November 8, 2024 - BOD Minutes

ECTC Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Regional Postsecondary Center, Board Room 200C
Friday, November 8, 2024, 9:30 a.m. EST

Attendees

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Stan Routt called the regular board meeting to order at 9:39 a.m. EST.

DISCUSSION

Welcome, Introductions, and Announcements

• Chair Routt welcomed everyone to the board meeting at our Leitchfield campus.
• Chair Routt commended Culinary Arts on the outstanding breakfast prepared for this board meeting.

Approval of Minutes

• MOTION: Mr. Mike Phillips made the motion to approve the September 13, 2024 minutes as presented and Ms. Kim Huston seconded the motion.
• VOTE: The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

OLD BUSINESS

Senate Joint Resolution 179:

• Dr. Juston Pate shared an update on SJR 179 with the board. A decision was made and will be recommended to legislators for all 16 colleges to remain separate and not pursue single accreditation.
• A possible name change may occur with the Board of Directors, the proposed name change is likely to be Board of Advisors.
• Legislators will review these recommendations from January-April.
• Question: How is the state board set up and structured?
• Answer: The state board, the Board of Regents, is comprised of governor appointed individuals and elected members consisting of a faculty, staff and student representative. This board is responsible for deciding policies.

NEW BUSINESS

Leitchfield Campus Update and Tour:

• Ms. Cindy Carman shared with Board members an update on our Leitchfield campus.
• A rendering of the new addition was shared with the board. This new building will have industrial maintenance and allied health labs as well as administrative office space. Additionally, students will have a designated space to study and congregate between classes in this new building.
• We are working closely with the area high school and dual credit students. Some high school seniors spend their entire day here on our Leitchfield campus. These are education, allied health and pre-vet students.
• Our fall numbers were 468, the highest enrollment has been on our Leitchfield campus in its 10- year history. We are currently up 50 students compared to this time last year.
• Board members were invited to tour the Leitchfield campus after the board meeting to see the updates that have been made to labs and classrooms.

REPORTS

Finance and Facilities:

Mr. Brent Holsclaw shared his report with the board:

Finance:

• We have exceeded our projected fall 2024 revenue by $500,000.
• At this time, we have spent 34% of our total operational budget for this fiscal year.
• Our salary expenses for this fiscal year are currently around 31%.

Facilities:

• The bids for our Leitchfield campus expansion were submitted this week, we should know the results soon.
• Substantial completion for the Leitchfield campus expansion is estimated to be December 2025.
• The Occupational Technical Building renovation for the 100 section is on track and a construction manager should be selected by the end of January 2025. Construction on this section could begin as early as late June 2025.
• The renovation of our science building will consist of a southern and western expansion of the building. We hope to share renderings of the science additions during the next Board of Directors meeting.

Institutional Advancement Report:

Dr. Megan Stith shared her report with the board: 

• Marketing and Public Relations update:
  • Introduced our anniversary logo during Community College month
  • Incorporated anniversary theme in multiple events including the Heartland Homecoming parade.
  • Premiered anniversary video at our Community Breakfast.
• New Events:
  
  • Pancakes with the Provost and Robbins University Center ribbon cutting.
  • OTB renovation funding check presentation.
  • Family Scholar House Elizabethtown campus groundbreaking is scheduled for December 2024.
• Media Hits:
  
  • Marketing has a new tool to demonstrate our media hits.
  • We had nearly $1million dollars in publicity value through media exposure in the last fiscal year.
• Grants Update:
  
  • Assisted with three proposals submitted by partners totaling $2.SM.
  • Awarded two grants worth $20,000.
  • Two proposals were denied.
  • Eight applications pending decisions ($9.SM)
  • Department of Education Veteran students grant.
  • Focus on upcoming projects: entrepreneurship center, bourbon industry training, developmental education, and student success.
• Future of Philanthropy at ECTC:
  
  • Inclusive- offer a range of giving options and connect community to college needs with an on line wish list, micro-campaigns, and by empowering fund raising teams.
  • Participatory - volunteerism, advocacy, and donations are all valued.
  • Problem-solving - opportunities solve college and community challenges. We have begun an ECTC CARES Committee and partnerships to address unmet needs.
  • Culture of Gratitude - cultivate appreciation and communicate impact through appreciation initiatives and storytelling to donors and our community.
• Progress Toward Goals:
  • We exceeded our Giving Day goal and launched an online campaign hub.
  • Creation of an Ambassador program
  • Initiated volunteer appreciation celebration
  • Formation of ECTC CARES Committee
  • Customized impact report
  • Launched ECTC Foundation on social media
• In terms of fund raising, ECTC led the 16 colleges for the 2023-24 academic year.
• We also led the system in the number of donors who made contributions and gifts to our college.
• We now have an Unstoppable Fund which allows community members to stand with ECTC to respond to the changing needs our faculty and staff see our students face.
• Our first ECTC Foundation Unga la was a success and we exceeded our goal of 60 new Student Success Circle members by welcoming 75 new members.

Academic Affairs Report:

Dr. Juston Pate shared the Academic Affairs report with the board:

• Our radiography program has received Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) accreditation for 8 years.
• Our University Center partnerships have continued to evolve. The University of Louisville will send a full-time advisor to our main campus beginning November 2024. A Kentucky State University announcement will be made on November 13. A part-time nurse from KSU will be located in the Robbins University Center and will provide academic support and tutoring support for bachelor's degree in nursing students.
• The Student Success HUB is fully staffed, three new success coaches and a director has been hired in the last six months.
• One of our faculty members, Miky Wright, earned national recognition for her published research, "Should You Choose to Serve First in a Pickleball Match? - MATH VALUES."

Human Resources Report:

Ms. Whitney Taylor shared her report with the board:

• The Human Resources team completed phase one of the Huron Study that included the reclassification of 149 positions into the new job profile structure.
• Department of Labor (DOL) Exemption Threshold:
  • April 2024 -The DOL raised the standard salary threshold of the Fair Labor Standard Act's overtime exemption from its current level of $35,568 annually through a two-step increase to $43,888 as of July 1, 2024, and then to $58,656 as of January 1, 2025 -a nearly %65 percent increase when fully implemented over seven months.
  • July 2024-The first phase impacted KCTCS staff positions in band 9 and below and their FLSA status was change to non-exempt.
  • Only positions that are teaching are exempt from the FLSA overtime rule and do not have to meet these new salary requirements.
  • January 1, 2025 -The second phase of the exemption threshold is anticipated to increase to $58,656. This will primarily impact staff positions in bands 10 and 11 as the current minimum of those bands is below the new threshold with the band 10 minimum at $48,168 and band 11 minimum at $55,392 for a 12-month position.
  • The KCTCS Compensation Team has provided scenarios to address the January increase to the PLT.
  • Notifications to staff employees in band 10 and 11 will go out this month. Forty-three employees at ECTC have positions under review.
  • The DOL has stated they will update the salary levels every three years.
• Employee Emergency Fund:
  • In collaboration with the ECTC Foundation and Family Scholar House, the Human Resources team will be rolling out an Employee Emergency Fund. The process will be facilitated by Family Scholar House.
• We have onboarded 160 new employees last academic year, 2023-24. From July 1, 2024 to present day, we have onboarded 41 new employees.
• During the 2023-24 academic year, we had 745 overloads and from July 1, 2024 to present day we have had 288 overloads.

President's Report:

Dr. Juston Pate shared his report with the board:

• We are looking to have a groundbreaking for the Family Scholar House Elizabethtown campus within the next few months.
• Dr. Pate distributed a revised 6-Year Capital Project Plan, 2026-2032, to board members.
  
  • A substantial engineering building project has been removed from our 6-Year Capital Project Plan. We have replaced the engineering building project with the Lincoln Trail Area Development District (LTADD) building renovation for $5,000,000.
  • We have reduced the amount requested for the CDL and Logistics Center at the ECTC BlueOval SK Training Center.
  • A motion was made by Mr. Tom Claycomb to endorse/approve the amendment to the 6-Year Capital Project Plan and Mr. Mike Phillips seconded the motion. Motion was approved unanimously.
• Dr. Pate shared with board members his participation in a rigorous program which focuses on the postgraduate outcomes of community college students, this is referred to as Community College 3.0.

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 11:26 a.m. EST.

NEXT BOARD MEETING

The February 14, 2025 board meeting will be held at our main campus.

Minutes respectfully submitted by,