Hazard Community and Technical College Board of Directors
February 22, 2024
HCTC Technical Campus
Minutes (November 9, 2023)
Present: Chair William (Bill) Weinberg, Tom Eckert, Don Barnes, Charlene Fugate, Chuck Davidson, Derrick Bowling, Robert Higdon, Amelia Prater, & Dr. Larry (Bart) Francis
Guests: Dr. Jennifer Lindon, Dr. Ella Strong, James King, Judge Alison Wells, Vandi Bowling, Fitz Steele, Stu Fugate, Delcie Combs, Dakota Makres, Bryan Swafford, Linda Patrick & Alicia Lucas
The meeting began at 5:30 PM with dinner being served.
Afterwards, the meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by Chair William (Bill) Weinberg.
Don Barnes approved the minutes from the Board of Directors Meeting held on August 24, 2023. The motion was seconded by Tom Eckert.
Outgoing Board Member Tom Eckert was recognized and presented with a plaque for his years of service to the HCTC Board of Directors.
New HCTC Board of Directors members Don Barnes (Faculty Representative), Robert Higdon (Student Representative) and Derrick Bowling (appointed by the Governor) were officially sworn in by Perry County Judge Alison Wells.
Director Bryan Swafford and Program Facilitator Linda Patrick made an Upward Bound Presentation to the Board.
Bryan Swafford-
The Upward Bound program currently serves students enrolled at Cordia and Buckhorn High Schools.
Bryan highlighted that HCTC has specific Math/Science credits for Upward Bound students. A grant is currently in place for a total of 60 students, but the program presently serves 63 students.
Upward Bound personnel are in schools weekly to assist students with academic and financial mentoring, college and FAFSA application help, as well as test prep, such as for ACT/SAT testing.
Linda Patrick-
Linda shared that Upward Bound has a student ambassador program that performs community service projects, such as animal shelter/Hospice care/Veteran donations.
The Peer-4 Leadership Program of Upward Bound takes students on college visits, such as a recent trip to upstate New York. This program has seen many high school students graduate with an associate degree while simultaneously graduating from high school.
50% of the students enrolled at Buckhorn and Cordia High Schools participate in the Upward Bound program.
97% of graduates who participated in the Upward Bound program during high school have enrolled in a post-secondary institution.
“Reality Day” is an event that gives Upward Bound students a day in the life of a college student. Students sit in on English, math, and science courses. They are also presented with a challenge to overcome, whether it be with Financial Aid, scheduling, etc., forcing them to pay a visit to the appropriate college department to remedy the situation.
Upward Bound has a six-week summer program for grades 9 – 12 on the HCTC Campus. During that time, the Challenger Center provides them with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) Activities. It is also during the summer program that the group goes on educational/cultural trips, to places such as Disney World, Kings Island, New York City, and Cincinnati.
PRESIDENT’S UPDATES:
Dr. Ella Strong-
Graduate Profile Academy: 3 out of 4 employers have difficulties finding employees who are recent college graduates with the essential soft skills needed for success in the workplace. HCTC is committed to teaching 10 essential skills (effective communication, critical thinking, etc.) as part of its curriculum to help solve this problem.
SACS-COC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) Visit: HCTC had a peer team review in September. The college received zero recommendations from the accreditation board for the four local high schools utilized for courses.
Winter Term: HCTC’s Winter Term will begin November 11th and last through January 7th, 2024. A winter term gives students the option to lighten their academic load for the upcoming spring semester. Courses for the winter term are typically 100% online.
Reentry/Recovery Programs: These programs assist individuals currently incarcerated or in drug rehabilitation programs to recover and/or re-enter the workforce. HCTC has partnered with Perry County Fiscal Court, the Lee Adjustment Center, the HOPE/HDA Program, Beacons of Hope, & Hickory Hills in this effort. Due to the newness of this initiative, the program needs assessment so that HCTC can tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of employers.
HURON: The firm recently completed an audit on many processes and procedures within KCTCS. Academically, four areas were reviewed for program optimization. Those areas included Program Inventory Management, Program Offerings & Enrollments, Faculty Credit Hour Production, and Section Enrollments. This assessment will help HCTC look at current programs offered and decide whether to keep, add, or suspend certain programs.
Dr. Jennifer Lindon-
Fall Celebrations:
During the month of September, HCTC had successful SACS-COC visits for the college’s Off-Campus Instructional Site and Substantive Change Reviews, where no recommendations were received.
HCTC completed a successful JCERT Accreditation Review for its Radiography Program.
HCTC was named 1 out of 150 Top Community Colleges out of 1,000 by the Aspen Institute and is eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize. Also in the running are Southcentral, Madisonville, Gateway, Ashland, and West Kentucky.
The Telford Foundation visited the Lees Campus and Wolfe County in October and will be awarding us an additional $114,000 to be used at those sites.
HCTC reported to the Lees Inc. Foundation Board in November. The Board will continue to provide scholarships to students in the Lees Campus service area, as well as allotted $200,000 for renovations there.
A Prison Education Program Coordinator has been hired to assist students enrolling in Spring/Fall 2024 semesters from the Lee Adjustment Center.
There are currently 15 students enrolled in our Construction Technology Re-Entry Program at the Tech Campus.
We have held many student/staff/faculty events such as our Fall start-up meetings, back-to-school bashes, Spirit Week, Trail of Enchantment, Chili Cook-Off, Pumpkin carving, Costume contests, and the Bluegrass and Gold Leaves Event.
HCTC was awarded $1 million from ARC/DLG to expand our Heavy Equipment Program.
The Department of Education awarded $2,250,000 for a Title III Grant.
Pine Ridge Industrial Authority awarded HCTC $2 million for a training site in Wolfe County.
The Ready-To-Work and Veteran’s Affairs programs, as well as the Business Office recently completed successful audits.
HCTC exceeded both its fall enrollment and revenue goals, putting us over/above the fall tuition estimate by $46,790. The headcount goal was exceeded by 194 students.
The Forge Your Way Forward Program has proven beneficial to our students and to HCTC. From Fall 2021 to Spring 2023, the college paid just over $85,000 to cover balances of 92 students, which brought in over $444,000 in tuition, creating a return-on-investment of $359.028.78. The 92 students affected earned a total of 65 credentials. Currently, 55 students are enrolled.
Updates:
The UK Center of Excellence is working on implementing a paramedic program through UK and is working with accreditation boards and the Kentucky Board of EMS.
Dr. Ella Strong is researching a Wastewater Management Program and the possibility of partnering with a 4-year institution to provide a Bachelor’s Degree.
The Huron Study is on-going throughout the KCTCS system, and, as a result, the system office is experiencing some restructuring to create more autonomy. It is also creating new job titles and pay bands.
In December, the Board of Regents will vote on a new faculty salary increase scale to be used in the promotion process.
HCTC is due to receive preliminary findings from SR-98 on November 13, 2023.
Chair Weinberg asked to go into Executive Session. The motion was moved by Derrick Bowling and Chuck Davidson seconded.
Executive Discussion:
Distinguished Service Award discussion.
Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 22, 2024, at the Technical Campus.
Chair Weinberg asked to adjourn the meeting. Don Barnes made the motion to accept. Derrick Bowling seconded
