The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 3:00 p.m., in The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality. Mr. Matt Kern, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board participated: Theresa Banks, Joe Barwick, Joe Brumit, Michael Garrison, Tommy Justus, Himanshu Karvir, David King, Libby Kyles, Judy Lewis, Roger Metcalf, John Parham, Frances Ramsey, Jason Walls, Ryan Adams-Clark, Ex-Officio.
Others present for the meeting included: Dr. John Gossett, President; Terry Brasier, Vice President of Student Services; Shanna Chambers, Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development; Amanda Edwards, Executive Director of College Advancement; Kerri Glover, Executive Director of Community Relations and Marketing; 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; Darryl Rhymes, Director, Employment & Employee Relations; Ashley Leonard, College Attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call to Order
Chair Kern read the ethics statement. No conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Rice called roll; a quorum was present.
Consent Agenda
At 3:04 p.m., Chair Kern asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.
Dr. Metcalf moved to approve Consent Agenda items: 1. A. January 30, 2023, Executive Committee Meeting Minutes; 1. B. February 2, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes; and 1. C. Personnel Actions.
The motion to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Ms. Lewis. The motion passed unanimously.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Dr. Wilmoth stated that the Governmental Accounting Standards Board requires the College to actively pursue the collection of outstanding student debt for a minimum of 365 days following the Debt Collection Guidelines of the State. The student debt is then placed with the Department of Revenue. Once the debt is three years old, the College requests permission from the Board of Trustees to “write off” the debt from its books as an asset. The debt continues to be noted on the student’s account and collection efforts by the College will continue.
Mr. Brumit moved to remove overdue student accounts from the College’s books as an asset. Mr. Karvir seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
2. B. Dr. Gene Loflin shared that the College is attempting to align our 2024 Spring Break with that of the three local school systems, and asked the Board to move Spring Break back one week to April 1-6, 2024.
Mr. King moved to revise the 2023-2024 Academic College Calendar. Dr. Banks seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Trustee Business
3. A. Chair Kern asked the Board to please let Ms. Rice know if they would like to attend the March NCACCT Law-Legislative Seminar in Raleigh.
3. B. The Board agreed to hold an all-day Retreat at the Holiday Inn Asheville Biltmore West on April 20, 2024.
President’s Report
Dr. Gossett shared the following information with the Board:
- Senators Mayfield and Daniels have filed for a five-year extension on Senate Bill 807 which allows Buncombe County to build and oversee construction on the campuses of A-B Tech.
- The College hosted Senator Ted Budd’s representative Mr. Tyler Teresa on campus. Mr. Teresa was interested in learning more about the community college industry.
- The purchase of 111 Victoria Road will be presented to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on March 7.
- Dr. Gossett and Dr. Brasier met with Dr. Kim Gold and her staff regarding the results of the FTE Audit. Dr. Gold understands the College’s position and we should hear back from Raleigh within the next two weeks.
- ELT held a day-long retreat to discuss the budget and ways the College can become more effective and efficient. We made great strides and will bring details to the Board at the April meeting.
- We continue to see an inordinate amount of stress and burnout among our employees on campus. We are hoping to offer grief counseling as part of our Professional Development opportunities.
- Thank you for attending the opening of A-B Tech’s Certified Nursing Assistant classroom at ABCCM’s Transformation Village. The Transformation Village is an excellent place for women who need help to go and allows residents to receive job skills training while there.
- Meetings have taken place with UNC Asheville’s Interim Chancellor Van Noort, and Western Carolina University’s Chancellor Kelli Brown to discuss our partnerships and the continuing seamless transfer of A-B Tech students to the Universities.
- Thank you to Ms. Libby Kyles who served on a panel at the College for Black History Month!
- Our award-winning culinary team leaves for Kansas City this week to participate in a regional competition.
Staff Report
Dr. Gene Loflin discussed the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Improvement Act with the Board. Dr. Loflin shared the following information:
- Perkins is a federal program designed to improve and enhance CTE curriculum programs.
- The purpose of the Perkins Act is to develop the academic knowledge, technical, and employability skills of our students.
- Perkins funds are applied every four years and are used to help populations with disabilities, economic disadvantages, single parents, unemployed individuals, English learners, homeless individuals, youth who have aged out of the foster care system, and students whose parents are members of the armed forces.
- A comprehensive needs assessment is conducted every two years to determine what the College needs to make a difference.
- Six areas must be addressed with Perkins funds: Career Development, Faculty Professional Development, Student Skills for a high wage in-demand occupations, support of the integration of academic skills into CTE programs, activities to support student achievement, and the evaluation of the planned activities.
Dr. Loflin concluded by sharing that five percent of Perkins funds are set aside for administrative costs, such as high school outreach.
SGA Report
SGA President, Ms. Adams-Clark shared that there has been a larger-than-usual turnout for student events this spring. Many clubs have new chairs and are coming up with new ideas to get students involved. The Manna Foodbank Day was a highly attended event, and students are enjoying learning etiquette once a month with the Culinary department.
The A-B Tech student Blood Drive will be held on April 13, and plans are underway for Earth Day on April 19.
Handouts
Divisional Updates, the State and County Budget Report as of January 31, 2023, and the February 2023 Student Success Scorecard are in the Handouts.
The next Board meeting will be on Monday, April 6, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality.
Adjourn
Prior to adjourning, Chair Kern asked Dr. Gossett to look into Asheville Police Department training at A-B Tech Woodfin and asked Board members to support the culinary department by participating in the Thursday culinary luncheons.
On a motion properly made, the meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary