The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 3:05 p.m., in The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Tillman Dining Room. Dr. Theresa Banks, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board participated: Joe Barwick, Tommy Justus, Himanshu Karvir, Matt Kern, David King, Judy Lewis, Roger Metcalf, John Parham, Frances Ramsey, Jason Walls, and Mariana Flores, Ex-Officio. Joe Brumit, Michael Garrison, Libby Kyles, and Roger Reid were absent.
Others present for the meeting included: John Gossett, President; Deborah Bailey, Vice President of Economic & Workforce Development and Continuing Education; Shanna Chambers, Vice President of Human Resources; Amanda Edwards, Executive Director of College Advancement; Kerri Glover, Executive Director of Community Relations and Marketing; Cris Harshman, Interim Vice President of Information Technology; Fairley Patton, Acting Vice President of Student Services; Beth Stewart, Vice President of Instructional Services; Dirk Wilmoth, Vice President for Business and Finance/CFO; Darryl Rhymes, Director, Employment & Employee Relations; Ashley Leonard, College Attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call to Order
At 3:05 p.m., Chair Banks read the ethics statement. No conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Rice called roll; a quorum was present.
Consent Agenda
At 3:06 p.m., Chair Banks asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.
Mr. Karvir moved to approve Consent Agenda items: 1. A. April 1, 2024, Board Meeting Minutes; and 1. B. 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 although the schedule of fees for the coming year was approved during the February 8 Board meeting, additional changes need to be added due to recent increases in supply costs.
Dr. Justus moved to approve the Adjustments to the 2024-2025 Schedule of Fees. Ms. Lewis seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. B. Dr. Wilmoth explained that due to a recent change in state law, the College is requesting permission to seek approval from the State Board to increase its delegated authority for capital projects from $500,000 to $2,000,000. The changed law means that the State Construction Office will no longer have oversight responsibilities for projects under $2,000,000 which will result in faster project completions at a lower cost.
Mr. Kern moved to Request an Increase in the Construction Delegated Authority. Dr. Justus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. C. The College is also requesting permission to use $1.5 Million of its General Assembly-allocated State Capital and Infrastructure Funds to upgrade and expand its outdated security systems on all campus locations. The upgraded security system will be integrated with our new door access control system which allows our Police Department and Emergency Operations Center to have campus-wide monitoring abilities.
Dr. Parham moved to approve a College-Wide Security Systems Upgrade and Expansion. Mr. King seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. D. Dr. Wilmoth shared that the College is required to actively pursue collection of outstanding student debt for a minimum of 365 days. The debt is then placed with the Department of Revenue for another 365 days, and once the debt is over three years old, the College asks the Board of Trustees for permission to “write off” the debt as an asset on our books. The debt is still a liability to the student, and the College continues to try to collect the owed funds.
Mr. Kern moved to Authorize the Removal of Overdue Student Accounts. Mr. Walls seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. E. The Board reviewed the proposed budgets for fiscal year 2024-2025 for both Buncombe and Madison Counties. The College is asking for an increase of 3.5 percent from the Buncombe County Commissioners, as well as a currently unknown amount of funds to pay for a new custodial contract (the contract is currently out to bid). The College did not ask for a budget increase from the Madison County Commissioners.
Mr. King moved to approve the proposed budget for Buncombe County, and Dr. Parham seconded the motion. Dr. Justus moved to approve the proposed budget for Madison County, and Ms. Ramsey seconded that motion. Both motions passed unanimously.
2. F. The Buncombe County Board of Education (BCS) is expanding the Early and Middle College’s footprint on the A-B Tech Asheville main campus by occupying additional space in the Birch Building. Therefore the current lease agreement must be amended. BCS pays for all security and upkeep for their section of the Birch Building.
Ms. Lewis moved to approve the Third Amendment to the Interlocal Governmental Joint Use and Lease Agreement for the Birch Building. Dr. Barwick seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. G. Dr. Stewart discussed a new College policy and procedure called Generative Artificial Use. The policy and procedure have been created to outline the expectations for students and employees while using Artificial Intelligence, as well as any derivative technologies such as machine learning and large language models responsibly, ethically, and in compliance with all regulations.
The Board discussed the policy and agreed to minor changes in the procedure prior to approving both.
Dr. Parham moved to approve the Generative Artificial Use Policy and Procedure with changes. Mr. Walls seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Dr. Stewart thanked the Board and invited them to attend an AI Chair Symposium on July 18 at 8:30 a.m. in the Ferguson Auditorium. The Symposium will provide an overview of all that AI can do, including a discussion on ethics and concerns.
Trustee Business
3. A. Dr. Banks read the Presidential Evaluation survey timeline to the Board and asked all members to participate in this important process.
3. B. Trustees were encouraged to attend the May 11, 2024, Commencement Ceremony.
3. C. The June 3, 2024, Board Meeting will be held on the A-B Tech Asheville main campus.
President’s Report
Dr. Gossett discussed the draft State Board of Community Colleges Code 1C SBCCC 300.5: Presidential Reelection Process, with the Board. The code states that the Board of Trustees must request that the State Board of Community Colleges approve the reelection of its college president whether by renewal or extension.
Dr. Gossett discussed the potential State Board code with the Trustees at length. The number one duty of the Board of Trustees is to elect the president of their college, pending final approval of the State Board.
Dr. Gossett then shared the following with the Board:
- Graduation is in the air, and there are several pinning ceremonies both this week and next.
- Ms. Ginger Frank, owner and creator of Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn is the Commencement speaker this year.
- The Emergency Operations Team has met and is prepared for any and all contingencies during the May 11 Commencement Ceremony.
- The House and Senate are in the process of staggering Board appointments for all 58 community colleges in North Carolina.
- We look forward to announcing our thoroughly vetted new Vice President of Student Services soon!
- The College has created a “Sophia deCordova You Make a Difference Award.” Ms. deCordova (also known as A-B Tech's "Sticky Note Fairy") founded a project that anonymously spread affirmations on sticky notes across campus.
SGA Report
SGA President Mariana Flores shared that she would remain SGA President for the 2024-2025 academic year! The SGA has been spending time getting students ready for Commencement, and our graduates are grateful for the opportunities that the College has given them.
The SGA threw a party for all graduates, and gave all leftover goodies to students studying in the tutoring lab.
Several new clubs will be started next year which is a great opportunity to get students back on campus.
Master Plan Presentation
Mr. Kyle Kirkwood and his team from McMillian, Pazdan, and Smith (MPS) joined the Board meeting seeking input from the Trustees, the Foundation Board, members of the Buncombe County Commissioners, and the public regarding their vision for the College for the next ten years. MPS shared data on population trends, socioeconomic trends, census, demographics, space utilization and scheduling, programmatic growth, and facility assessments.
The Board engaged with the MPS team at length reiterating the importance of extending the College’s presence beyond our campuses. Mr. Kirkwood shared that the team is just getting started and will continue to seek input from all stakeholders and employees of the College.
Closed Session
At 4:50 p.m., Mr. Kern moved that the Trustees enter closed session pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11under subsection (a) (3) to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege, and under subsection (a) (5) to discuss the acquisition of real property.” Mr. King seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
At 5:28 p.m., Dr. Parham moved to return to the Open Session. Mr. Kern seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Handouts
The State and County Budget Report as of March 31, 2024, Divisional Updates, and the 2023-2024 Student Success Scorecard are in the Handouts.
The next Board meeting will be on Monday, June 3, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. at The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality.
Adjourn
Ms. Ramsey moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Ms. Lewis seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary