MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
August 24, 2020
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 about 10:05 a.m. on Monday, August 24, 2020, in the Wright Conference Center of Farber Hall following the annual public tax levy hearing.
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
Joseph Brenner, Associate Vice President of Finance/ Controller
Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information
Kathy Parker-Collier, Grants Director
Jim Cullumber, Director of Institutional Advancement
Chett Daniel, Director of Institutional Research and Innovations
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Jamie Emery, Director, Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center
Mark Fitch, Director, Webb City Instructional Center
Mickie Mahan, Associate Vice President of Information Services, Enterprise Applications
Adam Morris, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Darrin Pfeifly, Director of Transport Training
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Al Stadler, Vice President of Information Services
Jamie Ward, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs
Phillip Witt, Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education
Keith Zoromski, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs
Natalie Dikeman, Access Family Care
Dr. Jerry Jumper, Access Family Care
Mr. Wood asked if there was any objection to moving the COVID Testing Report/ Access Care MOU agenda item prior to the Financials Report so that meeting guests could leave as needed, and there were no objections.
The following new employees were introduced and welcomed: Sam Hoover, IT Support Technician/ Help Desk; Steven Brunson, Web Programmer/ Analyst; Daniel Witcher, Information Services Security Manager; Nathan Achey, Director of IT Infrastructure; Chris Mims, Transport Training Instructor; Ken Choi, Counselor; Phillip Whiteman, Drug Free Communities Program Coordinator; Melissa Harrison, Career and Transfer Services Coordinator; Amy Mosburg, Upward Bound Academic Coordinator, and Madison Mayes, Information Desk Attendant (PT).
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the July 27, 2020, meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.
COVID Testing Report/ Access Care MOU
Dr. Coltharp reported we give our students several options of where to be tested for the Coronavirus when needed, and one of the options we make available is Access Family Care because they are located near all of the Crowder campus site locations. He referred to the MOU saying Access Family Care asked Crowder to sign the MOU, and we are not committing to any exclusive testing agreement by signing it. Dr. Coltharp said signing it would not change any of our current operations in that students can be tested at any of the medical facilities on the list provided to them. Ms. Natalie Dikeman reported there are currently three types of COVID testing available, and Access Family Care does two of them. She said PCR virus testing is done by nasal swab and can be very uncomfortable. She said test results are taking as much as two weeks to get results, which is not effective. She said the other test Access provides is the Sofia antigen test, which is quick to take and quick to get results; however, there is a higher rate of false-negative tests so if you have symptoms and get a negative Sofia test, a PCR test may be recommended as well. She said the other type of testing is antibody testing, which Access Family Care does not do because it tests for past exposure, which is not helpful for active COVID cases. Ms. Dikeman emphasized that COVID is not the flu saying in spite of the precautions that have been taken to decrease its spread the COVID fatality rate has now risen to make it the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Dr. Jumper said there are three main reasons for testing including to take care of yourself, to keep from spreading the disease to others, and for the public health to help identify clusters of outbreaks so that isolation is more effective. He said there are limitations to testing in that it is very time sensitive, and it takes two to five days with the virus before a positive test is indicated. Dr. Jumper said the PCR test is about 93 percent accurate, requires a very specific technique to do correctly, and is very expensive. He said the PCR test is sent to an outside lab for processing so results are often not received for over a week. Dr. Jumper said the Sofia antigen test is about 87 percent accurate; it is easier to obtain, is much less expensive, and you can get the results in at least thirty minutes. Ms. Dikeman encouraged anyone to contact Access Family Care if you have questions, and to be cautious about what sources you get information from about the virus. VP Slinkard said we can refer all of our students to locations where testing is done including Freeman, Mercy and Access, and we will continue to do that. Mr. Wood said this is simply another alternative for a testing location. Dr. Coltharp agreed saying this agreement simply outlines the responsibility of each party; it can be terminated by either party at any time, and Access feels more comfortable with Crowder signing the MOU. VP Slinkard responded to several questions. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve signing the MOU with Ozark Tri County Health Care Consortium DBA Access Family Care was made by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mrs. Andris, and carried with five in favor and one abstention due to a conflict of interest.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement. Dr. Coltharp reviewed the checks written, selecting various checks on each page to point out. He said there are several annual payments this month for associations including the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), MCCA, and MOBIUS (the Library consortium). He pointed out various payments for masks and shields saying they will be paid for with CARES Act funds. When asked, Dr. Coltharp explained payment to begin piloting the Canvas Learning Management System software this year that will be replacing Blackboard next year. He noted payment for one hundred new laptops and docking stations paid for with CARES Act funds in case employees need to work from home in the future. When asked, Dr. Coltharp said we have not spent all of the institution’s CARES Act funds ($1.3M) to date, and VP Rand along with Executive Council and the COVID-19 Task Force currently decide what items are included based on those things that are specifically COVID related. Dr. Coltharp and the vice presidents responded to questions as needed. Mr. Wood noted two sets of checks needing approval for July 8-31 and August 1-7, 2020. Checks in the amount of $1,556,805.86 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Vancuran, seconded by Mr. Butler, and unanimously carried. The rest of the fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Mr. Wood moved quickly through the various center accounts due to it being early in the fiscal year. When asked about a deficit budget shown, Ms. Rand said it is a reflection of the $1.1M total deficit budget that was approved for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The rest of the revenues and expenses, various graphs and reserve funds were reviewed briefly.
Personnel
Dr. Coltharp said it is unusual this month that a couple of employees are listed as both employments to be hired as well as resignations due to them returning to previous employers after already being hired at Crowder, all within the same month.
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following five resignations: Jenny Gilbert, Behavior Specialist, Maddox Hill Center; Paige Lamb, Behavior Technician, Maddox Hill Center; Zachary Massey, Computer Technician, Title III; Katrina Shorter, Accounts Receivable Assistant, and Jennifer Smith, Custodian, Crowder Webb City. A MOTION to approve all five resignations as recommended was made by Dr. Chapman, seconded by Mrs. Barnes, and unanimously carried.
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following twelve employments:
Angel Garcia, HEP Coordinator/Recruiter Zachary Massey, Computer Technician, Title III
Jenny Gilbert, Program Coordinator, Maddox Hill Center Matthew Moorehouse, Automotive Technology Instructor, CTEC
Dakota Gilmore, IS Infrastructure Specialist Katie Scheurich, Behavior Technician, Maddox Hill Center
Kelli Jennings, Accounts Payable Assistant Jennifer Smith, Custodian, Crowder Webb City
Paige Lamb, Behavior Specialist, Maddox Hill Center Ayme Villanueva, HEP Coordinator/Recruiter
Jean MariBeth Linder, Clinical Program Supervisor, Nursing Melissa ‘Missy’ Williams, Accounts Receivable Manager
A MOTION to approve all twelve employments as recommended was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried.
Advanced Refunding of Bond Series 2015
VP Amy Rand reported the 2015 bond series was for a total principal of $6M, and at that time, the College had entered into a short-term loan for $6M to purchase Roughrider Village, the Cassville Campus facilities and Kingdom Hall, now the Maddox Hill Behavioral Support Center. She said the interest rates were between two and three percent on the fifteen year bond series, and after this month’s payment, we have approximately $4M left. She said each February, we make an interest payment, and each August, we make a principal and interest payment. Ms. Rand said on July 22, a ‘Request for Terms’ sheet was sent to fifty-three banks including our local partners with bids due back August 7, and she provided the four bids that were received along with a ‘Public Offering’ option. She said the goal of the bids is to get the most savings possible, and Region’s Bank was shown to be the best option with saving $166,889 in interest with a flat 1.65 percent interest for the remainder of the note. VP Rand said we recommend Region’s Bank, and the Facilities Corporation met last week and approved going with Region’s Bank. When asked, she said their terms provide that they would act as Trustee for both the new 2020 bond series and the 2016 series of bonds. Without further discussion, a MOTION was made by Mr. Butler to select Region’s Bank as the financial institution to handle new bond series 2020 and to approve the Bond Resolution approving the issuance by Crowder College Facilities Corporation of its Leasehold Refunding Revenue Bonds (The Community College District of Newton and McDonald Counties, Missouri) series 2020, in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $4,055,000, for the purpose of providing funds to finance and/or refinance the costs of acquisition, construction, furnishing and equipping a project to be leased to the district, authorizing the district to enter into a seventh supplemental base lease and a seventh supplemental sublease with said corporation, and authorizing and approving certain other matters and documents related thereto; the motion was seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
Institutional Research Program Review
Mr. Chett Daniel reported the Office of Institutional Research and Innovations was reorganized last year to incorporate grants and innovation efforts so its mission is to drive institutional effectiveness through data informed decisions and collaboration as well as to develop ecosystems of entrepreneurship within the communities we serve in support of Crowder’s broader mission. He said there are three major functions of the Office now including grant activities with Lin Tracy and Kathy Collier. He said Lin Tracy has been very creative in developing effective and efficient processes for data collection and reporting, and Ms. Collier is tenacious about pursuing opportunities that align with the College’s mission and the workforce needs of our area. He said data analysis for reporting and institutional effectiveness are handled by Jackson Lewis and himself saying Mr. Lewis is a fearless learner with a broad background at Crowder. Mr. Daniel said institutional innovation is being handled by a cross-functional cohort that was put together this past spring to examine what things can be done to make sure Crowder remains relevant in the community for many years to come. He reviewed the major functions of the Grants Office including not only finding grants, but also making sure we remain compliant. He provided a list of active grants saying collaboration with industry partners for grant apprenticeships has been a major accomplishment. Mr. Daniel said data utilization is used for either compliance or funding. He said we submit data to MDHE, HLC, NCCBP, IPEDS, and others, which helps give an accurate picture of Crowder to the public, and the data is increasingly used for economic development efforts. He said we submit data for funding as well through Perkins Core for state appropriations and performance funding. He said through the HLC process, we provide data to support institutional effectiveness such as for strategic planning efforts and program reviews. He reported a Crowder ‘Dashboard’ was developed in 2014-15 showing measures of enrollment, retention and completion, and since then, we have transitioned the Dashboard data into Power BI software that allows us to more easily gather insights from it. He showed a link to a Power BI page showing how the information shifts to provide more details depending on what is selected, and he reviewed current enrollment data. Mr. Daniel explained how he got interested in innovation and entrepreneurship saying it is critical that Crowder remain part of the identity of our service area. He said the ‘Disrupting Crowder’ group was put together to focus on innovations saying we are looking at how students currently pursue knowledge, which is different than simply why they chose to come to college. He said we would build further cohorts depending on what the data reflects. Mr. Daniel said another group has been started called the Jesup Group in an effort to assist area communities with entrepreneurship efforts. He said the group is focusing on startup stories, entrepreneurship workshops, and community keystones. He said the goal is to develop a resource network for area entrepreneurs to provide support and to make a regional impact, ultimately increasing Crowder’s relevance and identity in our service region. Mr. Daniel responded to questions, and Mr. Wood thanked him for the good report.
Maddox Hill Behavior Support Center Program Review
Ms. Jamie Emery reported we are now working at eleven different site locations under five different contracts with Neosho Schools, Joplin Schools, the Beacon Consortium, the Monett Regional Learning Center, and the Barton, Dade & Jasper Co-Op, and this includes 24 different school districts. She showed the employees at each location saying in Neosho there are 29 total students served from sixth through twelfth grade with students from Neosho, Seneca and East Newton. She said the Joplin program only serves Joplin students with 32 total students at three different locations not including the program at the Joplin Early Childhood Center, which was started three years ago. Ms. Emery said out of 22 students who started there, 12 of them moved into a general education setting this year instead of the special education program. She said this shows how the Behavior Support Program can save revenue for school districts by helping students move into settings that are more independent. She said new last year we began using Title Technicians who successfully served students in the general education setting. Ms. Emery reported the Beacon Consortium serves 45 students in Duenweg and Carthage from eight school districts. She said the Monett Regional Learning Center contract began last year, and we ended the year with 19 total students served from eight school districts. Ms. Emery said the Barton, Dade & Jasper Co-Op serves students from eight school districts with students located at the Jasper School District. When asked, she said the school districts provide lunch as well as busing the students to the appropriate location.
Ms. Emery announced this is her eleventh year at Crowder, and in 2013-14, we took our education model of preparing adult students to work with Autistic children to serving children in the community. She said the Maddox Hill Center was purchased in 2015, and we began serving Neosho children there in 2016-17 with six full-time staff. She said currently, we have 20 full-time staff, and we strive to provide the same quality of services that we provided with only six staff. She showed data reflecting growth in the total number of students served since 2016 saying we have served 542 total students in the partnership classroom program although some are the same students from year to year. She said individual consultation services have been provided to 699 total students since 2016, and 231 of those were served last year. She reviewed the growth rates in the number of professional development sessions and in the total number of participants in professional development trainings. Ms. Emery said due to the pandemic this year, meetings have moved to virtual, and staff members were asked to select one facility to work from without moving to any other locations. She said her job has included a lot of travel in the past, but that will not take place this year in an effort to prevent spreading the virus. She said students have new requirements and expectations due to the possibility of going to remote/virtual instruction, and we are working to support families the best way possible. Mr. Wood said this program’s growth is amazing, and it is a great example of how Crowder provides a distinctive need in our communities. Ms. Emery agreed saying as we train more people with these skills, fewer referrals will take place, which is our long-range goal, but it may change how the program works over the next ten years, especially in light of state budget cuts to special education. Dr. Coltharp said we should always be aware that this program is one way that Crowder is special among community colleges, and the key to this program is that we created a model that funds itself. Mr. Wood agreed saying it truly fits into our servant leadership mission. Ms. Emery said 12 of our current 20 staff began as part of Crowder’s initial training program so we have played a key role in helping students grow into career professionals. The Board thanked her for the great report.
President’s Update
Dr. Coltharp reported Dr. Alan Marble has been selected as the Outstanding Alum for Crowder College, and since the Scholarship Banquet will not take place in the same format this year, a small ceremony will take place tomorrow, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. in the Wright Center. He said due to Dr. Marble’s concern with the virus, we are keeping the event as small as possible, but Board Members are welcome to attend if you would like.
Dr. Coltharp said a few years ago, the Crowder College Foundation made a donation to the Kansas City Medical School, and there was some concern at that time as to whether that was appropriate. He said now the Foundation has been approached to donate to the Kansas City Dental School, and there is concern that they do not directly affect enough of our Crowder students to warrant it. He said we are meeting with Medical School leadership on September 18 by ZOOM to see if there are programs in which we would like to be involved, noting that any further involvement would likely require an MOU agreement with Board approval. Brief discussion took place, and Dr. Coltharp agreed to keep the Board informed on this issue.
Dr. Coltharp reported the September Board of Trustee meeting has been moved to Monday, September 21, to accommodate Board members, and we will continue to meet in the Wright Conference Center in order to maintain social distancing.
Dr. Coltharp announced that last week was an amazing week for the start of school. He said students were very happy to be back, and they were respectful of wearing masks as needed. He said faculty and staff have done an amazing job in preparing, and enrollment is looking good so far. He said some high schools are choosing not to cover as much Dual Credit as in the past, which is a challenge. Dr. Coltharp said Count Day is eleven days away. He said as of today, all five of our feeder high schools have started so students are attending the CTEC. Dr. Coltharp said college is a social hub of activities for students, and although many activities are cancelled, we are trying to make it as normal as possible. He reminded everyone that you can monitor the COVID numbers on the Crowder website, and we will continue on one day at a time.
Adjournment
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