The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, September 19, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. in the Magnolia Building. Joe Brumit, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were present: Pamela Baldwin, Mike Fryar, Jacquelyn Hallum, Roger Metcalf, William Murdock, John Parham, Frances Ramsey, Robin Ramsey, Mary Ann Rice, Mandy Stone, and Andrea Howell, Ex-Officio.
Others present for the meeting included: Dennis King, President; Dirk Wilmoth, Vice President Business and Finance/CFO; Terry Brasier, Vice President Student Services; Melissa Quinley, Vice President Instructional Services; Shelley White, Vice President Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education; David White, Executive Director of Research and Planning; Brian Willis, Vice President, Information Systems Technology; Kaye Schmidt, Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development; Marketing; Chris Campbell, College Attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call To Order
Chair Brumit read the ethics statement; no conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. C. Rice called roll. A quorum was present.
Consent Agenda
Ms. Stone moved to approve the Consent Agenda: 1. A. Minutes of August 1, 2016; 1. B. Closed Session Minutes of August 1, 2016; 1. C. Personnel Actions; and 1. D. Approval of New and Revised Policies.
The motion to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Mr. Murdock and approved unanimously by the Board.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Dr. King discussed the 2016-2017 Budget Approval Resolution with the Board. The state budget includes a 1.5 percent salary increase as well as a minimum of a $750 bonus for all full-time employees. The state budget is $1.3 million higher this year than last year in part due to the successful campaign to have the Woodfin location recognized as a campus. Thank you to Ms. Robin Ramsey for all of her help with Woodfin achieving campus status which adds an additional $500,000 annually to the College budget.
The state budget also includes $1.9 million for capital equipment and a 25 percent reduction in management flex requirements.
The county budget includes a 1.5 percent salary increase for all full-time county employees of the College. These employees work in plant operations and the police department. All full-time county employees will also receive a minimum of a $750 bonus as well as a 1.5 percent salary increase.
On a motion by Ms. R. Ramsey, seconded by Dr. Parham, the Board unanimously approved the 2016-2017 Budget Approval Resolution.
2. B. Dr. King recommended Clarke Nexsen Architects for project NCCCS No. 2143: renovation of the Ivy Building. The renovation project is funded by the ConnectNC Bond referendum and will cost approximately $1.5 million. Once renovated, the Ivy building will become a meeting space for larger groups, and house the offices of College Advancement.
The College chose Clarke Nexsen Architects for the project because the firm specializes in historic renovations, was most responsive to College needs, spent time researching the building, and is located in Asheville. The state will negotiate the final fees paid for Clarke Nexsen’s service.
Ms. Stone moved to select Clarke Nexsen Architects for the Renovation of the Ivy Building; NCCCS Project No. 2143. The motion was seconded by Ms. M. Rice and approved unanimously by the Board.
2. C. Dr. King recommended that the Board approve the request for Educational Leave with Pay for Ms. Jill Sparks. Ms. Sparks, Executive Director of the Small Business Center and a member of the Walker College of Business Advisory Council at Appalachian State has been asked to accompany a delegation to Cuba to promote entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial initiatives in Cuba. Ms. Sparks will be speaking with various groups in Cuba while promoting A-B Tech. Upon her return, Ms. Sparks will visit several high schools in the area to share her experience.
On a motion by Dr. Parham, seconded by Ms. Robin Ramsey, the Board unanimously approved the request for Educational Leave with Pay for Ms. Jill Sparks.
2. D. The College intends to submit a program application to the North Carolina Community College System and is seeking the Board’s approval to pursue a curriculum certificate program in Nurse Aide. The program will be offered to Career and College Promise students in Asheville and in Buncombe and Madison county high schools. The program will offer students an avenue into the medical workforce, will increase the College’s FTE, and is a prerequisite for applying to the College’s Nursing Program.
On a motion by Ms. Baldwin, seconded by Ms. M. Rice, the Board unanimously approved the Nurse Aide Certificate Program.
2. E. Dr. King recommended the termination of the Healthcare Business Informatics Program to the Board. Unfortunately, the program didn’t prove to be as popular as the College anticipated nor will it support employment in Buncombe county. All students currently in the program will be taught through to the end of the course. The North Carolina Community College System has already approved the termination of the program.
On a motion by Dr. Parham, seconded by Mr. Fryar, the Board unanimously approved the termination of the Healthcare Business Informatics Program.
Swearing In
Ms. Jacquelyn Hallum was sworn in as a new Trustee of A-B Tech Community College by Judge Calvin Hill at 3:55 p.m.
Trustee Business
3. A. Although not mandatory, Dr. King requested the nomination of a fifth member to serve on the Executive Committee. The Committee normally consists of the Board Chair, Vice Chair, past Board Chair, and two members at large. Chair Brumit opened the floor for nominations.
Ms. F. Ramsey moved to keep Ms. Stone and Ms. M. Rice on the Committee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Fryar and approved unanimously by the Board.
Mr. Fryar nominated Ms. Baldwin to the Executive Committee. The motion was seconded by Ms. R. Ramsey and approved unanimously by the Board.
3. B. Chair Brumit informed the Board that the NCACCT Leadership Conference, September 7-9, in Charlotte, was another good conference and well attended by Trustees across the state. 55 of the 58 community colleges were represented, and both Attorney General Roy Cooper and Governor McCrory spoke to the group. Mr. Shatley from the Campbell Shatley law firm did a great job with his presentation.
3. C. Mr. Bruce Briggs is continuing to recover from his accident and will miss several more Board meetings. The College continues to send Mr. Briggs information, best wishes for a speedy recovery and will welcome Mr. Briggs back to the Board as soon as he is able.
President’s Report
Dr. King shared the following news with the Board:
- The construction on the fourth floor of the Allied Health and Workforce Development building is almost complete. The construction was funded by the third installment of the Ferguson endowment and the same architects that built the building were used to complete the fourth floor. The Continuing Education and Workforce division will make its final move to that location in late October.
- Mission Hospital has requested that the College provide Medical Assisting training to Mission Hospital personnel located at the Mission Hospital site. The mission’s goal is to have all Medical Assistants trained and licensed. Mission will contribute $20,000 to the cost of the instructor’s salary for the program, as well as pay for the student’s tuition, books, and uniforms. Mission employees will have to meet A-B Tech requirements to enter into the Medical Assisting program. It will take three years to get all employees trained and the students will be counted toward College FTE. The College and the community appreciate Mission’s show of support for and the desire to educate their employees.
- Kaye Schmidt and the Human Resources department completed position audits on 29 employees. 22 of the 29 positions were approved for upgrades and the salary increases are covered in the budget.
- Changes in the Fair Labor Standard Act resulted in the College changing the salary threshold of exempt and non-exempt employees. The Human Resources department researched the salaries, workload, and overtime costs of each employee. If an employee’s salary didn’t reach the threshold for being exempt, the employee was changed to hourly and will receive comp time as compensation. All employees are being treated fairly and there will not be a decrease in anyone’s compensation.
- Enrollment continues to increase at the A-B Tech South location and the College is seeking a larger space from Mars Hill. Mars Hill President Dr. Lunsford has agreed to rent the College four more classrooms which will help the College grow exponentially. As business continues to grow in south Buncombe county, the College will continue to seek better ways to serve the area.
- Patti Cameron, the College’s part-time Volunteer Coordinator, has been promoted to full-time and has moved to the President’s office. Ms. Cameron will continue as the volunteer coordinator and will help the office administratively as well.
- Ms. Melissa Quinley, Vice President of Instructional Services, is retiring in December and will be greatly missed. The College has several candidates scheduled to interview for the position, four of whom are current employees.
- Dr. King attended the dedication of the new Ferguson building in Mars Hill. Ms. R. Ramsey attended as well representing both Senator Burr and the College.
- Ms. F. Ramsey thanked the Executive Leadership Team for being such unique hard working people!
Staff Report
Dr. David White, Executive Director of Research and Planning, presented the 2016-2019 Strategic Plan to the Board. The Executive Leadership Team identified seventeen priority initiatives to focus on during 2016-2017 and assigned responsibility for each initiative. Just because an initiative was not identified as a priority doesn’t mean that it is being ignored. Many of the non-prioritized initiatives will be addressed in the course of day-to-day operations during the year. Dr. White informed the Board that they may expect to see one or two brief overviews of a Strategic Plan initiative at each Board meeting, as well as receive an overview of the College’s tracking measures (Scorecard).
Ms. Katie Hast, the Web Accessibility Coordinator, presented an update to the Board on Campus-wide Web Accessibility, initiative 1.1.5 of the Strategic Plan. All states that receive Federal funds under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 are required to provide accessible websites and other electronic information. The College is required as well and has implemented a three-year plan to achieve comprehensive accessibility for all electronic and information technology. Word and PDF documents will be converted first, followed by PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, Moodle, Media, and finally third-party tools.
Terry Brasier, Vice President of Student Services, presented the Fall Semester Enrollment Report to the Board. The College met and exceeded the enrollment goal for fall 2016. 31 percent of the increase in enrollment stems from the Career and College Promise programs. Enrollment is priority 1.1.1 of the Strategic Plan, and A-B Tech is fortunate to have strong partnerships with the secondary school systems.
SGA Report
President Andrea Howell informed the Board that the Student Government Association has held three Senate meetings this semester and has seen interest growing with unaffiliated students.
Twelve clubs have been chartered as well as four societies, one of which is the Aviation Society. SGA hosted a welcome back to school social and voter drive. 610 cups of ice cream were consumed, and 63 people registered to vote.1,600 students participated in the Fall Festival which was a huge success.
The SGA handed out pocket-sized Constitutions on Constitution Day. Constitution Day is also a requirement of the Federal Government.
Overall, it has been a great start to the fall semester.
Adjourn
On a motion by Mr. Fryar, seconded by Ms. Stone, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m. by unanimous consent.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary