May 27, 2021 Agenda and Minutes | GCTC

Archived Meetings

May 27, 2021 Agenda and Minutes

Board of Directors Meeting

Thursday, May 27, 2021, 6:30 p.m.
Teams Meeting – Audio and Video Conference

Board Members Present

  • Ms. Morgan Arnold
  • Mr. John Baines
  • Mr. Larry Brown
  • Mr. Charles Coleman
  • Mr. Sam Collier
  • Mr. John Hayden
  • Mr. Erik Hermes
  • Mr. Charles L. Session, Jr.

Board Members Absent

  • Mrs. Ruth Howell 
  • Mr. David Schoenling

Gateway and KCTCS Faculty and Staff Present

  • Mr. Matt Bunning, Manager of Safety & Security
  • Ms. Jane Frantz, Executive Assistant, President’s Office
  • Dr. Fernando Figueroa, President/CEO
  • Ms. Christi Godman, Associate Vice President, Workforce Solutions
  • 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 
  • Dr. Tiffany Minard, Associate Vice President of Inclusion and Intervention Services
  • Mr. Doug Penix, Associate Vice President for Academic Services
  • Mr. Josh Risch, Information Technology Project Manager
  • Ms. Melissa Sears, Director of Information Technology
  • Dr. Teri VonHandorf, Vice President, Academic Affairs & Provost
  • Mr. Andre Washington, Associate Vice President Enrollment
  • Ms. Ingrid Washington, Vice President for Student Affairs

Guests:

  • Mr. Joshua Wade, Gateway student 

Agenda

I.     CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/MOMENT OF SILENCE/ROLL CALL
Board Chair John Baines, called the meeting to order at 6:32 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.

II.     MISSION MOMENT
Dr. Figueroa introduced Ms. Morgan Arnold, the Gateway student representative to the board for 2020-2021. She shared her Gateway story: She wasn’t expecting to go to college because of health and family issues in her senior year of high school, but Gateway Academic Advisor John Hall reached out to her about Gateway. She decided to try Gateway, and it felt like a home to her. She made many great friends, found leadership and fulfilling work opportunities, and accomplished much academically at Gateway. She graduated this May and transferred to NKU to pursue a bachelor’s degree. She earned scholarships to cover her NKU expenses and is working in her chosen field.  

The board gave her a round of applause. Chair Baines presented her with a proclamation in appreciation for her year of service on the board as the student representative. Several board members expressed congratulations and best wishes for continued success.    

III.     APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chair Baines called for a motion to approve the minutes from the April 15, 2021, meeting. Upon motion by
Mr. Erik Hermes, and seconded by Mr. Charlie Coleman, a vote was taken to approve the April 15, 2021, minutes as presented. The vote was unanimous to approve.

IV.     COMMITTEE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Chair Baines presented the committee statements of purpose for renewed acceptance.  They have been reviewed by the committee chairs, and revisions made where necessary. The statements of purpose were included in the meeting materials sent to each board member before the meeting. They are entered into record without a vote.

V.     COMMITTEE REPORTS
       A.     Finance and Facilities Committee – Mr. Hermes
Committee Chair Hermes reported that the Finance and Facilities Committee met with Mr. Jamie Younger, VP, Administrative & Business Affairs to review the 2021-22 budget.  

Mr. Younger presented a review of the current fiscal year 2021 budget outlook including tuition numbers, federal CARES funding, Workforce Solutions revenue data, and enrollment results. He summarized by saying that students were faced with many challenges during the pandemic and Gateway aggressively sought ways to help them. The transition to online learning produced great results.

Mr. Younger presented the projected budget as a transition from a very conservative 2020-21 budget to a reasonable 2021-22 budget. The priority focus is on adult learners, underrepresented students, and dual credit matriculation, supported by our three commitments of enhancing access to education and training, creating engaging and relevant curriculum, and removing barriers to higher education. Some initiatives are new paralegal and EMS to nursing programs, increased dual credit with focus on career and technical education, the hiring of additional staff and faculty. Gateway is focusing on advising, marketing efforts, and increasing awareness of Gateway options among high school guidance counselors.

