The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, October 2, 2023, at 3:03 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, Joe Brumit, Michael Garrison, Himanshu Karvir, Matt Kern, David King, Libby Kyles, Judy Lewis, Roger Metcalf, John Parham, Frances Ramsey, Roger Reid, Jason Walls, Ryan Adams-Clark, Ex-Officio. Tommy Justus was absent.
Others present for the meeting included: John Gossett, President; Deborah Bailey, Vice President of Economic & Workforce Development and Continuing Education; Terry Brasier, Vice President of Student Services; Shanna Chambers, Vice President of Human Resources; 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 for Business and Finance/CFO; Darryl Rhymes, Director, Employment & Employee Relations; Chris Campbell, College Attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call to Order
At 3:03 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 3:05 p.m., Chair Banks asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda.
Mr. Brumit moved to approve Consent Agenda items: 1. A. September 11, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes; and 1. B. Personnel Actions.
The motion to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Mr. Walls. The motion passed unanimously.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Ms. Deborah Bailey informed the Board that the Economic and Workforce Development / Continuing Education Internal Program Accountability Plan has been updated and must be reviewed by the Board every three years. The plan complies with State Board Code 1D-300.4(a) and ensures that all Continuing Education classes are valid, credible, and accurately reported.
Dr. Parham moved to approve the Economic and Workforce Development / Continuing Education Internal Program Accountability Plan. Ms. Lewis seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
2. B. Dr. Wilmoth discussed the Negative Fund Balance Report as of June 30, 2023, with the Board. The College has two unintended negative fund balances. First is the Student Financial Aid (SFA) Institutional account which consists of unallocated student account receivable balances resulting from Federal financial aid reversals. The second is in Machining Technology. This negative balance is a result of departmental “p-card” (purchase credit card) expenses exceeding revenue collected for student fees.
The debt in the SFA Institutional account will be pursued through the Department of Revenue. The Machining Technology debt is currently being addressed. Dr. Wilmoth assured the Board that the College has approximately $20 million in cash equity and that there are more than enough funds to cover any negative fund balances.
Mr. Kern moved to approve the Negative Fund Balance Report as of June 30, 2023. Mr. Walls seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Ramsey thanked Dr. Wilmoth and his team for all their hard work!
2. C. Dr. Wilmoth informed the Board that the College had two Bank Reconciliation delays. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, there were two months of non-compliance when it took over 30 days to reconcile the months of August and April. Upon research, it was discovered that the bank ACH return notifications were not being sent to the correct contact person. This issue has been resolved.
During April, the Business Office experienced turnover in an accounting role causing a delay in identifying reconciliation items. Accordingly, procedures have been put in place to cross-train employees to ensure daily banking functions are performed during employee turnover.
Mr. Garrison moved to approve the Bank Reconciliation Delays. Ms. Ramsey seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Swearing In
At 3:17 p.m., the Honorable J. Calvin Hill, Senior Resident District Court Judge swore in newly appointed Roger Reid and reappointed SGA President Ryan Adams-Clark, ex-officio, to the Board.
Mr. Reid was welcomed to the Board, and Ms. Adams-Clark was welcomed back!
Trustee Business
Dr. Banks thanked Dr. Wilmoth and his team for taking care of the College while Dr. Gossett was out. She also shared that the Board is glad that Dr. Gossett has returned to the College!
President’s Report
Dr. Gossett shared the following with the Board:
- The North Carolina General Assembly has passed a budget that includes a four percent raise across the board for all employees, as well as recurring funds for basic skills and early childhood training.
- The General Assembly included changes to local board selections in the budget. Governor Cooper is asking the courts to determine if the changes are constitutional.
- We look forward to seeing you at Autumn in Asheville next Thursday, October 12.
- State Board Chair Tom Looney was on campus last week to participate in the College’s Western Community College’s Leadership Academy.
- ELT is planning for a smaller budget next year. A final budget will be presented to the Board as soon as possible.
Dr. Barwick stated that the Community College System was based on three foundational principles: an open-door policy, to be fully integrated, and to have local control to appoint board members. The General Assembly is fundamentally changing how community colleges have been operating since 1963.
Performance Measures
Dr. Gossett discussed the 2023 Performance Measures for Student Success with the Board. Performance Measures are:
- The community college system's primary state accountability report.
- Required by the legislature.
- Used to inform colleges and the public on the performance of our college.
- The basis on which state performance funding is awarded to colleges.
- Measured by the following:
- Basic Skills Progress
- College-Level English and Math Success
- First Year Progression
- Completion
- Licensure and Certification
- University Transfer
- The College performed below average/above baseline in Basic Skills Progress, College Level Math Success, and First Year Progression.
- The College is above average in Licensure and Certification and University Transfer.
- College Level English Success and Completion performed below average.
- The College is committed to raising our Performance Measures scores and has implemented the following:
- Performance Measures Task Force – who will dig into the numbers.
- Post-Exam Evaluations – to make sure students are doing well.
- Pathway Project – to make sure students are on the right track to a university.
- Counterbalance Project – specifically targets underserved students with extra help.
- Aviso/Watermark Student Support Software – which alerts the College when a student isn’t performing well.
Staff Report
Mr. John Bradley, the Administrator for Information Security, discussed the required Annual Information Security Program Report (2022-2023) with the Board. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) requires institutions that provide loans (Federal Financial Aid) to explain their information-sharing practices to their customers and to safeguard sensitive data.
The College abides by and has made several updates to the Federal Trade Commission’s Safeguard Rule that protects the public from deceptive and unfair business practices. The IT department has developed a written risk assessment limiting and monitoring who can access sensitive customer information, encrypted all sensitive information, developed an incident response plan, and implemented multi-factor authentication for any individual accessing customer information.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has implemented a Cyber Hygiene Services tool that includes risk assessment. It is also mandatory that the College participates in these services.
The College received a State and Local Cyber Security Grant which is a federal initiative to improve internet security postures. The grant will be used to mitigate cybersecurity risks and cybersecurity threats at A-B Tech.
Mr. Bradley concluded by assuring the Board that the current processes the College has in place should alleviate any damage from a cyber-attack.
SGA Report
Ms. Adams-Clark shared that the Fall Festival was a great welcome back event and over 900 students participated, which is a record! The SGA held an Activity Day and a Wellness Fair where students were able to get a flu shot if they desired. Students are interested in chartering unaffiliated clubs this year, and we look forward to seeing the interest that additional club options will bring. The SGA will continue to promote outside fundraising opportunities for our community and our students.
Handouts
Divisional Updates are in the Handouts.
The next Board meeting will be on Monday, November 6, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality.
Adjourn
On a motion properly made, the meeting adjourned at 4:24 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary