The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, November 2, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. in the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality. Roger Metcalf, Vice-Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were also present: Himanshu Karvir, Libby Kyles, Judy Lewis, Max Queen, Frances Ramsey, and Cheyane Verran. Trustees Joe Brumit and John Parham participated via Zoom. Trustees Nian Avery, Theresa Banks, Wayne Brigman, and Ron Edgerton were absent.
Others present for the meeting included: John Gossett, President; Terry Brasier, Vice President Student Services; Amanda Edwards, Director of the Foundation; Kerri Glover; Executive Director of Community Relations and Marketing; Anne Oxenreider, Director of Research and Planning; Beth Stewart, Vice President Instructional Services; Brian Willis, Vice President Information Technology/CIO; Dirk Wilmoth, Vice President Business and Finance/CFO; Deborah Wright, Vice President Work Force Development and Continuing Education; Darryl Rhymes, Associate Director, Human Resources and Special Assistant to the President for Equity and Compliance; Chris Campbell, College Attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call To Order
Vice Chair Metcalf read the ethics statement. No conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Rice called the roll, a quorum was present.
Swearing In
At 3:03 p.m., the Honorable J. Calvin Hill, Senior Resident District Court Judge, swore in new Trustees Ms. Libby Kyles and Mr. Himanshu Karvir to the Board.
Consent Agenda
Vice Chair Metcalf asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.
Mr. Kern moved to approve Consent Agenda items: 1. A. September 24, 2020, Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, 1. B. October 5, 2020 Board Meeting Minutes, and 1. C. Personnel Actions.
The motion to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Ms. Lewis. Trustees Brumit and Parham each verbally approved the Consent Agenda. The motion passed unanimously.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Dr. Beth Stewart informed the Board that the Administration recommends terminating the Fire Protection Technology Program due to failure to attract adequate enrollment. Students who are interested in pursuing management in a fire department may enroll in the Public Safety Administration Program. The Public Safety Administration Program provides knowledge and skills in the technical, managerial, and administrative areas necessary for entrance or advancement within various public safety and government organizations.
Mr. Queen moved to terminate the Fire Protection Technology Program. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kern. Trustees Brumit and Parham each verbally approved to terminate the Fire Protection Technology Program. The motion passed unanimously.
2. B. Dr. Wilmoth stated that the Administration is asking the Board to amend the 2020-2021 Schedule of Fees by extending the $35 Student Activity Fee to all students who are enrolled for at least one curriculum credit hour course regardless if the course is online, in person, offered during the day or evening, and would apply to all campuses. Due to the pandemic, close to 75 percent of our Curriculum students are taking all online classes and are no longer paying this fee. This has created a deficit in the Student Activities Fund. The fee is used to cover the expense of one and one-half positions in student services, student enrichment activities, club expenses, health clinic supplies, ID card printing supplies, and other student support activities.
The Trustees discussed financial obstacles for our students and the fairness of charging the same flat fee to a student who takes one credit hour as to a student taking sixteen credit hours. The Trustees suggested a tiered approach instead of a flat fee.
Mr. Kern moved to amend the 2020-2021 Schedule of Fees. The motion was seconded by Ms. Ramsey. Trustees Metcalf, Parham, and Ramsey approved the motion. Trustees Brumit, Karvir, Kyles, Lewis, and Queen opposed the motion. The motion to amend the 2020-2021 Schedule of Fees failed.
Mr. Queen then moved to table the discussion on amending the 2020-2021 Schedule of Fees until the December 7 Board Meeting to give staff time to review a tiered funding system. The motion to table the Schedule of Fees discussion was seconded by Mr. Karvir. Trustees Brumit and Parham each verbally approved tabling the Schedule of Fees. The motion to table Item 2. B. passed unanimously.
Trustee Business
3. A. Vice-Chair Metcalf stated that the company formerly known as Project Ranger is Pratt & Whitney. The College’s involvement with Pratt & Whitney will be further discussed in the closed session.
President’s Report
Dr. Gossett shared the following information with the Board:
- He has been in several meetings with Buncombe County regarding the new A-B Tech Training Facility requested by Pratt & Whitney. The Facility will consist of 20,000 square feet of instructional space and will cost approximately $5 million. We expect to work closely with Pratt & Whitney on training all of their new employees.
- The Administration continues to focus on the mental health of our faculty, staff, and students. Faculty and Staff have access to EAN (a free Employee Assistance Network) and students have access to free health services on campus.
- Professional Development day was October 20. The College offers over 5,700 different professional development courses from which employees may choose. Faculty and staff were given the day to participate in professional development opportunities pertinent to their positions or to learn something new.
- EdNC and the CEO of MyFutureNC visited the College to discuss the statewide initiative of gaining two million credentials by the year 2030.
- The first virtual Autumn in Asheville was a fun and successful event! Many thanks to all of the donors to the College.
- A virtual team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) performed a substantive fifth-year review of our processes. The College had one recommendation that was quickly remedied. We are excited that the visit went so well!
- Dr. Gossett is participating in “Chair Training” with SACSCOC so that he will be able to Chair a visiting review team. This is an excellent opportunity to review another College and to hold them to the same standards that we hold A-B Tech.
