MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
September 25, 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 10:01 a.m. on Monday, September 25, 2017, in the Crowder College Student Center Fireside Room.
Members present for the meeting were:
Andy Wood, Chair
Diane Andris, Member
Vickie Barnes, Treasurer
Al Chapman, Secretary
Larry Vancuren, Member
Also attending the meeting were:
Jennifer Methvin, President
Martha Nimmo, Administrative Assistant to the President
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Kathy Collier, Grants Director
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, Director of Admissions
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Accountant
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
Darrin Pfeifly, Director of Transport Training
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Angela Seymour, Director, Cassville Instructional Center
Tif Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following new employees were introduced: JoEtta Powers, Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs; Steven Wolven, Education Technology Assistant; David Healy, Computer Technician; Caleb Sikes, Transport Training Instructor, and Lori Crosswhite, Information Desk Attendant (PT). In her absence, Crystal Rhodes, Lee Library Assistant (PT) was also introduced.
Minutes of Previous Meetings
Minutes of the August 28 regular meeting and Closed Session and the September 8 Board Retreat were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement. He said questions have been answered by Ms. Rand prior to the meeting regarding the regular checks written which are for August 14-31 and September 1-12, 2017. Checks in the amount of $1,087,626.96 were approved ON MOTION by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried. The rest of the current fund balance, fund balances, and agency funds were reviewed. As the other various accounts were reviewed, Mr. Wood noted it is early in the year. Ms. Rand drew attention to the two new off-site locations that were included for the Joplin Advanced Training and Technology Center and the Monett site noting that there are no previous years to compare. The revenue and expense accounts were reviewed. Dr. Methvin noted the revenue line being used for storm damage funds, and Ms. Rand said the main repair still needed is siding on the Brown Residence Halls.
Personnel
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the retirement of Cindy Branscum, Director of Institutional Advancement, who has been here for nine years. A MOTION to approve her retirement with thanks for her service was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried. Dr. Methvin thanked Ms. Branscum for staying until the end of December.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of three resignations: Raul Gonzales, Transport Training Instructor; Lynnae Cook, Student Services Coordinator (PT) and Julie Moss, Seasonal Advisor (PT), both at Crowder Webb City. She said Raul had served previously in another position, and Lynnae was full-time and has served for eleven years. A MOTION to approve all three resignations with thanks for their service was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the employment of Evelyn Estrada, CAMP Administrative Assistant, and Amy Leyva, Fine Arts Departmental Assistant (PT). A MOTION to approve both employments was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center-Joplin School Contracts
Ms. Jamie Emery reported the first of two contracts is for a Behavior Technician in Joplin to support the two Behavior Specialists that are already at the Joplin School District. She said as they started the new school year, Joplin Schools discovered they needed more of our services due to students who have moved into the school district. Ms. Emery said the second contract is more complicated being with the Southwest Missouri Special Services Cooperative which is actually Beacon School. She said the Cooperative is a consortium of fourteen different area school districts that have a high need to serve students with Autism and behavior challenges so they need more specialized training for those students. She said Carthage School District renovated space in Carthage that was donated by McCune Brooks Hospital with Joplin School District serving as the fiscal agent along with the approval of fourteen different school districts who serve as members of the Cooperative/Beacon Board of Directors. She said they are contracting with us for a Behavior Specialist to serve up to twelve students ages five to twenty-one. Ms. Emery said we became aware of this opportunity in April and this took place over the summer with services starting in August. She said we will provide a full-time Behavior Consultant who will oversee the classroom teacher and paraprofessional in the Carthage classroom that currently has six students enrolled. Dr. Chapman asked how the financial part of the contract worked. Ms. Emery said it is based on a percentage of how my time is spent overseeing the program which varies from location to location depending on the level of training that the on-site staff members have. She said a Behavior Technician has an associate’s degree, a Behavior Specialist is at a bachelor’s level while a Behavior Consultant has the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) credential. When asked, she said the contract more than covers our costs. She said we have a cap on the number of students we can serve so that if more students need to be served, more staff must be added to the program. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve both contracts as provided was made by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
Behavior Intervention Team (BIT) Annual Report
Vice President Slinkard said historically, the Student Affairs office has been called whenever there are issues with students who have personal or emotional problems. She said in an effort to deal with those issues, a few years ago we ran across the idea of a ‘Red Folder’ which has now been developed to provide staff with information about community resources, hotline phone numbers, victim shelters, and basic information about classroom management resulting from behavior issues. She said we realized we needed to increase our efforts, and in Fall 2016 we did three important things: we purchased conduct software called Maxient which is a campus-wide reporting system; we created and trained the Behavior Intervention Team (BIT); and we were able to use revenue from the Safety and Security Fee to hire a full-time counselor. VP Slinkard said the Behavior Intervention Team’s mission and purpose is to identify, assess, and respond to students in distress as well as to collaborate and coordinate on supportive interventions. She said we are focusing on prevention to engage and encourage students to prevent student crises, and the Maxient software provides a reporting and monitoring system that allows the Team to see all of the reported behavior patterns as well as any previous incidents in a unified system. She said we gather information about student threats and risk factors, utilize tools to effectively assess threats, and create effective and planned responses. Ms. Slinkard said we have very safe campuses overall and our prevention strategies have been effective. She reported the BIT is made up of nine core employees who received three days of intensive training with Dr. Brian Van Brunt, a national trainer of intervention teams. About twenty other staff also received training and guidance for specific incidents. VP Slinkard said the core Team has wide representation and consistently meets weekly to address the student cases reported that week.
