MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
February 26, 2018
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
TJ Angel, Director of Physical Plant
Mark Aubuchon, Campus Life Director
Latonia Bailey, Journalism Program Coordinator/Instructor
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, Director of Admissions
Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Accountant
Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Helen Hale, Student Success Center Coordinator
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
Tif Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Melissa Smith, Director, Concurrent Enrollment and Regional Centers
Matthew Cole, student
Vikas Yadav, student
Lee Ann Sontheimer, Neosho Daily News
Ines Kagubare, The Joplin Globe
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following employees were introduced and welcomed: Steven Harrison, Soccer Coach/PE Instructor; Chrystie Braden, Student Services Coordinator, Nevada; Jorge Davila, Veteran Services Coordinator; Keith Zoromski, Title III Coordinator/Social Sciences Division Chair; Luis Cecenas, Drug Free Communities Program Coordinator, and Robert Mellen, Title III Computer Technician.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the January 22, 2018, regular and Work Session minutes were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement. He said checks have been written for January 1-31, 2018, and February 1-9. He called for approval. Checks in the amount of $1,085,581.56 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Dr. Chapman, and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Regarding the Current Fund Balance, Dr. Methvin said there is a timing issue this month because the spring semester started later last year so all student charges were not posted by the end of January so the comparison will be more accurate by next month’s report. She responded briefly to questions as needed. Mr. Wood noted the Revenue and Expenditure Accounts.
Room and Board Rates Proposal
Mr. Aubuchon said the proposal has not changed from last month. Mr. Wood asked for questions saying the proposal still leaves Crowder lower than other colleges and universities in the area. Dr. Methvin said we propose a 3% across-the-board increase for next year which includes the Brown Complex, Roughrider Village and all meal rates except for a 7% increase for Roughrider Village in the Summer 2019 semester. Mr. Wood said the quality of our housing is much higher than many other locations. Mr. Aubuchon agreed saying we always hear comments to that effect. Dr. Methvin said this leaves our rates lower or second lowest, and many schools have not yet set their room and board rates for next year. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the rates as presented was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.
Personnel
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the retirement of Dr. Stephanie Watson-Bruto, Veterinary Technology Program Director/Instructor, who has been with the College for sixteen years. Dr. Methvin said she began in the A+ program then started the Vet Tech Program and later received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016-17. A MOTION to accept her retirement with thanks for her great service was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of two resignations: Alyssa French, Early Childhood Teacher Assistant and Susie Murphy, Departmental Assistant in Communications. A MOTION to accept both resignations was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously approved.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following five employments noting that three are current employees changing positions: Shelby Larkin, Secondary Paraprofessional/Community Education Coordinator; Noel Moffet, Upward Bound Academic Coordinator; Phillip Witt, Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education; Donnaka Wagner, CTE Office Assistant (PT), and Heather Winesburg, Seasonal Advisor, Crowder Webb City (PT). A MOTION to approve all five employments as requested was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mr. Butler and unanimously carried.
Closure of Monett Regional Center
Mr. Wood said reluctantly, but not surprisingly, this is a first reading requesting the closure of Crowder’s Monett regional center. Dr. Methvin read the following statement:
“As you may recall that last year in the wake of state budget cuts and the need for resources to advance the initiatives in Crowder’s strategic plan, I made the very difficult decision to recommend to you that we discontinue instruction at our Mt. Vernon and Carthage sites. At that time, we decided to retain our operation at Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett with the goal of growing enrollment, particularly in career and technical education areas. Today, in the middle of negotiating a year that reduced our state core funding by 10% and with the Governor’s recommendation for an additional 10% reduction in next year’s core funding for higher education, I have to prepare once more to make an unfortunate recommendation to you.
Though we value the students we serve at our Monett site and believe that we provide a valuable service to those students and the area communities, we have not had the resources necessary to support the center and foster that enrollment growth. In fact, we are resource challenged in every operation of the College. With the current state budget outlook, I do not expect that to change. For this reason, I recommend that we discontinue instruction at Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett at the conclusion of the spring semester and that we conclude Crowder’s operations there by May 31, 2018.
As last year, I did not come to this decision lightly. However, as president of Crowder College, it is incumbent upon me to continually monitor our operations and our revenue and make certain we are using our resources to most effectively meet our mission. We cannot continue to ask our employees in every department to do more with less. Instead, Crowder must more tightly focus our resources.
As we did last year with the students from Mt. Vernon and Carthage, teams of personnel from both the Neosho and Cassville campuses along with our current center staff will work this spring to assist the 75 students enrolled in Monett in designing a pathway to complete their programs of study. A number of Monett students are currently co-enrolled in classes both at Monett and another site, most commonly Cassville. Last year we were able to retain or graduate over 80% of the students in Mt. Vernon and Carthage so we have a system that works to serve those students. If we assume the same rate of re-enrollment for Monett students, we should retain approximately $93,000 of the revenue in tuition and fees from that center while we eliminate over $140,000 in expenses.
Because of our track record, Monett’s geographical proximity to Cassville, and Crowder’s availability of on-line and hybrid classes, I am confident that we can continue to provide educational opportunities to residents in Monett and the surrounding communities.”
Mr. Wood asked what the difference is between a campus and a center. Dr. Methvin explained the regional centers are not full campuses because they do not offer full certificates or degrees there although they do provide convenience for area residents who do not have to travel so far. She said our service area is nine counties so the centers have been very helpful, but we simply no longer have the resources to offer that luxury. Dr. Methvin said there is only one full-time staff member in Monett along with fifteen adjunct faculty who may also teach at other campuses or online. She said this will have a negative impact, but we will work very hard to continue to provide opportunities for those residents. Mr. Wood said when we started these sites years ago, it was with the intent that they would run in the black while they never have. Dr. Methvin agreed saying we went into Carthage to help with the growth in Webb City which has been eased with the opening of Dawson Spencer Hall. Mr. Wood said although we like being there, with further reductions in state revenue, it is not possible to continue operating in the red, and the additional 10% revenue reductions being discussed by the state will not be covered by the closing of Monett. Dr. Methvin agreed saying if we actually receive another 10% reduction, it is $500,000 in state core funding. She said last year there was a legislative budget reduction followed by the Governor’s withhold later on which is unpredictable so we must plan for the worst case scenario. When asked, Dr. Methvin said she sent a direct email to the Monett students prior to breaking this news, and we will continue to contact them directly to assist them which was very successful last year. Mr. Wood asked if there were any further questions or any objections to passing this item to next month for final approval, and there were none.
Dr. Methvin said, “I would like to express my thanks to the Monett R-1 School District, Superintendent Dr. Brad Hanson, and the employees of Scott Regional Technology Center who have been willing partners and exceptional hosts to Crowder College. We look forward to continuing to work with the school district to help area residents find pathways to and through higher education. I want to thank the adjunct faculty, the students, and most particularly, Kathi Skaggs, who is our full-time employee there for their exceptional work and attitude of service even in this very difficult time.”
Naming of the Herb and Barbara Schade Rare Books Archive
Dr. Methvin said this is a first reading as well, and it is my honor on behalf of Lee Library staff and Director Eric Deatherage to recommend naming the Lee Library Archive as the Herb and Barbara Schade Rare Book Archive. She said many of you attended the October 20th staff development session about the Rare Book Archive project in which we found that we have many rare books that need special protection, and that project was made possible by the continued and generous support of the Library by the Schades. She said it had been Director Deatherage’s desire since the beginning of the project to propose naming it in honor of the Schades. Dr. Methvin said although the Schades have been giving very generous and impressive support for many years, this is not just about the financial support, but also about their dedicated and outstanding service to Crowder College. She said Barbara served as the LRC library director from 1974 to 2002, and Herb served from 1970 to 2015 in many capacities: physics and math instructor, math and physical science division chair, interim dean of instruction, vice president of academic affairs, and physics instructor emeritus. She said they have lived and breathed Crowder College for decades now and their contributions to so many of Crowder’s foundational elements are hard to measure, but quite easy to see and feel. They are deserving of this honor because of their years of service and leadership, and we make this recommendation with a great deal of pride. Mr. Wood noted that if you put them together it equals about 75 years of service. He said they are deserving of this regardless of their financial support, but we truly appreciate their generosity as well. He said they have literally been ‘the face of Crowder College’ over these past many years. Mr. Wood said the Board has the sole discretion regarding naming. He asked if there were any objections to passing this on to next month for approval, and there were none.
Student Success Center – Advising & Retention Program Review
Ms. Helen Hale reported the Student Success Center (SSC) provides advising and retention services, oversees the Testing Center, supervises the Career Center, and provides the ODS (Office of Disability Services) and the Counselor within the SSC offices. She said we have two classified staff and three academic advisors each specializing in different areas: tutoring, testing and transfer services. Other personnel include the SSC Coordinator, ODS Coordinator, Career Services Coordinator, Counselor, and a team of Work Study students. Ms. Hale said advising processes have changed as in the past students were only assigned a faculty advisor in Admissions when they first enrolled, but some faculty had difficulty advising undecided students or those who were not academically college-ready. As a result, students are now assigned an SSC advisor at their appropriate college site as well as a faculty advisor in their major/degree area. Ms. Hale reported results from the student SSI surveys show that student satisfaction with academic advising and knowledge of the degree requirements has been increasing. She said transfer knowledge was not viewed as highly so we are educating advisors more specifically about transfer requirements. She said students have been dissatisfied with early academic alert notifications which continues to be a challenge although it is improving. Ms. Hale said while the student surveys indicated academic advisors are very knowledgeable, the employee IPS survey did not view advisors as highly so we are working to educate our colleagues as well. Ms. Hale said in an effort to get more specific information from students that we directly serve, a student email survey was sent allowing anonymous responses. She read some of the positive results that were received. Ms. Hale said the SSC assists with contacting students listed on various reports as a major part of retention efforts. She said we contact students who are on the drop for non-payment list and those with incomplete Financial Aid; those who have applied for graduation, but did not complete; those who applied for graduation, but did not enroll; those who are reported through Crowder Cares with early academic alerts; and those who have D and F grades on midterm grade reports. She said we work with the coaches to help advise athletic students to make sure they are maintaining their eligibility and taking the correct classes. She said we also advise students who are on academic suspension status as well as students who are transferring including taking trips to area universities and working with advisors from those schools as needed. Ms. Hale said we assist the Records Department in checking graduation degree audits, work on the Catalog Review Team to recommend any changes needed, send advising tidbits to all employees of advising changes, present at advisor trainings, and are members of MACADA and NACADA which are state and national advising organizations. Ms. Hale responded to a couple of questions, and the Board thanked her for the very informative report.
Project Lead The Way
Dr. Melissa Oates reported Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1997 to help educate future engineers in an effort to address that shortage, and it provides curriculum for K-12 students, now especially aimed at high school students. She said it is activity-based learning that focuses on teamwork for problem solving creating an engaging, hand-on learning experience. Dr. Oates said there are different curriculums for different age groups including three different high school pathways. She said we plan to do the Engineering pathway at Crowder beginning with two courses: Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering which are the foundation courses. She showed pictures of the types of activities in the curriculum saying classes often culminate in a statewide competition like Skills USA. Dr. Oates showed a Missouri map with the 59 counties that already provide PLTW programs, and Newton County is not included. She said there are over 700 programs in Missouri and 130 Missouri high schools that already offer PLTW programs. She announced Crowder will begin offering the two foundational PLTW courses above at the Dell Reed Technical Education Center in the 2018-19 academic year. Two other courses are planned for 2019-2020: Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Design & Development which is the capstone senior project course. She said these courses will be added to the Crowder high school curriculum as morning classes the first year for juniors and for seniors the second year. Dr. Oates said she has reached out to about a hundred high schools to let them know that we will also be offering incentives to PLTW high school students who matriculate to Crowder as college students by providing four new $600 merit-based Foundation scholarships each year. She said although PLTW high school students attending Crowder cannot be dual credit students, those who complete and meet the requirements can receive college credit through a Request for Prior Learning for only $50 per course. Dr. Oates thanked Cindy Brown for getting the information on the Crowder website. She said these courses will be open access to all high school juniors or seniors, not simply aimed at those with high grades. When asked, she said no additional staffing will be needed as current instructors who have lighter course loads will be able to teach these additional courses. Dr. Oates responded to questions; the Board thanked her for the great report.
Governor’s Student Leadership Forum
Vice President Slinkard introduced students Vikas Yadav and Matthew Cole who attended the Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values in Jefferson City in early January. Vikas thanked everyone for the opportunity to attend saying he is from India, studying math and planning to transfer to Washington University, St. Louis, for computer science after graduation. He is president of the Student Government Association (SGA) as well as a Student Ambassador. Vikas told about his experiences at the Forum saying his favorite session was learning from the CEO of a technology company from Taiwan. He said Matthew and he were divided into separate groups allowing them to meet other students from all over the state. They both attended the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast and were introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives. Vikas said it was an awesome experience overall. Matthew Cole said he is honored to have attended the Forum. He is a member of the Honors Program, vice president of SGA, secretary of PTK, and works in the Nursing department part-time. He spoke about the various people they got to meet, but his favorite session was visiting a high security prison where they spoke with inmates who were working to make a difference by producing various items. They met prisoners in the Intensive Therapeutic Community who are given the opportunity to interact with others, especially interracially, learning how to better relate to people as they prepare to return to society. Matthew said it was very enlightening to meet inmates who were simply individuals who understood that they had made a mistake and were wanting to move on with their lives. He said it is critical that we support these rehabilitation programs. When asked, Matthew said he is from Neosho and came to Crowder as a first step to save money before transferring to John Brown University. Vikas said he came to Crowder because of its small class sizes and interactions with faculty, the reasonable cost, and the Honors Program. Dr. Methvin thanked the students saying they have both been great campus leaders from the start.
Pinnacle Award
Mrs. Latonia Bailey showed members the First Place Pinnacle Award saying she submitted for the award last May based on The Crowder Quill spring 2017 publication. She said we are selective about entering contests due to the entry fees, and we are very grateful to have received this. She said The Crowder Quill was started in 1980 as a literary/art contest magazine that includes a community division, a Crowder student division, and a high school division that is used for student recruitment for art, photography and literature. She said we now have $500 scholarships for the high school gold winners for each of the high school categories including a collaborative effort with the art department to fund the 2D art, 3D art, and graphic design categories. Mr. Wood noted this is the first time Crowder has won this award. Dr. Methvin said it is a very prestigious award that is difficult to win. Mrs. Bailey agreed saying it is from a national contest by the College Media Association which includes student publications from every state in the nation. Mr. Wood read the CMA information saying, “The literary magazine category recognizes excellence in coverage and content; design, graphics and illustrations; photography; and reporting, writing and editing.” Mrs. Bailey said she was unable to have any students available to attend who worked on the publication. Board members and Dr. Methvin congratulated her on receiving this outstanding award.
Adjournment
The next regularly scheduled meeting is set for March 26 at the Crowder McDonald County site. With no further business, Mr. Wood called for adjournment to lunch at about 11:40 a.m.
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