- The Executive Leadership Team is participating in Racial Equity Training, which continues into January 2021.
- The Foundation Board participated in a similar visioning process that our Board did during the September Board Retreat. It will be good to have the Foundation’s point of view in the strategic planning process.
- Dr. Gossett continues to meet as many students as possible and has attended a Student Government Association meeting with Ms. Verran.
- He is thankful and honored to be the President of A-B Tech!
Staff Reports
5. A. Ms. Anne Oxenreider continued the discussion on the Strategic Planning Process as a follow-up to the Board Retreat. The Strategic Planning Process is a five-year comprehensive plan that correlates with SACSCOC objectives. The College is currently in the 2020 planning phase, and this fall a “needs statement” will be developed by the Strategic Planning Committee. In 2021, the plan will launch, and the College will pursue funding for the set mission and goals. Leadership retreats, Board Self-Evaluation, and a review of the College’s mission take place in 2022. Additionally in 2022, the College will kick off the SACSCOC-required QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan). The QEP is a document developed by the College that (1) includes a process identifying key issues emerging from institutional assessment, (2) focuses on learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution, (3) demonstrates the institutional capability for the initiation, implementation, and completion of the QEP, (4) includes broad-based involvement of institutional constituencies in the development and proposed implementation of the QEP, and (5) identifies goals and a plan to assess their achievement. By 2023, we will be writing our review, and in 2024, we host SACSCOC for our ten-year review.
Ms. Oxenreider and Dr. Stewart also discussed the 2020 Performance Measures for Student Success with the Board. Performance Measures are a system devised by the community college system office that sets the bar for excellence. A-B Tech students have performed below the system average but above the baseline for performance measures. Fortunately, the system office can pinpoint the students are that are struggling, so we can identify the cohorts, dig into the data, and make improvements. A-B Tech is nationally recognized for our PathWays project, which is a set schedule for students who wish to complete a two-year degree prior to attending a four-year university. The College will help our struggling students, and new programs will be forthcoming to address the issues.
5. B. Dr. Beth Stewart then discussed the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLET) with the Board. In response to what is happening with police departments nationwide, the College has redesigned the BLET program focusing on ethics and de-escalation training methods. All of the College’s programs are tightly controlled by state regulators, and today we will focus on the BLET and Criminal Justice programs.
Dean Clint Gorman shared that the College offers initial certification training in Emergency Medical Services, BLET, and Criminal Justice. Virtually every emergency vehicle you see in Buncombe and Madison Counties has a former A-B Tech student in it. The College is very proud of this.
Mr. Jeff Augram shared the following basics of BLET with the Board. The BLET program is regulated in Raleigh and includes a minimum of 640 hours of training. Students must be U. S. citizens and at least 20 years old. Criminal history checks go back to the age of 16, and a felony conviction disqualifies a student from the program. Students must also have a physical exam and a sponsor. Cultural diversity is number one on our agenda.
This year a program called EPIC (ethical policing is courageous) was offered. Ethical scenarios were created for students to address and interact with, and cadets went into the field to engage with the community.
Sarah Benson, a retired captain from the Asheville Police Department is the Chair of the Criminal Justice Department. Ms. Benson shared that the Criminal Justice Department recruits students from Asheville and Buncombe County high schools. Although these students are not old enough to get into BLET, they are encouraged to start with the Criminal Justice program, and then if sponsored, transfer into the BLET program. Constitutional law is the building block for the Criminal Justice program. Additionally, courses are taught in Criminal Law, Juvenile Law, Civil Liability, Ethics, and criminal justice issues, where students look at the issues and challenges that law enforcement faces every day.
Every Police Officer must go through the BLET program to be certified, and A-B Tech Woodfin has worked nonstop throughout the pandemic. These are the College’s heroes in Woodfin, and they will be featured in a WLOS Heroes Work series on November 4.
Closed Session
At 4:30 p.m., Ms. Ramsey moved that the Board of Trustees enter into a closed session pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) (1) and (3) in order to discuss confidential personnel matters pursuant to G.S. 115D-27-29 and to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege.” Mr. Kern seconded the motion.
On a motion properly made, the Board returned to Open Session at 5:20 p.m.
Open Session
Mr. Queen moved to approve the temporary and permanent easements for Dominion Gas, for the full value of the Dominion appraisal, as well as an indemnity agreement on any potential environmental issues. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kern. Trustees Brumit and Parham each verbally approved the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Kern moved to approve the negotiating authority regarding the economic development initiative with the County for a College workforce training center as presented in the closed session. Mr. Karvir seconded the motion. Trustees Brumit and Parham each verbally approved the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Handouts
Vice Chair Metcalf mentioned that the State and County Budget Report as of September 30, 2020, the October Tracking Measures Scorecard for 2020-2021, and the 2020 Performance Measures for Student Success were in the Handouts.
The next Board meeting will be on December 7, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. in the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts.
Adjourn
On a motion made by Mr. Kern, seconded by Mr. Queen, the meeting adjourned at 5:23 p.m. unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary