-occupancy room rate in Brown is $2,701, and the regional rates range from $2,600 to $5,081 with only one other community college slightly lower, but their dorms are used only for athletes. He said the proposed double-occupancy rate for Roughrider Village apartments is $2,083 which is still much lower than at comparable colleges. He said the 4% increase means between $100 and $200 per semester depending on the room selection, and when divided into four payments is very little per month. Mrs. Andris asked if a 4% increase was enough. Mr. Aubuchon said we are trying to find a balance that works for us and the students, and we do not want to raise the rates to the point where students with full Pell funding have to take out loans to pay for housing. Dr. Methvin noted we had gone about ten years without raising the rates in prior years. Mr. Wood pointed out the rate comparisons with other schools in the area noting our facilities are better than many schools in the area. Mr. Aubuchon agreed saying Roughrider Village is especially nice, but we want to keep it affordable in an effort to keep students for a full academic year and for completion. Mr. Wood asked if there were any objections to rolling this forward for action next month, and there were none.
Veteran Services Review
Mrs. Ferguson reported Veteran Services is a fairly new department on campus although Financial Aid has always certified VA funding in the past, but in 2014 a new position was begun to focus more specifically on veteran needs. She said the Veteran Services Coordinator now certifies VA funding for students who self-declare that they are veterans. The Coordinator verifies their coursework is eligible for VA funding and that it is required for their degree which is why the Coordinator must be an academic advisor. She said the Coordinator submits required reporting and refers to outside agencies as needed. She said Rick Wallace is the current Veteran Services Coordinator (half-time) and Robyn Bebie in Financial Aid is also certified to do VA work. Mrs. Ferguson reported 96 students were certified for VA funding in Fall 2016 with 67 of them spouses or dependents and 29 of them veterans, active duty or reserve. She said 13 of the 96 graduated, two with honors, and they are given cords to identify and honor their service. Mrs. Ferguson said 63 of the 96 students are returning for the spring semester which is a 76% retention rate, and there are 23 new students for 86 total students this spring. She showed a breakdown of campuses where the students attend, noting they are at all Crowder campuses with the majority in Neosho. She showed a breakdown of degrees studies and reported total VA payments for Fall 2016 totaled over $210,000. Mrs. Andris asked if VA benefits covered all four years of college. Mr. Wallace said yes, and some academic programs pay up to 48 full months. He said the amount of funding received varies with most students getting one hundred percent tuition and some housing. He said some students are sent monthly checks for housing while tuition funds are sent directly to the college. He said there are no restrictions on transferring funds to their dependents if requested. Mrs. Ferguson said over the years, the numbers of veteran students has changed similar to our overall student enrollment numbers. Mr. Wallace said veteran benefits have increased over time. He reported the Veteran Student Lounge has been relocated to McDonald Hall room 340 which is close to their classes and provides an area behind closed doors for comradery which is often needed.
President’s Update
Dr. Methvin reported we focused a great deal on the Strategic Plan at All Staff Day with an update given from each of the four strategic initiative committee chairs, saying she is very pleased with the work so far. Dr. Methvin reported the Governor’s state withholding of higher education funds amounted to $418,155 for Crowder. She said the state deficit is real, and we expected some withholds although we did not expect higher education to receive half of the total withholds to date. She said fifteen percent of the higher education withholds were from community colleges. Mr. Wood noted the percentage of cuts to community colleges was less than the four-year schools because we receive less state funding. He said our contingency fund covered about half of the amount cut. Dr. Methvin concurred saying we will do less general maintenance and remodeling, and less equipment purchases than originally planned. Mr. Wood said some colleges have talked about doing mid-year tuition increases, but we do not plan to do that. Dr. Methvin said that will not be recommended as it would be very difficult for students.
Dr. Methvin announced the Safety Team has recommended implementing a new safety tool called Lokdown that is being used by many of the public schools in the area. She said it allows employees to have an application on their phone or computer to alert a specified group of employees and 911/law enforcement all at once in an emergency situation. She said it is essentially a panic button for employees, but it does not change our processes; it simply makes communication about an emergency able to be reported very quickly to a lot of people. Dr. Methvin said our normal practice is to call either 911 or Crowder Security, and this simply speeds up alerting others who need to know about the emergency. She said employee training took place at All Staff Day, and the Safety Team is finalizing plans for it this afternoon. She said it is exceptionally affordable and a very good use of the student Safety and Security Fee.
Patent Issuance “Bi-Field Solar Geothermal System”
Dr. Methvin announced Crowder College has been awarded the U.S. patent for the ‘Bi-Field Solar Geothermal System’ at the MARET Center, and she welcomed Crowder alumnus and patent attorney, Ms. Peggy Millikin. Ms. Millikin said it has been a pleasure working on this patent application with the staff and administration of Crowder College for the last several years. The patent is directed to the MARET Center’s hot and cold field geothermal system. She said the claims of a patent can be likened to the legal description of a real estate deed, in that it is a legal document from the federal government authorized under the U.S. Constitution with a set of claims that describe the boundaries of the invention. This patent is effective at least until March 15, 2034, and it gives Crowder the right to exclude others from practicing the invention, but Crowder must not infringe on another patent if we are practicing the invention. Ms. Millikin said there are various types of patentable subject matters, including a process or method, a machine, an article of manufacture, a composition of matter, and a method of doing business. She said there are also four different types of patents: design, utility, provisional, and plant. Ms. Millikin said Crowder filed a provisional patent in 2013, followed by the regular utility patent application in 2014, claiming priority to the provisional application. Crowder’s utility patent protects the MARET Center invention with apparatus and method claims. The apparatus claims are directed to the geothermal system of moving fluid through the hot and cold loops and a series of solar panels on the roof of the building, where the system senses automatically when to switch from the hot to the cold loop and vice versa. Ms. Millikin said the method claims were also allowed, which protect the method of moving fluid through the loops using the hot and cold fields and automatically switching between the loops, as needed. An apparatus claim prohibits others from making, using, selling, offering to sell and importing a product while a method claim also prohibits this activity with an emphasis on prohibiting use without permission. She explained the filing procedure, saying the U.S. Patent Office issued a first Office action rejecting the claims of the application in view of prior art and granting Crowder the opportunity to respond and explain why this rejection was in error. This is typical procedure in a U.S. patent application. She explained that the College responded to the Office action rejection, explaining the differences between the invention and the cited prior art. This explanation convinced the examiner at the U.S. Patent Office, which then allowed the application and issued it as a patent. She said a U.S. patent is only effective in the U.S., and maintenance fees are due at three years, seven years, and eleven years from issuance in order to maintain the patent, which if not paid will result in abandonment of the patent. Ms. Millikin said patents are valuable in many ways, first to society by making available inventions and new ideas that provide a better place to live. Additionally, inventors become recognized and fulfilled through their inventions. She said although patents are intangible personal property, there is a financial reward for companies that grow their intellectual property portfolios for their organization and leverage them to achieve financial and organizational goals. In fact, many universities are doing this because they don’t sell products, so they license their technologies to others who pay a royalty. When asked, Ms. Millikin said if others want to use this invention, they must get permission from Crowder to do that, and a royalty fee could be required if the license is granted by the College. She said the royalty value is dependent on a number of factors. Mr. Joel Lamson asked if there has been any cost analysis done on the product. Ms. Millikin said she was not aware of it since this is not part of the legal patenting process, but it would be important information to have as part of any efforts to commercialize the invention. Mr. Wood asked if there are future plans for the patent. Dr. Methvin said none at this time as we need to study its future potential. The Board thanked Ms. Millikin for her work and the great report.
Adjournment
Mr. Wood invited attendees to lunch noting the next regularly scheduled meeting set for February 27. Dr. Methvin said that is the same week Crowder is scheduled to have a presence in Jefferson City for our “Week at the Capitol”. The meeting adjourned to lunch at 11:50 a.m.
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