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
January 18, 2019

Beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 18, 2019, the Board met in the Newton Hall Conference Room with seven area legislators and Crowder administrators for breakfast and informal conversation to “get to know Crowder!” The event concluded at about 9:30 a.m.

There being a quorum present, the regular 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 10:04 a.m. 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:

Glenn Coltharp, President
Martha Nimmo, Administrative Assistant to the President
TJ Angel, Director of Physical Plant
Mark Aubuchon, Campus Life Director
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Kathy Parker-Collier, Grants Director
Christina Cullers, Controller
Jim Cullumber, Director of Institutional Advancement
Chett Daniel, Director of Institutional Research
Curtis Daniels, Career and Tech Ed Division Chair/Computer Tech Instructor
JP Dickey, Director of Admissions
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Kristi Enloe, Accounts Payable Accountant
Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Amy Frieling, Student Success Instructor
Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services
Adam Morris, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs
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
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Melissa Smith, Director, Concurrent Enrollment & Joplin Advanced Training & Tech Center
Katie Strohl, Learning Opportunity Instructor/Coordinator
Sherry Wilson, Chair, Developmental Studies
Phillip Witt, Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education
Matt Wallace, CPA, Supervisor – Audit Services, KPM CPAs, PC





A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following new employees were introduced and welcomed: Cassie Hale, Talent Search Advisor; Noel Moffet, Project NOW Academic Coordinator; Tana Burkhart, Upward Bound Administrative Assistant; Kong Lee, Upward Bound Academic Advisor; Crystal Rhodes, IT Help Desk Assistant; Tim Pierce, Computer Technician; Sam Hoover, Information Desk Attendant; Brittany Simpson, Data Specialist; Lin Tracy, Grants Specialist; Laura Pfiefer, Admissions Administrative Assistant, and Ashley Gust, Bookstore Textbook Coordinator. Katharine Grieser, Evening Custodian, was introduced in her absence.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Minutes of the December 3, 2018, meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.

Financial Reports

Mr. Wood noted there are two sets of financials this month, one with the current fund balance from November 30, 2018, and the other including checks and the cash flow statement dated January 4, 2019. He said there are four sets of checks for approval this month for November 12-30, December 1-10, December 11-31, and January 1-4, 2019. Following a brief question, checks in the amount of $1,713,178.48 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mr. Butler, and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Mrs. Andris had a question about the November 30 breakdown of revenue accounts. The rest of the accounts from December 31 were reviewed briefly as well as the revenue and expenditure accounts. Dr. Coltharp drew attention to the past three years of reserves comparison.

New President’s Contract

Mr. Wood asked that the Board take action on the two contracts for Dr. Coltharp saying they have been reviewed by Legal Counsel John Dolence with some minor changes. He noted that in the future for internal position changes, there should be a resignation acted upon prior to the employment in the new position. Mr. Wood called for a motion to approve Dr. Coltharp’s resignation then employment, and then the contracts. A MOTION to approved Dr. Coltharp’s resignation was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman, and unanimously carried.

Mr. Wood noted that Dr. Coltharp will be Crowder’s eighth president since 1963. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve his employment was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried. Mr. Wood called for the two contracts to be taken together. A MOTION to approved the two employment contracts for Dr. Coltharp as written was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.

Personnel

Mr. Wood thanked the two retirees for their years of service to Crowder College: Janet Reed, Communications Instructor, for fourteen years, and Randy Dunn, Physics/Chemistry Instructor, for fifteen years. A MOTION to accept the two retirements as recommended by Dr. Coltharp was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.

Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the resignations of CJ Estes, SkillUP Grant Case Manager, and Kevin Mouser, Talent Search Advisor. A MOTION to approve the two resignations as recommended was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.

Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following eleven employments: Dorothy Millsap, Bookstore Customer Service Associate, Webb City; Amber Hatfield, Custodian; Reba Clark and Jaclyn Link, Behavior Technicians, Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center; Mellisa Moreno, Cashier/Accounts Receivable Specialist; Andrew Poor, Solar Instructor, Alternative Energy; Devin White, Student Support Services Director, Nevada; James Parrott, Welding Instructor, Joplin ATTC (HT, Spring only); Matthew Decker, Teacher Education Departmental Assistant (PT); Sydnie Lowe, Records Clerical Assistant (PT), and Timothy Baker, Evening Library Assistant (PT). A MOTION to accept all eleven employments as recommended was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried.

