Minutes posted for Crowder College Board of Trustees meeting

(From Crowder College)

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 10:01 a.m. on Monday, April 24, 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

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

Eric Deatherage, Lee Library Director

Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center

Jamie Emery, Director, Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center

Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center

Tom Franklin, Associate Director, Training and Development Solutions

Ike Isenhower, EMS Clinical Supervisor/Paramedic Instructor

Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services

Adam Morris, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs

Lisa O’Hanahan, CAMP Director

Monte Padgett, Director, Nevada Instructional Center

Michelle Paul, Director of Human Resources

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

Vickie Todd, Computer Programmer/Analyst

Robin Wolven, Access Librarian

Robin McAlester, Empire District Electric Company

Darin McCann, Photographer, KODE/KSN News

A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following employees were introduced and welcomed: Lisa O’Hanahan, CAMP Director; Mitch Cordray, Director of Information Technology; Jorge Avendano, Communications Specialist; Greg Gentry, Computer Technician; Jane Gray, Accounts Payable Assistant; Caitlin Carter, Upward Bound Math/Science Academic Coordinator; Melanie Tarrant, Custodian, and MacKenzie Hutchins, Fine Arts Departmental Assistant.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Minutes of the March 15 work session and the March 20 regular meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.

Financial Reports

Mr. Wood pointed out the monthly cash flow statement and checks written from March 8 through April 10, noting that Dr. Methvin has responded to several questions already. The rest of the current fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Dr. Methvin said the Transport Training issue has been resolved with business and industry coming together with higher education to help the Department of Revenue understand how important it was to comply with the federal requirement to encrypt test scores transferred from state to state to let students receive their licenses. Regarding Customized Training, Dr. Methvin said new jobs and retained jobs are historically shown separately because they are pass-through funds. Tom Franklin said those items were also separated because they were not part of the previous MSSU agreement for Customized Training. Dr. Methvin said a partnership among the twelve Missouri community colleges was recently signed to be able to provide better expertise and so there would not be any training throughout the state that we could not serve. She said the colleges have worked hard this past year to get a data system for the non-credit training that we provide in an effort to try to get some state funding for the work that community colleges do. The rest of the center accounts were reviewed. Dr. Methvin and VP Rand responded to questions regarding the revenue and expense account variations. When asked, Dr. Methvin said total state withholdings for this fiscal year is about $600,000.

Induction of New Trustees

Mr. Wood noted the results of the April 4, 2017, election as certified by the Newton and Jasper County Clerks showing that Mr. Larry Vancuren was elected unopposed from subdistrict 1, and Mr. Rick Butler was elected from subdistrict 2. A MOTION to certify the election results as presented was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried. Mr. Wood administered the oath of office to Mr. Vancuren and Mr. Butler as duly elected trustees for six-year terms of office, and they were congratulated.

Election of Board Officers

Mr. Wood noted the current Board officers including himself as chair, Mr. Butler as vice chair, Dr. Chapman as secretary, and Mrs. Barnes as treasurer. Mrs. Andris MOVED to maintain the current slate of officers for the next two-year term. There being no further discussion, Mr. Vancuren seconded the motion and it was unanimously carried.

Tuition and Fees Recommendation for 2017-18

Dr. Methvin said this is the second reading with no changes to last month’s recommendation. She said even with these increases, we remain in the third most affordable among the twelve Missouri community colleges. She reviewed the recommendation which includes a $6 increase for in-district tuition, a $9 increase for out-of-district tuition, and a $12 increase for international tuition as well as specified increases to differential tuition rates. The proposal includes a $2 increase to the Institutional Support Fee, a $1 increase to the Safety & Security Fee, a $2 increase to the Online Course Fee, and a $1 increase to the Flex Course Fee. Mr. Wood asked if there were any further questions. He said we do not want to raise tuition and fees, but it is necessary, and this still leaves us in the bottom third when comparing costs in all areas among Missouri community colleges. A MOTION to approve the tuition and fees recommendation as presented was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.

Personnel

Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the retirements of Mike Jernigan, Education Technology Specialist, who has been with the College for eighteen years and Carolyn Strauch, Business Instructor, who has been with the College for twenty-one years. She said these are exceptional employees who will be celebrated next month, and they will be missed. A MOTION to approve both retirements as requested, but with regret, was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.

Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following six resignations: Adrian Butler, Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Finance; William Lenz, Computer Technician;

Mick Finley, Network Administrator; Erica McPike, Behavior Specialist, ASD Program; Sarah Sagely, Assistant Basketball Coach, and Kelsey Davis, Administrative Assistant, Dual Credit, Teacher Education and Assessment. A MOTION to approve all six resignations as requested was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.

Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following four employments: Katrina Shorter, Accounts Receivable Associate; James “Aaron” Sumler, Teacher Education Instructor; Erin Cooley, Upward Bound Academic Liaison, and Tiffany Marion, Administrative Assistant, Vice President of Finance. A MOTION to approve all four employments as requested was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.

Contract Renewals for 2017-2018

Dr. Methvin pointed out the contract renewal lists are organized by administrators, faculty, faculty that are part-time, half-time, or on phased retirement; non-faculty professional staff, non-faculty professional staff who are part-time or on phased retirement; full-time classified staff, part-time classified staff, and AEL/HEP part-time employees. She noted those listed with asterisks throughout are funded either partially or fully by grant funds. Dr. Methvin said the AEL/HEP employees change frequently and sometimes shift between part-time and full-time (29 hours to 32 hours) to meet the student demand for instruction. Mr. Wood said unlike some other higher education institutions, we have not had to lay off any employees due to budget issues. Dr. Methvin agreed saying we have had some planned restructuring that has helped the budget such as discontinuing instruction at Mt. Vernon and Carthage at the end of this semester and phasing out the Health Information Technology program. Mr. Wood said we have had some restructuring and not filled some positions that became empty, but we have not been laying off employees. Dr. Methvin agreed. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the contract renewal lists as provided was made by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.

Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center Contracts

Dr. Methvin said as agreed, we will be bringing these types of contracts to you for approval in the future. Ms. Emery said you should have copies of contracts with the Neosho School District and the Joplin School District, one for K-12 and one for Early Childhood, and there is one other contract coming soon which we are still in the process of working out the details. She said in Neosho, we contract for services provided at the Maddox Hill Center, at Central Elementary, at the Transition Classroom located at the Neosho High School, and at the Field Early Childhood Center. Ms. Emery reported in Joplin, we provide early childhood services at Soaring Heights Elementary. She said there are two separate contracts for the Joplin School District due to one being funded by early childhood funds. When asked, she said these contracts are not mandated, but are simply good practice, and they are approved by the school boards as well to make sure we are all in agreement about the program. Dr. Methvin said it is good practice to outline what is expected of all the parties involved. It was noted that some individuals working at the Maddox Hill Center are employed by the Neosho School District under their contract, and we supply employees to the Neosho School District as well which is why these contracts are necessary. Dr. Chapman asked if the Center is working with any other school districts. Ms. Emery said yes, but they do not require contracts as we only require contracts with those schools to whom we are providing a weekly service and a large number of contracted hours. She said the other schools do not require as many hours, but more contracted schools are likely to occur as more schools request our services at their location. She said we are currently working on a contract with Carthage schools, and McDonald County is a possibility as well. She said the current issue is to get enough full-time staff trained to meet the growing demand. Dr. Methvin said we will bring any future contracts to the Board for approval as well. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the three contracts provided was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.

Electric Charging Station Host Agreement

Dr. Methvin introduced Robin McAlester from Empire District Electric Company saying we have been in discussions for about a year on this project for Crowder College to become the first host of an electric charging station in Neosho. She said legal counsel has reviewed the agreement in which Empire will install and maintain the charging station while Crowder will have some control over its usage. She said we do not believe there will be a usage problem at this time, but it does open the possibility of Crowder having a hybrid vehicle in the future. Dr. Methvin asked Ms. McAlester to explain more details about the ‘smart’ charging station. Ms. McAlester reported this is part of the Charge Point charging network so if you drive an electric vehicle, you will likely have that app on your phone that tells you what stations are open and operational, and you can even make a reservation for it. Ms. McAlester said the user has a card that unlocks the station and identifies them, and because it is a smart station, we will capture and monitor that hourly usage data. She said our intention is to put the station outside of McDonald Hall in the first two parking spaces nearest the transformer. Dr. Methvin said it needs to remain on asphalt, and this puts it on the MARET side of campus where it can be easily watched. Ms. McAlester said it will be one station with two charging ports available. Mr. Butler asked what the average charging time is for vehicles. Ms. McAlester said that depends completely on the type of car and how low of a charge it has. She said Charge Point estimates between twenty and sixty cents per hour, and the first eighty percent of the car charge charges more quickly than the last twenty percent. She said most electric car drivers simply charge every time they have a station available to top off the charge whenever possible. She said drivers are not required to stay with the car while it is charging, and the app alerts them when the charging is finished. Ms. McAlester said with the usage data, when it becomes apparent that the station is being used at capacity, we will contact you about installing another station. Mr. Wood asked where to get the charging card. She said drivers sign up for it online, and Charge Point is simply the network with whom we are contracted. Dr. Methvin said once approved, we hope to have the station available by the fall semester. It was noted that there is no cost to use the charging station other than the electricity charge. Ms. McAlester said as far as we know there are no other charging stations going into Neosho at this time. A MOTION to approve the Electric Charging Station Host Agreement as provided was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mr. Butler and unanimously carried.

Budget Draft for FY 18

VP Rand reviewed the budget assumptions saying property tax revenues have been increasing slightly each year, and we are estimating a 1% increase for FY 18. She said tuition and fees are estimated with the rates that were approved today, and we are projecting a 4% decrease in credit hours as a conservative projection. She said housing and meal plan revenue amounts are projected at the new rates as approved earlier this year with the same occupancy level as this year. She said state appropriations include a 9% cut in Core funding, and PELL revenue is estimated to be $8.6M. Ms. Rand announced in expenses we have included a step increase of approximately 2% for permanent full-time and permanent part-time employees. She said we have budgeted contingencies of $450,000 for a state withholding allowance that could come anytime throughout the year and $620,000 of additional contingency for any emergencies or insurance needs. Ms. Rand reviewed a three year summary comparison of budget revenues and expenditures including the FY 18 budget. She showed pie charts of the FY 18 budget of the breakdown of revenues and expenses to provide a more visual view. When asked about the decrease in scholarships, she said some is due to declining enrollment and declining PELL amounts while there has been an increase in Foundation scholarships. She provided several more pages that included each specific revenue account and each of the expense lines based on the division and department comparing the current budget with the proposed budget. She said all of the ERC courses have been moved to the non-credit side, and paramedic courses will be charged the differential tuition per credit hour charge based on the student’s residency so they will be included in the appropriate tuition rate. Ms. Rand said the number of students paying tuition and fees with credit cards is increasing so the credit card line was increased. She said since there are not any capital fund raising projects that are planned to begin construction in the 2017-18 fiscal year, there is nothing listed under Foundation gifts for building projects. She noted a couple of the grant amounts are significantly less than last year which we were aware would happen as the grants ended. Ms. Rand said under state revenues, in the past the appropriation was broken into about six designated categories, but for the past several years, we have only received appropriations for two areas: general operations, and maintenance and repair. She said we have now moved all the state revenue into those two categories which leaves some lines blank compared to last year. Under federal revenue, the federal grants are estimated, and some are little lower than last year. She said some grants are able to carry over funds from the previous year, which if that occurs, a budget adjustment will be brought to the Board for approval in December. She said there is a slight increase in Area School revenue due to an increase in enrollment. When asked, Ms. Rand said the Joplin Advanced Training and Technology Center and Monett will be added in next year as a tuition revenue line similar to the other instructional centers. She briefly reviewed the expenses divided by department and division comparing the current and proposed budgets. Dr. Methvin reported the current state budget will be going to conference, but a final state budget is required by May 5 which would allow time to modify the amount in our FY 18 budget prior to next month’s final approval. She said we will continue to budget contingencies which has allowed us to manage fiscally better than some other institutions. Ms. Rand asked members to contact her if you have any questions regarding the proposed budget. There being no objections, Mr. Wood said this item will be rolled to next month for action.

Lee Library Program Review

Mr. Deatherage reported we try to align the Library both financially and functionally with the goals of the College. He provided a history of the number of Library staff from 2001 to present showing that the total staff per student 1000 FTE has gone down while the number of staff has increased from one to three full time librarians with MLS degrees. He said employees with MLS degrees can do more technical and computer-oriented work that is needed in modern libraries. He said Library staff work each day to improve student information literacy, and library class instruction hours have increased over the academic year from ten classes in 2001 to 197 in 2016. He said we now try to have at least three class sessions with each student, once in College Orientation, once in a speech class, and once in their major subject area to show how databases work within their particular field. Mr. Deatherage emphasized how important information literacy is in our society saying historically, information was found on databases that were edited, peer reviewed and evaluated for accuracy instead of simply finding information on the open internet. He said students need to learn how to evaluate information accurately. He provided student gate count data from 2001 to 2012. He said in 2014, we shifted to measuring head count every two hours to get a more reflective understanding of how the Library is being used, and there was a 13% decrease in Library space usage between FY 15 and FY 16. He showed a breakdown of material usage comparing database articles, physical materials, eBooks, interlibrary borrowing and interlibrary lending. He said there has been a decrease in physical materials circulation, and careful purchasing is needed between physical versus electronic items. He said students often say they would rather use a physical book, but due to time constraints use electronic resources instead. The Library currently has 130,000 eBooks compared to 43,000 physical books. He said the eBooks increased the collection dramatically, and they were provided through the MOBIUS consortium that developed the collection specifically for its members. Mr. Deatherage showed a three-year cost comparison for books, eResources, paper periodicals and MOBIUS assessment. He said periodical purchases will decrease again this year due to lack of usage although employees can now have periodicals routed to their office which improves usage. He said the MOBIUS consortium cost is reasonable, and eResource purchases have increased while book purchases have decreased, although not dramatically. He said the MOBIUS charge covers membership and the computer system that allows all library functions, not just interlibrary lending, to work. The software provided by MOBIUS is the system upon which all other library services at Crowder are overlaid and function. He said we also purchase multiple databases through MOBIUS for significant cost savings. Mr. Deatherage announced due to a MOBIUS renegotiation of contracts, we will be doing a major upgrade this summer that will provide more streamlined research capabilities for students. The first Annual Local Author Symposium will take place on May 5th in the Wright Center, 10:00-2:30 p.m. in which thirteen local authors will interact with participants. He said a rare book archive will open beginning in Fall 2017 to showcase those items. The Board thanked him for the good report.

Basketball Team Season Report

Coach Tina Robbins reported the Lady Rider Basketball Team finished the season 12 and 21 this year with a very young team and only four returning students. She said they had the toughest schedule in our region, and we finished runner-up in the Region 16 Tournament. Coach Robbins said she was proud of their perseverance throughout the season to come back and finish strong. Three student players introduced themselves: Michaela Mack from Edmond, OK; Morgan Crawford from Oklahoma City, OK and Tori Coulter from Colcord, OK. Coach Robbins said four players were selected for the Region 16 All-Region team: Zahria White and Kadesha Cooper were picked for the first team, and Nicole Ickes and Brooke Sagely were honorable mention. She said for Fall 2016, the average GPA for the team was 3.5 with every player above a 3.0 and five on the Dean’s List. Coach Robbins showed pictures of the team doing community service activities saying 111 hours of community service were logged this year. She reported a successful mentor program was started this year in which each player was teamed with someone in the community, both on and off campus, to provide support and a little home life for the players. Mr. Wood asked how many students go on to complete higher degrees. Coach Robbins said the majority do, and there will be six returning players for next year’s team.

MCCA PTK All-MO Academic Team and MCCA Student Leadership Award

Dr. Peter Broglio reported one of the PTK All-Missouri Academic Team members could not attend today, Rebeca Mejia, as she is a high school student from Aurora, and she was called in to work to assist with a baby delivery. He said she is a dual credit high school senior who will be graduating with an associate’s degree from Crowder at the end of this year. He said she is a general studies major with her CNA; she hopes to go to the University of Missouri to continue there. Dr. Broglio introduced Jackson Lewis who won the MCCA Student Leadership Award as well as making the first team of the PTK All-Missouri Academic Team. He said Jackson is graduating from Crowder this spring and will be attending the University of Arkansas as a business administration major. Dr. Broglio thanked Crowder for its support of Phi Theta Kappa. Mr. Wood presented two certificates to Jackson for his awards, and he was congratulated with applause. Dr. Methvin said Jackson serves in many areas including as a Student Ambassador, an honor student, and works part-time at the Crowder information desk/switchboard in Farber.

President’s Update

Dr. Methvin reported the Foundation Evening of Jazz is tomorrow, April 25, downtown at The Civic, and the Roughrider Car Show that was scheduled for last Saturday has been moved to September 9 which should allow for better weather. She said we are monitoring legislative activities; the state budget will go to conference and we are anxious to receive their results.

Adjournment

At about 11:55 a.m., Mr. Wood noted the need for a closed session for personnel. Mrs. Nimmo reported the next regular meeting is set for May 22nd, and Commencements will be held on May 20th at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the Sneller Gymnasium. (See separate closed session minutes.) Following the closed session, Board members adjourned to lunch at about 1:00 p.m.

MINUTES OF THE CLOSED SESSION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI

April 24, 2017

Following the regular meeting of the Crowder College Board of Trustees on April 24th in the Student Center Fireside Room, the Board Chair, Mr. Andy Wood, called for a motion to go into closed session. At 11:55 a.m., a MOTION to go into closed session in accordance with RSMO 610-021 for the purpose of personnel was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Butler and passed unanimously on the following roll call vote:

Andris: Yes Barnes: Yes Chapman: Yes

Butler: Yes Vancuren: Yes Wood: Yes

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 was: Jennifer Methvin, President.

The Board met for the purpose of discussing the annual evaluation of Dr. Jennifer Methvin, President of Crowder College. The Survey was prepared by the Association of Community College Trustees based on 160 surveys from Crowder College full-time employees with a response rate of 69%. Dr. Methvin was present during the first part of the meeting in order to provide the Board with comments on her evaluation as well as answer questions from the Board. She was excused for the latter portion of the meeting at about 12:45 p.m. in order for the Board to finalize their discussion. A MOTION to open the meeting was made at 12:55 p.m. by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried on the following vote:

Chapman: Yes Barnes: Yes Andris: Yes

Vancuren: Yes Butler: Yes Wood: Yes

Upon reopening the meeting, a MOTION was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously approved by a vote of 6 to 0 to extend Dr. Methvin’s contract as President for another year with her salary subject to the upcoming budgetary process. No further action was taken, and the meeting adjourned to lunch at approximately 1:00 p.m.