The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, September 8, 2014, at 3:55 p.m. in the Magnolia Building. Joe Brumit, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were present: Chair Joe Brumit, Bill Hart, Richard Hurley, Don Locke, Kaye Myers, John Parham, Jr., Ray Spells, and David Wyatt.
Others present for the meeting included: Dennis King, President, Kaye Waugh, Vice President Human Resources & Organizational Development; 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; Dean Shatley, 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
Mr. Hurley moved to approve the Consent Agenda: 1. A. Minutes of August 4, 2014; 1. B. Personnel Actions; 1. C. Approval of New and Revised Policies; and 1. D. Policies for Deletion.
The motion was seconded by Dr. Parham, Jr. and was approved unanimously by the Board.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Dr. Loflin informed the Board that the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women and the Craggy Correctional Center have requested A-B Tech to offer courses leading to an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Business Administration beginning in Spring 2015.
Mr. Spells inquired as to the cost of the program. Dr. Loflin stated that the North Carolina Department of Public Safety along with grants pays for 49% of instructor costs, fees and tuition for the inmates, and instructional materials, including textbooks, computers, and supplies.
On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Ms. Myers, the Board unanimously approved the Business Administration Program for Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women and Craggy Correctional Center beginning in Spring 2015.
2. B. Ms. Devan presented the 2014-2015 State, County, and Institutional Budgets for the College. The College received additional funds for performance measures, salary and benefit increases from the State. The overall budget is $70 Million for the College which stayed flat from the prior year to the current year.
On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Mr. Hart, the Board unanimously approved the State, County, and Institutional Budgets.
Trustee Business
3. A. Mr. Spells, Chair of the Nominating Committee for the 2014-2015 Board positions, nominated Mr. Brumit for Chair of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Spells for Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Ms. Rice as Board Secretary for 2014-2015.
Mr. Shatley opened the floor to other nominations. Dr. Locke made a motion to close the floor nominations which was seconded by Dr. Parham, Jr.
On a motion by Dr. Parham, Jr., seconded by Mr. Hart, the Board unanimously approved Chair Brumit, Vice Chair Spells, and Ms. Rice as Board Secretary for 2014-2015.
Dr. Locke reported on the NCACCT Conference held in Charlotte, September 3 – 5, 2014. The meeting was very informative. There were two sessions with the Governor and the Secretary of Commerce that were very complimentary of and showed genuine appreciation for community colleges.
The information presented in the session on federal student loans was similar to information heard previously by the Trustees. Approximately 30 community colleges have opted out of the federal student loan program. ACCT’s position is to continue to support the federal program and Dr. Locke believes the College was wise not to withdraw from the program. Sanctions for loan defaults haven’t been imposed on any community college in the system yet, and if A-B Tech is diligent, we can avoid incurring sanctions as well.
Wilmington, N.C. is the location of next year’s meeting and Dr. Locke encouraged the Trustees to make an effort to attend.
President’s Report
Dr. King shared the following news:
- The College is establishing an employee emergency fund that will be managed by the Eblen Foundation. The emergency fund will be funded by and available to all employees. Opportunities to donate will be included as part of the Universal Campaign.
- The State authorized and gave a $1,000 raise to all full-time and permanent part-time employees. The College budget allowed for an additional award of $250 for each employee. It is a way to show appreciation for their work and to let employees know that they are special and important to the College.
- The welding program has created a decorative historic wheel for Mars Hill University. The wheel weighs two tons and stands six feet tall. It was designed by the Mars Hill art department and the A-B Tech welding department created it. The wheel will be mounted in such a way that it can be pivoted around by hand. Mars Hill paid for the steel and A-B Tech students created it at no cost.
- The Board was polled regarding the timing of the next Board retreat. Eight respondents want to wait until January, four want the retreat as soon as possible. As to including the Executive Leadership Team, seven respondents prefer a separate retreat. The vote is to hold the retreat in January. It will be a two-day session, one of which is for the Board only.
- The College’s BLET (Basic Law Enforcement Training) program has been reaccredited by the state. The new A-B Tech Woodfin includes a track on which police can train for high-speed chases. Unfortunately, the track isn’t wide enough for that purpose and the College has asked the County to expand the track. Until the track is expanded, that part of the program may have to be taught on the Asheville campus. A-B Tech Woodfin will be dedicated on October 7 at 11:00 a.m. and all Trustees are invited to attend.
- The total number of dual enrolled students at the College is 1,204. That compares to 1,026 last year. Due to the hard work of Dr. Mike Dempsey, the College had a 17 percent increase in dual enrollment, which continues to grow and is now part of the lifeblood of the College.
- Enrollment is down 522 students from this time last year resulting in a 6 percent decrease. The College’s overall FTE is down 8.6 percent over last year. The College is funded nicely this year because the funds are based on the prior year’s enrollment. We have added courses for the second eight weeks of the semester and the College continues to advertise.
- The Universal Campaign begins soon. Members of the three Boards of the College are asked to make a small donation to the Foundation.
- The Board is invited to attend a Master Facility Planning update presentation at 2:30 p.m. on October 6, which is prior to the regularly scheduled Board meeting on the same day.
Staff Report
Mrs. Page McCormick presented the Professional Development Report and Professional Development Competencies to the Board. The College uses a competency-based performance system to rate all employees. Rating categories include “exceeds,” “meets,” “partially meets,” and “does not meet expectations.” The performance system also shows the College how employees are performing, resulting in scheduling and targeting which professional development courses are needed.
From 2011 to 2014, employee satisfaction, workshops, core competencies, and performance evaluation ratings have all increased with this system. The College was nationally recognized as a best practice school at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Conference in 2014.
The College’s Professional Development Day will be held on October 14 and will be focused on the Noel-Levitz survey results.
Adjourn
On a motion by Mr. Hurley, seconded by Dr. Parham, Jr., the meeting was adjourned at 4:25 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary