February 16, 2018 - BOD Minutes

ECTC Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting

Time/Location

• Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
• Leitchfield Campus, Room 109
• Friday, February 16, 2018, 12:00 p.m. CST

Attendees

CALL TO ORDER

Vice Chair Gossett called the regular board meeting to order at 11:55 a.m. CST.

DISCUSSION

Welcome, Introductions, and Announcements

• Vice Chair Gossett welcomed everyone to the ECTC Leitchfield Campus and thanked Darrin Powell and his staff for hosting the Board of Directors. The new Board members, Mr. Steve Bratcher, Mr. Paul Witten, and Mr. Steve Sargeant, were introduced and the Cabinet and guests present introduced themselves to the new Board members.

Approval of Minutes

November 17, 2017:

• MOTION: Ms. Carolyn Thomason made the motion to approve the November 17, 2017 minutes as presented and Ms. Carla Hornback seconded the motion.
• VOTE: The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

Old Business

• There was no old business to discuss.

New Business

Board of Directors Self-Evaluation:

• The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation requirements for boards has recently changed. Therefore, we will be adopting a Code of Ethics, updating the Bylaws, and adopting a board selfevaluation process. The proposed Bylaws have been updated to cover the new requirements from SACS and can be amended at a later date once adopted. The Code of Ethics is new to our board, as well as the selfevaluation process. The Board will review the proposed documents and vote during the May 11, 2018 meeting to approve or reject the new documents.

New Member:

• A half-day new Board member orientation will be scheduled for later this spring, all Board members will be invited. Ms. Carolyn Thompson and Ms. Dorothy Johnson's terms have expired and our Staff Representative to the Board of Directors, Ms. Samantha Manire, has taken another job in Indiana and is no longer with ECTC. Therefore, we currently have three vacant seats on the Board.

Election of Officers:

• Mr. Claudio Monzon's, former Board chair, term has expired. Therefore, a new Board Chair will be elected. A motion was made to nominate Mr. Tim Gossett to serve as Board Chair, the motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Mr. Tim Gossett will now serve as Chair for the Board of Directors.

REPORTS

Dean of Student Affairs Report:

Dr. Dale Buckles shared his report with the Board members:

• Currently, there are 4,534 students enrolled in the spring 2018 semester.
• Our full-time enrollment (FTE) is up.
• The Strategic Enrollment Management Plan is in place and is currently being implemented across campus. There are 22 teams, each with a team captain, and each team has specific tactics aimed at increasing enrollment and retention.
• Question: Are the number of students who transfer to a four-year university tracked and has this number shifted over the years? Yes this information is tracked, the number of students who transfer has remained pretty consistent over the last 20 years.
• We are currently enrolling for the second bi-term and anticipate our enrollment to come in around 7,000 for the spring 2018 semester.
• ECTC is becoming more dependent on tuition rather than state funding, therefore, we are becoming more proactive than reactive.

Interim Chief Financial Officer Report:

Mr. Ken Walker shared his report with the Board members:

• 2018 Fiscal Year update:
  • ECTC's tuition revenue is up $194,000 beyond the budgeted level. Summer enrollment will count towards this figure as well.
  • ECTC receives $2 in tuition and fee revenue for every $1 dollar received in state appropriations.
• 2019 Fiscal Year:
  • A Budget Development Process Guide is currently being created and will serve as a bottoms-up process for creating a budget for each department.
  • This guide has been distributed to supervisors who will ask employees in their department to budget the level of operating funds they anticipate for the next fiscal year. Once all budget information has been received, the Cabinet will review all requests. ECTC will present the 2019 fiscal year budget to the board at the May 11, 2018 meeting.
• Biennial Budget:
  • The General Assembly will establish the 18-19 and the 19-20 budget this spring.
  • Governor Bevin recommended a 6.25% budget cut for all post-secondary education, including KCTCS, during the current year. For ECTC, this will amount to a $680,000 cut.
  • Regarding pension reform, Gov. Bevin's reform plan would cover the pension needs as they stand today.
  • The state appropriations bill would require employers, such as KCTCS, to match at a higher rate for employees that are in specific pension plans. The current rate is in the high 40's, next year it will be in the high 80's. This would be an additional $550,000 for ECTC to cover.
  • There are a number of fixed costs such as utilities, insurance premiums, and health insurance that will be affected, and for ECTC, this equates to an estimated $200,000.
  • In total, ECTC will need to absorb approximately $1.4 million dollars.
  • At this point, we do not foresee the need to consider layoffs as a way to offset these cuts. Our processes are improving and we anticipate an increase in enrollment. We also have a healthy budget reserve, and if necessary, can help bridge the gap with these funds.

Provost/CAO Report:

Dr. Juston Pate presented the Provost report. Copies of the written report were distributed to the board members.

• New Program Updates:
  • Health Sciences Technology, Robotics and Automation, Advanced Manufacturing are in full implementation.
  • CDL is in process.
  • Sonography - We are seeking a Director.
  • Agriculture - This program was approved at the last Board of Regents meeting, the launch is planned for fall 2018.
  • Paramedic - Partnership with Owensboro Community and Technical College, launch planned for fall 2018.
• ECTC was the recipient of a $200,000 grant award from KCTCS, the Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Project (KAMP).
• LaRue County Scholarship - A $1.6 million gift has been endowed to LaRue County that will provide a scholarship for 10 LaRue County students to attend ECTC. In the beginning, the students will receive $2,000/year, this amount could be increase in the future.

Interim Chief Operations Officer Report:

Dr. Juston Pate shared the Chief Operations Officer report with the board:

• Energy Savings and Performance Contract - Upgrades are currently being made across campus that will increase our efficiency with no extra yearly cost.
• James S. Owen Renovations - comprised of 4 separate projects aimed at improving and updating the aesthetics and function of the building.
• Signage Project - New exterior, and eventually interior, signage is being developed to provide better directions for students and visitors on campus.
• Springfield Welding Lab - At this point we are investigating the costs associated with this project.
• University Center - Dr. Robert and Rita Robbins donated $1,000,000 to ECTC to be used for the University Center project. The University Center concept will allow four-year universities to bring their programs to our campus. Students will take their first two years with us, and their last two with a university, all while staying in our region. This project will be housed in the Student Center.

President's Report:

Dr. Pate shared his report with the board members:

• Quality Enhancement Plan - Personal and professional success in the classroom and beyond using active learning to teach and reinforce soft skills.
• Meade County - ECTC has been offered space in the Meade County Area Technology Center, and the director will be Mr. Paul Sturgeon, Dean of Retention.

Other Discussion:

• Important dates were reviewed with the Board.

ADJOURNMENT

With no further business, Vice Chair Gossett thanked everyone for attending and the meeting adjourned at 1:33 p.m.

NEXT MEETING

The next board meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 11, 2018, at the ECTC campus.

 

Minutes respectfully submitted by,