Thursday, October 25, 2018

Minutes provided for Crowder College Board of Trustees meeting

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
October 22, 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 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 22, 2018, 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:

                Tom Burke, Interim President
                Martha Nimmo, Administrative Assistant to the President
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
                Kathy Parker-Collier, Grants Director
                Glenn Coltharp, Vice President of Academic Affairs
                Jim Cullumber, Director of Institutional Advancement
                Chett Daniel, Director of Institutional Research
                Curtis Daniels, Career and Technical Education Division Chair
                JP Dickey, Director of Admissions
                Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
                Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Accountant
                Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
                Ike Isenhower, Paramedic Instructor
                Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services
                Melissa Oates, Director of MARET Center
                Monte Padgett, Director, Nevada Instructional Center
                Darrin Pfeifly, Director of Transport Training
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Melissa Smith, Director, Concurrent Enrollment & Joplin Advanced Training & Tech. Center
Phillip Witt, Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education
Keith Zoromski, Title III Curriculum Specialist/Social Sciences Division Chair
                Lee Ann Murphy, Neosho Daily News
                Rayna Karst, The Joplin Globe

A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting and to remember the family of Tom Franklin, Associate Director of Crowder’s Training and Development Solutions, who passed away recently.

The following new employees were introduced and welcomed:  Elizabeth Smith, Behavior Technician; Karen Marion, Behavior Consultant; Johnna Burton, Behavior Support Training Coordinator/Psychology Instructor; Ashley Mosley, Registered Behavior Technician; Morgan Barnes, Registered Behavior Technician; Emily Dunlap, Behavior Specialist; Mandi Paternosto, Transport Training Secretary; Mike DeWitt, Transport Training Instructor; Jackson Lewis, Data Specialist; Victoria Munsterman, CAMP Administrative Assistant; Shelia Dossey, Business Division Departmental Assistant; Lisa Adams, Upward Bound Director; Wade Williams, EOC Director (unable to attend); Shannon Hatfield, Talent Search Director; Kevin Mouser, Talent Search Advisor, Cassville, and Marti Millikin, Talent Search Office Assistant.



Dr. Burke recognized Mrs. Suzanne Prior for serving fifteen years as faculty advisor to Phi Theta Kappa International saying this is an outstanding student organization. He presented her with a pin from PTK, and members applauded her service. Mrs. Prior reported 64 new student members were recently inducted into PTK. She said they will be having a table at Show Me Crowder day, and other projects this year include assisting with recycling efforts, adding another tree by the dorms, and picking up trash along their adopted highway, not including their academic efforts.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Minutes of the September 24th regular meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.

Financial Reports

Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement dated October 8, 2018, with the anticipated bank balance. He said the report includes two sets of checks written for September 11-30 and October 1-8, and he asked for any questions. Checks in the amount of $1,176,019.24 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances, agency accounts, revenue and expenditures were reviewed.

Tuition and Fees Recommendation for Spring/Summer 2019

Mr. Wood said this is the second reading for action on the spring and summer 2019 tuition and fee rates. He said the recommendation is to raise the base in-district tuition rate to $90 per credit hour which is a two-dollar increase, and the out-of-district rate to $143 which is a five-dollar increase, and the international rate to $194 which is a seven-dollar increase, with no increases in fee rates. Mr. Wood said we delayed taking any action on these rates this past spring, and he called for any further discussion. Dr. Burke said student enrollment for the spring semester will begin in mid-November. There being no further discussion, a MOTION to approve the rates as presented was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.

Community Service Leave Policy

Mr. Wood said this is also a second reading for action on this item that has been previously discussed. Dr. Burke said the policy is recommended by Servant Leadership Cohort 4 and would allow professional and classified staff employees to take up to eight hours of paid leave to participate in “events sponsored by nonprofit organizations or Crowder College projects that are out of an employee’s typical scope of work. The leave may not be used for political, religious, or for-profit purposes and is noncumulative and nontransferable.” Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the leave policy as presented was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.

Personnel

Dr. Burke recommended approval of the following five resignations:  Ismary Hernandez, Held Desk Assistant, Information Technology; Tamara McDonnell, Data Specialist; Derek Sanders, Computer Technician; Adrienne Boyd, Dual Credit/Teacher Education Administrative Assistant, and Delpha Crain, Student Support Services Director, Crowder Nevada. A MOTION to approve all five resignations with thanks for their service was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.

Dr. Burke recommended approval of the following seven employments:  Katharine Grieser, Evening Custodian; Jeffery “Mike” DeWitt, Transport Training Instructor; Ashley Gust, Bookstore Textbook Coordinator; Noel Moffet, Project NOW Academic Coordinator; Brittany Simpson, Data Specialist; Laura Pfeifer, Admissions Administrative Assistant, and Sam Hoover, Information Desk Attendant (PT). A MOTION to approve all seven employments as requested was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.

Transport Training/CEI Apprenticeship MOU

Dr. Phillip Witt reported this Memorandum of Understanding is to establish a Truck Driving Apprenticeship Program with CEI (Certified Express, Inc.) in order to develop a pathway for their employees through our Transport Training program. He said similar to our other apprenticeships, we will provide the training for their employees that will initially be funded by a MORAP (Missouri Registered Apprenticeship Program) Grant for the first year with the intention that CEI will continue paying their employees who are in the program at the end of the grant cycle. Mr. Butler asked who prepared the MOU. Mrs. Parker-Collier said she prepared it in the same fashion as the previous BEI and Branco apprenticeship agreements, and we have already received grant approval from the DOL (Department of Labor) for the Truck Driving Apprenticeship Program. Dr. Burke noted there is currently a strong national emphasis on apprenticeships as well as support for them by current Governor Parsons. Mr. Wood asked if there was any further discussion or questions. There being none, a MOTION to approve the Truck Driving Apprenticeship Program MOU with CEI as provided was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.

Joplin Advanced Training & Technology Center Program Review

Mrs. Melissa Smith reviewed data from the Program Review saying there are four full-time instructors at the Joplin ATTC who teach Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Welding, Information Technology, and Drafting. She announced both enrollment and credit hours doubled this fall with 106 students enrolled in 1,194 credit hours. She said students start fresh every semester as they can earn a certificate in each semester enrolled. Mrs. Smith reported very good academic success with small class sizes and hands-on learning with no core classes. Those wanting to start an associate’s degree begin their third semester. She said the demand is very strong for these programs so there is currently 100% job placement for all completers. She reviewed the certificates available in the various programs which are stackable, leading to higher paying jobs as more certificates are earned. Mrs. Smith said welding students have been very successful as they take an AWS exam after each semester, and so far 100% have passed their TSA. She said there are also additional certifications encouraged including the NCRC (National Career Readiness Certificate) which is free and can provide increased wages based on the results. Mrs. Smith said one student last year scored at the platinum level which only one percent in the nation score, and this year, a few welding students scored at the gold level. She said we are providing additional certifications to help students become more employable and to get higher paying jobs. Mrs. Smith said we are also a licensed test site to provide additional IT certifications which will add revenue as we market that opportunity to IT professionals already in the field.

Mrs. Smith reported the Advisory Council meets here tomorrow in which community industry members inform us of what they need, and we make adjustments to our programs based on their input. She said companies have been coming to our facility, and they have been clear that they need students with more soft skills such as teamwork, attendance, respect and integrity. She said as a result, Student Success Instructor Amy Frieling is now teaching some soft skills within the class blocks. Next semester, Ms. Frieling will be teaching the Career Tech Development course to help provide that soft skills training. Mrs. Smith said we take advantage of every recruitment opportunity available including all career fairs. She said we partnered with the Joplin Chamber and Franklin Tech to participate in Manufacturing Day where over 1,500 high school students came to learn the positive things about manufacturing. She said we participated in the Joplin Economic Development Tour in which about fifty local company representatives toured our facility. We will be hosting the high school Skills USA competition for welding at the ATTC this year. Mrs. Smith said we are working to increase A+ awareness at area tech centers to inform students they can use Missouri A+ funding to pay for their tuition and fees. She said we also offer dual enrollment in Advanced Manufacturing for PLC training because it does not compete with the local tech centers. Mrs. Smith said future goals include adding more certificate programs, meeting the demand for soft skills training, and meeting with companies to meet their employment needs. She said even several dual credit students are attending from Carl Junction and Webb City this year. Mrs. Smith said she heard recently that there are over eight hundred manufacturing jobs available within a sixty-mile radius of Joplin. When asked, she said we could train up to five hundred students at the ATTC if evening classes were added. Discussion took place regarding the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and soft skills training. Dr. Coltharp said all of our grant programs provide soft skills training if needed, but it is not required. When asked, Mrs. Smith said we are focusing on bringing in high school graduates as well as current employees from area companies.

President’s Update

Dr. Burke said it is important for the Joplin ATTC to be successful, and for that we need help from the business community, the media, high school counselors, and employees in order to supply the trained workforce needed to sustain business and industry. He thanked Mrs. Smith for her enthusiasm and outstanding efforts.

Dr. Burke congratulated the Foundation on their successful Foundation Banquet which had about 700 attendees, and 162 student scholarships were awarded. Mr. Cullumber said they are now focusing on the upcoming Festival of Wreaths that will be held on Tuesday, November 13, in the Elsie Plaster Center as their primary fundraising effort for the year.

Dr. Burke reminded members of the MCCA Convention on November 7-9 in Branson, Missouri. He said there will be a session for trustees and several other groups on Wednesday afternoon. He congratulated Keith Zoromski who will receive the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Friday noon event. He commended Karen Fink, Agriculture Administrative Assistant, who is serving as the MCCA Board Chair this year.

Dr. Burke noted the recent passing of Tom Franklin saying the service was last Friday, and to please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Dr. Burke said there will be a MARET Center LEED Celebration at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, for receiving a Platinum rating. He congratulated Dr. Melissa Oates for her efforts.

Dr. Burke said this past month seems to have been focused on accreditation as there were very successful site visits for both the Nursing and OTA programs. He also congratulated Dr. Adam Morris, Mrs. Kathy Parker-Collier and Mrs. Brittany Simpson for their successful System Portfolio that was reviewed and accepted by the Higher Learning Commission. We received word that we will now be part of the Open Pathway accreditation system which means our next site visit will not be until 2024. 

Dr. Burke announced the next Board of Trustees meeting will be held on December 3rd at the McDonald County campus.

Closed Session and Adjournment

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. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Vancuren 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 Michelle Paul, Director of Human Resources, regarding the presidential candidates that were recommended to the Board by the Presidential Search Committee; no Board action was taken. A MOTION to adjourn the closed session was made at about 11:30 a.m. by Mrs. Andris, 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
Following the closed session, a MOTION was made by Mr. Vancuren to approve the four presidential finalists for interviews as recommended by the Presidential Search Committee; it was seconded by Dr. Chapman and passed unanimously. The four finalists are:  Dr.  Harold Arnett of Arkansas City, Kansas, and former VP at Cowley College; Dr. Glenn Coltharp, Asbury, Missouri, current VP at Crowder; Dr. Beatriz Joseph, San Antonio, Texas, and a VP at Palo Alto College; and Dr. Julie Murray-Jensen of Klamath Falls, Oregon, and a VP at Klamath Community College. With no further action, the meeting adjourned to lunch at about 11:45 a.m.

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