Board of Directors May 2021 Meeting Minutes
May 13, 2021
Board Members Present:
- Ms. Charlene Harris, Chair
- Dr. Allison Cherry
- Ms. Kelly Johnson, Secretary
- Mr. Gary Napier
- Mr. Jonathan Arnett
- Ms. Alyssa Jones
- Mr. BJ Brown
- Mr. Marshall Todd
- Ms. Marsha Phelps
Board Members Absent:
- Phillip Duncan, Vice Chair
Call to Order
Chair Harris called the meeting of the Somerset Community College Board of Directors to order at 1:03 p.m. She welcomed everyone in attendance.
Minutes
Chair Harris called upon Secretary Johnson to present the minutes from the last meeting.
MOTION: Mr. Arnett moved that the Board approve the minutes of the January 28, 2021 meeting. Mr. Brown seconded the motion.
VOTE: The motion passed unanimously.
Chair Remarks
Chair Harris referred members to their agenda booklet to review the Summary Results of the Board of Directors Self-Evaluation. The book was mailed to Board members in advance of the meeting. Chair Harris praised members for working well together and asked for any questions regarding the results. With no further discussion Chair Harris called on Ms. Jill Meece, Vice President of Administration to present the 2021-2022 Operating Budget Request.
Action Item
Ms. Meece presented the 2021-2022 Operating Budget. The budget is 7.9% more than last year based on a decrease in forecasted revenue and increased use of prior year fund balances. Ms. Meece also stated that there is no plan to increase tuition rates at this time. In closing, Ms. Meece asked for the Somerset Community College Board of Directors to approve the 2021-2022 Operating Budget with the understanding that KCTCS may make modifications.
MOTION: Mr. Napier made a motion to approve the 2021-2022 Operating Budget. Mr. Arnett seconded the motion.
VOTE: The motion passed unanimously.
President's Remarks
Dr. Castle expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to update the
Board and introduced Kara Naugle the new assistant to the President’s Office. She replaced Janet Hatfield after her retirement. Dr. Castle began his report on the current COVID-19 status at Somerset Community College. Cases are declining, social distancing is changing, and restrictions are gradually being lifted on travel. More employees are returning to work and SCC hopes to be a little more normal come this summer and fall.
Dr. Castle discussed the budget. This year SCC has received multiple relief packages from the federal government due to COVID. This allowed SCC to use institutional funds to recoup some losses over the past year, it helped fund enrollment campaigns, and SCC plans to invest in technology, program development, recruiting, and retention. Most importantly the relief funds issued to SCC were used to assist SCC students.
Dr. Castle discussed enrollment efforts. Enrollment is down but our Marketing Team is working on a new campaign that allows new students to take one free class for the summer with SCC. The idea is to draw students in and let them see what we have to offer. They are also working on a campaign for fall but the details are still being discussed.
Dr. Castle discussed graduation and honors night. It was an excellent showcase of SCC’s most valued outcome and that is students. There were 1,212 graduates for the Class of 2021.
Dr. Castle discussed SCC’s plans to enter the 4DX process. 4Dx is four disciplines of execution that allow a large organization to focus on things they need to do most and still stay steady with day-to-day responsibilities. The main focus is increasing enrollment but the details are still being discussed.
Dr. Castle also discussed plans for SCC. SCC plans to implement clear pathways to enable student success and increase access and success to all SCC students. SCC plans to add programs, expand current programs, and implement curriculum changes. Academics and Workforce development are developing new programming to meet the needs of large companies. In the Arts and Sciences area, SCC continues to develop a flexible schedule to meet the needs of students, programs, and transfer partners.
Action Item
The SCC Board has a responsibility to annually evaluate Dr. Castle as President and CEO of Somerset Community College. Board members anonymously submitted a completed evaluation form to Chair Harris to compile the data using a weighted average in four categories. The summarization is required to be presented and discussed in an open meeting. Chair Harris presented the summarization of the evaluations to the Board.
Adjournment
Chair Harris announced the next meeting will be July 22, 2021. There being no further business, Mr. Arnett moved that the meeting adjourn.
The meeting adjourned at 2:05 p.m.
Date Approved by Board of Directors
7-22-2021
Charlene Harris, Chair SCC Board of Directors
Signature on file
Kelly Johnson, Secretary SCC Board of Directors
Signature on file
