Monday, March 27, 2023

Crowder College Board of Trustees minutes



BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI

3/20/2023

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 10:03a.m. on Monday, 3/20/2023 at the Neosho campus. Members present at the meeting were:

                Andy Wood, Chair

Diane Andris, Vice Chair

Larry Vancuren, Secretary

Mandy Barrett, Member

Don McBride, Member

Also attending the meeting were:

                Katricia Pierson, President

                Elizabeth Armstrong, Executive Assistant to the President

Chett Daniel, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs

Keith Zoromski, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs

Phillip Witt, Vice President of Career and Technical Education

Cindy Brown, Director of Public Information

Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs

Jamie Ward, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs

Aaron Sumler, Teacher Education Division Chair

Denna Clymer, Social Sciences Division Chair

Stephanie Witcher, Communications Division Chair

Sarah Smith, Cassville Site Director

Joe Brenner, Vice President of Finance

Sarah Jarvis, Accountant

Kathy Collier, Grants Director

TJ Angel, Physical Plant Director

Jared Brown, Associate Vice President of Finance/Controller

Dr. Brandon Hill, Vice President of Student Development, East Central University

A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting.

The Consent Agenda was reviewed with the following action:

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Minutes of the February 27, regular meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.

 

Financial Reports

Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement for February 2023. Dr. Pierson responded to additional questions from Board members as needed. Checks in the amount of $793,768.72 were reviewed. The rest of the current fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed.

Tuition and Fees – Second Reading

Dr. Pierson affirmed the recommended rates have not changed since the first reading at last month’s meeting. One change was made, moving chemistry from Tier 3 to Tier 2. With no further questions, Mr. Wood called for a motion to approve the consent agenda.

A MOTION to approve the consent agenda was made by Ms. Andris, seconded by Dr. Barrett, and unanimously carried.

Personnel

Dr. Pierson recommended approval of the following personnel changes:

Retirement of Rachael Kennedy, CTE Instructor.

Resignation of Melissa Riley, Behavior Technician, Kia Yang, Part-Time AEL Instructor, and Kady Hoover, Part-Time Communications Department Administrative Assistant.

Change of status of Jared Brown from Financial Aid Director to Associate Vice President of Finance/Controller, Chett Daniel from Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs to Associate Vice President of Workforce and Innovation, and Genia Harrison from Data Analyst to IR Coordinator/Data Analyst.

Employment of Brenna Pohlenz, Behavior Technician, and Sheila Weston, Maddox Hill Administrative Assistant.

 

A MOTION to approve all personnel changes was made by Dr. Barrett, seconded by Ms. Andris, and unanimously carried.

 

Academic Programs Update

None.

Budgets and Finances

Dr. Pierson stated we have no new grants to report.

The board was asked to vote on contract and purchase requests for a XEROX color printer, a cargo van for information services, fall/summer enrollment ads, Sentinel 1 cyber security software, hotel rooms for talent search, a 2020 Postmaster Van for maintenance work, three used semi-trailers for transport training, and Elsie Plaster renovations. A MOTION to approve all contracts and purchases as requested was made by Dr. Barrett, seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried.

The board was then asked to review information regarding purchases of Kaplan services for nursing students, Railway tickets for Upward Bound, hotel rooms for Upward Bound, laptops for AEL, cadaver lab for Allied Health, and Snap-On tools for diesel technology.

President’s Update

February 28th was a busy day on campus! Crowder hosted the MSHAA District tournament for high school students, the Missouri State Board of Nursing had a virtual visit, and the Foundation hosted a luncheon for the Giving League, employees of the college who contribute to the Foundation.

March 1st followed in kind with the Wake-Up Wednesday Community Update featuring Chief Glenna Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe, a meeting of the MCCA Presidents and Chancellors, a wonderful presentation from Crowder’s very own Shannon Hatfield at the Neosho Rotary Club, and a visit with Project Now students on campus.

Dr. Pierson also joined Rotary in assisting with the setup for the fantastic magic show featuring Brian Ledbetter. While she was not able to stay for the performance, she was told Crowder showed up in numbers to support the community event, including TJ Angel who MC’d the show. That same afternoon she was able to attend the McDonald County Schools Foundation Heart of Education Banquet featuring a wonderful student showcase along with several of our Crowder family from both the Neosho and McDonald County Campuses.

Dr. Pierson recently met with Freeman Health representatives to discuss their needs for healthcare education in the area.

She was also honored to be interviewed by Kevin Sidenstricker from American Media Radio Group as part of their four-part series celebrating Women’s History Month.

Crowder hosted the second to last session of the Civil War Symposium on Thursday, March 9. The last session will be held on April 13th and will feature the award-winning bluegrass band, Spillwater Drive. Gary Cook, Political Science Instructor at Crowder is a member of the band!

We are nearing the time of our annual End of Year Celebration at which we recognize employees for their service to Crowder, award the Faculty of the Year, Classified Staff of the Year, and Professional Staff of the Year awards, and recognize those members of our family who are retiring. You are invited to join us on Friday, April 28, at 2:45pm in Wright Conference Center.

Coming up, we have several exciting events planned. Our 60th Anniversary Celebration will be held the week of April 3-6. On March 21, we will host representatives from Missouri Southern State University for the signing of a 2+2 agreement for our social work students and an MOU which will provide our international students with discount tuition should they choose to continue their education at Missouri Southern.

The state has contracted the services of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems to conduct a study of the higher education funding/efficiency in Missouri. The survey will be used to report recent major efforts designed to lead to productivity improvements, reduced costs, or improved student success at each institution. We submitted our response to the survey on March 3.

Dr. Pierson will be attending the Higher Learning Commission meeting next week to discuss the 2023 Trends report. Many of the subjects they highlight have been at the forefront of our conversations as we discuss current challenges, future opportunities, and strategic planning.

Over the last few weeks, we have hosted three Vice President of Academic Affairs candidates on the Neosho campus for final interviews. Each candidate experienced a full day of meetings with different groups and all had wonderful things to day about their experience at Crowder. Dr. Pierson thanked our faculty and staff for welcoming each of them and showing them how important this search is to us.

Trustees’ Comments and Announcements

None

 

New Business

None

Executive Session

With no further agenda items, Mr. Wood called for a motion to go into closed session. At 10:36am, the regular meeting adjourned and a MOTION to go into closed session in accordance with RSMo 610.021 to discuss personnel matters was made by Ms. Andris, Mr. Vancuren , and passed unanimously on the following roll call vote:

Andris:  Yes                         Wood:                  Yes                         Vancuren:           Yes

McBride:              Yes                         Barrett: Yes

 

 

Discussion took place about personnel and legal action matters; no Board action was taken. A MOTION to adjourn was made at 11:36am by Mr. McBride, seconded by Dr. Barrett, and unanimously carried on the following roll call vote:

McBride:              Yes                         Barrett: Yes                         Vancuren:           Yes                         Wood:  Yes                         Andris:  Yes

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