The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, August 7, 2023, at 3:05 p.m., in The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Tillman Dining Room. Mr. Matt Kern, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board participated: Theresa Banks, Joe Barwick, Michael Garrison, Tommy Justus, David King, Libby Kyles, Judy Lewis, Roger Metcalf, John Parham, and Frances Ramsey. Joe Brumit, Himanshu Karvir, and Jason Walls were absent.
Others present for the meeting included: Dr. John Gossett, President; Terry Brasier, Vice President of Student Services; Amanda Edwards, Executive Director of College Advancement; Kerri Glover, Executive Director of Community Relations and Marketing; Beth Stewart, Vice President of Instructional Services; Brian Willis, Vice President of Information Technology; Dirk Wilmoth, Vice President of Business and Finance/CFO; Deborah Wright, Vice President of Economic & Workforce Development and Continuing Education; Chris Campbell, College Attorney; Darryl Rhymes, Director, Employment & Employee Relations; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call to Order
At 3:06 p.m., Chair Kern read the ethics statement. No conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Rice called roll; a quorum was present.
Swearing In
At 3:08 p.m., reappointed Trustees Theresa Banks and Matt Kern were sworn into the Board of Trustees by Judge Jacqueline Grant.
Consent Agenda
At 3:11 p.m., Chair Kern asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.
Dr. Parham moved to approve Consent Agenda items: 1. A. June 5, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes with changes; and 1. B. Personnel Actions.
The motion to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Mr. King. The motion passed unanimously.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Dr. Beth Stewart described the changes made and asked the Board to approve the following new and updated policies and procedures:
- Policy 202: Academic Regulations.
- Policy 203: Assignment of Course Level and Credit
- Policy 207.05: Program Life Cycle
- Policy 207.07: Distance Education and Alternate Modes of Instruction
- Policy 216: Commencement Participation Policy and Procedure
- Policy 218: Study Abroad Programs
Dr. Justus moved to approve the new and updated policies. Mr. King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
2. B. Ms. Dana Moore discussed the 2024-2025 Academic Calendar with the Board. Ms. Moore shared that annually, the Calendar Task Force, Deans, members of Student Affairs, representatives from local high schools, and many other stakeholders meet to create the Academic Calendar for the following year. Spring break is scheduled for the week before Easter. The 2024-2025 Academic College Calendar remains in compliance with the North Carolina Community College System’s mandated twelve paid holidays per year.
Ms. Lewis moved to approve the 2024-2025 Academic College Calendar. Dr. Parham seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
2. C. Dr. Wilmoth informed the Board that the North Carolina General Assembly has yet to approve the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget, and asked the Board to authorize the College to pay state-funded salaries and other ordinary expenses of the College for the interval between the beginning of the new fiscal year and the adoption of the budget resolution by the Board.
Dr. Justus moved to approve the Continuing Budget Resolution. Dr. Barwick seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Trustee Business
3. A. Chair Kern asked the Nominating Committee to present their nominations for Chair, Vice Chair, and Board Secretary for 2023-2024. Mr. King shared that the Committee met and made the following recommendations: Dr. Theresa Banks as Chair, Mr. Jason Walls as Vice Chair, and Ms. Carolyn Rice as Board Secretary.
Chair Kern asked the Board for any nominations from the floor and there were none. ; Chair Kern then asked for a motion to approve the slate of candidates as presented. Ms. Kyles abstained. The motion passed by a majority vote.
3. B. Mr. King then stated that members of the Executive Committee would remain as Ms. Ramsey and Mr. Karvir.
Chair Kern asked the Board for any nominations from the floor and there were none. Chair Kern then asked for a motion to approve the members of the Executive Committee. Ms. Kyles abstained. The motion passed by a majority vote.
3. C. Chair Kern asked the Board if anyone other than himself would like to attend the 2023 NCACCT Leadership Seminar on August 30. Chair Kern will be the College’s sole representative.
President’s Report
Dr. Gossett shared the following with the Board:
- The rumor out of Raleigh is that the General Assembly will vote on the budget next week.
- Our Culinary Hot Foods Team did very well at the American Culinary Convention in New Orleans.
- Workforce and Collaboration was the topic of the President's Association quarterly meeting. The System Office wants to see increases in graduation and transfer rates and to increase completion rates.
- Unfortunately, many Americans are starting to believe that a college degree isn’t worth the cost.
- The Executive Leadership Team will meet on August 10 to discuss what the future of A-B Tech will look like. So many things have changed since the pandemic, and the College can’t continue as status quo.
- Enrollment will be the topic of the Staff Report during the September 11 Board meeting. We will have definite enrollment numbers by that date.
- The College has convened a task force to investigate the results of our Performance Measures. The task force is delving into how students are counted and coded for taking math and English classes.
- Our students continue to tell us that they want College to be Fast, Flexible, and Fun. They also want to see people that look like them attending.
Staff Report
ChatGPT provided the following summary of Mr. Willis’s Artificial Intelligence discussion:
Mr. Brian Willis provided an overview of A-B Tech's engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT during the discussion. AI encompasses machine learning, such as predictive text on mobile devices that anticipate the next word in a text message. ChatGPT takes this concept to a broader scale by comprehensively processing vast amounts of internet-based information and retaining it.
A pertinent concern for the College revolves around issues of plagiarism and dishonest practices, spanning applications, reports, examinations, and similar contexts.
Conversely, there exist positive prospects for the College to harness AI in creating an exhaustive repository encompassing all essential student-centric information, paralleling the existing Student Services database. The effective utilization of AI necessitates a proactive approach. Faculty members have the opportunity to request AI-generated lectures or presentations, subsequently fine-tuning the content to align with their instructional requirements. An additional asset lies in AI's impartial nature, capable of objectively evaluating paper content for grading purposes.
Noteworthy achievements of ChatGPT encompass its capability to achieve passing scores in exams such as the bar exam, LSAT, and MCAT, and its proficiency in 95 languages. It is adept at transforming visual diagrams into comprehensive reports.
A looming aspect of AI's trajectory is its potential impact on professions reliant on intellectual labor. Roles centered around data analysis and interpretation could be at stake. Importantly, the imminent automation drive also unlocks the potential for increased interpersonal interactions, liberating individuals from mundane tasks.
With the goal of responsible usage, robust policies and procedures will be formulated to govern AI and ChatGPT applications. Notably, the use of ChatGPT by students is deemed academic dishonesty, and the initial implementation of policies will be within the framework of the Student Handbook.
Closed Session
At 4:29 p.m., Dr. Justus moved that the Board of Trustees go into closed session pursuant to G.S. § 143.318.11 for the following purposes: under subsection (a)(1) to prevent the disclosure of privileged or confidential personnel information pursuant to G.S. § 115D 27-29; under subsection (a)(3) to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege, and under (a)(5) to discuss the acquisition of real property. Dr. Barwick seconded the motion.
At 5:31 p.m., on a motion properly made, the Board returned to Open Session.
Handouts
Chair Kern thanked the Board for his last two years as Chair, saying he enjoyed it! Divisional Updates, and the State and County Budgets as of June 30, 2023, are in the Handouts.
The next Board meeting will be on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts.
Adjourn
On a motion properly made, the meeting adjourned at 5:33 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary