Board of Directors Meeting | ACTC

Leadership

Board of Directors Meeting

College Drive Campus-John & Pat Stewart Board Room
February 3, 2021
Minutes

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Rick Clark, Ben Collier, Amanda Collins, Brooke Elswick-Robinson, Kathryn Lamp, Bob Maher, Vicki McGinnis, Ramona Salyer, Jason Salyers

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:

None

ALSO PRESENT:

Taylor Alexander, Kellie Allen, Karen Blevins, Todd Brand, Larry Ferguson, Steve Flouhouse, Pam Miller, Brooke Seasor, Steve Woodburn

CALL TO ORDER

Board Chair, Rick Clark, called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. 

ROLLCALL

It was noted, by the Recorder, that all Board of Directors members were in attendance.

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

Members reviewed the minutes of the November 04, 2020 meeting.  Kathryn Lamp made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Ramona Salyer seconded the motion. All voted to approve the minutes.

KCTCS COLLEGE BOARDS RESPONSIBILITIES

Kellie Allen, ACTC Director of Human Resources, gave an overview of the roles and responsibilities of KCTCS College Boards per KRS 164.350 and 164.600. She discussed the five basic statutory responsibilities of members:

  1. Recommend one presidential position candidate out of three for hiring;
  2. Evaluate the college president annually and provide feedback about the performance of the college president to the KCTCS president;
  3. Approve college biennial budget requests for submission to the KCTCS Board-of-Regents;
  4. Adopt, amend, and recommend college annual operating budgets; and
  5. Approve a strategic plan for the college that is in line with their community needs, system goals, and the state’s agenda as set forth by the Kentucky legislature.

PRESIDENT’S UPDATE

Dr. Larry Ferguson used a PowerPoint presentation to update members (copy attached). He gave updates regarding: Institutional Leadership/Management, Educational Leadership/Internal Relations, External Relations/ Economic Development.  In addition, he reviewed the 2021 Strategic Priorities:

  • Continue to focus on growing Enrollment and Revenue streams (4DX WIGS: Graduation and Transfer)
  • Continue to increase the number of students participating in experiential learning (SPG #2)
  • Improve our associate degree transfer rate (SPG #2)

In closing, Dr. Ferguson thanked members for their continued support.

FACULTY UPDATE

Vicki McGinnis, Faculty Representative to the Board of Directors, highlighted the faculty report (copy attached) and also gave a Dual Credit report and a Quality Enhancement Plan report.  She asked Pam Miller to send both of those reports to members (copy attached).

STAFF UPDATE

Jason Salyers, Staff Representative to the Board of Directors, gave an update on Staff activities/projects/accomplishments, etc.

  • Operation Pen Pal with Morning Pointe included Christmas gifts for residents from ACTC employees
  • Wacky Wednesday sessions held in the fall semester were well received by employees
  • Pathfinder Pantry is open for the spring semester and has served 2042 students and their families
  • Student activities include Finder Fridays, Rhythm of My Path, Angel Tree, Black History lecture coming
  • Awards and honors: LEAD Academy (Staci Cochran, Orlando Currie, John Pancake) Staff Excellence Awards to Staci Cochran and Brittany Spillman
  • Robin Harris has earned a Masters Degree

CABINET UPDATES

Taylor Alexander, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, announced that ACTC has begun taking advantage of digital advertising in the hope of gauging leads better.  ACTC currently has super bowl commercials scheduled, gas pump commercials, billboard campaigns and alumni spotlights. 

Karen Blevins, Deans of Business Affairs, reported that her area is in the initial stages of the FY2022 budget development.  The process begins with developing revenue estimates using current fiscal year realized revenue data.  They will be looking at all revenues and expenses and working toward a balanced budget.  The process will culminate in late April when a FY2022 operating budget will be presented to the Board of Directors.

Brooke Seasor, Director of Resource Development, announced that our local Toyota dealership has awarded a grant for $2500 for ACTC’s Automotive Technology Program. Toyota Corporate is supposed to match the grant. 

