President's Cabinet

July 2024

WKCTC Board of Directors Retreat
July 23, 2024 8:00 a.m. – Noon ETC 140

The WKCTC Board of Directors met for an informational retreat on July 23, 2024. Dr. Anton Reece opened the retreat with a welcome and introduced the new Student Representative of the Board, Patrick Sanders. Patrick is the Vice President of the Student Government Association and replaces Kat Byars, who will graduate in December and cannot fulfill her year's term of service on the Board.

Dr. Reece noted that this year’s Board retreat theme was “Navigating Transition: Charting New Paths.” He also stated that the retreat was informational, with no business conducted.

Chair Jay Simmons reviewed the retreat handouts, which included:

Board meeting dates for the remainder of 2024 through the summer of 2025
Updated contact information for the Board of Directors
Board Officer Positions and Election Process (October 2024 elections)
- Mr. Simmons and Mr. Bradley shared that they would be willing to serve in their respective offices for another term but are open to nominations from other members. An email will go out in early September requesting nominations for Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary.

The Board self-evaluated their performance as individual Board members and overall performance as WKCTC Board of Directors. Self-evaluation is a requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Inc. (SACSCOC), the accreditation agency for WKCTC. The self-evaluations were totaled and averaged; the results were 38.25 individually and 38.5 as a Board. The rubric for scoring is as follows:

40-35: Your board is an outstanding, well-operating machine! How do you ensure that?

34-29: Your board is in good shape—it needs some fine-tuning, but overall it does a good job! What areas require some attention?

28-20: Your board is doing okay, but you need to pay attention to some red flags. On which areas do you need to focus?

19-10: Your board may not be doing the best job to serve your college. What should be included in your improvement plan?

Retreat Activity 1- The Board divided into two groups to look at the “Top Twenty Truths for Effective Boards” and determine their most essential roles in the following categories:

BOARD/PRESIDENT RELATIONS

11. The Board supports the President, does not undermine her/his authority, and counters misinformed public criticism.

12. Board members refer all constituent concerns to the President.

13. Individual board members do not direct the President on what to do on any college-related decision, understanding that direction comes only from the entire Board.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

14. The Board builds a positive image of the college.

15. Board members do not speak to the press in any way that reflects negatively on their colleagues or the college.

16. No individual board member speaks for the Board except on matters where the Board has taken an official action.

17. Board members do not use their positions to further their political careers.

Both groups determined the highlighted areas as their key role in supporting the college and community.

Dr. Reece reviewed SJR179 and noted that items 3, 4, and 5 of the eleven priorities were the main discussion topics.

Academic programming and training offerings, including the quality of credentials and program relevancy;
A comprehensive statewide KCTCS workforce plan which may include financial and academic supports, comprehensive career counseling, and experiential learning elements;
The KCTCS geographic footprint, including but not limited to the need for mergers and consolidations;
Single system accreditation versus individual college accreditation;
Governance reform, including the KCTCS Board of Regents, and the college boards of directors;
The KCTCS funding model and its adequacy, including state appropriations, existing performance funding, the funding of the system office, and modern outcome-based funding structures;
Tuition rates, with a commitment to ensuring affordability and return on investment;
The personnel system for KCTCS employees;
Effectiveness and affordability of dual credit course offerings;
Transferability of associate's degrees to four-year institutions; and
Outdated or conflicting statutory language

Dr. Quarles and the KCTCS Cabinet will present recommendations to the KCTCS Board of Regents at their September 19-20 meeting.

Retreat Activity 2 – Vice President of Business Affairs Jennifer Tubbs presented a budget activity. The Board split up into two groups and were asked to answer the following questions:

What are the assumptions used to build the budget?
What are the three biggest expenses of the college budget?
What are the three biggest revenue generators for the college budget?

The two groups were knowledgeable about all three areas, and Jennifer expounded further. The activity prepared the Board for questions when voting on the annual budget in May 2025.

After a brief break, the Board was joined by the remainder of the WKCTC Cabinet to hear updates from their respective units.

Marketing and Communications - Whitney Walker – Branding
- How can the Board support?
  - Brand Ambassadors
  - Engage on Social Media
  - Leverage Community Connections
Campus Operations – Shay Nolan – Project Updates
- Paving and Sidewalks
- Clemens and Haws roof replacements
- Outdoor seating and Amphitheater shades
- Anderson Technical Building - Aviation
- Anderson Technical Building – Cosmetology
- Matheson Learning Resource Center – Tech Hub
Academic Affairs – Dr. Kate Senn – Program and area Updates
- Student Success
  - Retention
  - Tech Hub
  - New and Expanded Programs
    - Aviation Maintenance Technology
    - Cosmetology Enrollment
    - Prison Education Program
- Economic Development – Ashley Burns
  - Customizable to Industry needs
  - Licensure and Certification support
  - Meeting individual’s training needs
  - The Board’s role in Workforce Solutions
    - Connect
    - Champion
    - Schedule
    - Advocate
    - Refer
Advancement – Andy Wilson – Alumni and Regional Outreach
- National Trends
  - Younger donors and millennials
  - Interest in impact and outcomes
  - Increased regional and national alumni engagement
  - Corporate and Foundation part
  - Technology and innovation
  - Personalized donor experiences
  - Planned giving
  - Health and wellness
  - Crowdfunding and Peer-to-Peer fundraising
- PJC Foundation 2023-2024 total income $2,151,732
  - Gift income - $1,032,727
  - Programming - $121,726
  - Taxes - $997,279
  - Individuals – 117 Organizations – 42 Total Donors – 160
*Enrollment – Tammy Maines and Jennifer Tubb
- Cross-functional committee from multiple areas of student support working together for recruitment efforts
  - Summary of Summer enrollment
    - Up 4% in credential-seeking
    - Up 5.9% in total headcount/exceeding where we ended last year
  - Summary for Fall 2024 - Credential Seeking
    - Up .02% or 5 students
    - Up 28 URM (under-represented minority) students
    - Continuously enrolled: 56.9% of Spring 2024 are enrolled for Fall 2024
    - Last year's spring-to-fall retention ended at 59.9%
  - New students: down 17.3% from where we ended last fall
  - Returning students: down 24.3% from where we ended last fall
  - FTE (full-time equivalent) down .03%
- Summary for Fall - Total Headcount
  - We are up 5.7% or 172 students
  - We have not started enrolling for workforce
  - We are up 10 visiting students
  - We are up 136 high school students
  - We are up 1.9% in FTE (full-time equivalent)

*Enrollment numbers at the time of presentation

The retreat ended with lunch served in the Cyber Lounge.

Board members present were Gorman Bradley, Heather Coltharp, Kenneth Hurt, Barry McDonald, Chuck Murphy, Patrick Sanders, Jay Simmons, and Jessica West. Other attendees were Dr. Anton Reece, Ashley Burrns, Chase Durrance, Tammy Maines, Shay Nolan, Dr. Kate Senn, Jennifer Tubbs, Whitney Walker, Geelyn Warren, Andy Wilson, and Melissa Allcock, assistant secretary.