Mr. Younger’s presentation included key assumptions for the budget, credit hour projections, sources of revenue, expenses, and the overall budget positions. Questions were about student financial aid, scholarship funds, adult learners, and underrepresented students in programs at the TIE building.  

Committee Chair Hermes said that the finance committee met several times to review the budget, and that they have no objections. The committee asks the board to approve the budget resolution, which he read out loud while the board members reviewed the document. A motion to approve the budget resolution 02-2020-2021 Budget for 2021-2022 was made by Mr. Brown and seconded by Mr. Coleman. A roll call vote was unanimous to approve.

       B.     Performance Evaluation of the President – Mr. Session
Committee Chair Session thanked the members of the committee and the board chair for their participation and engagement in the process.

Mr. Session read the letter they are sending to Dr. Czarapata which summarized the evaluations submitted anonymously by the board members and outlined the categories and ratings. He noted that Dr. Figueroa’s passion and engagement with faculty, staff, and leaders and elected officials of the region is appreciated and valuable.

He welcomed any questions or concerns. Mr. Brown expressed thanks.  

Chair Baines asked for a motion to accept the summary letter recommendation. Mr. Brown made the motion, and Mr. Hermes seconded.  A roll call vote was unanimous to approve. 

VI.     BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Chair Baines introduced Mr. Larry Brown as the featured board member. Mr. Brown presented background information and photos of his family. He spoke about his career and boards that he served on. He serves on several Gateway board committees, and he is an ardent advocate for Gateway. He believes in and shares the value of Gateway in the community. He tries to always leave organizations and people better than when he found them.

Mr. Coleman was nominated for the board member spotlight at the September meeting.

VII.     CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT
Chair Baines spoke about the concept of hibernating, transforming, and emerging. He sees parallels with coming out of the very difficult pandemic, taking time to reflect on what we’ve learned, and creating a new version of life without trying to go back to everything that was before. For the college, since there is still a lot of upheaval in the economy and workforce, we need to help each other move forward in the right ways for our community.

VIII.     PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Figueroa provided updates and an advocacy heatmap to use in planning the next session. He thanked Mr. Session for developing a calendar to determine the best times of the year to reach out to elected officials. He introduced Mr. Joshua Wade as the new student representative to the board, who will officially begin his term at the September meeting after an orientation in the summer.

Dr. Figueroa asked Dr. VonHandorf to present an update on the River Cities Network, formerly called the River City Project. Dr. VonHandorf said that a portion of the Federal CARES money that was designated for institutional expenses was invested in alignment with federal guidance with a view to the long-term workforce needs by serving underrepresented students, adult learners, and dual credit students. To address the access gap to career and technical education for students from the river cities schools, money is being invested into expanding career and tech labs and programs to the urban campus at the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Enterprise (TIE) in Covington. Mr. Collier provided more details about the classes being offered at the urban campus.

Dr. Figueroa gave an update on the Quality Enhancement Plan portion of the accreditation reaffirmation process. Ms. Frannie Bennett lead the surveys and process to select the topic of equipping students with employability skills. This will be developed in the following year with an implementation team and review by the SACSCOC accrediting body. (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools)

Dr. Figueroa shared a presentation and said that Ms. Kowatsch will follow-up with documents for the board members, including an updated one-pager document of advocacy notes and an updated pocket guide. He talked about the impact KCTCS has across the state as the number one provider of postsecondary credentials for work or transfer and the top workforce training provider in the state. He spoke about challenges in the state and current politics, the collaborations in Northern Kentucky that are making progress, and highlighted some advocacy points for the upcoming legislative session, as well as longer-term goals and strategies.

The full report was placed on file. 

IX.     ADJOURNMENT
Chair Baines called the meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Prepared by Ms. Jane Frantz, Recording Secretary.

Important Dates to Remember

  • Board Meetings –
    • September 2, 2021
    • October 21, 2021
    • December 9, 2021