Mrs. Michelle Paul showed data from the BIT 2016-17 Annual Report saying there were 121 individual students reported in the ‘Student in Distress Reports’ although there were 174 separate charges, and the charges were divided into three categories. She showed how the reporting takes place using the “Crowder Cares” Maxient portal on the Crowder website to easily report either an ‘Academic Alert’ or a ‘Student in Distress’. She said Academic Alerts go directly to the Student Success Center staff and are assigned to an advisor. She said for ‘Student in Distress’ reports, it clearly states “If this is an emergency… please call 911” since these reports are dealt with during normal office hours. Mrs. Paul said Distress reports go to the VP of Student Affairs office who assigns them to a BIT member who begins working on it immediately. She said normally Team members are able to report researched information at the weekly BIT meeting where discussion takes place about the best way to handle the situation. She said the BIT’s diversity has helped to make it very successful. Mrs. Paul said the Crowder Cares portal is a great opportunity for us to help our students, and it gives faculty a place to report issues and know they will be addressed. Mrs. Paul listed several coordinated initiatives including updating the Crowder Cares marketing/awareness campaign with help from the Public Information Office and promoting prevention by addressing alcohol and substance abuse, and suicide, gambling and sex assault prevention in College Orientation classes. She said there were great Wellness Week events recently, and there have been several staff trainings about using Crowder Cares, Autism interventions, and suicide prevention. When asked, she said Crowder Cares reports can be made by anyone, not just faculty and staff, and they could be anonymous. Dr. Chapman asked how false reports are handled. Mrs. Paul said we start with investigation so it would be discovered quickly, and the more information provided, the better the issue can be researched and addressed. VP Slinkard said we ask for observable behavior, and there have not been any false reports or problems with confidentiality. Dr. Methvin said part of the reason for selecting Maxient software is so that it is confidential and separate from our student Jenzabar system. When asked about liability, VP Slinkard said this shows how we are preparing to deal with student incidents, and it documents what we have been actively doing ahead of time to prevent the situation. She said although Counselor conversations are confidential, we are aware of whether or not a student is attending counseling sessions, and any referrals are documented. Dr. Methvin said faculty and staff are always told to contact 911 if there is a safety issue, and although we may not always be able to prevent an incident, if an institution is doing due diligence to find out and address student issues, they are much less liable. VP Slinkard and Mrs. Paul responded to several questions; they emphasized that we are able to connect when more than one issue appears due to the unified system that shows when multiple reports are made on the same student. Dr. Methvin noted the Maxient ‘Crowder Cares’ software and the counselor position have both been made possible with funding from the Safety and Security Fee.
Communications Program Review
Mrs. Nina Beaver reported we have between ten and eleven full-time Communications faculty with many who have been at Crowder very long-term including many of the adjunct instructors as well. She said most of the communications classes support the General Studies degree although we are the only community college in Missouri that has a Photography degree. Mrs. Beaver said the Journalism program is small but mighty as the Sentry won “Best Overall” community college Newspaper in Missouri two times in the last three years and has won that highest award a total of seven out of the last ten years, competing against often much larger schools. She said the Quill has won the best literary art magazine in the state for the last three years. She pointed out student enrollment numbers saying the number of sections has declined slightly as the overall enrollment has decreased. When asked, Mrs. Beaver noted that a one-time only English topics class was provided by a cooperative Webb City instructor to meet a particular transfer need of one student. She said the American Sign Language class is very popular and also meets foreign language requirements. Mrs. Beaver said a big project that was undertaken over the last three years was to write our own vocabulary book when the one we were using went out of print. She said all the instructors assisted with the project, and the resulting resource is useful, cost-effective for our students, and brings in some money to the department. Another project in the works is overhauling remediation classes in response to Missouri House Bill 1042, and a workable co-requisite model class will be piloted in Spring 2018, with the goal of making it division-wide in the Fall 2018 semester. Mrs. Beaver said we offer more flex and online courses all the time to meet student needs which is difficult without Wi-Fi connectivity in the Farber Building. She said we are applying for a Foundation grant and working with the Information Technology department in an attempt to provide Wi-Fi connectivity there in the future. Dr. Methvin said this is another area that Title III grant funds would assist. The Board thanked her for the good report.
President’s Update
Dr. Methvin said big news this week is that fall headcount enrollment numbers are down by 7%, and although we only budgeted for a 4% decrease, we will not need to make any major budget adjustments at this time. She said we will make some adjustments in December for grant funds, but we do not expect a huge impact. She said it is concerning and disappointing, but not unexpected. She said only one community college in the state reported an increase; this is typical when unemployment is low, and we will be carefully researching where the declines are.
Dr. Methvin provided the Soccer media guide showing a lot of new players this year, and she invited members to attend tomorrow’s game against Jefferson College that, if won, will provide a home field advantage later in the playoffs. Dr. Methvin said Wellness Week was very positive last week with more participation than expected by students and staff from across campus, and she thanked those who helped plan the week. She reported All Things Crowder was also last week in which high school counselors came to campus for informational updates. The annual Veterans Dinner on Thursday evening was hosted by the Agriculture department and had well over three hundred in attendance. Dr. Methvin reported the first community education class for ‘Celebrate MARET’ was completely full at 28 attendees so they have filled up quickly. The October 12th Renewable Energy Forum will not have an attendance cap. Dr. Methvin said the new University of Missouri System President, Dr. Mun Choi, visited the Joplin ATTC and our Neosho campus. He showed his interest in alternative energy by sitting in one of our solar cars, and he will be hosting the MCCA Presidents/Chancellors group next month. She noted the Celebrate MARET Appreciation Night is October 23rd, and we will be inducting one member into the new Alternative Energy Hall of Fame with another member to be inducted in the spring.
Dr. Methvin reported Friday, September 29, is our first College Wide In-Service day in which the College will close from noon to 4:00 p.m. for professional development, and board members are invited to attend. She said a light lunch will be provided, and she reviewed the breakout sessions which will include Arkansas Chancellor Deborah Frazier speaking on “Communicating for Positive Change.” The keynote speaker, Dr. Mark Taylor, will focus on “Understanding, Teaching, and Serving Today’s Learners”. She said these will be useful to every single person at Crowder as we interact with students. She said the afternoon will conclude with “Family Feud” teams competing to win ten service hours from the Crowder administrative team.
Dr. Methvin said she has wanted to do an annual report on non-credit instruction, and over a year ago the Missouri community colleges entered into a non-credit data reporting project because it is so important to tell how it improves job performance for so many individuals. Dr. Methvin said most of Crowder’s job training takes place at Training and Development Solutions (TDS) where in 2016-17, they served 69 companies with 261 courses, and there were 3,515 participants. She said there were 45 companies who did direct pay with 439 participants while 24 did customized training through the Department of Workforce Development with 3,076 participants. Overall, the TDS faculty taught 671 students in 96 courses with 8,186 hours of instruction. Dr. Chapman said we need to get this information out to media. Dr. Methvin agreed saying it is difficult to explain without confusion with the credit enrollment data. She said the statewide Workforce Development Network that was signed in March is an attempt for all community colleges to share training capabilities throughout the state so that we never have to turn down or outsource training requests. She reported our growing apprenticeship programs are non-credit in which students will never be counted in our credit headcount unless they bridge into a credit program. Crowder joined the Registered Apprenticeship-College Consortium in November 2015 and began the Branco carpentry apprenticeship in August 2016. In spring 2017, we received an Apprenticeship USA grant from the Division of Workforce Development which allowed us to start the BEI electrical apprenticeship. Dr. Methvin said apprenticeships solve many problems by allowing students who are already working to continue working while being trained and also to give them real world application at the same time. She showed data for some of our other non-credit courses including community education courses, Adult Education (AEL/ELI) courses, HEP students, Career and Tech Ed courses such as Fire Science, CTEC high school students, TRIO students such as Talent Search and EOC, athletic camps, aggie events, and Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center youth and partners trained. Dr. Methvin said although our Transport Training program is a credit program, we train a lot more students than just those who get in the Count Day headcount. Mr. Pfeifly said courses begin nearly every Monday. Dr. Methvin said in 2016-17, there were 417 students in Transport Training programs. She said gathering data is still a work in progress, but as you can see, we need to do a better job of getting this information out to the public. Mr. Wood agreed heartily and thanked her for the great report.
Dr. Methvin said this time of year we also gather IPEDS data, and she announced there were 1,118 total graduates in 2016-17 which is a 21.65% increase over the previous year. She said we have done amazing work over the last two years by focusing on retention, updating processes, getting stackable credentials, and division chairs and advisors working together to encourage student completions. Board members congratulated the College for this great accomplishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment