The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, October 6, 2014, at 3:35 p.m. in the Magnolia Building. Joe Brumit, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were present: Chair Joe Brumit, Mike Fryar, Richard Hurley, Don Locke, Kaye Myers, John Parham, Jr., Frances Ramsey, Mary Ann Rice, Ray Spells, Mandy Stone, David Wyatt, and Jayne English, Ex-Officio.
Others present for the meeting included: Dennis King, President, Shelley White, Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education; Terry Brasier, Vice President for Student Services; Kerri Glover, Director, Communications Relations and Marketing; Melissa Quinley, Vice President Instructional Services; David White, Director of Research & Planning; Rhonda Devan, Vice President Business and Finance, CFO; Brian Willis, Vice President, Information Systems Technology; Chris Campbell, College attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call To Order
Mr. Brumit read the ethics statement; no conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Rice called roll. A quorum was present.
Consent Agenda
Dr. Locke moved to approve the Consent Agenda: 1. A. Minutes of September 8, 2014; 1. B. Personnel Actions; 1. C. State Funds Budget Transfers; 1. D. Approval of New and Revised Policies and Procedures; and 1.E. Policies for Deletion.
The motion was seconded by Dr. Parham, Jr., and was approved unanimously by the Board.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Ms. White asked the Board to approve a continuing education trip to Ireland which has been added to the Global Education program. The course is called “A Week in Ireland: Cultural Explorations” and is available to students and to the community at large. Ken Rudolph will be the instructor for the group and Kelly McEnany will also attend. All participants, both students, and the community are covered by insurance.
On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Ms. Myers, the Board unanimously approved the Continuing Education Abroad Approval Request: Community Trip to Ireland.
2. B. Ms. White asked the Board to approve the Economic & Workforce Development/Continuing Education Internal Audit (Accountability and Credibility) Plan. The College is required to provide evidence that the College completed the audit plan, which is administrative and for internal use only. The results of the audit show that the College met and exceeded all requirements.
On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Dr. Parham, Jr., the Board unanimously approved the Economic & Workforce Development/Continuing Education Internal Audit (Accountability and Credibility) Plan.
Staff Report
Dr. White presented the 2013-2014 Final Strategic Plan Update Report to the Board. The discussion focused on the results of the plan’s key performance indicators. While some of the goals weren’t reached, in many areas, the College continues to improve year to year.
The final strategic plan update will be presented each October to the Board. The Board will begin receiving monthly updates to the 2014-15 Strategic Plan in November. The 2014-15 plan was designed to have fewer metrics and attainable goals. 2015-2016 strategic planning priorities will be set at the Trustee planning session in January 2015.
Dr. White also presented the National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker Postsecondary Completions report to the Board. The report tracks a cohort of first-time degree-seeking students who started college in the fall of 2007. The study followed the cohort through May 2013 and highlights six-year student outcomes, including degree and certificate completion as well as transfer and continuing enrollment.
The percent of A-B Tech students graduating, transferring, still enrolled, and not enrolled compared favorably to national benchmarks. For example, A-B Tech’s graduation rate was 39.75 percent compared to the national graduation rate of 39.87 percent. Using StudentTracker and similar reports, we will continue to benchmark the College against other community colleges.
President’s Report
Dr. King shared the following news:
- A-B Tech’s newest program, Pharmacy Technology, has been accredited.
- Autumn in Asheville was an excellent event and raised over $30,000. Credit goes to Sheila Tillman, Sue Olesiuk, Matt Tracy, and Susan Haldane for their effort in making the event such a success.
- The Universal Campaign for United Way has started. Employees may contribute to United Way, the College Foundation, and/or to a new employee assistance program at the College that will be managed by Eblen Charities. The College’s United Way objective is to raise $20,000.
- Campus tours will be offered every third Thursday of the month. Stephen Maag will lead the tours which start at 3:00 p.m., leaving from the Fernihurst building.
- ELT had a retreat on September 19 to start the budget planning process for 2015. A zero-based budget will be made available in December to show what expenses the College can plan for. Cost-saving methods include decreased funding for low-demand programs and services, and consolidating and streamlining current positions. A new budget will be provided to the Board in February 2015.
- The Board is invited to attend a Master Facility Planning update presentation at 2:30 p.m. on November 3, prior to the regularly scheduled Board meeting on the same day at 3:30 p.m.
Dr. King proposed a resolution to the Board to ask the Buncombe County Commissioners to complete the fourth floor of the Ferguson Allied Health and Workforce Development building now in order for the College to be able to offer two additional allied health programs, Physical Therapy Assistant and Occupational Therapy Assistant, in January 2016.
Mr. Fryar explained to the Board that any additional funds from Buncombe County would come out of the quarter-cent tax referendum and suggested seeking the needed funds from Mission Hospital or other current donors to the College.
Dr. Locke asked if the needed funds would be considered as part of the tax referendum and available to the College for use.
Mr. Fryar replied that the Buncombe County Commissioners are not bound to a specific amount of money from the referendum and that other buildings on campus need work as well.
Mr. Hurley asked how the College determined the need for the additional programs. Ms. Quinley informed the Board that Physical Therapists now require a doctorate degree so hospitals are using more assistants to complete therapy work.
Ms. Myers agreed that the programs are important and asked when they would be approved by the state. Ms. Quinley will send the programs to the July 2015 state board meeting for approval.
Ms. Stone requested that the Master Planning session on November 3 include an analysis of the Allied Health building classroom space, data to prove the potential new programs are viable and why they must be on the fourth floor of the Allied Health Building, and something from Mission Hospital telling the Board the programs are needed. Ms. Stone informed the Board that any alterations to the plans for the Allied Health building must be reapproved by the county.
Mr. Wyatt requested to see what the quarter-cent sales tax referendum funds are paying for.
Dr. Locke added that the Board would like to see the cost of completing the fourth floor and upon analyzing all data provided the Board should be prepared to advocate the county for the additional funds.
Dr. King will collect all requested information and data for the resolution and will present it to the Board at the next meeting.
Closed Session
Dr. Locke moved to enter into a closed session at 4:45 p.m. pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) (1) (3) in order to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege. Mr. Hurley seconded the motion which was approved unanimously.
On a motion properly made, the Board returned to open session at 5:35 p.m.
Adjourn
On a motion by Dr. Parham, Jr., seconded by Ms. Stone, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary