HCTC Board of Directors | HCTC

Leadership

HCTC Board of Directors

February 26, 2025
Minutes

Present: Chair William “Bill” Weinberg), Vice Chair (TEAMS), Dr. Larry “Bart” Francis (TEAMS), Secretary Dew Gorman, Chuck Davidson, Amelia Prater, Don Barnes, Charlene Fugate and Brian Blair

Guests: Lois Puffer (TEAMS), Dr. Jennifer Lindon, Dr. Deronda Mobelini, Delcie Combs, Dr. Ella Strong, Jackie Hall and Sandy McIntosh

Secretary Dew Gorman called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.  First action of business is the approval of the minutes of the November 7th meeting.  After the reviewing of the minutes of the board, Don Barnes made the motion to approve the minutes. Chuck Anderson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Swearing in of newly elected Board Member - Student Representative

Brian Blair was sworn in as the new Student Representative by Delcie Combs.

Action Items

By-laws and Code of Ethics approved with the changes. Chair Weinberg made the motion to approve. Charlene Fugate seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

2024-25 Annual Budget Needs Request - Jackie Hall, Acting Chief Business Officer, explained the process of how the Budget Needs List is decided. The budget needs list is emailed out in November to all faculty and staff, who then submit their needs to their PLT members. In January, the PLT members compile the submitted needs into one document, which is then ranked and rated by college representatives and the president's leadership team. The needs are ranked from 1 to 3, with 1 being the highest priority. These rankings are then compiled into a final list for review. The calculations and listings are verified by another person in the office to ensure accuracy before finalizing the document. The approval of the recurring and non-recurring budget needs list for the fiscal year 2026, we will focus on mandatory budget needs such as salary increases and insurance. Also highlighted that mandatory budget needs include salary increases, insurance increases, and a 3% reserve that must be held back. Recurring needs can be funded through new dollars, budget increases, revenue from new programs, reallocation of funds, grants, gifts, and salary savings from vacant positions. Non-recurring needs can be funded through fund balance and grants. Dr. Lindon added streamlining the process is in progress. Charlene Fugate entertained a motion to approve the budget needs list. Chuck Davidson seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Capital Projects – Dr. Lindon reviewed the capital projects for the upcoming biennium, including electrical and ADA renovations, roof replacements, and walkway improvements. Dr. Lindon outlined the priorities for the first biennium, including electrical and ADA renovations in Smith Building, ADA upgrades in the industrial education building, and walkway improvements at the Lees College campus. She also explained that they work with engineers and architects to come up with estimates, which are then reviewed by the facilities team. The legislature must approve projects over $1 million, and sometimes they may fund only a percentage of the requested amount, requiring the college to match the remaining funds. The importance of addressing safety issues, such as adding a guardrail in the parking lot to prevent accidents is always stressed. The motion was made by Don Barnes for this issue to be addressed rather sooner than later. Dew Gorman seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The motion was made by Chuck Davidson to approve Resolution 3. Charlene Fugate seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Presidents Report

Dr. Lindon discussed the current enrollment numbers and efforts to retain students, including the impact of recent natural disasters and the importance of maintaining tuition revenue. She reported that the college currently has approximately 2,645 students enrolled for the spring term. More enrollments are expected with 8 week classes yet to come. A Lineman class is starting with orientation to be held February 27th. CDL Classes to begin as well. March 31st is the deadline but enrollment is known to happen after that date. Flood relief efforts, including financial assistance for affected students and faculty, and collaboration with FEMA and SBA for additional support. The college is working hard to retain students by addressing both academic and non-academic barriers, such as providing electronic access to course materials for students who lost their belongings in the flood. Despite the challenges, the college's tuition revenue for the spring term is $287,677 ahead of the projected estimate. Financial Assistance awarded $23,500 in flood relief funds to 42 students and 5 faculty/staff members. The college has been working with local organizations and businesses to provide meals and other forms of support to those affected by the flood. Flood Relief application available online on HCTCs webpage along with resources in the community available as well. FEMA will be setting up on the Hazard campus to provide additional support to affected individuals. Small Business Administration (SBA) coming as well, also to be set up on the HCTC Campus. Black History Celebration was held on all 3 campuses with Panelists.  The event was hybrid for those to enjoy online as well. Other events in the near future such as a Spring Fling will be held. 

KY Adult Education Grant (3 year) has been submitted last week. March 20th is the date expected to have an answer if the Grant is received. We are hoping that all 7 counties of the HCTC region will be included. We submitted an Opiod Abatement Grant and we did receive a call back with further questions. This would focus on reentry training programs with jails and recovery centers.

We are working with Judge Exec. Scott Alexandar on a property has been purchased for a Bed and Breakfast. They would like to have a Culinary Arts Training program.  HCTC has been asked to deliver that program. This would be partnering with the county for a grant to outfit the kitchen for what is needed for proper training.  

Wolfe County project is still going. We have met with the architect, Jason Merrick and edited some drawings. He is working on the site certification. The building on the property will be owned by Pine Ridge Industrial Authority, we will lease out the section we will utilize. Programs that we hope to offer will be electrical, lineman, CDL, perhaps LPN. Electrical will have a solar component courtesy of a donor.

Strategic Planning: The upcoming development of a new strategic plan for the college, which will align with KCTCS's values, vision, and mission. SJR 132 (4 year) anything dealing with higher education, especially requiring dollars has been put on hold. SJR 179 is the restructuring of KCTCS. Things has been put on pause but in the next few months, there will be the chance it will comeback around to discuss.

Aspen Prize Metrics - Lois Puffer, Dean of IEPR/Title III Project Director, reviewed the college's performance on key metrics related to the Aspen Prize, including success rates in gateway courses, retention rates, and graduation rates. We have monitored a few things: We attribute these increases to our Tutors/Coaches/Peer Mentors.

    • English Success Rates: the success rate for English 101 increased from 72% to 75% from fall 2023 to fall 2024.
    • Math Success Rates: The success rate for Math 146 increased from 60% to 64% from fall 2023 to fall 2024, and the success rate for Math 150 was 77% in spring 2024.
    • Retention Rates: The fall-to-fall retention rate for first-time students was 64%, the highest among peer institutions.
    • Graduation Rates: The three-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time students ranked fifth among peer institutions.

Nuclear Medicine has been added to the curriculum, which is the only one in the state.

Open Discussion: The participants discussed various topics, including the impact of the flood on students' ability to access online classes and potential solutions to address this issue. Access Issues: There were challenges faced by students in accessing online classes due to the flood, with around 30 students reported to have difficulties. Dew Gorman brought up the idea of setting up mobile command units with internet access to help students continue their studies despite the lack of power and connectivity at home.

Dew Gorman asked for someone to make the motion to adjourn the meeting. Don Barnes made the motion. Charlene Fugate seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted.

Dew Gorman, Board Secretary

Forwarded by Sandy McIntosh, Senior Administrative Assistant

 

7:24 pm