February 8, 2024, Agenda and Minutes | GCTC

Board Meetings

February 8, 2024, Agenda and Minutes

Board of Directors Meeting

Convening Center, Room B123
500 Technology Way, Florence, KY 41042
Thursday, February 8, 2024, 6:30 p.m.

Agenda

  1. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/MOMENT OF SILENCE/ROLL CALL
    Chair John Baines called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance and observed a moment of silence. Roll call was taken. All board members were present. The record will reflect that a quorum was present.
  2. MISSION MOMENT
    Dr. Figueroa introduced Brittany Roberts. Roberts is a Gateway student currently enrolled in our medical assisting program. She works in the DEI office and helps with student events and engagement. Brittany obtained her Phlebotomy certification at Gateway in the Fall 2023 semester. She said that she worked in restaurants and retail locations for several years but decided to look for opportunities with better hours and salary. That led her to enroll at Gateway. She has overcome significant life challenges and wants to show her children that her struggle is not her story. By obtaining a degree she will be self-sufficient and will be the role model she wants to be for them. Gateway has helped her to find assistance when she needed it and supported her in her classes.
    Board members congratulated and thanked her. Chair Baines thanked her for bringing her daughters tonight because they are interested in and excited about college.
  3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
    Chair Baines asked for any comments or discussion about the November board meeting minutes. There being none, he called for a motion to approve the minutes from the November 30, 2023, meeting. Upon motion by Haley Anderson, and seconded by Larry Brown, a vote was taken to approve the November 30, 2023, minutes as presented. The vote was unanimous to approve.
  4. COMMITTEE REPORTS
    1. Finance and Facilities Committee Chair Erik Hermes said that the committee met this year and has another meeting scheduled. Work on the FY25 budget is moving forward.
  5. CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT
    Chair Baines shared insights from a recent talk he attended at an Ohio community college. Baines said Gateway is more direct about examining and addressing the things that need to be improved. Gateway takes a better approach than some colleges, in allowing all areas of the organization to be subject to study and discussion. He has a new appreciation for what Gateway is doing, especially relative to other community colleges.
  6. PRESIDENT’S REPORT
    Dr. Figueroa invited several Gateway staff members to give updates. Dr. Teri VonHandorf shared current enrollment data. She said that Gateway expects to see another 40 or 50 students enroll before the end of the semester and that the total will be above the headcount goal. Overall expectations include a 4% headcount growth over the spring 2023 semester, a 4.8% increase in dual credit students, and a 5.7% increase in credential seeking students. This is the fourth consecutive term of exceeding the enrollment target. In response to a question about the larger KCTCS colleges in Lexington and Louisville, VonHandorf said they are also seeing an increase in enrollment, primarily driven by dual credit classes.
    At Dr. Figueroa’s invitation, Paul Tontillo shared the revenue and expense driver numbers for the spring semester. The revenue outlook is $255K above budget, and the expense outlook is $455K less than budget.
    Dr. Figueroa introduced the new Vice President of Advancement, Tess Burns. She was previously at Learning Grove and Great Parks. She is a Gateway graduate. She said that she is happy to be back at Gateway in this capacity.
    Amy Hatfield, Vice President of Human Resources, gave an update on Dr. Figueroa’s presidential priority of safety and security. She said that one of the challenges of being an open institution is that all buildings welcome the public at all operating hours. The safety and security team was recently moved to Hatfield’s supervision, and these are some of the planned and implemented changes:
    • Reorganize campus safety teams.
    • Update emergency operation plans.
    • Increase employee safety training opportunities.
    • Raise awareness of the availability and application of the Behavioral Intervention Team.
    • Conduct security assessments and safety inspections.
    • Address inspection recommendations such as creating a safety coordinator role and making lab updates.
    • Security upgrades – Rekey, upgrade access and monitoring system, replace cameras and radios, Sheriff’s deputy onsite. Physical Security upgrades & investments
    Dr Figueroa gave highlights of the first few months with Dr. Quarles as the new KCTCS President. Dr. Quarles is seeking to redesign the system office structure around the priority of benefiting the sixteen colleges. Dr. Quarles has met with every legislator in the state, establishing new lines of communication with the legislature and the colleges. He has hired Derrick Ramsey and Shannon Rickett in leadership roles.
    Dr. Figueroa spoke about a meeting that Dr. Quarles arranged for the college presidents and four of the KY legislature leaders, who expressed their vision of the role they want KCTCS to play in the state. They are looking at middle skill jobs and how KCTCS colleges can provide education for those jobs. Middle skills jobs need to be defined and their location in the state specified. There are expectations for a second version of Senate Joint Resolution 98 that was introduced last year. Dr. Figueroa believes it is an honest conversation that will develop into a comprehensive strategy. The college presidents want to move forward with relevance in the state.
    Dr. Figueroa shared the KCTCS state budget requests. There are three request categories – operational dollars for inflation and insurance cost increases, KY TRAINS funding for companies to obtain customized training through the colleges, and scholarship funding through Work Ready and dual credit funding in the budget. Discussion about the TRAINS funding centered on answering what happens when the funding runs out and would the same training have been possible without the funding. When TRAINS went from 25% to 50% paid by the companies, the training contracted and delivered was cut in half.
    Dr. Figueroa will be in Frankfort tomorrow with a field trip of the Gateway LEAD team. It is an introduction to state representation and government. They are scheduled to meet with several legislators and attend a session.  They will also tour the KCTCS system office, which not all employees have an opportunity to visit.
    Dr. Quarles has arranged groups of college presidents to meet with legislators from their caucuses on three scheduled dates in Feb. and March. He will visit each of the colleges individually after the legislative session is complete. There will be a luncheon to meet with board members and community members.
    Dr. Figueroa presented some takeaways from Janet Harrah’s presentation to the board in November 2023 and the BeNKY Annual Forum in early 2024. As local populations change and grow there will be more stress on the education system. Employers will need to think more in terms of housing, education, transportation, and food security. The Economic Leadership company presented the BeNKY information, saying that NKY is in good shape now, but cannot be complacent and stay competitive. Companies looking to move to an area rely on partnerships with the local community and technical college to provide workforce programs. To attract workers, the area business sectors need to create a network of employers looking for similar competencies. BeNKY is the new name of Tri-ED. Regions move at the speed of TRUST. Gateway is already established as a partner in economic, community and workforce development initiatives in NKY. Gateway maximizes its resources and footprint by aligning with partners that expand the impact on these initiatives and by working with business partners to develop programs they need.
    Discussion followed about KY FAME’s launch in 2013. Gateway was seen as a service provider, but it has evolved to a trusted partner. Gateway and the Gateway board have the most potential to have an impact in career navigation. At the April 11th board meeting, the college strategic plan will be reviewed with an opportunity for board input on how Gateway is leveraging its strategic plan to optimize the college impact.
  7. ADJOURNMENT
    Chair Baines called the meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m.

Important Dates to Remember              

Board Meetings 2024:

  • April 11 
  • May 23
  • September 5
  • October 24 - Annual Meeting
  • December 12

Commencement 2024 - May 9