Certification of Board Candidates

Mr. Wood verified with Mrs. Nimmo that two candidates, Mrs. Vickie Barnes and Mr. Andy Wood, have declared their candidacy for two open Board of Trustee positions from Subdistrict 2 running for six year terms from 2019 to 2025. Mrs. Nimmo concurred. Mr. Wood noted that since there are only two candidates for two open positions, per election laws, they do not need to be on the April 2nd election ballot. Without further discussion, a MOTION was made by Mr. Butler to approve and certify the two candidates: Mr. Wood and Mrs. Barnes; the motion was seconded by Mrs. Andris and unanimously carried. Dr. Coltharp noted this meeting being set on a Friday was so that the candidates could be certified within the designated time period required by the Secretary of State’s Office.

Neosho Land Development – Crowder College Hold Harmless

Dr. Coltharp reported that in November, members of the biology department approached him about using land adjacent to the Crowder Neosho campus to do some studies on the property which is owned by Neosho Land Development, Inc. He said we approached Mr. Rudy Farber as owner of the property about the concept, and the Agreement has been reviewed by Legal Counsel John Dolence. Dr. Coltharp said the maps included with the Agreement show the area that is being considered, and use of the property will not take place until final approval occurs. Mr. Wood said he helped in the initial development of the Agreement prior to Mr. Dolence’s final review. He said the Agreement simply grants permission to Crowder College for use of the land and also ‘holds harmless’ Neosho Land Development, Inc. in the event of any accident or injury that may take place. Dr. Coltharp reported Ryan Combs will be the lead biology instructor for the biodiversity and population investigations. The Agreement specifies studies for land use preferences for vertebrates and invertebrates, mark and recapture of small vertebrates, and feeding behavior and stress of large mammals with the appropriate and necessary permits through the Missouri Department of Conservation. Dr. Chapman asked for clarification on the acting attorney for the Agreement to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. Mr. Wood said although he drafted the document, Mr. Dolence is the official acting attorney on Crowder’s behalf. With no further discussion, a MOTION to approve the “Agreement to Release and Hold Harmless” between Neosho Land Development, Inc. and Crowder College was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.

Annual Audit Review for FY ending 06/30/2018

Ms. Rand introduced Matt Wallace with KPM CPAs who reviewed the June 30, 2018, fiscal year audit. Mr. Wallace began by pointing out the Independent Auditors’ Report in which an ‘unmodified opinion’ was found. He noted the ‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis’ which is unaudited and provided by the College giving a brief overview for 2017-2018. Mr. Wallace said the ‘Combined Statement of Net Position’ combines data from the College, the Foundation, and the Facilities Corporation saying they are considered one entity for audit purposes. He pointed out the Notes section saying there are two new GASB requirements, one that affects the Foundation and trusts, and one that affects how health insurance that is provided to retirees is reflected which increased the amount of liability. Mr. Wallace reviewed the ‘Combining Statement of Net Position’ showing financial data for the College, the Facilities Corporation, and the Foundation highlighting changes from the prior year. He noted the overall combined total net position is over $42M. Mr. Wallace responded to questions and continued by reviewing the ‘Combining Statement of Revenues, Expenses and Changes in Net Position’. Mr. Wallace said the ‘Summary of Audit Results’ shows that although there were no material weaknesses, there were two ‘significant deficiencies’ which are a lower finding in the audit of Federal Awards. The two areas that were audited in addition to the normal audit were Federal Financial Aid and the Perkins Grant. Mr. Wallace pointed out that the ‘Auditee qualified as a low-risk auditee’ which is good. He reviewed the two minor deficiencies, both of which have been corrected by the College. Mr. Wallace reviewed four recommendations made to the College based on the overall findings. The first item dealt with meeting the requirements of an attendance taking school for Title IV funding purposes. The second item was regarding the healthcare self-insurance program which was underfunded and is still a concern. The third item dealt with capital asset tracking and getting the appropriate software to ensure accurate reporting. He said this has been on the report in the past, and the College is in the process of adding the correct software. The fourth item showed several new GASB pronouncements that the College should be aware of; however, Mr. Wallace said he does not believe they will greatly affect the College. Mr. Wallace thanked Ms. Rand, Mrs. Cullers and the federal program directors for their assistance in gathering information needed to complete the annual audit report. Dr. Chapman noted the health insurance issue, and Dr. Coltharp said the health insurance committee continues to address it each year as best we can. Brief discussion took place. Mr. Wallace responded to Mr. Wood’s questions, and the Board thanked him for his service in meeting the requirements of the annual audit each year.



2019-20 Room and Board Rates Proposal

Mr. Aubuchon reported we make a conscious effort to compare our rates with other schools in the area to make sure we remain competitive, and a table of rate comparisons was provided. He said we are recommending a very modest increase this year to raise rates in the Brown Complex by 1.6%, in the Roughrider Village by 2%, and the meal rates by 3%. Mr. Aubuchon said we recommend raising the summer Roughrider Village rates by 6.7% which will not affect very many students. He said students in Brown who want to stay for the summer would have to move to Roughrider Village, and only continuing students are allowed to stay over the summer, not new students, but they would be charged the increased rates. When asked, he said these summer rates do not affect the Transport Training dorms. Dr. Coltharp explained the Transport Training dorms are part of a total package price for Transport Training students, and the charge is determined in collaboration with VP Slinkard, Mark Aubuchon and Director Darrin Pfeifly. Mr. Aubuchon said students who live in Brown are charged a combined room and board charge since they are required to have a meal plan while other students have the option to purchase a meal plan. Dr. Chapman asked how the meal rate increase is related to the Great Western Dining contract. Ms. Rand said last year we renewed our contract with Great Western, and within that contract their rates are dictated for the five-year contract period. She said this meal rate increase includes that meal cost as well as helping us to maintain the equipment and overall facilities expenses. Ms. Rand said we cannot use state maintenance and repair reimbursement funds for auxiliary services, and we own all of the dining service equipment. Mr. Aubuchon noted the actual dollar increases saying we believe they are very reasonable and still remain competitive. He said the annual occupancy data has not shown any indication that our rates are too high since over the last several years we have stayed at near full capacity in the fall semesters. He said our ultimate goal is to keep students here. Mr. Wood asked what the capacities are for each. Mr. Aubuchon said between 180 to 200 students in Brown and about 150 in Roughrider Village although students can pay extra to have single occupancy there if desired. He noted the rate changes would take effect in August 2019. Mr. Wood asked if there were any objections to passing this on to next month for final action, and there were none.

Crowder College Mission Review

Dr. Coltharp said at the September Board Retreat, we provided several different mission, vision, and philosophy statements that Crowder has used, and we asked if we could review and condense them as we prepared to attend the Assessment Academy. He provided a draft of ‘Crowder College Guiding Principles’ saying the Mission statement is the same that has been used for many years which we feel is very effective and well known. He said the Vision and Philosophy statements are a combination of several statements with the Philosophy statement focusing more on servant leadership. Dr. Coltharp said the main difference is the addition of four ‘Institutional Learning Outcomes’ which are similar to the previous nine Student Abilities. He said we were encouraged by the HLC (Higher Learning Commission) to reduce the number since we will have to measure these as College-wide student outcomes. Dr. Coltharp said we have worked hard to develop these as the most important outcomes that we want every Crowder student to learn while here. He said these were developed at the Assessment Academy then taken to faculty and staff in Student Affairs, Finance, and Academic Affairs before coming back to the Assessment Academy Team for final review. He said in the past, faculty were responsible for measuring the Student Abilities that were tied to competencies in the classroom. Dr. Coltharp said HLC now expects campus-wide involvement showing how all student activities tie in to the Learning Outcomes which is why it is important to have a more measurable and concise list. Mrs. Andris asked if this was tied to any state funding. Dr. Coltharp said no, but it is how we will maintain our accreditation. He explained we are in the first year of a three-year Assessment Academy process so faculty will work on changing their syllabi this fall to transition from Student Abilities to Learning Outcomes, and we will begin working with staff this fall as well. He said although accreditation is important, we believe this will help keep all of us focused on building a better graduate with campus-wide involvement. Dr. Coltharp said HLC also asks that we do an annual review of our Mission, Vision and Philosophy so we will add this to our annual January meeting list. He noted there may be many years in which no changes are made, but this will show that we are reviewing it annually as needed. Mr. Wood asked if the Board should adopt these Institutional Learning Outcomes. Dr. Coltharp said wording suggestions are appreciated, and we simply need it in the minutes that the Board has reviewed them.

Learning Opportunities Division Program Review

Dr. Wilson said the Learning Opportunities Division is what the division was called from the beginning, and we have returned to that name since developmental education is no longer our main focus. She said we focus on overall student success, and the main course in our division is College Orientation in which every student learns the Mission statement. She said those students are required to complete four hours of community service, the Service Seed, because service is part of our Mission. Dr. Wilson reported that Crowder students provide about 6,000 hours of community service annually, and they average six hours per student, more than the required four hours. She said students who pass College Orientation with an A or B are 90% more likely to continue at Crowder and graduate so it is critical that students pass. She said we recently received a Missouri Department of Higher Education grant which has allowed three students to work as ‘Academic Ambassadors’ to work directly with students who have a D or F in the course in an effort to increase student success. Dr. Wilson said although most students entering Crowder enroll in general education English courses, beginning in Fall 2015, students not academically ready now enroll in the Communication Arts (COMM) sequence which replaces the previous developmental reading and English courses. She said they include four eight-week modules in which students pre-test, work at their own pace, and post-test out to the next session. She said those students are continuing into ENGL 101, and are graduating at a rate only slightly lower than the general student population. Dr. Wilson said the LOC 100 College Success course had been a required developmental course, but since it is no longer required, students were not taking advantage of it. She said the scope of the course has been broadened to address the needs of more of the student body including ‘soft skills’. She said this spring, Ms. Amy Frieling has begun teaching four sections of this revised professional development course at the Joplin ATTC with the emphasis on the specific fields of Welding and Computer Network Support. Dr. Wilson said we plan to seek curriculum approval this fall to teach these courses institution-wide so that more students can learning success strategies that are important for their specific tech programs beginning next spring 2020. Dr. Wilson said we want as many students as possible to consider Crowder College as their college of choice, and LOC 103 College Connections, taught by Ms. Katie Strohl, is for students who have been on academic probation or suspension. She said this course is aimed at the individual, teaching them to face their personal issues and to become accountable for their academic progress. She said these students can be successful, and the percentage of graduates after three years is significant although lower than that of the institution. Dr. Coltharp said he has never seen a Division that has handled so many different state mandates and federal changes in recent years, and most impressive is how well they have rebranded the Division to always focus on student success. He thanked Dr. Wilson, Ms. Strohl and Ms. Frieling for always thinking about what is best for our students. Dr. Wilson thanked Dr. Coltharp; she responded to several questions, and the Board thanked her for the great report.

President’s Update

Dr. Coltharp asked Dr. Morris to speak about the Assessment Academy in which nine Crowder representatives attended. Dr. Morris reported it became clear as we put together the System Portfolio that attaching evidence was critical to its success so about 300 pieces of evidence was attached to the Portfolio. He said if we could not prove something then we did not include it. Dr. Morris said we knew that HLC would say that assessment needed to be improved at Crowder so attending the Academy was a proactive effort as well as to learn more from other institutions that attended. He said the goal is to improve student learning, and now we will need to show how we are doing institution-wide in measuring student learning. Dr. Morris said Academy attendees were from Finance, Student Affairs, Institutional Research, and faculty, and it was a great team of participants. He said the team learned the importance of narrowing down about twenty Learning Outcomes to the top four while also changing the terminology from Student Abilities to Learning Outcomes. He said it is also critical that they be measureable in order to track student learning. He said upon returning, several groups reviewed them, and we will meet with faculty again as we move forward. Dr. Morris said we learned that we had a lot of data in our Portfolio, but we need to make changes based on that data. He said the Assessment Academy was one of the best things he has ever attended from HLC because of its focus on assessment.

Dr. Coltharp asked Mrs. Cindy Brown to show Crowder’s newest commercial that aired Sunday evening and focuses on the Joplin Training Center. It was shown and applauded Mrs. Brown said it is on Crowder’s YouTube channel and the audio is on Pandora. She said it was produced in-house with the help of Kayla Monteleone, Graphic Design/Multi-media Developer, and Steven Wolven, Education Technology Assistant. She said it would probably cost about $1,000 if it were produced outside. When asked, Mrs. Brown reported she will be attending an awards convention later in March. She announced we are one of the top three schools in the nation out of almost 1,950 entries to be awarded for the animal posters that were developed for Crowder Cares through a group effort of employees and students. Mrs. Brown said she will provide a review upon her return. Dr. Coltharp congratulated her and thanked her for the great commercial.

Adjournment