The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, November 3, 2025, at 3:02 p.m., in The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Tillman Dining Room. Dr. Joe Barwick, Chair, presided.
In addition to Dr. Barwick, the following members of the Board participated: Theresa Banks, Michael Garrison, Matt Kern, Libby Kyles, Judy Lewis, Roger Metcalf, Anthony Penland, Frances Ramsey, Roger Reid, Ben Teague, Drew West, Glenda Weinert, and Robert Uhren, Ex-Officio. Himanshu Karvir was absent.
Others present for the meeting included: John Gossett, President; Deborah Bailey, Vice President, Economic and Workforce Development and Continuing Education; Amanda Edwards, Executive Director, College Advancement; Kerri Glover, Executive Director, Community Relations and Marketing; Cris Harshman, Vice President of Operations/CIO; Fairley Patton, Vice President of Student Services; Darryl Rhymes, Director, Employment & Employee Relations; Beth Stewart, Vice President of Instructional Services; Ashley Leonard, College Attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call to Order
At 3:02 p.m., Chair Barwick read the ethics statement. No conflicts were reported. Ms. Rice called the roll; a quorum was present.
Consent Agenda
At 3:03 P.M., Chair Barwick asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.
Dr. Weinert moved to approve Consent Agenda items: 1. A. October 6, 2025, Board Meeting Minutes; 1. B. October 13, 2025, Executive Committee Meeting Minutes; 1. C. Board Attendance Record 2024-2025; and 1. D. Personnel Actions. Mr. West seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Resolution/Action Item
2. A. Mr. Cris Harshman shared that a new policy and procedure called Electronic Records Retention has been created to outline how the College manages the retention and disposition of electronic records. The new policy and procedure follow North Carolina public records laws and comply with the official Records Retention and Disposition Schedule requirements for community colleges. A-B Tech is one of the first community colleges to get on board with Electronic Records Retention, which will become the responsibility of the College’s Data Governance Committee.
Chief Penland moved to approve Policy and Procedure 1014, Electronic Records Retention. Mr. Kern seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. B. Ms. Melissa Valko informed the Board that the College received permission from the State Auditor to extend the contract of our current auditor, Sharpe Patel, PLLC, by an additional year. Ms. Valko then asked the Board to approve the extension.
Mr. West moved to extend the contract with the College’s auditor, Sharpe Patel, PLLC, for an additional year. Mr. Teague seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. C. Ms. Valko shared that the General Assembly has passed mini budgets, allowing the College to create a budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. The College received enrollment funding and funds for increased insurance costs.
Several questions were asked, and Ms. Valko explained that Buncombe and Madison County budgets pay for capital expenses only and are not based on enrollment. Article 46 funds are included in the Buncombe County budget and not in state funds, and the fund balance is made up of several funding sources, including grants and unrestricted and/or unappropriated funds.
Mr. Teague moved to approve the budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. Chief Penland seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
2. D. Ms. Beth Green discussed the upgrades needed in the welding and CNA labs at A-B Tech Madison. The welding lab needs to expand into the current CNA lab area to accommodate other skilled trades programs such as Blacksmithing, Bladesmithing, Electrical, and Plumbing for both Continuing Education and Curriculum. Upgrades include lighting, electrical systems, ventilation, cleaning, and painting to ensure a safe and modern environment.
The CNA lab will be relocated to another classroom at A-B Tech Madison, which will also be upfitted to accommodate their needs.
Mr. Garrison moved to approve the 3-1 Capital Improvement Project for A-B Tech Madison. Ms. Ramsey seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Budget Update
3. A. Ms. Beth Green discussed Article 46 Funded Projects with the Board. Architects are completing drawings for several buildings on campus that have upgrades due. Work is projected to start in June 2026 and continue through September 2027.
3. B. Ms. Valko shared the State and County Budget as of September 30, 2025, with the Board. Overall, our expenditures are below the 25 percent point of where we are in the year. Expenses are tracked throughout the year, and adjustments are made to the budget manager’s accounts monthly to avoid negative fund balances.
Trustee Business
4. A. The Board discussed required attendance at meetings as well as the meaning of “justifiable” absences. The Board agreed to add language to Article 3, Section IV of the Constitution stating that if a Trustee misses 50 percent of the last ten meetings, or three meetings in a row, the Board Chair will notify the absent Trustee that they are in jeopardy of losing their seat on the Board. Ms. Ashley Leonard will amend the Constitution, and the Board will vote on changes during the December 1 meeting.
President’s Report
Dr. Gossett shared the following with the Board:
- We are one of two hundred community colleges to be nominated for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence! Congratulations to our staff and faculty for attaining this nomination.
- We continue to work on the Futures Factory and the EDA Grant. Even though the government is still shut down, our federal liaison has been able to work on the grant.
- Pell (federal financial aid) is still being processed, and funds are still being distributed from previously awarded federal grants.
- Ms. Michele Hathcock is leading a food drive for our students and employees on campus to help with food insecurity during the shutdown.
- Thank you for attending Autumn in Asheville. The evening was a huge success, and we are looking forward to seeing how much money was raised.
- Mr. Dean Shatley held a Trustee Orientation for two of our Trustees; it was an interesting morning.
- We are up 20 FTE for the fall, thanks to student services and the services they provide to our students.
- Thank you to instructional services for helping to retain our students as well.
- All first-time students must fill out a Residency Determination Service form to determine their in-state or out-of-state status for tuition and financial aid. Students must live in North Carolina for twelve months to be considered an in-state resident. Student Services delved into this and made phone calls to over 200 out-of-state students. This effort resulted in reclassifying 67 of those 200 students as in-state, saving them around $70,000 in expenses. This shows the amazing work and dedication of Dr. Fairley Patton and the Student Services team and how their efforts have a direct and positive impact on our students.
- Ms. Kerri Glover and the Community Relations and Marketing team won seven Medallion Awards in the recent National Council for Marketing & PR (NCMPR) annual contest. Congratulations to Ms. Glover and her team for promoting A-B Tech in our community and beyond!
- Finally, Dr. Gossett has been invited to participate with the Lumina Organization to talk about emergency readiness and the role community colleges play in getting our communities on the road to recovery.
SGA Report
SGA President Robert Uhren shared that it continues to be an exciting semester. Several new clubs and societies have chartered, and the Chess and Coding Clubs are restarting. Several events for students have been held on campus, including flowerpot painting, survival bracelet making, leadership training, a Well-O-Ween Health Fair, and an opportunity to have a free professional headshot taken.
Students are also involved with our community. The Nursing Club held a trick-or-treat event at the hospital, paramedics hosted a festival on A-B Tech Woodfin, and the Medical Lab Class offered free blood type testing at the health fair.
The SGA is also helping with Ms. Hathcock’s food drive and will place collection bins in several buildings on campus.
Staff Report
Ms. Bailey shared that last year, we pitched an idea to the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Conference and won funding for the Mobile Trades Lab for our plumbing program. We are pleased to announce that our first plumbing cohort in A-B Tech Madison just completed the program! NACCE invited us back this year to pitch another idea for the College. Ms. Bailey then introduced Mr. Marcus Blankenship, who pitched the Tiny House Construction Program and was awarded funding for his project:
Mr. Blankenship then shared the following pitch he made to NACCE with the Board:
- We have a shortage of skilled trade workers and a housing problem.
- Many homeowners are cost-burdened and pay more than half of their income on housing.
- People are seeking short-term pathways leading to a sustainable career.
- Our solution is to build a skills pipeline by offering a weekend-only Tiny House Construction Bootcamp, offering real-world experience in framing, roofing, wiring, and finishing work while building a functioning tiny house.
- The Tiny House program will train skilled workers to meet increased demand for construction labor and will support alternative housing solutions.
- Participating students will earn a state-recognized certificate in Construction Core Skills.
Mr. Blankenship then discussed a potential timeline to launch the project, partnership opportunities, the sustainability of the project, generating FTE for the College, the economic impact on our community, and how the project will strengthen the local economy. The next steps will be to secure funding and a facility large enough to build the homes in.
The Board thanked Mr. Blankenship for his presentation and enthusiasm for the Tiny House Construction Bootcamp, and suggested several local programs that could help.
Informational Items
The 2025-2026 Student Success Scorecard and Divisional Updates are included in the Board packet.
The next Board meeting will be on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. in The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality on the A-B Tech Asheville main campus.
Adjourn
At 4:38 p.m., Dr. Banks moved to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Kern seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary