HCTC Board of Directors Board | HCTC

Leadership

HCTC Board of Directors Board

May 4, 2023
Minutes

Present: Chair William “Bill” Weinberg, Vice Chair Tom Eckert, Secretary, Dew Gorman, Charlene Fugate, April Wireman, Chuck Davidson, Larry “Bart” Francis (TEAMS) and Amelia Prater (TEAMS)

Guest: Dr. Jennifer Lindon, Connie Watts, Donna Roark and Delcie Combs

Chair Weinberg called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Chair Weinberg asked for a review of the minutes from the February 9, 2023, Board Meeting. April Wireman moved and Dew Gorman seconded the motion to approve the minutes. The motion was passed unanimously.

Chair Weinberg thanked Professor April Wireman, faculty member for her service to the Board of Directors. Ms. Wireman stated that she would be retiring as of June 30, 2023.

Action Item

Connie Watts, Chief Business Officer, presented the 2023-24 Annual Budget Request. Connie stated that the budget is not finalized until the Board of Regents approves it, therefore, there is rounding up and down of funds. There is not a proposed tuition increase for FY2023-2024, We set up a flat tuition budget same as prior year of $8,855,300. A potential tuition increase will be voted on by the Board of Regents in June. Connie noted in the columns unrestricted means that the funds can be used for everything within the KCTCS policy and procedures, and restricted are grants and gifts that restrict how the funds can be expended. Connie overviewed all the categories regarding sources of funds, restricted and nonrestricted:

  • Restricted includes gifts and grants, donors and grants restrict how the funds can be expended.
  • State Allocation are funds that are allocated/received from the state each year.
  • Federal and state government funds: Are grants and include financial aid.
  • Noncredit is workforce: Funds have decreased as workforce classes have become credit classes and funds are credited to tuition revenue.
  • Private Funds: Gift funds received from donors. Total gift may be expended annually or carried forward.
  • Endowment Funds: Earn interest on the endowment and the interest is what is expended from the endowment. Also, funds can be carried forward.
  • Sales and services: Includes revenue from On-line charges, live work, testing, vending commission, etc.
  • Other sources: Funds from unrestricted budget is fund balance and the restricted is prior year (carry forward) gift revenue.
  • System services & systemwide contracts: Partial costs of system-wide services such as legal services and systemwide contracts include contracts such as our PeopleSoft software system.

Connie stated a portion of the fund balance was set up for FY2024 of $5,125,000. The fund balance for FY2024 includes:

  • Carry forward grant matching (grants awarded for more than one year and the matching portion of grant not expended within the year).
  • New grant matching: Includes matching such as asset preservation and ARC-state grant for heavy equipment.
  • Recruitment/retention: scholarships (includes HEERF lost revenue used to revested in our students. Examples include Forge Your Way Forward, that assists students with past debt, and HCTC Promise, which assists students during their first year of enrollment.
  • Potential tuition shortfall.
  • Minor renovations/emergency repairs.
  • Potential mid-year cut

Connie stated that the budget reserve is a Systemwide required reserve for any potential issues and/or emergency to assist with continuance of operation.

Next Connie overviewed the function of expenses. The function of expenses relates to the expenditures within the departments. In the Instruction department that includes the instructors’ payroll, benefits, and the supplies/materials, and equipment, purchased for class instruction. Libraries include their payroll, their current expense, and their books.

The object of expenses relates to expenditures by category. For example, personnel include the salary and benefits of all HCTC employees.

Connie stated that non-recurring items/equipment from the Needs List had been ordered and purchased. Purchases included $190,000 new laptops for our employees. During COVID, laptops were purchased for employees, but those laptops need to be replaced. Also, additional cameras have been ordered for our campuses, specifically the tech campus had a break in. We have contracted with a security company to hire a night guard for the tech campus. We are looking at hiring more security next year on each campus.

Dew Gorman moved, and Tom Eckert seconded the motion to approve Resolution 3-23, 2023-24 Annual Budget Request. Resolution 3-23 passed unanimously.

President’s Report

Dr. Lindon stated that there are several important events coming up.

  • May 6th graduation, nursing pinning at 3:00 p.m.
  • May 13th Golf Scramble. If you want to participate, donate or have a team – all proceeds go to the technical student scholarships.

Dr. Lindon next shared several concerns. She stated that she could tell the board its all roses, but the fact is there are some challenges ahead of HCTC and you need to be aware of them in case you are out there and hear things.

  • Coming back to school on the hills of COVIC. Covid has caused many different types of issues with our students. We are trying to get them more engaged, but we’ve seen some disengagement. Trying to find the right balance of in person and online.
  • Declining population– folks moving out of the area since flood, education is not their top priority at this time.
  • Increased competition in the area, private competitors popping up. We just recently completed anti-Galen campaign. We did not name the competitor, but we had it all out on digital media, marketing that a nursing student can graduate zero debt, and show the private nursing college trying to pay off their debt and really struggling. The campaign has shown that we are getting a good number of applicants. We have over 100 applicants.
  • Retention continues to be an issue. Students have so many things that get in their way. We have a number of support options for our students. Tutoring, success coaches and now financial assistance through an ARH stipend. Looking at offering stipends to other high wage, high demand jobs
  • Retirement and knowledge - so many retirements and there’s knowledge leaving with them. Majority of our workforce could retire today. We are working really hard on succession plans. Planning and training leaders. We have a number of our faculty and staff in leadership trainings. Trying to do a bit of job shadowing because we know that we need to the transfer of knowledge.
  • Remote work – hard to find the right balance for everyone. There are some jobs at the college that lend themselves well to remote work and employees want that option. Making a big move to more in person classes.
  • No new funding – no base funding/ we do get pockets of money, like asset preservation but increased in base funding.
  • System unrest – lot occurring – auditors have been called in to look at the $75 million fund balance that was found at the system. They will also come out to the colleges and do an audit. Concern with what Legislators are thinking of all the unrest at KCTCS.

Dr. Lindon shared other highlights.

  • Huron study – Presidents will hear recommendations update report on Monday. Looking at shared services across the colleges and efficiencies and effectiveness. They are also looking at regionalization of services.
  • Barry Martin is a Board of Regents member, named chair. Mr. Martin is a great asset for eastern Kentucky.
  • Expending a $1000 raise per each employee. HCTC has budgeted for a possible recurring $1000 raise across the board for all college employees. Board of Regents will vote in June on the raise.
  • SR 98 – Senator Stivers leading SB 98 – Mandated that CPE conduct a study of higher education including KCTCS. Options they are looking at: keep the structure as we are, separate back out and make us technical colleges, transfer courses be separate, or would they have a university branch in our area? The study must be completed by December 2023. Morale is a big concern at the college, cause a lot of things are happening and we have no control. Worry about affordability and accessibility for our students.
  • Dr. Lindon stated that there is still hope and resiliency here in these hills, and we are still keeping on. We are 10% ahead of where we were before the flood, and 19% behind where we were the previous year. We did come back up in the spring. We did a little better than we did the previous two spring semesters. Dr. Lindon sated she feels we are on the mend. Spring credentials are up. We exceeded our 2021 and 2022 credential numbers. We have 472 unduplicated graduates for credentials, and we are awarding 1835 credentials this May 2023 graduation ceremonies.
  • Dual Credit enrollment is growing across the state. HCTC awarded 118 credentials to dual credit students. 38 degrees awarded to our high school students, 21 associate in arts, and 17 associated in science. Competition is moving in our area to offer dual credit. Pikeville, Morehead, and EKU.
  • Students Services and Academic Services working very closely together. They commonly meet together, and they are always out a road shows, career events, visiting employers at different events. We are offering evening orientations.
  • Demand for teachers. Academics has been very busy to reinitiate our social science and education degree, because of the huge demand for teachers. If they complete a portion of the program, a student can serve as a teacher’s aide.
  • New machine tools certificate. Have three new pipeline certificates.
  • Living stipends – 4-year students - $200.00 every two weeks. ARH requires they sign a two-year contract with ARH to receive the scholarship. Also offering 4th semester students $1500 stipend every two weeks. They will need to sign a contract to work with ARH once they complete their state board exam.
  • Enrollment – working on expansion opts.
    • Regional Jail program working with Perry County Judge Scott Alexander. Retrain folks in prison. Looking for funding to support the program.
    • Possible offers at the Lee Justice center. KCTCS is pushing for colleges to work with local justice centers.
    • Beacons of Hope - -Barry Martin is running a man and women’s center. Charlene Fugate will hopefully offer GED offerings there.

Highlights from college departments

Technology Solutions

Donna Roark, Chief Information officer, stated that recently transitioned to the Kentucky WIRED connection. It will give us a backup redundancy network in case of an emergency event. We are also upgrading all the phones across the board on all campuses implementing Webex. This offers us a redundancy with video conferencing. Putting a lot of thought into our backup plans or disaster recovery plans incase of a disaster. We continue to push Wi-fi out into the parking lots. We have not only college students, but high school and other university students utilize our Wi-fi in our parking lots.

Maintenance and Operations

Dr. Lindon shared that we have the active shooter training this spring on two of our campus sites. Ky State police was on campus today doing a walkthrough checking areas of safety concern and door entrance concerns. Facilities has a new scheduling system.

Dr. Lindon mention that there are several major construction programs going on. Projects 4.75 million for the infrastructure project at the Tech campus, mainly in Walter Prater building on the tech campus.

Working with Congressman Rogers for funding for a new ATC built on the Lees Campus where Jackson Hall is currently standing. The application is actually in Breathitt County School districts name for special appropriations to build a new area technology center that would be used by Breathitt and Jackson City Schools. Breathitt has also applied for abandoned mine lands funding.

Library Commons update. The new circulation has been installed under the sky lights.

Workforce Solutions

Despite the flood we went from 340 in Spring 2022 to 508 in 2023 through workforce training. Charlene stated she currently has 67 Ged students.

Marketing

Dakota Makers hired as the Coordinator of Public Relations. Dakota comes to us from WYMT as the host of the morning show. Working with workforce solutions in placing a CDL billboard on highway 80 and wrapping a box trailer for CDL

Advancement

Vocational Trades Association. Association use to build homes with technical students. The Association wasn’t to dissolve, so they forward all funds to the college for technical scholars. We have been able to award 3 scholarships.

Promise – first year tuition free – This is funded by COVID dollars.

There have been 74 students enrolled in forge your way forward.

Flood funding – This is money raised for student effected by the flood. 172 students and 17 faculty/staff were providing $500 each to assist with flooding.

Grants

Grants – we had over $4 million in grants funded so far this year.

Continuing to work with EDA on the second phase of funding for the Wolfe County Pine Ridge site. Plans are to expand our heavy equipment program to that area to assist with reclamation work.

Working on three Student Services department grants.

Also working with Big Sandy and Southeast to look at options and look at how we can handle whatever gets thrown at us. Highlands Medical has been really interested in us being able to offer radiography and maybe some nurse aide training.

Dr. Lindon stated that the Diversity Plan had been submitted. HCTC scored 25 out of 32. We got points taken off on our quantitative numbers.

Working on our online quality improvement initiative. We have always done online and done online well here at HCTC. But per the request of the Board of Regents, they really wanted to take a deeper dive into our quality of online education. KCTCS essential standards or KES training

Next on the agenda was the Presidents Evaluation. Chairman Weinberg asked the Board to review the evaluation form provided. Chair Weinberg reviewed the process with the Board. Dr. Lindon was asked if she would like to step out for a few minutes for the Board to discuss each standard. Chair Weinberg read each question. The Board discussed each question and determined a consensus/conclusion.

The Board thought that the most important contributions Dr. Lindon made that enabled the college to move forward during the past year was her ability to exhibit proactive leadership on behalf of HCTC with students, faculty, staff and community to deal with the 600-year flood event. She was able to raise funds to be provide to the students effected by the flood.

The Board thought a concern for Dr. Lindon to focus on for the 2023-24 academic year was to maintain stability and progress at HCTC in face of demographic challenges created by flood and systemic challenges in the KCTCS system statewide. There is a concern with so much unease at the system office.

Dr. Lindon was asked to return to the room. Chair Weinberg reviewed all remarks with Dr. Lindon. Chair Weinberg will pass along the President’s evaluation comments to KCTCS President

Dew Gorman moved, and Tom Eckert seconded the motion to go into executive session. The motion passed unanimously.

Executive Session occurred.

Chuck Davidson moved, and Tom Eckert seconded the motion to go out of executive session.

Chair Weinberg opened up the floor for possible dates for the next board meetings. August 24th and November 2nd was determined as fall dates.

Chair Weinberg as for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Chuck Davidson moved, and Dew Gorman seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted.

Dew Gorman, Board Secretary

Forwarded by Delcie Combs, Executive Administrative Assistant to the Board