May 2020

West Kentucky Community & Technical College
Board of Directors 
May 12, 2020 2:00-4:00pm
Microsoft Teams

I. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Chair Kelley, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.  Mr. Kelley announced that due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Board of Directors meeting was being held virtually and being recorded.  He instructed the board members to use their camera and microphone during roll call and voting. Board members present were Heather Coltharp, Summer Holland, Larry Kelley, Dennis Lacy, Barry McDonald, Chuck Murphy, Donna Pearson, Chris Roty, Dr. Anton Reece, and Melissa Allcock, assistant secretary.  Campus faculty and staff logged into the Microsoft Teams Meeting include Dr. Renea Akin, Janett Blythe, Bridget Canter, Lee Emmons, Susan Graves, Dr. Tyra Henderson, Octavia Lawrence, Shay Nolan, Kevin O’Neill, Emily Peck, Dr. Kate Senn, Clay Ryckert, Ruby Rodgers, Gentry Patterson, and Dan Sheppard. 

II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

A motion was made by Mr. Chuck Murphy and seconded by Mr. Chris Roty to approve the minutes of the March 3, 2020 meeting. Motion passed.

III. CHAIR’S REPORT

Chair Kelley gave a summary of the annual Board evaluation of Dr. Anton Reece.  Mr. Kelley read comments from the board members in various evaluation categories, which resulted in Dr. Reece exceeding expectations for his leadership at WKCTC.  Mr. Kelley expressed his appreciation on behalf of the board for Dr. Reece’s leadership, especially during the uncertain times of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Dr. Reece expressed his thanks and appreciation to the board for their support and direction.  He noted his leadership takes a team and thanked his Cabinet and campus leaders for their support.  Dr. Reece also expressed his thanks to the students for their ability to adjust during this difficult time.  The evaluation concluded with a full support acknowledgment from the board for Dr. Reece’s continuing leadership at WKCTC.  The Board evaluation will be forwarded to Dr. Jay Box at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS).

IV. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Covid-19 Updates 

Campus Re-opening – Dr. Renea Akin and Shay Nolan 

Dr. Akin stated that WKCTC had submitted a campus reopening plan to KCTCS. The plan is both comprehensive and specific in certain areas. WKCTC will be closely monitoring the Kentucky Healthy at Work website.  During phase one of the reopening campus plan, students will be allowed to complete their laboratories and clinicals they weren’t able to complete during the spring semester. The completion will be in accordance with the guidelines that are specific for each industry. 

Shay Nolan reported that preparations to reopen campus are underway.  Extensive cleaning has been ongoing. Once there is a reopening date for phase one, there will be limited access to certain areas on campus.  There will be sign-in sheets for those accessing campus as well as a self-check system in place. WKCTC has masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer supplies ready for the reopening phases.

Janett Blythe, Marketing and Communications Director, stated that once a reopening date has been established, her team would be sending out news releases, posting information on the website, and social media. 

Graduation Ceremonies – Janett Blythe

Janett Blythe reported the spring and fall 2020 WKCTC graduation ceremonies would be combined and held on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at the Carson Four Rivers Center.  A survey will be conducted among the spring graduates to see how many plans to return for the ceremony.  When the survey results are calculated, a determination will be made on whether there will be one or two ceremonies on December 19th. A video was released congratulating the spring graduates, and yard signs were placed in front of the campus congratulating all 2020 graduates from all locations. The 2020 Honors ceremony will be a virtual tribute released at noon on May 20th.

Enrollment – Emily Peck

Emily Peck gave a comparison report between fall and spring credential seeking, students for 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years as well as a total headcount for the timeframe.  In regards to credential seeking, we had a total decline of 5% year over year and a less than 1% decline in total headcount year over year. Currently, the overall headcount for summer 2020 is down by 22% from 2019. For fall 2020, there is currently a 20% decline in overall enrollment from the fall of 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly affected enrollment numbers, and every effort is being made to recruit and encourage enrollment.

Kevin O’Neill reported that Workforce Development has been meeting with the career centers and the chambers to identify recently laid-off employees to help meet the needs of returning them to the workforce.

2020-2021 Budget Proposal– Susan Graves

Susan Graves stated the proposed budget didn’t have a lot of changes from the previous year.  Susan reviewed the revenues reporting the unrestricted grant funds were increased due to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) funds of 2.4 million dollars.  Half of the CARES funding will go to the students to cover areas such as housing, technology, medical expenses, and childcare.  The student’s expenses must be related to the interruption of Covid-19. The other 1.2 million will go to the college to offset the Covid-19 related expenses. Also, there will be a possible five dollar per credit hour increase in tuition for the 2020-21academic year. 

Susan asked the board to approve the 2020-21 budget as presented.  

Mr. Kelley called for a motion to approve the budget.  Mr. Chuck Murphy made a motion to approve the budget, and Mr. Barry McDonald seconded.  Motion passed.

Chief Academic Officer Search Update – Bridget Canter, HR Director

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO)position update was presented by Bridget Canter.  Bridget reported the search committee had narrowed the search to four candidates. Those candidates went through the second round of virtual interviews.  Hopefully, those four candidates will be brought to the campus in the first week of June if the Governor’s office allows more campus activities. It is important to bring the candidates to campus to tour and interview with a small number of faculty and staff while maintaining social distancing and engaging safe practices. The goal is to offer a candidate the position and, if accepted, have them on staff by mid-July or the first of August.

Other

Dr. Renea Akin reported that all summer general education courses had been moved to the online format.  The lecture portion of technical courses with labs has been front-loaded to the first part of the term and the labs later in the term in case a return to campus for students is delayed. For the fall term, three committees have been appointed to look at what the fall term may look like and scenarios for guidance if classes remain in the online format.

Dr. Akin and Dr. Kate Senn addressed challenges students and faculty had in quickly moving from in-person to online classes when the campus closed due to Covid-19.  Many of the faculty were already teaching online classes, and the transition went well. The students had challenges with technology and Internet connections.  

V. Adjournment

Chair Kelley thanked everyone for their attendance and adjourned the meeting at 3:16 p.m.