September 13, 2024 - BOD Minutes

ECTC Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Regional Postsecondary Center, Room 200C
Friday, September 13, 2024, 9:30 a.m. EST

Attendees

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Stan Routt called the regular board meeting to order at 9:35 a.m. EST.

DISCUSSION

Welcome, Introductions, and Announcements

• Chair Routt welcomed everyone to the board meeting, including Judge Keith Taul and Greg Thompson, News Enterprise.
• Chair Routt commended Culinary Arts on the fantastic breakfast prepared for this board meeting.

Approval of Minutes

• MOTION: Mr. Mike Phillips made the motion to approve the May 10, 2024 minutes as presented and Mr. Tom Claycomb seconded the motion.
• VOTE: The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

NEW BUSINESS

Oath of Office:

Judge Keith Taul swore in the Board of Directors members who have recently joined the board including Mr. Tom Claycomb, Mr. Ray Springsteen, Mr. Adam Worth, and Mr. Ryan Clark.

Board Member Handbook:

Each board member was presented with a Board of Directors handbook, a copy of the "2023 Open Records Open Meetings Guide", a conflict-of-interest form and a copy of "Managing Government Records."

REPORTS

Finance & Facilities Report:

Mr. Brent Holsclaw shared his report with the board:

Finance:

• As of the end of August, we are at 9.94 million, a $150,000 increase over what was projected in Spring of 2024.
• We have collected 43% of our annual revenue to date.
• We have spent about 19% of our operational budget to date, compared to 21% last year.
• Our net revenue is currently $800,000 greater than this time last year (a reminder was given that expenses were also budgeted to be higher).

Facilities:

• The OTB 100 renovation design phase has been completed and will go out to bid in May of 2025 and construction in the 100 section will begin in June 2025.
• The schematic design for the science building has been completed and we are in the process of securing asset preservation funding for this project.
• The Leitchfield campus project is well underway, and we are currently in phase C. Construction could begin as early as November 2024.
• With the construction of our science building, there will be a major change in traffic flow and pattern, which will also accommodate the Family Scholar House project.
• The Student Center is officially open for use by faculty, staff and students. The Student Government Association will be moving into their space within the building shortly.

Student Affairs Report:

Dr. Corina Langford shared her report with the board:

• From fall of 2022 to fall of 2024 the Welcome and Admissions Center has increased the number of new student applicants, new student enrollments, returning student applicants, and returning student enrollments.
• From July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, admissions processed 11,509 applications, as compared to 7,377 applications processed during FY 2022-23.
• From July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 admissions processed 9,306 transcripts compared to 7,189 from FY 2022-23.
• Admissions has worked hard to identify fraudulent high school transcripts/applications. Suspicious applications are flagged and receive a follow-up review. These actions have resulted in prohibiting students from taking advantage of our financial aid.
• The number of exams administered from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024 was 5,451.
• The number of credential seeking students has increased from 3,627 in 2022 to 4,038 in fall of 2024.
• The Educational Opportunity Centers TRIO grant has exceeded their goal of serving 1,000 students. During FY 2021-22 the EOC served 1,178 students and this number increased during FY 2023-24 to 1,361.
• Plans for the future include expansion of the outreach of TRIO to include Bullitt and Hancock Counties and a continued outreach of the jails in Marion, Taylor, Larue, Nelson, Grayson, Hardin and Breckenridge (Washington County does not currently have a prerelease program).
• Looking forward, the Records office will conduct outreach efforts for degree applicants needing additional support, will participate in staff training and continuity, ensure comprehensive knowledge transfer to maintain service quality during staff absences, and regularly update training materials and procedures to reflect best practices and feedback.
• In 2022, 422 active duty and veterans were served and utilized VA educational benefits. During 2024, this number increased to 607.
• Looking forward, the Military and Veterans Services Center teammates will receive specialized training on tuition assistance to better support our VA students and our Fort Knox campus teammate will undergo specialized training to become a School Certifying Official.

Workforce Development Report:

Mr. Darrin Powell shared his report with the board:

• Mr. Powell distributed a handout demonstrating the enrollment and clock hours (number of instruction hours) for Workforce Solutions.
• FY2021-22
  • Enrollment - 2,856
  • Clock hours - 6,204
• FY2023-24
  • Enrollment - 11,924
  • Clock hours - 9,578
• Currently, Workforce Solutions is working with 119 businesses including advanced manufacturing, business and IT services, construction and trades, health science, transportation and logistics, retail industries, government, education, restaurant industry, hotel industry, landscaping, natural resources, and real property industry.
• Approximately 50% of the classes offered last year were with Blue Oval.
• Question: How do you survey participants and companies once trainings have been completed?
• Answer: All students have the opportunity to complete an evaluation of the class upon completion. Receiving company feedback once training has been completed is more difficult. Upon the conclusion of training that has been funded with TRAINS funds (state allocated money that KCTCS manages), a survey from our system office goes out to each company asking a company representative to evaluate the training provided by ECTC.
• For the last two summers, Workforce Solutions has held Kids College which offers several camp sessions ranging from Robotics, Agriculture and Culinary Arts.
• Workforce Solutions has the ability to customize training and can do more than what many people/companies realize. Leaders and businesses are encouraged to reach out to our Workforce Solutions department when training needs arise.
• Question: How is the CDL program going?
• Answer: The CDL program is going well, our numbers have decreased slightly over the past year, possibly due to the fact that not all students are able to get financing for the program. Workforce Solutions personnel are currently exploring ways to help students with the cost of the program.

•  

President's Report:

Dr. Juston Pate shared his report with the board:

• Dr. Pate revisited a topic covered by Dr. Langford during her report, fraudulent activity during the application process. ECTC is fiscally responsible for the cost of financial aid and by closely monitoring financial aid applications we can limit our "bad debt" which can directly impact the financial state of our college.
• Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 179 Update:
  • Our system is now over 25 years old and SJR 179 has asked KCTCS to respond to 11 topics that are in need of review by legislature. A presentation on these recommendations will be made during the Board of Regents meeting scheduled for September 19-20. The final recommendations will be submitted in December 2024.
  • The main item on the table was whether or not we should be a single accredited system or keep each college independent and separate. The recommendation will be made to keep each college separate and not pursue single accreditation.
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC):
  • ECTC's 5th Year Interim Review will occur this fall. Ms. Sarah Edwards, our Institutional Effectiveness Director, has led the process with the help of many others on campus. Our report was submitted this past Sunday and we will receive our results sometime later in the fall.
• The Family Scholar House:
  
  • The Community Development Block Grant will bring $900,000 to the Family Scholar House project and requires several federal regulations and procedures, as well as interaction with the Lincoln Trail Area Development District and the County Government, before the funds can be received by the Family Scholar House through the ECTC Foundation.
• Dr. Pate thanked those Board members who were able to attend some of our recent events including the Community Breakfast and the Pancakes with the Provost Breakfast.
• Our final graduation rate last year was 57% and the national average is 35%.
• Question: Have follow-ups been conducted on how many students find work after graduation?
• Answer: Yes, often each program will follow up with their previous students. At this time, 81%of our graduating students have employment at a family sustaining wage or have transferred to a four-year university.

MEETING ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Mr. Mike Phillips and seconded by Mr. Ray Springsteen to adjourn the meeting; motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 11:01 a.m. EST.

NEXT BOARD MEETING

The November 8, 2024 board meeting will be held at our Leitchfield campus.

Minutes respectfully submitted by,