Steve Woodburn, Dean of Student Success & Enrollment Services, informed those attending that ACTC has three new student ambassadors.  Each ambassador receives a $1500 scholarship and will be present at numerous college events in addition to working in the Admissions area of the college.  The search for a fourth ambassador is in the works.

Steve Flouhouse, Dean of Institutional Planning, Research & Development, gave an update on ACTC’s Title III grant.  The grant, in its final year, will end September 30, 2021.  Currently two classrooms are being redesigned (HVAC and Room 214 on the Technology Drive Campus) and several courses are in redesign--Hybrid:  ACR 260, CUL 270, SUR 100, WLD 130--Gen Ed:  HIS 108, HUM 120 MAT 175, PSY 110.

Dr. Todd Brand, Dean of Academic Affairs & CAO, gave the following updates:

  • ALIGN update - Shannon Gilkey has left and become the Aaron Thompson of R.I.
    • Harmony Little driving ALIGN project currently at KCTCS.
    • Other states are taking notice. I recently attended AACC’s WDI conference.
    • Alignment of credentials with workforce boards and employers is national conversation.
  • Report from Digital Literacy WG - this group met, and the results of a statewide faculty survey were disseminated.  As a result of the survey, the digital literacy requirement will be left in the KCTCS curriculum for both the AA and AAS degrees. 
  • Report from the TLE committee. New Award will exist for this year.  Unlike the pandemic awards, which will go away, it will be permanent.  While the committee agreed that the pandemic awards would only be given once, innovation in the classroom, whether in person, in an online environment, or in the new hyflex mode that we have currently, should be rewarded.  Therefore, the committee is currently finalizing the criteria for a permanent peer award for innovation in instruction.   
  • MayMester - We need to continue to be flexible in our scheduling of classes, and as we think about ways to potentially grow enrollment, scheduling of classes is a way to seek to achieve that.  One of the things I have done at two different colleges is participate in an intercession, if you will, between the spring semester and the summer semester. In reality it is actually an additional summer term, but I don’t want you to think about it that way.   I have heard it called several things, including a MayMester, which I really like.  This idea has several positives.
  • Grow your own minority faculty program - I was privileged to be a part of a team that delivered a presentation to the KY Council for Postsecondary Education this week on the state of our diversity plan at ACTC.  In it, I gave a report of what we are doing in the Academic Affairs area to alleviate the challenges faced by our URM students in the commonwealth.  As you all know, one of the most important factors in the success of a URM student is being able to take classes from professors who are from those same groups.  In that vein, this creates a challenging situation in the area of hiring faculty from URM groups.  One strategy to remedying this is to take a “Grow Your Own Approach” in addressing the shortage of URM faculty.  A Grow Your Own strategy is not new, they have been around for over a decade.  There are a number of successful programs out there that can be studied and possibly replicated, and my intent is to do just that.  I will be forming a team soon, and so I may be calling on some of you.  We will certainly be calling on our diversity committee as well as our diversity director, Al Baker for help with this.  As we continue the fight for both access and equity in higher education in the commonwealth, I think this is an important step for the college.  There are of course long term and short term implications for this.  Make no mistake, this is true long range planning.  This would significantly aid us in the implementation of a comprehensive diversity plan, it would help solve a huge problem for colleges, and it’s the right thing to do. 

Kellie Allen, Director of Human Resources, confirmed that college employees are in Phase 1C of the vaccination schedule.  We are waiting to hear when those vaccines will be available.  KCTCS is encouraging people to get the vaccine but it is not required. 

BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS

Board Chair, Rick Clark, thanked all for the updates.  He announced the next meeting is scheduled for April 28, 2021.  He asked if there were any comments or questions from anyone; there were none.

ADJOURNMENT

Chair Clark adjourned the meeting at 10:05 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Pam Miller, Recorder