MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
April 23, 2018
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, April 23, 2018, in the 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
TJ Angel, Director of Physical Plant
Joseph Brenner, Accounts Receivable Manager
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Kathy Parker-Collier, Grants Director
Glenn Coltharp, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Christina Cullers, Controller
Jim Cullumber, Director of Institutional Advancement
Chett Daniel, Director of Institutional Research
Eric Deatherage, Lee Library Director
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Accountant
Stephanie Ferguson, Director of Financial Aid
Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Tom Franklin, Associate Director, Crowder Training & Development Solutions
Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services
Adam Morris, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs
Melissa Oates, Director of MARET Center
Lisa O’Hanahan, CAMP Director
Monte Padgett, Director, Nevada Instructional Center
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Haley Reardon, Assistant Director of Resource Development & Alumni Relations
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Keith Zoromski, Title III Curriculum Specialist/Social Sciences Division Chair
Ines Kagubare, The Joplin Globe
Ty Parks, KOAM TV
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following employees were introduced and welcomed to their new positions: Noel Moffet, Upward Bound Academic Coordinator; David Healy, Web Programmer/Analyst; Rodolfo Parra, Assistant Director of Campus Life, and Shelby Larkin, Secondary Paraprofessional/Community Ed. Coordinator.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the March 26 regular meeting and the April 2 special meeting and closed session were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement saying it shows a healthy anticipated bank balance as of April 30, 2018. He said the report includes two sets of checks written for March 13-31 and April 1-9, and he asked if there were any questions. Checks in the amount of $705,710.02 were approved ON MOTION by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mr. Butler, and unanimously carried. Mr. Wood said we are about three-fourths of the way through the year, and the rest of the current fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. He questioned the uncollectible accounts receivable. Ms. Rand explained it is a different tracking method this year from last year so comparing year to year is not a true picture. Mr. Wood noted the rest of the agency accounts look good. Mrs. Andris said the centers all look above their expected budget. Dr. Methvin said revenue has come in from the spring semester, but expenses will continue through June 30 when incoming revenue has decreased. Mr. Wood asked what percentage of McDonald County students are from Arkansas. Mr. Divine said at least forty percent with more in the nursing program. Dr. Methvin said the Cassville nursing program is also probably about half from Arkansas. Mr. Wood said that has been unanticipated. The revenue and expenditure accounts were reviewed briefly.
Tuition and Fees Recommendation for Fall 2018
Dr. Methvin said there have been no changes to the recommendation from the first reading, and there is no new information regarding the state budget. She said we anticipate that our core state appropriation will be held flat at the 2017-18 level, and in exchange, House Budget Chair Scott Fitzpatrick has asked higher education to raise tuition no more than one percent. Dr. Methvin said for in-district tuition, a one percent increase would only be 88 cents per credit hour so we are not proposing any increase for in-district tuition (remains $88 per credit hour) while we are proposing a $1 increase for out-of-district ($138 per credit hour) and international rates ($187 per credit hour). She said fixed costs for everything continue to rise so we propose fee increases of $5 to the Institutional Support Fee ($23 per credit hour), $2 to the Safety and Security Fee ($7 per credit hour), $3 to the Online Course Fee ($28 per credit hour) and $2 to the Flex Course Fee ($15 per credit hour). Dr. Methvin said we are conservatively budgeting for a four percent decrease in credit hours of enrollment. She noted the potential revenue generated with these tuition and fee increases with the four percent credit hour decrease would be about $647,660. Dr. Methvin said since we know so little about the state budget at this time, for the first time in Crowder history we are asking you to approve tuition and fee rates for only the Fall 2018 semester. She said should the state appropriation change or should we experience another cut or withhold, we are free to make further tuition changes for the spring and summer semesters. Mr. Wood said we are also budgeting for a withhold as well. Dr. Methvin agreed saying it has happened in the past so it is critical to budget accordingly. Mr. Wood said this means we are budgeting less revenue overall, and this tuition proposal is what we have to do based on the direction state funding has taken. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the tuition and fees recommendation as presented for the Fall 2018 semester was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
Personnel
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following six resignations: Gary Worth, Assistant Soccer Coach; Brienna Black, Behavior Technician, ASD Program; Evelyn Estrada, CAMP Administrative Assistant; Narinder Sharma, Life Science Instructor, Crowder Webb City; Cheryl Dalton, Nursing Instructor, Crowder Cassville, and D’Ann Dennis, Nursing Instructor (PT). Mr. Wood noted Mrs. Dennis has been with the College for about thirty-five years. Dr. Methvin agreed saying she is resigning after two years of part-time phased retirement in which three years are allowed. A MOTION to approve all six resignations as requested was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
Dr. Methvin recommended approval of the following six employments: David Prigel, Veterinary Technology Instructor; Gary Lowe, Jr., Assistant Basketball Coach; Timothy Walker, Mathematics and Computer Programming Instructor; Geoff Skaggs, Computer Technician; Bryce Langley, Computer Technology Instructor, Dell Reed TEC, and Tamara Spaulding, Communications Division Department Assistant (PT). A MOTION to approve all six employments was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mr. Butler and unanimously carried.
Contract Renewals for 2018-2019
Dr. Methvin drew attention to the contract renewal lists provided broken down by category: administrators, faculty, non-faculty professional staff, classified staff, and AEL part-time positions. She said each category is also broken down by full-time or part-time positions, and those positions that are grant funded or partially grant funded are marked accordingly. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve all of the contract renewal lists as provided was made by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.
Food Service Contract Proposal
Vice President Rand said our current contract with Great Western Dining Service ends June 30, and requests for food service proposals were issued in March to select a vendor to enter into another renewable year-to-year contract for up to five years. Ms. Rand said we received five proposals back with two from Great Western Dining and one each from Consolidated Management, American Dining Creations and Aladdin. She said a Food Service Proposal Task Force was appointed to review them with members from Administration, Finance, Campus Life and Housing, Student Affairs, Athletics and the Foundation. Ms. Rand reported the Task Force recommends engaging Great Western Dining with their Option 1 proposal for a renewable yearly contract for up to five years. She said Option 1 includes agreeing to invest $50,000 to improve either the dining facility or the grill area. Ms. Rand said that may include new equipment or further improvements to Crowder’s facilities, and they will work together with us to negotiate what those improvements might be. Ms. Rand said Great Western has been at Crowder since 2008 for the last two contracts so for ten years. She said this is a five year commitment that is renewable each year so that meal plan rates can be raised slightly as needed. She said if we or they did not renew their annual contract, we would return to the Board with a new vendor proposal. With no further questions, a MOTION was made by Mr. Vancuren to approve the food service contract proposal from Great Western Dining Service for Option 1; it was seconded by Mr. Butler and unanimously carried.
Budget Draft for FY 19
Ms. Rand drew attention to the budget notes saying under revenue we are budgeting for a conservative 1% property tax increase while it has been about 1.5% to 2% in the past couple years. She said tuition and fee rates are budgeted with today’s expected approval and the projected 4% decrease in credit hours charged. She said the housing and meal plan rates were approved in February, and they are budgeted using current occupancy rates. For state appropriations, we have budgeted what we are actually receiving for this year with no change along with a state withholding allowance of $500,000 under expenses. She said the federal Pell amount is slightly down from prior years to $8.5 million. Ms. Rand announced under expenses, we are including an employee step increase averaging 2% for full-time and permanent part-time employees based on where they are on the salary schedule so it could be anywhere from 1.5% to 3%. She said along with the withholding amount, we are budgeting for an additional contingency of $450,000. Ms. Rand reviewed the budget summary showing the breakdown of each category under revenues, expenditures, and the composition of expenses compared to the previous two years. She said percentages of the total in each category are included, and there are no major percentage changes from previous years. She noted salary expenses are down slightly due to a combination of unfilled positions, discontinued grant positions, and retirees. She said the scholarships category includes Pell, tuition waivers, and institutional scholarships outside of what the Foundation provides. Ms. Rand responded to questions saying the yearly comparisons are for what was budgeted, not actual. Dr. Methvin said actual dollar amounts are compared in July once the fiscal year is completed. Ms. Rand showed pie graphs of the percentages for revenues and expenses. She said the following pages include every revenue and expense account comparing the current budget to the upcoming 2018-2019 budget. Dr. Chapman asked why there is an increase in international student revenues. Ms. Rand said it is based on their projected increased tuition and fees with only slightly more international students. She said housing revenues will increase slightly as they do a good job of continuing to fill the housing facilities. Dr. Methvin said our affordable housing with Roughrider Village likely helped our enrollment to not decrease as much as some other colleges in recent years. Regarding Bookstore increased revenue, Ms. Rand said it has to do with the increase in textbook costs. She said several grants are ending September 30, and there are fewer federal grants available than in the past. Ms. Rand said we are planning for revenues over expenses to be about $5,000. Mr. Wood asked what changes might be needed to these numbers for next month. Dr. Methvin said personnel numbers may change slightly, but we will likely not know what state funding or withholds will take place until July 1. There being no objections, Mr. Wood said this item will be on the agenda for next month for Board action.
Financial Aid Program Review
Mrs. Ferguson reported Financial Aid processes all of the federal financial aid that comes in as well as state aid through the Access Missouri, Marguerite Ross Barnett and Bright Flight programs, and all institutional scholarships. She said we do all VA (veterans) certifying and verify their eligible coursework. She said this year we are reviewing all Crowder attendance records as well. Mrs. Ferguson drew attention to the table showing unduplicated FAFSA records from 2014 to current saying the actual number reviewed are well over 6,000 per year since many submit more than one FAFSA. She said total enrollment numbers shown are actual from the fall FISAP report that includes students who are not eligible for financial aid such as Transport Training students. Mrs. Ferguson said FAFSA Verifications are selected by the federal government for about 40-45% of all FAFSAs received, and we verify about half of those since some students do not complete their documentation or go somewhere besides Crowder. She said verification includes collecting extra documentation, most commonly verifying the number in their household and their income level with tax documents. Mrs. Ferguson showed the Pell awards table saying the data is based on the FISAP report, and in 2016-17, 34% of Crowder student received Pell funds. The 2017-18 year will not be complete until summer semester students are added into the data. She said the federal government designates the amount of Pell a student can receive, and it is equivalent to twelve full-time semesters, not a specific dollar amount. Board members noted how critical Pell support is to a great many college students everywhere. Mrs. Ferguson reviewed the Loan Awards table showing that student borrowing is decreasing each year from 18% in 2014-15 to 14% in 2016-17. She said we received a draft three-year Default Rate in February of 15.7% which is the lowest rate that Crowder has ever had compared to 18.5% in 2016-17. She said we are in the middle of Default Rates in Missouri among community colleges. Mrs. Ferguson said as a result of student and employee responses on the SSI and IPS reports each year, we are working on some areas that need improvement including updating our online forms and student communications. She reported summer Pell will be available this year for students who received Pell in the fall and spring and are enrolled at least half-time for summer. Mrs. Ferguson said in an effort to help students, we moved the date up for when students musts have their FA paperwork complete to be by the end of the first week of classes which has worked very well. She said in the past, the FAFSA for the new year became available January 1st using tax information from that year. However, in 2017-18, the FAFSA became available October 1st and allowed students to use their 2015 taxes. She said students can also now link their FAFSA with the IRS to have tax information pulled directly into the FAFSA which has truly helped to lessen our efforts. Mrs. Ferguson thanked the other Crowder departments that assist by working directly with students to help get their FA information completed. The Board thanked her for the great report.
Chancellor’s Leadership Academy
Dr. Methvin reported that OTC hosts a Leadership Academy for community colleges each year, and we always try to send one or more employees to participate in this exceptional professional development opportunity. Mrs. Reardon said she was honored to experience this event, and there was a great deal of preparation and work required including reading a book and participating in a group project. She said she and Mr. Deatherage were put in separate, very diverse groups. She said this was the most meaningful professional experience that she have ever been part of, and she learned about herself, what type of leadership she is comfortable with, and what areas of herself to work on in the future. She thanked the Board for this tremendous opportunity saying all of the work and challenges involved were worth it, and it was a profound privilege. She said, “This event changed me as I learned how to lead in place and have an impact on students and coworkers no matter my roll or location.” Mr. Deatherage said it is very rare that an employee receives this magnitude of support by their employer, and this was by far the best leadership experience ever, even including the very long working days involved. He said the book, Boys in the Boat, was fantastic and provided great leadership discussion. He said it is also rare to have professionals at the chancellor level to meet one-on-one and candidly share their leadership experiences. He said there was a massive amount of information provided that he will continue to study over the summer, and Dr. Farnsworth provided his favorite presentation. Mr. Deatherage said he will be keeping in touch with members of his group, and he thanked the Board and Dr. Methvin for this amazing opportunity. Dr. Methvin thanked Mr. Deatherage and Mrs. Reardon for their commitment to fully participate. Mr. Wood asked how ‘lateralization of power’ compares to ‘servant leadership’. Mr. Deatherage said they work well together in that true servant leadership requires sharing power and gathering ideas from and communicating with all levels of the organization. He said with lateralization, there are many levels of leadership patterns that allow the organization to work well. Mrs. Reardon said Crowder College is highly esteemed as a great place to work for its amazing servant leadership culture.
President’s Update
Dr. Methvin reported recently Dr. Adam Morris, Kathy Parker-Collier, Brittany Simpson, Keith Zoromski, she and Stephanie Witcher attended the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Annual Conference in Chicago. She said Crowder’s Systems Portfolio is due June 30th. Dr. Morris said the rough draft is nearly complete, and we are adding supporting evidence. Dr. Methvin said this is Fine Arts week, and there are lots of activities and events going on as the year winds down including softball and baseball games. She said the deadline to register for the MCCA Trustee and Executive Leadership Conference in May is tomorrow. She reminded members of the upcoming Crowder Graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Closed Session and Adjournment
The next regularly scheduled meeting is set for Monday, May 21. Mr. Wood called for a motion to go into closed session. At 11:05 a.m., a MOTION to go into closed session in accordance with RSMo 610.021 to discuss personnel was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes 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 her annual evaluation and her upcoming resignation. Dr. Methvin left the meeting at about 11:55 a.m. Further discussion took place; no Board action was taken. A MOTION to adjourn was made at about 12:40 p.m. by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Butler and unanimously carried on the following roll call vote:
Chapman: Yes Barnes: Yes Andris: Yes
Vancuren: Yes Butler: Yes Wood: Yes
No comments:
Post a Comment