November 10, 2023 - BOD Minutes

ECTC Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Springfield Campus, Board Room
Friday, November 10, 2023, 9:30 a.m. EST

Attendees

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Stan Routt called the regular board meeting to order at 9:36 a.m. EST.

DISCUSSION

Welcome, Introductions, and Announcements

• Chair Routt welcomed everyone to the board meeting at our Springfield campus and commended Culinary Arts on the outstanding brunch prepared for the board members.

Approval of Minutes

• MOTION: Mr. Howard Williams made the motion to approve the September 8, 2023 minutes as presented and Mr. Andy Games seconded the motion.
• VOTE: The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

New Business

Huron Update:

• Dr. Juston Pate updated the Board on the Huron study, a holistic study of KCTCS. At this time the report has not been finalized. As the study relates to our college, ECTC has received positive feedback on the areas studied including, but not limited to, space utilization, efficiencies, and administrative structure. A large portion of the study reviews class and compensation across the system.

Springfield Campus Update:

• Ms. Dawn Hayes, Academic Coordinator for the ECTC Springfield campus, gave Board members an update on the Springfield campus.
• Beginning spring 2024 welding classes will be available at the Springfield campus for the first time.
• Nurse Aide classes will be returning to the Springfield campus during the summer of 2024.
• This fall three basic electricity classes were offered.
• Mr. Ben Whitlock with the Student Success Hub visits the Springfield campus on a weekly basis and is currently working closely with four students.
• For the second time, Spooktacular was held at our Springfield campus and over 220 kids attended the event with their families.
• A job fair will be held on the Springfield campus on November 28. To help students prepare for this event, Mr. Ben Whitlock will assist students with the preparation of their resumes so that they may be available to potential employers at the job fair.

REPORTS

Chief Finance and Facilities Officer Report:

Mr. Brent Holsclaw, Chief Finance and Facilities Officer, shared his report with the board:

Finance:

• Our dual credit enrollment has continued to grow and we receive 1/2 tuition for these students.
• Our current budget projections are $500,000 ahead of where we anticipated to be this time in the academic year.
• Overall, we have used 35% of our overall expenses which is to be expected given the cost of goods and services increasing over the last year.
• Our salary expenses are up 3% due to raises given to employees over the last year.
• Looking at our net revenue, we are $900,000 ahead of where we were financially this time last year.

Facilities:

• The Glendale Training Center is expected to be up and running by April 2024.
• The Student Center renovation is nearing completion, and we hope to have a punch list available in December.
• The Science building renovation will likely consist of two additional wings to be added onto the building on top of a renovation of the existing building. By combining the renovation with the addition of the two wings, ECTC will save several million dollars overall, compared to having the additions constructed at a later date.
• We are working on a traffic pattern project near the James S. Owen building and where the Family Scholar House campus will be located in order to begin rerouting traffic in preparation for the construction of the residential complex.

Chief Student Officer Report:

Dr. Corina Langford shared her report with the board:

• The Welcome Center has recently undergone an aesthetic renovation consisting of new paint, flooring, and furniture. The new design features ECTC's colors of yellow and blue and contributes to a more cohesive appearance across campus.
• ECTC is ranked third in KCTCS for fall 2023 enrollment.
• Student Affairs is working a credential seeking improvement plan which will target communication for new and current students, they have removed all email boxes without an option to reply, and a team retreat is planned for Monday, November 13 to update and improve the current communication plan.
• The Military and Veteran Services center has been relocated to RPC 108 and is thriving under new leadership led by Ms. Tabbi Stutzenberger. The center provides veteran students with refreshments, academic advising, course textbooks, and other educational benefits.
• Student Affairs is continuing to adopt a proactive approach to career growth and personal advancement by focusing on clear objectives, choosing relevant opportunities, networking and with regular reflection and feedback. Within the last six months, employees from Student Affairs attended over 40 professional development classes.
• Student Affairs is working to remove additional barriers for new and prospective students. Currently, our policy requires students to submit all previous college transcripts. For many students, this can be difficult due to the costs associated with the process, due to their unpaid dues to other colleges, or due to formerly attended colleges having closed. Now, ECTC will not require students to provide all transcripts. Students will have the option to provide a transcript if they want credit for that course, but it will not be required.

Chief Workforce Officer Report:

Mr. Darrin Powell shared his report with the board:

• Since July 2023, Workforce Solutions has written 30 TRAINS projects, totaling around $940,000 and involving 30 companies.
• The BlueOval SK project is a $2.5 commitment project and is still currently under way. Currently, ECTC provides training for these employees on campus.
• Mr. Powell noted and expressed appreciation for the work of Pam Cook, our BlueOval SK liaison. Ms. Cook has done an outstanding job coordinating classes, programs, and the logistics of the spaces needed by BlueOval SK.
• It was noted that ECTC needs additional part-time instructors for the manufacturing courses offered through Workforce Solutions.

President/CEO Report:

Dr. Juston Pate shared his report with the board:

• Dr. Pate began his report by thanking our veteran board members for their service.
• A new system president has been selected, Dr. Ryan Quarles and his first day will be January 1, 2024.
• Recently, ECTC has purchased two properties located across the street from campus. The former Lincoln Trail Area Development District building and the former Rock Church were acquired. Initially, these buildings may serve as instructional space while the Occupational Technical Building is under construction and renovation.
• Dr. Pate noted that completion rates for students in the 8-week schedule continue to improve.
• Currently, ECTC has approximately $1 million remaining to raise for the Family Scholar House Home for Hope Campaign in order to construct a 48-unit residential complex on campus.
• Cabinet will meet Tuesday, November 14, for an all-day retreat and one of the main objectives to be covered is our comprehensive Academic Advising Plan.
• Recently, ECTC signed a contract with EduNav, a software company that will greatly assist us as we will build academic schedules.

Closing Remarks:

Important upcoming dates include:

• Fall Graduation Ceremony, Grace Heartland Church, December 11, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• Faculty and Staff Mid-Year Planning Session Luncheon, December 14, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• Institutional Close, December 18 - January 1, 2024

MEETING ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Mr. Andy Games and seconded by Mr. Tom Claycomb to adjourn the meeting; motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 10:57 a.m. EST.

NEXT BOARD MEETING

The February 9, 2024 board meeting will be held at the ECTC main campus.

Minutes respectfully submitted by,