MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
February 25, 2019
There being a quorum present, a Work Session of the Crowder College Board of Trustees was held at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, February 25, 2019, in the Newton Hall Conference Room. Members present were: Andy Wood, Chair; Diane Andris; Vickie Barnes, Treasurer; Rick Butler, Vice Chair; Al Chapman, Secretary, and Larry Vancuren. Also attending the meeting were: Glenn Coltharp, President; Adam Morris, Vice President of Academic Affairs; Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance, and Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs.
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information, and Kayla Monteleone, Graphic Design/Multi-media Developer, took group and individual photos of Board members along with Martha Nimmo, secretary to the Board. They did not stay for the discussion.
Following the photo session at 9:10 a.m., discussion took place regarding the Tuition and Fees for the 2019-2020 academic year and the amount of potential revenue each option would provide. The Work Session was adjourned at about 9:55 a.m., and members moved to the Fireside Room.
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 10:05 a.m. on Monday, February 25, 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
Joseph Brenner, Accounts Receivable Manager
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
Shawna Estep, Veterinary Technology Program Director/Instructor
Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Ike Isenhower, Paramedic 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
Phillip Witt, Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education
Jorge Zapata, Agriculture Division Chair/Instructor
Keith Zoromski, Title III Curriculum Specialist/Social Science Division Chair
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting. The following new employees were introduced and welcomed: Andrew Poor, Solar Instructor; Devin White, Student Support Services Director, Nevada; Matthew Decker, Teacher Education Departmental Assistant, and Tim Baker, Evening Library Assistant.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the January 18 regular meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement saying there were some questions previously answered regarding the checks written. He said there are two sets of checks this month for January 1-31 and February 1-8, 2019. Checks in the amount of $2,159,068.89 were approved ON MOTION by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Mr. Wood noted the balances look good with the reduction in expenses due to lower enrollment. It was noted that Transport Training has declined slightly although it is still doing well; Dr. Witt said there has been some restructuring done that may have impacted that. Mrs. Andris asked if the new Perkins 5 grant will be positive. Dr. Coltharp said we hope it will be, depending on how much we promote it. Dr. Witt said the new Missouri One Start program is expected to positively impact the Customized Training program. Mr. Wood said the Joplin ATTC is looking much better. When asked, Ms. Rand said the facility rent there goes up each year over the five-year contract. Ms. Rand responded to questions as needed. The revenues and expense reports were reviewed. Dr. Coltharp noted the reserves for January look exceptional considering where the College was a few years ago. Mr. Wood thanked everyone for doing such a great job on that.
2019-20 Room and Board Rate Proposal
Mr. Wood noted this is a second reading for Board action. Dr. Coltharp said there have been no changes from last month’s recommendation. 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%. The recommendation also includes raising the summer Roughrider Village rates by 6.7%. Brief discussion took place regarding the optional meal plans for either 19, 14, or 10 meals per week. Mr. Aubuchon said many students are not on campus on the weekends or may skip a meal during the day so these options are what students seem to prefer. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the recommendation as written was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Butler, and unanimously carried.
Crowder Mission/Institutional Learning Outcomes
Dr. Coltharp said after last month’s meeting, we checked with HLC (the Higher Learning Commission) about their preference of whether Board approval was needed for the Mission and Institutional Learning Outcomes. He said they felt it would be best to have Board approval, not just review. Mr. Wood concurred and asked if there was any further discussion. There being none, a MOTION to approve the Crowder Mission, Vision, Philosophy and Institutional Learning Outcomes as provided was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mrs. Barnes, and unanimously carried.
Personnel
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the retirement of Debbie Kennedy, Allied Health Programs Division Chair, who has been at Crowder for nine years. He said when Allied Health moved out from under the Nursing Program a few years ago, Debbie Kennedy did a great job growing the division and adding the CMA program as well. Dr. Coltharp said the CMA program will be moving to McDonald County, the CNA faculty will pick up the classes that Debbie did, and the Division Chair position will be voted on by the faculty from within the division so this position will not be filled as it is now. A MOTION to approve the retirement as requested was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman, and unanimously carried.
Mr. Wood recommended taking the resignation and employment of Dr. Adam Morris in one action. Dr. Coltharp reported there was a large committee with wide representation that reviewed applicants, narrowed it to three good finalists who were interviewed, and the committee requested Dr. Morris for the Vice President position. Dr. Coltharp said he was not involved in the committee’s work during the process. Without further discussion, a MOTION was made by Mr. Butler to approve the resignation of Dr. Adam Morris as the Associate VP of Academic Affairs and to approve the employment of Dr. Morris as the Vice President of Academic Affairs; the MOTION was seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried.
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of two employments: Brandy Blanton, Vet Tech Lab Assistant (PT), and Glenn Green, Transport Training Instructor (PT). A MOTION to approve both employments was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes, and unanimously carried.
Cassville Renovation General Contractor Selection
Ms. Rand said each year we are able to submit capital projects to MDHE for possible funding, and this Cassville project was submitted a few years ago for some remodeling, renovation and some additions. She said one hundred percent funding is rare, and last summer we were awarded about $1.33M for the project so we have been working with the architect to create the final design and construction documents. In early December, an official bid package was submitted to area contractors and a pre-bid meeting was held in which about seven construction companies attended. She said the bids were due back on December 20th, and two companies responded with bids: Branco and R.E. Smith. Ms. Rand said we have been structuring our bid packages in which there is a base construction bid for what is necessary for the project along with several alternate options that are additions to the project that we would like to see done based on the bid costs. She said the bids ranged from $3.6M to $3.8M for the entire project including all the alternates; the base bid costs ranged from $1.53M to $1.57M. She showed the seven alternates that were included in the bid package as well for prices ranging from $2.1M to $2.2M. Ms. Rand said we were quite pleased with the pricing. She said we are recommending that we accept the bid from R.E. Smith Construction based on our prior work experience with them as well as that it is the lowest bid. She said the contract would be for the base construction as well as for alternates one through five for a total bid of $1,879,360. Ms. Rand said alternate six is for an addition to the Community Center which is quite costly, and we hope to do it at some point in the future. She said alternate seven is for the IT room HVAC, and we plan to complete that using our own maintenance staff. Mr. Butler asked where the remainder of the funding would come from since state funding is only $1.33M. Ms. Rand said it would come from potential fundraising by the Foundation and from institutional operating funds. Dr. Coltharp said we need to begin construction on the assumption the funds can be raised since it is state funding that must be used quickly. He said if we cannot raise the funds, we can use some of our reserve funds that are currently high at 24%. Dr. Coltharp said we were successful in raising funds for the Fieldhouse, and we hope to be successful in Cassville as well. Ms. Rand said the Foundation already has an event scheduled in April to begin the process. She reminded members that the Groundbreaking is scheduled for next Monday, March 4, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cassville campus. After further discussion, a MOTION was made by Dr. Chapman to accept R.E. Smith Construction as the General Contractor for the Cassville Renovation Project with the bid of $1,879,360 for the base construction and alternates one through five; the MOTION was seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried.
Tuition and Fees Recommendation
Dr. Coltharp said this is the first reading for the Tuition and Fees proposal, and he reviewed the proposed rates as follows: In-District tuition would go up by $2 to $92 per credit hour; Out-of-District would go up by $5 to $148 per credit hour; International would go up by $8 to $202 per credit hour. Fees would go up as follows: Institutional Support Fee would go up by $2 to $25 per credit hour; Safety & Security would go up by $1 to $8 per credit hour; Online Course Fee would go up by $2 to $30 per credit hour; Flex Course Fee would remain the same at $15 per credit hour. Dr. Coltharp said we are currently tenth lowest in tuition and fees among the twelve Missouri community colleges, and most of the colleges have indicated they will be raising tuition by eight to twelve dollars so we expect to remain in the lower range. He said our goal is to always keep our rates as affordable as possible for students, and we have also compared our rates to other schools in the area. Dr. Coltharp said these rates will work for our budget, and we believe they will not hurt our students. Mr. Wood said this is the administration’s recommendation, and the Board discussed these rates during the earlier Work Session. He said we will remain lower than area four-year schools with these rates. Dr. Coltharp agreed saying we will build the budget for next year based on an estimated 4% decline in enrollment although we hope it will be flat, and we believe these rates will not hurt enrollment. Mr. Wood noted that these increases would simply cover a modest employee raise and the growing cost of employee insurance. Dr. Coltharp agreed saying we plan to include a raise for employees, and “I am proud of the Executive Council that started the budget process by considering employees first.” Mr. Wood said the other issue is the declining state funding, and as long as that occurs, raising tuition is a necessity. Dr. Coltharp said only about 14% of our budget comes from state funding now while it was a much higher percentage in the past. Mrs. Andris asked if PELL funding would still cover a student’s tuition with these rates. VP Slinkard said PELL would still cover tuition at these rates, and a small increase in PELL is expected for the fall semester. Dr. Coltharp said federal PELL funds would be applied first to the student’s charges followed by any state funding such as A+, if applicable. Dr. Coltharp said these Tuition and Fee rates would be for the entire 2019-2020 academic year, not just for the fall semester. Mr. Wood asked if there were any objections to passing this on to next month for final approval, and there were none.
Veterinary Technology Program Review
Mrs. Estep reported the Vet Tech Program had several changes this past year with the retirement of Dr. Stephanie Watson-Bruto and the hiring of Dr. David Prigel as the full-time veterinary faculty. She thanked the Board for approving the hiring of a part-time lab assistant saying this was the result of new AVMA guidelines requiring a student to teacher ratio of 8 to 1 for live animal labs. Mrs. Estep thanked Dr. Witt for funding the position this spring, and it will be funded by course fees beginning in the fall semester. She showed the first year class of seventeen students and the second year class of thirteen students saying students come from all over the U.S. and include several non-traditional students. Mrs. Estep said the AVMA accrediting body came for a site visit in 2017; they had no major problems with the program, and their next visit is set for 2022. She reviewed the national averages of the VTNE (Vet Tech National Exam) saying Crowder’s overall pass rate this year is 92.3% with 70.31% passing on the first attempt. She said on a three-year average, we are at an 89% pass rate, and she compared Crowder’s average percent to the national average in nine categories showing that the program is strong. Mrs. Estep said Crowder was named one of the Top 30 Vet Tech Programs in the U.S. in 2017, and that has helped recruitment efforts. She said we are also regulated by the USDA, and unannounced inspections are held to make sure we meet the guidelines of their internal committee, IACUC (International Animal Care and Use Committee). Mrs. Estep said several suggestions for improvements to our Dog Kennel Building were made at the last inspection and, as a result, a five-year plan has been discussed to have the building replaced. Some other improvements include solar shade tents provided by the Foundation for the dog exercise area, and a Therapeutic Laser was funded by the Perkins Grant. Mrs. Estep reported we currently have 66 Vet Tech majors, and there are 36 potential applicants in progress at Crowder. She said many applicants are transfers, and the number of applicants has increased in the last three years from 16 to 20 admissions. She said we are considering accepting 20 to 24 which is the maximum the lab facilities can handle, and the GPA requirement may also be increased from 2.0 to 2.5. Mrs. Estep reported there is a national initiative to change the name of the degree program to Veterinary Nurse instead of Veterinary Technician, which does not accurately reflect what we do. However, she said this must be passed legislatively by each state so we are hopeful it will be changed in Missouri soon. Mrs. Estep congratulated Maria Suarez who is a first year student and the first ever Vet Tech student to win a scholarship from The Society of Veterinary Medical Ethics by submitting an essay. Ms. Suarez presented her essay at the NAVC Conference in Orlando in January. A couple other exceptional students were noted. Mrs. Estep said pay for graduates has increased to between $15 and $18 per hour, often with multiple job offers and generous benefit packages. She reviewed several of the activities and fundraisers that majors take part in saying the Vet Tech program has rescued over 300 animals from shelters through its adoption program since its inception. Brief discussion took place regarding the possible name change; Mrs. Estep responded to questions, and the Board thanked her for the great report.
Governor’s Student Leadership Forum
Mrs. O’Hanahan showed a brief video from the Governor’s office giving a recap of the Student Leadership Forum. She said two Crowder students attended the three-day Forum in Jefferson City where they took part in the Prayer Breakfast with the Governor and were able to collaborate with other students from across the state. She introduced CAMP students Carlos Palestino and Mark Barrios who both serve as Student Ambassadors and Resident Assistants. Mr. Barrios, first generation student, thanked the College for the opportunity to attend the Forum saying he learned a lot about how to impact the community and how to persevere as a leader. Mr. Palestino, first generation student, also thanked the College saying many minority students do not get these types of opportunities. He said it was a great experience that allowed him to open up with students from other schools and to see how they serve their communities in different ways, as minority leaders, through leadership and motivation. Mr. Palestino said one of the speakers talked about how the labels that others give you do not have to define you as a leader, and you can still use your background and resources to impact others in a positive way. Mrs. O’Hanahan said the students were able to visit a correctional facility and see how the inmates hope to change their community afterwards. She said we encourage students to think about the future beyond Crowder, and the Forum did that. She said that through a CAMP Association opportunity, and because of this experience, Mark had recently applied for an internship, and she asked Mr. Barrios to read his response to one of the questions in the application. Mr. Barrios’ response focused on how the Latino community can impact the future if they get involved in the political process and gain representation as government leaders. Mr. Wood congratulated him for the great application, and he thanked the students for representing Crowder so well. Attendees applauded the students.
President’s Update
Dr. Coltharp provided a draft flow chart saying this is an effort to improve our Shared Governance which was one of the items that Crowder was graded down on by the HLC. He said what was lacking was a defined structure that could be shown to others for how issues or proposals are dealt with. The flow chart showed how proposals can begin at any level and move up or down in the process depending on their approval at the various levels. Dr. Coltharp said items that come from a committee or advisory council would move up to the area that it most pertains to such as the Finance Division Leadership Team, Instructional Council, or the Student Affairs Leadership Team. From there it will move to the Executive Council who will review the proposal for procedures, legal issues, or financial needs. Dr. Coltharp said for many years the Executive Council was the final authority, and it was unclear what roll College Council played in the process. He said this would formalize College Council as the final approval before the item moves into policy. He said College Council membership will be changing as well so that its membership rotates more to allow a wider representation. Dr. Coltharp said this addresses what happens at any level of the process, and once a policy is approved by College Council, it will be moved into the appropriate location such as the Employee Handbook, College Catalog or Student Handbook, simply in College Council Minutes, or on to the Board for approval as Board Policy. Dr. Coltharp said next month we plan to bring the College Council membership changes to you followed by the final process. Dr. Chapman asked who is on the Executive Council. Dr. Coltharp said it would continue to include the vice presidents and college president. When asked, he explained who is involved in the division leadership teams, and how the faculty organization is represented in Instructional Council along with rotating members on the College Council. Dr. Coltharp said this would formalize the procedure to make sure we follow step-by-step guidelines and involve more people in the process. He said the goal is also to make sure all meeting minutes are made available to everyone.
Dr. Coltharp said one of the other things discussed as a leadership team is that College leaders have never been evaluated other than the president. He provided a draft evaluation document saying the plan is to have all faculty and staff do a president’s evaluation in April followed by the vice presidents being evaluated by all employees who fall under their division. He said the Leadership Team would all be evaluated using the same instrument, and performance goals will be set based on the input received from them. Dr. Coltharp said during the summer, the Board will be informed about the responses that were gathered through the evaluation process. He said it is important for the president and vice presidents to all use the same evaluation instrument which includes the areas of collaboration, communication, innovation, leadership, managing others, and trust. He this could be a way to discontinue the current method the Board uses to evaluate the president if desired. Mr. Wood said evaluating the vice presidents has been discussed in the past and is good; however, the evaluation of the president is the function of the Board, and for now will remain as it has been done in the past. He asked who would be calculating the evaluations. Dr. Coltharp said it would be handled by Survey Monkey with the Director of Institutional Research serving as the coordinator.
Closed Session and Adjournment
The next regularly scheduled meeting is set for Monday, March 25, at the Crowder McDonald County campus. Mr. Wood called for a motion to go into closed session. At 11:50 a.m., a MOTION to go into closed session in accordance with RSMo 610.021 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. Coltharp regarding personnel; no Board action was taken. A MOTION to adjourn was made at about 12:14 p.m. by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried on the following roll call vote:
Chapman: Yes Barnes: Yes Andris: Yes
Vancuren: Yes Butler: Yes Wood: Yes
Following the meeting, members adjourned to lunch in the Newton Hall Conference Room.
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