Board of Directors Meeting | ACTC

Leadership

Board of Directors Meeting

Technology Drive Campus-Rocky Adkins Pavilion
August 11, 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: 

ALSO PRESENT:

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

CALL TO ORDER

Board Chair, Rick Clark, called the meeting to order at 8:36 a.m. A quorum was present.  

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

Members reviewed the minutes of the April 28, 2021 meeting (copy attached).  Kathryn Lamp made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Brooke Elswick-Robinson seconded the motion. All voted to approve the minutes.

PRESIDENT’S UPDATE

Dr. Larry Ferguson used a PowerPoint presentation to update members (copy attached). He touched on COVID, ACTC’s recent All-College meeting and the nearly complete Weld Shop renovation.  He announced that the college is doing well in meeting and exceeding in most areas of the 2016-2022 Strategic Plan. Two continued area of concern are in experiential learning and transfer. 

He announced that development of the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan is underway. His Cabinet along with faculty and staff have had opportunity for input.  The ACTC Board of Directors, the Community and Technical College Foundation of Ashland members, community members and the KCTCS Board of Regents will have opportunity to give input in the coming months. He explained how our Mission, Vision, and Values driven by people, processes and partners will help up accomplish future goals.

Dr. Ferguson discussed how the 4DX operating system along with newly implemented program reviews and SACSCOC guidelines bring a “Continuous Improving Culture” to Ashland Community & Technical College.

President Ferguson discussed Fall enrollment stating that we are basically flat at this date but dual credit enrollment will increase our numbers.  In regard to budget, ACTC is on track to meet fall revenue projections.

In closing, Dr. Ferguson gave praise regarding Workforce Development’s 2020-2021 success during a COVID year and announced that ACTC will award 206 scholarships for a total of $249,400 for the Fall 2021/Spring 2022 academic year!

MISSION STATEMENT REVIEW

Dr. Ferguson announced that the college is in the process of reviewing our Mission Statement as required by the Board of Regents every three years.  The statement:

Educate with excellence.
Serve with purpose.
Succeed for life.

has been reviewed by the Cabinet, the College Council, the CTCFA, and all faculty and staff.  This day the Board of Directors will review and in September the Board of Regents will hear the report and review.  

A motion was made by Ramona Salyer to keep the statement as is.  The motion was seconded by Bob Maher.  By vote, all were in agreement.

FACULTY UPDATE

Vicki McGinnis, Faculty Representative to the Board, gave the following report to members and announced that a full report would be forthcoming by email. 

She announced that 31 LPN nurses were pinned on August 6.  Seven of those students will move directly into the LPN to RN program in the Fall semester.  

She discussed the pros and cons of dual credit classes, including the fact that dual credit success contributes to ACTC’s Performance Based Funding scores.

Report by email:

Our semester is in full swing now, and our faculty are exercising flexibility in meeting the health, safety, and quarantine needs of our students.  We all hoped this would be a “normal” fall semester; faced with the recent surges in Covid cases, however, we are adapting and innovating as needed and will not let the virus thwart our efforts to deliver our instruction.  

Some highlights from individual faculty or programs:

  • Pamela Klinepeter, Director of Library Services:
    • We were able to purchase 8 streaming video collections from Alexander Street:
      • BBC Literary Adaptations in Video
      • Film Platform Collection
      • BBC Horizon Collection
      • BBC Landmark Video Collection
      • PBS Video Collection
      • CNN Video Collection
      • 60 Minutes 1997-2014 Video Collection
      • Nursing and Mental Health in Video: A Symptom Media Collection
    • We were also able to purchase library pick-up lockers for all three campuses, which will provide low-contact and after-hours pick-up options for our students.
    • We placed library-branded umbrellas at strategic locations on the College Drive and Roberts Drive Campuses to keep students and employees dry when traveling between buildings.
    • Our library homepage was redesigned over the summer.
  • Practical Nursing Program:
    • The PN program had a pinning ceremony on August 6,2021. 31 students were pinned, 4 students already took NCLEX and passed.  Seven of these graduates started the LPN to AND program this semester, and there are currently 140 students in all three nursing programs at the college.  Deena Howerton has been designated “remediation specialist” for the nursing students, designated to meet with struggling students and connect them to people and resources they need to succeed in their coursework and skills.
  • David Childress, Professor, Computer & Information Technologies:
    • Over summer 2021:
      1. Presented at the Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) national conference.  Topic: Using the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Rubric: What, Why, How; June 2021. I created a custom PowerPoint presentation for ASCUE with PDF handouts.
      2. Presented at the Blackboard World 2021 International conference.  Topic: Using the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Rubric: What, Why, How; July 2021 I created a custom PowerPoint presentation for BbWorld21 with PDF handouts.  I had over 200 attendees from several different countries. In both presentations, ACTC/KCTCS were highlighted in the summary and presentation.
      3. Taught a section of CIT290 - CIT (Computer and Information Technologies) Internship (3 credit hours) with KDMC and ACTC CIT Intern.  Setup Blackboard and assignments/assignments/quizzes, etc.  Kept in communication with KDMC and Intern.  Utilized experiential learning. I hope to have two interns at KDMC this fall.
      4. Utilized the Word Ready Certification (WRC) (First time for CIT program) and had the supervisor at KDMC complete the form for Internship points earned by student taking CIT summer Internship.  My goal is to incorporate the WRC each time I teach CIT Internship.  Goal #2: I hope to incorporate the WRC into CIT program for 3rd and 4th semester students.
      5. Was added to KCTCS Innovative Educators MS Teams site.  I added information for team on using Service Learning and KCTCS Preparation, Action, Reflection, Celebration (PARC) model.  I also directed Innovative Educators to the ACTC Service Learning e Community for additional information and resources.
  • Randolph Cullum, Program Coordinator, Computer & Information Technologies:
    • I had a “Cloud Night” event for students interested in the CIT program’s Cloud Computing Technologies track.  There were 20 people in attendance.  Almost all of the attendees asked one or more questions at the end.
  • Seth Morrison, HVAC Program Coordinator:
    • Enrollment in beginning HVAC courses is maxed out, a testament to recruitment efforts!
  • Danny Bailey:
    • ACTC student, Andrea Shafer, is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members nationwide to be named a 2021 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar. She will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
  • Kyle Alvey, Adjunct English Faculty:
    • Kyle is working for ACTC and Shawnee State covering composition courses.  He is teaching three sections of composition in person for ACTC dual credit this fall as well.

STAFF UPDATE

Jason Salyers, Staff Representative to the Board reported the following:

Staff Executive Council

TDC Staff held 3 lunch and learn sessions as team building exercises over the summer. All materials used were supplied by the staff themselves and done on their lunch break.  It was nice to get to know one another better and have a new appreciation for all who participated.

  • Painted rocks to decorate the newly planted landscape at the connector hallway entry area
  • Tie-dyed t-shirts.  Everyone brought their own shirts and learned together.
  • Painted “Welcome” signs

The new Staff Executive Council became official on July 1st and we’re looking forward to what they have planned for staff at ACTC. Sara Klein from our Library was elected President. One idea that we are working on is having a bonfire for staff members and their families this fall one evening.

Events/Projects

  • Young Women LEAD will be held virtually on October 21-22. If you’re interested, more information can be found at https://youngwomenlead.com/ or by contacting Chrisha Spears.
  • Since opening in September 2019, Pathfinder Pantry has served over 2200 students and their immediate families. Still serving students over the summer.
  • Megan Horne and her staff have been in the process of developing Transfer Centers at our campuses.  Megan writes, “We started at CDC, but will soon implement something at TDC and I believe even RDC.  The Transfer Centers will look a bit different at each campus, but the goal will be the same – to inform students/visitors about the multitude of career and educational pathways that can be pursued after ACTC (technical and general education pathways).”

Megan has also been hosting Transfer Team meetings bi-weekly to help share knowledge among staff and faculty about transfer.

Fall Registration Event – Six days in July on all 3 campuses

Milestones/Achievements

  • Sara Brown completed her Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies degree from Marshall University
  • Megan Horne, director of SSS, completed a graduate certificate in gender and women’s studies through WKU. She told me that her decision to pursue this certificate was to better meet the needs of the increasing number of SSS participants who identify as LGBT+.
  • Brandi Prichard from Culinary Arts completed her Bachelor of General Studies degree at Morehead State University

CABINET UPDATES

Kellie Allen, Director of Human Resources, had no report.

Karen Blevins, Dean of Business Affairs, informed Board members that the weld shop renovation project is nearing completion. The project, over $700,000, was totally funded by ACTC, no System funding. Members were invited to tour the project at the end of the meeting. 

Dr. Todd Brand, Dean of Academic Affairs, gave the following report:

  • The KCTCS schools have all been a part of project ALIGN this year.  This project has focused on competency based education (CBE) as a potential new way to offer programming in our colleges in the future.  Several colleges participated in CBE training this summer and actually learned to reverse engineer a CBE program.  ACTC had two teams participate.
  • ACTC is working on creating a plumbing technology program to be housed at TDC.  The target date for enrolling students in the program is fall of 2022.  So far, the SACS paperwork has been prepared, and KCTCS has given permission for the college to offer several certificates.  The next steps are equipping a lab and searching for faculty. 
  • The commonwealth and KCTCS has suffered from a shortage of nursing instructors, and the college had several openings this year.  Fortunately, two new faculty members were hired, Lisa Griffith, and Diane Potter.  One faculty member was hired for each nursing area.  The two areas are being merged into one nursing program with multiple pathways.
  • The Business Administration program was moved to CDC this year to build enrollment, as most businesses are located downtown.
  • Ashley Vanderpool was hired to be the new director of the Career Services division following the retirement of Molly Webb. 
  • The college will continue its three year program review process this fall and next spring.  Programs to be reviewed this fall include Engagement, Ready to Work, Automotive Technology, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Computer Information Technology, Cosmetology, and Electrical Technology. 
  • The science fair will be returning this year.
  • TDC faculty will meet with Boy Scout leaders from the Tri-State to host a Boy Scout University with a technology focus.

Steve Woodburn, Dean of Student Success & Enrollment Services, reported that activities are planned to kick-off the fall 2021 semester: Concert on the Lawn, Party on the Lawn and Spirit Week.  He also spoke of a new technology being used, Signal Vine, which has been a game changer in communication with students.   

Brooke Seasor, Director of Resource Development, announced: 

  • Scholarship work was done April-July, totaling over $249,000 awarded
  • ACTC Annual Golf Scramble is scheduled September 24 at the Bellefonte Country Club
  • CTCFA received a good report from the 2020-2021 audit
  • Resource Development is applying for a grant for Nursing

BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS

In closing, Chair Rick Clark said it was a good meeting with great reports.  He stated he was proud of ACTC’s continuous, diligent budget work.  He noted it is good to have students back on campuses and ACTC is off to a good year. He asked if there were any comments, none were made.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:24 a.m. by Chair Rick Clark.

Respectfully submitted,
Pam Miller, Recorder