February 4, 2021 Agenda and Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, February 4, 2021, 6:30 p.m.
Blackboard Collaborate Audio and Video Conference
Board Members Present
- Ms. Morgan Arnold
- Mr. John Baines
- Mr. Charles Coleman
- Mr. Sam Collier
- Mr. John Hayden
- Mr. Erik Hermes
- Mrs. Ruth Howell
Board Members Absent
- Mr. Larry Brown (present at the beginning)
- Mr. David Schoenling
- Mr. Charles L. Session, Jr.
Gateway and KCTCS Faculty and Staff Present
- Ms. Julie Althaver, Director of Development
- Mr. Mike Baker, Director of Maintenance & Operations
- Ms. Paula Barnes, Workforce Development Liaison/Project Manager
- Mr. Matt Bunning, Manager of Safety and Security
- Ms. Amber Carter, Dean of Health Professions Medical Assisting Program Coordinator
- Ms. Jane Frantz, Executive Assistant, President’s Office
- Dr. Fernando Figueroa, President/CEO
- Dr. Denise Fritsch, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness
- Ms. Christi Godman, Associate Vice President, Workforce Solutions
- Ms. Mallis Graves, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
- Ms. Amy Hatfield, Associate Vice President, Human Resources
- Ms. Adrijana Kowatsch, Vice President Development and External Relations
- Mr. Patrick Lamping, Assistant Director, Marketing and Communications
- Ms. Erica Marye, Assistant Director, Marketing and Communications
- Mr. Steve McGuire, Senior Instructional Designer/Developer
- Mr. Doug Penix, Associate Vice President for Academic Services
- Ms. Melissa Sears, Director of Information Technology
- Mr. Paul Tontillo, Director of Budget & Fiscal Services
- Dr. Teri VonHandorf, Vice President, Academic Affairs & Provost
- Ms. Ingrid Washington, Vice President for Student Affairs
- Mr. Jamie Younger, Vice President, Administrative & Business Affairs
Guests:
- Mr. Brent Cooper, President and CEO NKY Chamber of Commerce
Agenda
- Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance/Moment of Silence/Roll Call
- Board Chair John Baines, called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m. The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance and observed a moment of silence. Roll call was taken. The record will reflect that a quorum was present.
- Mission Moment
- Dr. Figueroa introduced Mr. Brent Cooper, President and CEO NKY Chamber of Commerce.
He is a past board member and serves on the Foundation board now. Mr. Cooper spoke
about his connections with the people on the board. He shared that the NKY Chamber
is one of the top three chambers in KY and is engaged with Lexington, Louisville,
and the state chamber to work through the pandemic. The NKY Chamber is championing
the workforce for economic development, and Gateway is engaged at every step, along
with the business community. GrowNKY is a Chamber initiative that improves work-based
learning experiences in NKY and includes five pillars for improvement of the region.
All areas needed in the economic ecosystem are things that
Gateway is engaged with.
Mr. Cooper said that Gateway plays a critical role for Northern Kentucky’s success. He offered thanks to the board and college on behalf of the business community. He encouraged people to get involved in efforts in the region. He hopes there will be further investments by the state in education.
Mr. Charlie Coleman asked if the Convention Center will expand into the IRS site. Mr. Cooper said that 3rd Street will be extended through the site, and there will be a modified expansion of the Convention Center.
- Dr. Figueroa introduced Mr. Brent Cooper, President and CEO NKY Chamber of Commerce.
He is a past board member and serves on the Foundation board now. Mr. Cooper spoke
about his connections with the people on the board. He shared that the NKY Chamber
is one of the top three chambers in KY and is engaged with Lexington, Louisville,
and the state chamber to work through the pandemic. The NKY Chamber is championing
the workforce for economic development, and Gateway is engaged at every step, along
with the business community. GrowNKY is a Chamber initiative that improves work-based
learning experiences in NKY and includes five pillars for improvement of the region.
All areas needed in the economic ecosystem are things that
- Approval of Minutes
- Chair Baines called for a motion to approve the minutes from the December 10, 2020, meeting. Upon motion by Mr. Charlie Coleman, and seconded by Mr. Erik Hermes, a vote was taken to approve the December 10, 2020, minutes as presented. The vote was unanimous to approve.
- Committee Reports
- Finance and Facilities Committee – Mr. Hermes
Mr. Hermes reported that the Finance and Facilities Committee met with Mr. Jamie Younger, Vice President Administrative & Business Affairs, about the Six-Year Capital Plan approval process and the plan. The resolution to approve it will be voted on today. He asked Mr. Younger to present a summary explanation. Mr. Younger reviewed the background, criteria, and topics which cover three biennial periods between 2022 and 2028. Upon approval by the Gateway board, this will be sent to the system office of KCTCS. The system office ranks the projects for all 16 colleges, submits the list to the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). CPE then presents the list to the KY legislature for the biennial that will be decided in January 2022.
The projects in the Six-Year Capital Plan are roof replacement at the Edgewood campus in 2022-2024; upgrade of safety, security, and student ID technology in 2022-2024; renovation at the Edgewood campus in 2024-2026; and new construction at the urban campus Transportation Technology Center in 2024-2026.
Following a brief discussion and review of the resolution document, Mr. Hermes made a motion to approve. It was seconded by Mr. Charlie Coleman, and the Resolution 01-2020-2021 Six Year Capital Plan was unanimously approved as presented and distributed. - Strategic Planning Development Committee – Mr. Collier
Mr. Sam Collier reported that the committee met on January 20, 2021 with Dr. Figueroa, Mr. Younger, and Dr. Fritsch. Mr. Collier said that PowerPoint slides were sent in the meeting materials email sent to board members. The five planks of the strategic plan of the college are measured and reported to the committee. Any questions or comments on the information that was shared should be submitted to Mr. Collier.
Gateway is in the third phase 2016-2022 of the plan. Much of the data that is reported in the key performance indicators document is given to Gateway, and there is not a lot of control over when the data is made available. The committee is working on requests to shift to more real-time data and use color coding in the report.
- Finance and Facilities Committee – Mr. Hermes
- Board Member Spotlight
- Chair Baines introduced the new board member spotlight agenda item that will allow board members to get to know one another on the virtual platform. Mr. Larry Brown was scheduled as the first featured board member. Because of technical difficulties, Mr. Brown was not able to stay connected to the meeting. He will present at the April meeting and hopefully nominate a second board member to present at the April meeting.
- Chairperson's Report
- Chair Baines spoke about the call to action from the previous meeting and a follow-up
email asking for contributions to the Gateway Foundation Annual Fund. There is 70%
participation of the board, and the goal is 100%. Mr. Baines said that any amount
will count and will help.
Mr. Baines said that the board can’t do full campus tours, and he proposed smaller informal get-togethers for the purpose of getting to know each other. The first would be the week of February 22, with a gathering at Hotel Covington, which would not count as an official meeting as no business items would be discussed. The attendees would tour the TIE building if interested. More information will be communicated.
- Chair Baines spoke about the call to action from the previous meeting and a follow-up
email asking for contributions to the Gateway Foundation Annual Fund. There is 70%
participation of the board, and the goal is 100%. Mr. Baines said that any amount
will count and will help.
- President’s Report - Dr. Figueroa
- Dr. Figueroa asked Dr. Teri VonHandorf to update the board on new programs and the
most recent enrollment numbers. Dr. VonHandorf shared that the Paralegal Technology
program is in process. A faculty member/program coordinator was hired, and leadership
expects everything to be ready for classes to begin in August 2021. The paramedic
to RN program arose from conversations with St. Elizabeth. They requested and Gateway
developed an accelerated program of 12 months to an RN degree, based on credit for
prior learning. It will be likely to launch in August 2021. Some of the paramedics
have been taking pre-requisite classes to be ready to enroll in the program. The Kentucky
Board of Nursing determines how many students can be enrolled, and there is a limitation
of eight students per group because of clinical instructor assignments. Applications
have not opened yet but will open very shortly.
Enrollment update – as of today headcount is 3562/3835, and there is still an 8-week and 12-week session starting this semester. Based on trendline projections Gateway will reach the semester headcount goal. The credit hours have exceeded the budgeted credit hours for spring 2021.
Dr. Figueroa asked Dr. VonHandorf to accept his thanks on behalf of faculty and staff for all the efforts given to get us to this point. Gateway remains focused on the three commitments – relevant and engaging curriculum, removing barriers, and increasing access.
Dr. Figueroa asked Mr. Paul Tontillo to update the board on the fiscal year budget. Mr. Tontillo shared a current list of revenue drivers and expense drivers. Gateway is on track to finish $400K better than plan. Enrollment was the single biggest risk factor, and many teams across the college have worked on this. Bad debt from students is increasing, and we have a team looking at options to reduce that.
Mr. Hermes asked about the fiscal year listed as July – June. The fall number is actual, but listed as projected. For spring 99% of enrollment is in the first 8 weeks. The workforce program and state appropriation amounts are extrapolated across the year.
Mr. Tontillo reminded that board members about the importance of the CARES program to the college’s success this year. The funds were used for emergency student awards, reimbursements for extra costs for PPE and Covid related costs, and for investments in technology to enable remote learning and remote working staff and faculty. Gateway is beginning the conversations about the second round of funds.
Dr Figueroa reported that the Gateway Advancement team was awarded a bronze medal for fund-raising improvement by the national organization for Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The foundation has recently added a few members to the board to continue the momentum of their work.
The full report was placed on file.
- Dr. Figueroa asked Dr. Teri VonHandorf to update the board on new programs and the
most recent enrollment numbers. Dr. VonHandorf shared that the Paralegal Technology
program is in process. A faculty member/program coordinator was hired, and leadership
expects everything to be ready for classes to begin in August 2021. The paramedic
to RN program arose from conversations with St. Elizabeth. They requested and Gateway
developed an accelerated program of 12 months to an RN degree, based on credit for
prior learning. It will be likely to launch in August 2021. Some of the paramedics
have been taking pre-requisite classes to be ready to enroll in the program. The Kentucky
Board of Nursing determines how many students can be enrolled, and there is a limitation
of eight students per group because of clinical instructor assignments. Applications
have not opened yet but will open very shortly.
- Adjournment
- Chair Baines adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m.
Important Dates to Remember
- Super Someday - February 19, 2021
- Board Meeting – April 15, 2021
- Board Meeting – May 27, 2021
