The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, August 5, 2013, at 3:30 p.m. in Magnolia Dining Room. Richard Hurley, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were present: Tom Alexander, Troy Ball, Wayne Brigman, Joe Brumit, Mary Ruth Fowler, Bill Hart, Chair Richard Hurley, Don Locke, Kaye Myers, Carol Peterson, Vice-Chair Ray Spells, Mandy Stone, David Wyatt, and Jayne English.
Others present for the meeting included: Hank Dunn, President, Brian Willis, Vice President for Information Technology/CIO, Scott McKinney, Vice President Business & Finance/CFO, Dennis King, Special Assistant to the President for Accreditation, Kaye Waugh, Vice President Human Resources and Organizational Development, Shelley White, Senior Executive Director for Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education, Melissa Quinley, Vice President for Instructional Services, Terry Brasier, Vice President for Student Services, Joe Bace, Executive Director Facilities and Operations, Martha Ball, Communications Specialist, Laura Pennington, Grant Writer, David Self, adjunct instructor, and Martha Shanks, Secretary to the Board.
Call To Order
Mr. Hurley read the ethics statement, and no conflicts of interest were reported.
Ms. Shanks called roll. A quorum was present.
Closed Session
On a motion by Mr. Hart, the Board entered into a closed session at 3:40 p.m. pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) (3) in order to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege, to review Closed Session Minutes from March 21 and April 3, 2013, Special Called meeting, pursuant to (a)(5) to discuss the purchase of real property, and pursuant to subsection (a)(1) in order to discuss confidential personnel issues in accordance with G.S. 115D-27-29. Ms. Peterson seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
On a motion properly made, the Board returned to open session at 5:05 p.m.
Consent Agenda
Mr. Hart moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented, with a request to remove Dr. Hank Dunn’s name from the Annual Appointments and Reappointments 2013-2014 list, as Dr. Dunn has a pre-existing employment contract with the Board. Items approved: A. Minutes of June 3, 2013, Monthly Board Meeting, B. Minutes of June 11, 2013 Board Retreat, C. Minutes of June 18, 2013, Special Called Meeting, D. 2013-14 Tuition and Con Ed Fee Rate Increases, E. Personnel Actions, F. Annual Appointments & Reappointments 2013-2014, G. Budget Resolution Amendment, H. Schedule of Investments, I. State Funds Budget Transfers, J. 2014-2015 College Calendar, K. New and Revised Policies,1. Continuing Education Records Retention, and 2. Tuition and Fees Refund Exceptions and Late Withdrawals. The motion was seconded by Dr. Locke and approved unanimously by the Board.
Resolution/Action Items
5. A. On a motion by Ms. Fowler, seconded by Mr. Brumit, the Board unanimously approved the 2013-2014 Budget.
5. B. On a motion by Ms. Stone, seconded by Mr. Alexander, the Board unanimously approved the selection of Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP to conduct the A-B Tech Community College financial audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. This decision is subject to approval by the State Auditor.
5. C. On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Ms. Myers, the Board unanimously approved Student International Trips for Summer 2014. Dr. Locke questioned how the costs of the accompanying instructors are paid. Dr. Dunn explained that in some cases, their costs are paid by the College, in other cases the fees paid by students help cover such costs. Ms. Quinley shared that the reason for asking for Board approval this far in advance of the trips is in order to be able to inform students at the beginning of the 2013 Fall term of the opportunities, thus providing them the chance to plan and save for the trips. Student fees may be partially offset by scholarships and SGA funds.
6. A. The Board discussed the decision to form committees to interact with assigned College departments brought forward from the June 11, 2013 Board Retreat.
- Mr. Hurley expressed concerns regarding Trustees becoming too involved with school administration outside their designated area of responsibility.
- Dr. Locke stated he had introduced the idea at the Board Retreat as a liaison role rather than formal committees as a way to learn more in-depth information regarding what is going on at the College and understand more about items that appear on Board meeting agendas.
- Mr. Campbell stated it is the Board’s decision whether this role will be as an informal liaison or as a formal committee, which carries the requirement to give public notice of scheduled meetings.
- Ms. Fowler stated she doesn’t feel this is part of her job as a Trustee and doesn’t want to participate.
- Ms. Stone, Mr. Hart, and Ms. Peterson stated their meetings during July were very informative and helpful.
Mr. Hart moved to designate Trustee liaisons for various aspects of the College, instead of formal committees. Ms. Stone seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The liaisons are appointed as follows:
- Finance: Ray Spells and Mandy Stone
- Student Services: Don Locke and John Parham
- Workforce Development: Carol Peterson and Bill Hart
- Human resources: Richard Hurley and Joe Brumit
- Instructional Services: Wayne Brigman
6. B. On a motion by Mr. Hart, seconded by Mr. Spells, the Board unanimously approved the appointment of a Facilities/Construction Committee, consisting of Mr. Alexander, Ms. Peterson, and Mr. Joe Bace, Executive Director of Facilities and Operations at A-B Tech. This committee will meet with Mr. Jon Creighton of Buncombe County at his request. Public notice will be given of these scheduled committee meetings.
Mr. Alexander recommended the hiring of retired A-B Tech employee Max Queen by the County as a part-time liaison between Jon Creighton, the College, and the Facilities/Construction Committee during the implementation of the building program funded by the sales tax proceeds. Mr. Queen would be paid by the County on an as-needed basis. Mr. Alexander has had preliminary conversations with Mr. Queen and Mr. Creighton, who are both in favor of the arrangement. In response to Mr. Hurley’s question regarding how Mr. Queen would interface with Mr. Bace, Mr. Alexander stated there would be no overlap because Mr. Queen’s responsibility would be to the County, with the responsibility to communicate also with the Facilities Committee. Mr. Hart, Ms. Peterson, and Dr. Locke stated they think this is a good idea. The consensus of the Board was that they are in favor of the idea.
6. C. On a motion by Mr. Hart, seconded by Ms. Peterson, the Board unanimously appointed Mr. Brumit as Chair, and Mr. Spells as Vice-Chair for 2013-2014. The appointment of the Board secretary will be brought to the September 9 Board meeting.
On a motion by Ms. Peterson, seconded by Ms. Myers, the Board appointed Mr. Hart and Mr. Alexander as Executive Committee members at large.
7. Dr. King presented a summary of activities accomplished towards the College’s SACSCOC reaccreditation in 2014 and outlined the remaining steps to completion.
- The Compliance Certification Report responding to 87 SACSCOC requirements and standards submitted in the spring received only five areas of non-compliance, which is a very low number compared to the average number of 16-20.
- A Focused Report addressing those five areas has been submitted.
- A Quality Enhancement Project (QEP) has been submitted as part of the reaccreditation process. The plan focuses on student online success and will be a five-year ongoing project led by Dr. Beth Steward, Dean of Arts and Sciences.
- September 17-19, the SACSCOC On-Site team will visit the College. The goal is to have no areas of non-compliance and the QEP plan accepted by the end of their visit.
- Should there be any issues remaining of non-compliance, the College will need to prepare another Focused Report to address those issues.
Trustees requested a summary of the SACSCOC process and areas of interest for the on-site visit in order to be prepared to answer questions the SACSCOC team may have. Dr. King stated he will prepare the summary, and Dr. Dunn stated the College will offer two meeting times for Trustees to attend to learn more about the SACSCOC reaccreditation process.
8. Dr. Dunn shared initiatives in place at the College and department-specific initiatives, including Achieving the Dream (ATD), Completion by Design (CBD), and the largest – the SACSCOC reaccreditation. He also discussed the state’s move to performance funding initiatives from the current funding strategies for colleges. Department initiatives reported were as follows:
- Instructional Services: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are of primary importance. Basic skills students are a focus to help them become more successful and transition into college credit courses. New program offerings, such as logistics, are being considered. In response to an expressed need in the local medical community, the Pharmacy Technology program is being looked at for expansion, with no extra equipment or building space being added.
- Student Services: Student Services is using the Case Management Model to help students succeed. They are partnering with Asheville High School and TC Roberson to remediate their students in the high school during their junior/senior year, to prepare them for college. Through a Gates Foundation grant, the College is using IPass, a software system that allows intensive tracking of students to keep them on their educational course. The Student Leadership Program, run by Michele Hathcock, was hugely successful last year and is being run again this year.
- Continuing Education/Workforce Development: Efforts are focusing on creating and marketing a short-term training of a semester or less to students to get a job at the end of training. The department will be working with GE Aviation as they and the state determine needs in the coming months. A-B Tech Enka is being rebranded as an economic and workforce hub. A-B Tech Enka will also house the Center for Professional Studies.
- Facilities and Operations: Facilities are being upgraded and grounds spruced up. Sidewalks and parking lots being added/paved should be completed in a couple of months. The new testing center in Simpson consolidates all testing, except for GED testing, in one location.
- Human Resources: SuccessFactors (the employee/faculty enhancement and evaluation program) is being refined. Employee orientation is also being redone. E-forms are being created to eliminate paper form processing to every extent possible. Attention is focused on position control and tracking.
- IT: The extensive work done by the IT department helps all departments accomplish their work more efficiently and effectively.
- Foundation: Additional scholarships have been added for students. A center for professional studies will enable improved faculty development. The Foundation is seeking a potential donation of property that one day will provide a location for a dedicated A-B Tech south campus.
President’s Report
Dr. Dunn reiterated the state’s move toward performance-based funding, and discussed the dampening effects of future enrollment in the change from a three to a two-year rolling enrollment average as a basis for funding, changes to family financial aid eligibility, improvements in the economy resulting in fewer students, and the deletion of senior citizen waivers. The state is also reducing the number of credits required for a degree effective Fall 2014. Developmental Education is changing and may not be required for as many students in the future. If high school students graduate with a 2.6 GPA or higher, they will skip developmental courses. Financial aid eligibility is changing on the federal level: students used to have an unlimited amount of time to obtain a degree, it is now capped at 18 full-time semesters, after which they will not be able to receive Pell grants. Fall enrollment isn’t quite where the College wants to be, but the upcoming enrollment of high school students will help improve the numbers.
A new Community Relations and Marketing Director has been hired and will be on board in a couple of weeks. The College has assigned a current employee, Randy Rose, as the new safety officer. Individual street names have been chosen for the internal campus streets and are being provided to the city for approval. “Career Coach” software will be added to the College website and is free to the public. The College Master Plan was last updated in 2010, it is a good idea to revisit it every two to three years.
Adjourn
On a motion by Mr. Alexander, seconded by Ms. Fowler, the meeting was adjourned at 6:19 p.m. by unanimous consent.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Shanks
Board Secretary