MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
ZOOM Meeting, May 18, 2020
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 10:01 a.m. on Monday, May 18, 2020, as a ZOOM meeting with participants attending electronically from home or office locations.
Members attending 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
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Kathy Parker Collier, Grants Director
Jim Cullumber, Director of Institutional Advancement
Eric Deatherage, Lee Library Director
Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Genesis Grace, CTEC Administrative Assistant
Colleen Holland, Director, Bookstore
Adam Morris, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Darrin Pfeifly, Director of Transport Training
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Angela Seymour, Director, Cassville Instructional Center
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Melissa Smith, Director, Joplin ATTC and Training & Development Solutions
Al Stadler, Vice President of Information Services
Phillip Witt, Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the April 27, 2020, ZOOM meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement, and Dr. Coltharp reviewed the checks written, selecting various checks on each page to point out. Board members asked additional questions as needed. Mr. Wood noted two sets of checks needing approval for April 9-30 and May 1-6, 2020. Checks in the amount of $420,579.97 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Dr. Coltharp announced now that Department of Education guidelines are set, federal CARES Act funds are being disbursed to students this week. VP Slinkard said those funds are going directly to 1,699 Crowder students with full-time students receiving the largest amount, and half-time and part-time students receiving lesser amounts. Dr. Coltharp said we followed Department of Education guidelines, and fully online students were not designated to receive funds. Mrs. Brown said a link on the Crowder website gives information on frequently asked questions to help explain the process and the amounts to students. Dr. Coltharp said students received about $1.3M overall and the College will receive about $1.3M as well to help cover costs as a result of the pandemic, such as refunding students who were required to leave the dorms earlier than expected. VP Rand said that also includes any modification to instruction as well as cleaning supplies, masks, or any other designated expenses. The rest of the agency funds, department accounts and centers were reviewed. Regarding Transport Training, Mr. Pfeifly reported CFI training began again for six students on May 11 and a couple of local students started this morning. He said one main problem is closed state driver’s license offices, which keeps students from getting their permit. He said there are currently no Transport Training students staying on campus; VP Slinkard said there are only about ten staff in Roughrider Village. Mr. Pfeifly said prior to the facility shut down, all of their students completed their training, but closing was very costly to the program. He thanked the administration on behalf of Transport Training staff and all employees for efforts to maintain the College and employees. Mrs. Barnes asked for an update on the Joplin ATTC. Mrs. Smith said students are finishing incompletes for required lab work, such as welding. She said because of the hands-on programs, none of their classes can go online so there are no summer classes this year. She said we are eagerly recruiting for in-person classes for the fall semester. Mr. Wood continued reviewing the revenues, expenditures, tables, graphs and reserves. He asked if reserve funds will be needed in this current fiscal year. Ms. Rand said we do not believe so at this point.
Budget Draft for FY 21
Dr. Coltharp said the April budget estimates were fairly accurate so there are not many changes from last month’s first reading of Crowder’s FY 21 Budget. He announced thanks are due to the Missouri Legislature who worked together to keep the higher education budget in place. VP Rand said there is only one change from last month’s first reading, and it is on the Budget Summary page. She said it is very important to be transparent and for all stakeholders to understand that we are approving a budget with a deficit, and we will be using College reserve funds that we have all worked hard to acquire. She said the projected loss for the year is shown as $1,045,088 then reserve funds of $1,050,000 are added back into the budget to show a projected surplus of $4,912. VP Rand said we anticipate that we may have to modify our state appropriations, and we may need to make budget changes earlier in the year, possibly September or October, as well as the December adjustments that have been done in the past. Mr. Butler thanked Ms. Rand for keeping the Board informed each month in the Financials on how the budget is developing. With no further questions, a MOTION to approve the FY 21 Budget as provided was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
Personnel
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following five resignations: Daniel Bayes, AEL Instructor; Luis Cecenas, Drug Free Communities Grant Program Coordinator; Katharine Grieser, Evening Custodian; Gary E. Lowe, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach/Instructor, and Jordan McNeill, Talent Search Advisor. A MOTION to approve all five resignations was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following five employments: Charli “Sierra” Anderson, Administrative Assistant, Physical Plant; Luis Cecenas, CAMP Recruiter/Advisor; Ken Choi, Counselor; Jane Gray, Office Manager, Joplin ATTC, and Carissa Margrave, Nursing Instructor, Crowder Nevada. A MOTION to accept all five employments as recommended was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
New Programs for 2020-2021
Dr. Morris said there are three new programs for review, and he called attention to the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) Certificate, which is designed to be a bridge between an EMT and a Paramedic. He said an Advisory Board meeting with EMS agencies late last year indicated that there is a shortage of Paramedics, and it would be helpful to have EMT’s who could fill in when Paramedics are not available. He said this addresses that need, primarily designed for rural firefighters who could receive additional training in four-week block courses and return quickly to the workforce.
Dr. Morris reviewed the Workplace Skills Certificate, which has been developed over the last couple of years to meet the need of developing soft skills in employees. He said this Certificate allows many different elective options for students in a broad range of careers while addressing the need for soft skills such as how to interview, how to dress for the workplace, overall professionalism, and how to communicate effectively. Dr. Morris said we have already piloted the Technical Career Development courses at the Joplin ATTC with Instructor Amy Frieling helping technical students to learn vital professionalism skills to be more successful in the workplace. He said the courses are currently 8-weeks or 16-weeks, but we may move this to the non-credit realm in the future to allow more flexibility. Dr. Morris said once approved, the Certificate would start in the fall semester. He responded to questions saying only a few of these courses were developed for this Certificate, and any of these courses could be taken in conjunction with another major as an elective.
Dr. Morris drew attention to the Information Technology AA (Associate of Arts) degree for approval. He said over the past six months, we have been discussing offering some type of cybersecurity degree, and Missouri State University approached us since they already provide a cybersecurity degree on their campus. He said this AA degree would provide the first two years leading into a seamless transfer to MSU to complete their four-year program, while also allowing movement directly into the workforce after completion of the two-year AA degree at Crowder. He said although this degree is through our Business Division, courses have been redesigned to meet the requirements of an IT degree. Dr. Morris said students who complete MSU’s cybersecurity program have nearly one-hundred percent placement so we believe this new AA program will be successful. He said this program would technically begin in Spring 2021 although students could begin taking general education courses this fall, and we would begin marketing the program as soon as possible. After brief discussion, a MOTION to approve the AEMT Certificate, the Workplace Skills Certificate and the Information Technology AA degree as provided was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Dr. Chapman and unanimously carried.
Transport Training Program Review
Mr. Pfeifly reported there are fourteen total staff at Transport Training including twelve faculty, one administrative assistant and one secretary. He noted the number of students each year for the past few years with numbers growing to 217 students in 2019-20 to date with a 99% graduation rate. Mr. Pfeifly said that is approaching one-third of the completers of the College as a whole, and we are growing all the time. He said all of our instructors now have Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) certification, and we collaborate with the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) so that all instructors have completed their master’s level training. Mr. Pfeifly said in 2019-20, we began the first apprenticeship in Neosho with CEI with assistance from the Grants Office, and that apprenticeship is being used as a model to start other company apprenticeships. He said we put together an extensive operating plan because of COVID-19 including asking students to do more by telephone and email, posting information on doors, limiting the class size to six students, providing masks and hand sanitizer, and maintaining six feet of separation. He said we continue to use hand-held radios, which have been used for about a year, to communicate with students in the trucks. He said driving with the instructor in the truck one-on-one is done with the windows down. Mr. Pfeifly said the State audits all of our CDL testing, and they require that all trucks be cleaned between tests. He responded to questions saying we were all glad to get back to work on May 11. The Board thanked him for the good report.
Bookstore Program Review
Mrs. Holland reported the Bookstore has been open nearly the entire time that College facilities were closed with employees staggering attendance so that textbook ordering and mail distribution could continue. When she came to Crowder in 2001, there was one Neosho Bookstore that handled textbooks, a few supplies and some clothing. She said now there are five Crowder Bookstore locations with all providing a full convenience store, which allows the College to generate much more revenue when book sales are down. Mrs. Holland said she takes great pride in this growth that helps to draw students and staff into the Bookstore at each facility, and it has changed the way overall services are provided. She said there are five full-time employees in Neosho, one full-time employee in Webb City, and part-time employees (one each) at McDonald County and Cassville. She said we were able to add a Bookstore site at the Nevada campus a few years ago, and we hope to add an employee there in the future. Mrs. Holland said Cassville is our newest location with their beautiful remodel tripling the Bookstore space. She reported the Webb City Bookstore employee coordinates Facebook, the Bookstore website and promotional and marketing emails that have greatly improved Bookstore recognition and interest by customers as well as revenue. Mrs. Holland said the Bookstore Assistant Manager does all of the convenience store, clothing and supply ordering, orders all Graduation regalia and attends Graduation, coordinates ordering with all the off-campus sites, and now serves on a buying consortium board in which she meets with merchandise and clothing companies to better manage purchasing. She said the Textbook Coordinator started about the same time as the technology issue last summer, which required her to learn the system manually first, and now she does textbook orders for all campuses including book returns. She said the Courier works part-time for the Bookstore transporting items to the various campuses and distributing items on campus when needed. She said the Customer Service Associates at each site basically manage that entire location which is a considerable job, often getting to know the students and staff personally. Mrs. Holland said one of the biggest improvements was the addition of new software in 2018, which improved functionality, linked the stores more seamlessly, and provided a new Crowder Bookstore website that receives about four hundred textbook orders per semester. She said we strive to support campus activities at every location, promoting ‘Rider pride as much as possible. Mrs. Holland said the Neosho Bookstore is the mail center for the College with all mail coming here first and distributed on campus and to the other sites; UPS and FedEx shipping are provided as well. She said to address current circumstances we are now providing curbside pick-up and delivery of books as well as for book buy-backs, and limiting the number of customers in stores. Mrs. Holland responded to questions, and the Board thanked her for the great report.
President’s Update
Dr. Coltharp thanked the Board on behalf of all faculty and staff for approval of the FY 21 Budget, and more importantly, for allowing us to dip into College reserve funds during these difficult times. He said Crowder is already at a ‘bare bones’ number of employees and everyone is very appreciative of keeping their positions. Dr. Coltharp said the COVID-19 Management Team and Executive Council have worked tirelessly to develop plans, and we are very excited that beginning in June, computer labs will be reopened which will be a great help to students who are taking all summer classes online. He said at that time, the Crowder Wi-Fi that had been aimed at the parking lots would be shifted back into the buildings. Dr. Coltharp thanked faculty for adding some classes to the summer schedule that have not been online in the past such as Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology. He said as of May 11, staff are back at work, which has been a smooth transition as they maintain social distancing. Dr. Coltharp said plans have been developed for returning to normal with Phase 1 taking place in June and July and Phase 2 beginning in August. He said these plans will be available for distribution to the public after Memorial Day including details for various areas such as the Dining Hall, Lee Library and the dorms. Mr. Wood asked what the plans include for the fall semester. Dr. Coltharp said we will maintain six feet of distance at all times, masks will not be required but encouraged, elevator usage will be eliminated as much as possible unless it is required for one person at a time, classes will be spaced out and classrooms will be cleaned in between classes. He said during the summer, community events will not be allowed on campus. Dr. Coltharp said we will prepare employees in the fall for the possibility that we may need to end the fall semester by moving to all online classes and working from home again if the flu season becomes critical.
Mrs. Andris asked whether sports programs will begin in the fall as well. VP Slinkard said the NJCAA is not planning to make a decision about the fall until later in June. Dr. Coltharp said we will follow the NJCAA guidelines at that time. VP Slinkard said we believe all athletes will be expecting to be enrolled full-time for the fall semester, and we have twelve to fifteen athletes who are planning to stay for their third year at Crowder. Mrs. Barnes asked about what advertising is taking place. Dr. Coltharp said a commercial was filmed last week. Mrs. Brown said we have bought some advertising on local TV, and YouTube and Pandora advertising is continuing. She said we are promoting no online fees for summer classes and the A+ scholarship providing tuition and common fees. She said we have reached out on social media to 2019 graduates to promote summer classes and to high school counselors as well. Mrs. Brown said all of our videos are available for viewing through a link on the Crowder website, and we try to get student alumni to talk about a variety of careers options. She said we are focusing on making timely responses to students through phone calls and email. Dr. Chapman asked if there would be more online classes this fall than previously to encourage fewer students on campus. Dr. Morris said we typically provide about thirty percent of classes online. Dr. Coltharp said we might encourage more flex classes that allow partial class time and partial online time for less time for students on campus. Mr. Vancuren thanked Dr. Coltharp for their planning efforts and for sending the Board weekly COVID-19 updates.
Adjournment
Dr. Coltharp noted that the next regularly scheduled meeting is set for June 22 at the Crowder McDonald County campus where there is room to spread out as needed. The July meeting will be held in the Student Center Fireside Room instead of at Cassville. With no further business, Mr. Wood adjourned the meeting at about 11:50 a.m.
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