February 9, 2023, Agenda and Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, February 9, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
room B123/Convening Center, Center for Advanced Manufacturing,
500 Technology Way, Florence, KY 41042
Board Members Present:
Haley Anderson
John Baines
Larry Brown
Dr. Justin Ervin (Teams)
Erik Hermes
Madeline Kues
Board Members Absent:
Charlie Coleman
John Hayden
Ruth Howell
Gateway and KCTCS Faculty and Staff Present:
Paula Barnes, Manager of Employer Engagement
Phil Dischar, Manager of Media and Marketing
Dr. Fernando Figueroa, President/CEO
Jane Frantz, Executive Assistant, President’s Office
Dr. Denise Fritsch, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness
Christi Godman, Associate Vice President, Workforce Solutions
Amy Hatfield, Associate Vice President, Human Resources
Adrijana Kowatsch, Vice President Development and External Relations
Brendan Lehane, Interim Chief Officer Administrative & Business Affairs
Michael Orr, Director of Development
Cireka Paris, Gateway student
Doug Penix, Associate Vice President for Academic Services
David Schoenling, IT Project Manager
Paul Tontillo, Director of Budget & Fiscal Services
Dr. Teri VonHandorf, Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs
Ingrid Washington, Vice President, Student Affairs
Agenda
- 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. The record will reflect that a quorum was present. - MISSION MOMENT
Dr. Figueroa asked Christi Godman, Vice President Workforce Solutions, to introduce the mission moment speaker and Gateway student, Cireka Paris. Paris said that she moved to the United States from the United Kingdom and has been working with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for a year. She was connected with Gateway after seeking employment help at the career center. Paula Barnes with the Gateway office of Workforce Solutions asked her if she was interested in the Transportation Construction Certificate program. She was interested in those topics, and the timing matched up to complete the certificate and be eligible for a green card. She now works full-time with the Transportation Cabinet and is working on her CDL at Gateway in order to drive large equipment at the cabinet. She has made good friends in the program, and it is the best driver program she’s ever been in. - APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chair Baines called for a motion to approve the minutes from the December 8, 2022, meeting. Upon motion by Erik Hermes, and seconded by Madeline Kues, a vote was taken to approve the December 8, 2022, minutes as presented. The vote was unanimous to approve. - COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. Finance and Facilities Committee
Committee Chair Hermes explained that the Gateway six-year capital plan is reviewed by the Finance and Facilities committee, gets approved by the full Gateway Board of Directors, and is routed through KCTCS to end up with the Kentucky Legislature as part of a list of items to be approved for funding. He read the resolution as presented in the meeting materials. Hermes stated that the committee recommends approval of the resolution and made a motion to approve. Larry Brown seconded the motion. A vote was taken to approve the 01-2022-2023 Resolution Six-Year Capital Plan 2024-2030. The vote was unanimous to approve. - CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT
Chair Baines presented his reflections on the purpose and function of the board. He talked about features of an accountable team that include a clear purpose, a measurement of its performance, competent people, capable processes, and a sense of shared fate. He shared that he would take on the chair role of the Strategic Planning Development Committee to more fully define the purpose of the board, codify the work the board has done, measure the effectiveness of the board, and give more feedback to the college. He welcomed feedback at the meeting and offline. - PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Dr. Figueroa introduced Dr. Teri VonHandorf to share final spring enrollment numbers. She shared that Gateway has exceeded the enrollment targets in every area, but the enrollment tracker dashboard definition of adult learner is no longer relevant. It was established several years ago when KCTCS was focusing on the enrollment of students over the age of 24, but it left out the students who were between 19 and 25. Gateway will revise the report to show dual credit students and non-dual credit students (credential seeking).Dr. VonHandorf presented the following information: Gateway offers courses in face to face, hybrid, and online formats. In non-applied technical areas, we continue to see an uptick in online enrollments. 41% of the total headcount is taking only online courses, 29% are taking a combination of online and in-person/hybrid, and 30% are taking in person classes only. Of the 34,500 credit hours Gateway delivers, 52% of those are online, and 48% face to face.
Paul Tontillo presented spring semester results on the budget and explained the shortage of TRAINS funding this academic and fiscal year. He said that budget planning with the finance and facilities committee has started for fiscal year 2023-2024. Discussion followed about TRAINS funding and workforce programs correlating to the indicators of a slowing economy that manufacturers are seeing.
Christi Godman presented information about a new KCTCS initiative, Education First Employers, which is a network of preferred business partners who work with KCTCS colleges to invest in education and workforce development. To qualify, companies meet criteria that demonstrate their commitment to student success through supporting student completion of their Gateway program and other factors. The qualifications for an Education First Employer were chosen so that companies would have many options to connect with Gateway and other state community and technical colleges.
Godman announced the first secured contract with GE for Workforce Solutions to deliver customized Blueprint Reading for Manufacturing and Metrology training for GE Steam Power in Erlanger, KY. The Workforce Solutions Team secured KCTCS TRAINS state funding to offset GE’s workforce investment by 75%, allowing the company to maximize their training dollars and increase the number of employees participating in further skill development.
Dr. Figueroa spoke about Gateway’s legislative advocacy. He met with all of the new legislators who represent the Gateway service region, and he participated in two KCTCS hosted Frankfort meet and greets with our caucus. He encouraged board members to connect Gateway with any legislators they might have connections with.
Continuing the advocacy update, Dr. Figueroa said Gateway supports bill, HB171, that has to do with mandatory FAFSA completion. FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Dr. Figueroa and Adrijana Kowatsch met with Dr. Randy Poe of the Northern Kentucky Education Council and Mike Borchers with the Local Superintendents Advisory Council (LSAC) to discuss this bill since the administrative burden of this potential legislation will be on our high school partners. They will be supportive of the bill since it includes an opt-out feature which will keep the FAFSA from becoming a performance factor for high school graduation. Gateway is working with the local Chamber, and the local United Way to jointly support this bill, when introduced.
Dr. Figueroa updated the board on a project to update the Edgewood campus Student Services Center with asset preservation funds available from the state. The architect is KZF. Visioning sessions are being held with stakeholders, and the RFP will be in June.
Before adjournment, Chair Baines encouraged the board members to donate to the Gateway Foundation for student support. He said that one of the organization’s goals is 100% participation by the Gateway Board of Directors. All board members giving any amount provides evidence to the community that the board supports the college.
- ADJOURNMENT
Chair Baines called the meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.Prepared by Jane Frantz.
Important Dates to Remember
Board Meetings 2023 - March 30, May 18, September 7, October 19, November 30
