MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
August 28, 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 10:05 a.m. on August 28, 2017, in the Crowder College Student Center Fireside Room following the annual Tax Levy Hearing.
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
Cindy Branscum, Director of Institutional Advancement
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Glenn Coltharp, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Christina Cullers, Controller
Chett Daniel, Director of Institutional Research
Curtis Daniels, Division Chair, CTE/Computer Networking Instructor
Eric Deatherage, Lee Library Director
JP Dickey, Interim Director of Admissions
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Accountant
Tom Franklin, Associate Director, Crowder Training and Development
Ike Isenhower, EMS Clinical Supervisor/ Instructor
Keri Keckley, Fine Arts Division Chair & Speech Instructor
Travis Lallemand, Baseball Coach/ PE Instructor
Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services
Melissa Oates, Director of MARET Center
Monte Padgett, Director, Nevada Instructional Center
Michelle Paul, Director of Human Resources
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Angela Seymour, Director, Cassville Instructional Center
John Sisemore, Athletic Director/ Women’s Softball Coach
Melissa Smith, Director of Concurrent Enrollment and Regional Centers
Tif Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
New Employees
The following new employees were introduced and welcomed: Abbi Nicholson, Life Science Instructor, McDonald County; Shirley Davidson, Student Services Coordinator, McDonald County; Kristen Slankard and Brienna Black, Behavior Technicians, Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center; Heather Eckhart, Psychology/ABA Instructor; Aaron Sumler, Teacher Education Instructor; Adrienne Boyd, Dual Credit/Teacher Education Administrative Assistant; Jordan Burton, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach; Nathan Busteed, Network Administrator; Chett Daniel, Director of Institutional Research; Jayston Landon, Preparation Instructor, CTEC, and Lorna Doss, Health Science Instructor, CTEC. In their absence, Rachel Feagans, Nursing Coordinator/Instructor, McDonald County; Brian Larson and Taylor Yeager, Welding Instructors, Joplin Advanced Training and Technology Center, were also introduced.
Minutes of Previous Meetings
Minutes of the July 19 Closed Session, the July 24 regular meeting and Closed Session, and the August 1 Work Session were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement. Under checks written, he noted a couple of bond payments, and Ms. Rand explained that we paid interest only on the 2016 bond issuance which was a refinance of a former issue that was originally for the Farber Building and Davidson Hall. She said we have about $5M left on it, and it will mature in 2026. Ms. Rand said a principal and interest payment was made on the 2015 bond issuance which was used to pay for Roughrider Village, the Cassville campus, and the Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center. She said this issuance has about $4.9M left on it and it will mature in 2030. These are our only two bond issuances. Mr. Wood asked if there were any further questions on the checks written which were from July 11 to 31 and August 1-11. There being none, checks in the amount of $2,006,102.30 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. For the Centers, Mr. Wood noted that the fall tuition has not been included yet. Dr. Methvin agreed saying there will also be a report for the Joplin Advanced Training and Technology Center beginning next month. Mr. Wood said there is not much to discuss for the first month of the fiscal year.
Personnel
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following five resignations: Maria Rodriguez, CAMP Administrative Assistant; Michele ‘Shelly’ Stewart, Student Support Services Director, Nevada; Gabrielle Francisco, Departmental Assistant, NCDFC Support Program (PT); MacKenzie Hutchins, Fine Arts Departmental Assistant (PT), and Jill LaGasse, Library Evening Assistant (PT). A MOTION to approve all five resignations was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following seven employments: Brienna Black, Behavior Technician, Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center; David Healy, Computer Technician, IT; James ‘Caleb’ Sikes, Transport Training Instructor; Crystal Rhodes, Lee Library Assistant (PT); Lori Crosswhite, Information Desk Assistant (PT); Dakota Sisseck, Custodian (PT), Nevada, and Kendra McIlvaine, Secretary (PT), Webb City. A MOTION to approve all seven employments as recommended was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
Fine Arts Program Review
Ms. Keckley said she is very pleased to represent the dedicated faculty of the Fine Arts Division who are constantly looking for ways to engage with and meet the changing needs of students. Ms. Keckley said there are consistently seven full-time faculty, and they all know how important it is to form a relationship with the students. She said the number of adjunct faculty has decreased slightly because we have made an effort to increase the number of seats in classes, to fill full-time faculty courses first, and as a result, reduce the number of sections offered. Ms. Keckley said when the number of graduates decreased in 2015-16, she began asking students why they chose to opt for a General Studies degree instead of a Fine Arts degree. She said we began letting students know that they will get better value for their degree if they take their major classes here because those courses will be accepted at transfer institutions and cost less here. She said in 2016-17, we partnered with advisors Jamie Stanley and Helen Hale in the Student Success Center to encourage fine arts students to commit to a degree area and, as a result, we experienced a forty percent increase in graduates. Currently, there are 38 Art and Design majors. Ms. Keckley said although we do not have any certificates or licensures, we teach over a thousand students in speech classes alone each year to meet the demand. Courses offered include Art Appreciation, Theatre Appreciation, Music Appreciation, and Speech or Public Speaking. She said some of the degree classes appear to have low numbers because they are limited in size due to the equipment required, such as pottery wheels. She said art courses, especially, are stacked classes in which all students in that area meet at the same time, such as Ceramics I and Ceramics II students, but they must meet different criteria levels. She said all art classes have a two to four ratio of lecture to lab time. Graphic Design courses were reconfigured in Fall 2015 so that they meet what other colleges will accept in transfer which has increased the number of students enrolled. She said Graphic Design students who complete their associate’s degree may get a job immediately without transferring. Of the Spring 2017 Art and Design graduates, 85% are currently employed in their profession or attending a four-year institution. Ms. Keckley said Crowder is one of a handful of community colleges in the nation to have a working museum on campus. The Longwell Museum includes the Camp Crowder section and the area for art exhibits. She said with Mr. Zoromski’s assistance, we will begin categorizing the Camp Crowder memorabilia that is important history for both Crowder and the community. She said faculty are constantly networking with our patrons to meet new student needs, and as a result, we received over $100,000 from private donors this past year. She said the added funds allowed the purchase of new printing presses to begin a printmaking class in Fall 2018, many Museum improvements including a new security system, and the new Graphic Design studio with MacBook computers and big screen monitors. She said one of our faculty does mural projects, and he and his students recently worked with the First Church of God in Granby to restore an outdoor mural for their one hundredth anniversary. She said the Theatre department is adding a new “black box theatre” to debut this season in which a smaller audience surrounds the stage. Ms. Keckley said although we no longer have a music degree, the Music department provides voice, piano and guitar lessons as well as a very active Community Choir that is open to anyone. She said last year’s Christmas Gala at the Neosho Civic Center was a great success. She reported for the first time in Crowder history, the Debate Team earned the right to compete at Nationals in Spring 2018. Mr. Wood asked what types of jobs are in this area for Graphic Design students. Ms. Keckley said area advertising agencies such as Leggett & Platt or H.E. Williams, and we now have an Advisory Board made up of those key industry representatives so they can critique student portfolios and help students learn to meet customer needs. Dr. Coltharp said Ms. Keckley has done a great job of building Fine Arts degrees while also filling General Education courses. Ms. Keckley thanked the Board for allowing her to do what she loves. Brief discussion took place regarding why the music degree program was discontinued. The Board thanked Ms. Keckley for the great report.
Softball and Baseball Season Reports
Coach Travis Lallemand thanked Athletic Director Sisemore for all his help this past season, especially with making Baseball Team travel arrangements when they finished play on Monday afternoon and left the next day for the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. He reported the team had 54 wins which was the most of any junior college in the country while also having an average team GPA of 3.3. He said 17 students have moved on with 15 graduating and two continuing to work toward completion. Coach Lallemand thanked employees for the wonderful send-off and welcome-back events surrounding the World Series. He reviewed the World Series events while showing clips from a DVD video. He said we played the number one team in the nation and faced elimination six times in post-season play, winning five times. He said in district playoffs, we were the first team in district history to lose the coin toss and still win the district championship. Coach Lallemand said he talked with the team about being ‘Team 52’ or the 52nd team in Crowder’s history, and they were a very special team receiving many awards including having the leading hitter in Grand Junction, Elvis Peralta. He said many have recruited out to major universities. Coach Lallemand said not only were they outstanding on the field, they maintained their GPA and graduated showing that we do not sacrifice our educational goals to be a successful team.
Athletic Director John Sisemore emphasized how special Crowder’s Baseball Team was this year being the most acclaimed team in Grand Junction for their integrity and how well they handled themselves amongst the press. He said that stems from the leadership of Coach Lallemand. He said a couple years ago we had a good team, but when the star pitcher broke a team rule, Coach Lallemand refused to play the student, and our success both on and off the field is a result of that integrity. Coach Sisemore said overall, Crowder Athletics is in the top five percent in the country in generating positive revenue while we are in the lowest third operating budget in our region, and we are still very successful. He said this is the first time in Crowder history that all four Crowder sports made it to their regional finals and that one athlete received four All American awards. He said there were 31 academic All Americans this year including all academic award recognizing institutions, the average overall athletic GPA for all four sports was over 3.0, and there were 14 athletic All Americans in four sports which is unbelievable. He said Baseball and Softball set a new NJCAA single season record with over a hundred wins for both teams combined (Softball had 55 and Baseball had 54). The Softball Team was the second winningest team during the regular season in the country, and we had beaten the National Tournament team twice. He said we cancelled our last six non-conference games in order to heal, and in the end, we set nine out of eleven offensive NJCAA records. Coach Sisemore said they were the most decorated team in Crowder history both academically and athletically. He congratulated Oakley Sisemore for receiving four All American awards, being a runner-up for Player of the Year, and winning the 2017 NFCA New Balance Golden Shoe Award setting the record for completing 71 of 71 stolen bases. He said softball athletes for the past four years have had a one hundred percent placement rate being offered a scholarship to a four-year institution, and many of those we play and beat during the fall season. He said Crowder is nationally known for both Softball and Baseball. He told a story about a student athlete emphasizing how important it is for them to be taught that integrity, responsibility and character comes first. Members applauded thanking him for that and for their great season!
President’s Update
Dr. Methvin showed pictures saying prior to the first week of classes we do a comprehensive orientation for all students and their families called Start Smart, and it is done at all campuses. She said over six hundred students participated in thirteen Start Smart sessions. She said lots of employees also participated in ‘Move-In Day’ to help students move into the dorms or Roughrider Village. She said these activities are a great introduction for students to the Crowder servant leadership way of doing things. Dr. Methvin said she has started a new event this year meeting with all new employees to welcome them and give each a copy of Greenleaf’s The Servant as Leader book. She publicly thanked Jack and Diane Andris for their generous donation which has allowed this tradition to continue saying we hope to keep it going. Dr. Methvin said there were numerous welcome week activities, and a great many students began the first day of classes by viewing the solar eclipse on the quad around the Bell Tower. Also during the first week, students had a great time at Club Rush in which vendors came in along with the various clubs, and free barbeque was provided by the Baptist Student Union. She announced Wellness Week is coming up September 11-14. She said a committee worked on developing activities for students and staff that align with the various types of wellness taught: physical, occupational, emotional, environmental, mental/intellectual, social and spiritual. The events list can be seen on the Crowder website. Dr. Methvin asked everyone to not forget about Friday’s upcoming MARET Center dedication and naming that will be held at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Roy Blunt Center for Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Technology. Other upcoming events mentioned included the All Staff Picnic in the Sneller Gym on August 31, the Board Retreat on September 8 at the Joplin Advanced Training and Technology Center, a 9/11 First Responders event in Webb City on September 11, and the Foundation Roughrider Car Show on September 9 and Scholarship Banquet on October 9.
Adjournment and Closed Session
Mr. Wood called for a motion to go into Closed Session. At 11:25 a.m., a MOTION to go into closed session in accordance with Section 610.021 (2) RSMo to discuss the leasing, purchase or sale of real estate was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Dr. Chapman and passed unanimously on the following roll call vote:
Andris: Yes Barnes: Yes Chapman: Yes
Butler: Yes Vancuren: Yes Wood: Yes
During the Closed Session, discussion took place with Dr. Methvin regarding real estate. No Board action was taken. At about 11:55 a.m., a MOTION to adjourn was made by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried on the following roll call vote:
Chapman: Yes Barnes: Yes Andris: Yes
Vancuren: Yes Butler: Yes Wood: Yes
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