Trustees Minutes Aug. 2023

NPC Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting

August 23, 2023

The National Park College Board of Trustees met in a regular session on August 23, 2023, beginning at 3:30 PM. Trustees present were Mike Bush, Joyce Craft, Jim Hale, Rhonda Harrington, Bev Joe, Lance Porter, Forrest Spicher, Renee Westfall, and Raymond Wright.

Staff, faculty members, and guests present were Bill Allison, Jacynda Ammons, Tia Armstrong, Leigh Ann Biernat, Ryan Bowman, David Braden, Samantha Christian, Dorrie Cormier, Sarah Day, Wade Derden, Kelli Embry, Roger Fox, Safari Hall, Nicole Herndon, John Hogan, Brad Hopper, Janice Ivers, Brian Kroening, Tyanna Lindsey, Caysie Martin, Melony Martinez, John McMorran, Rose Milnes, Andrew Pennington, Scott Post, Bill Ritter, Nathan Ritter, Miki Smith, Nia Sontes, Hayden Stofan, Anthony Swift, Jerry Thomas, Darla Thurber, Jack Trumper, Lynn Valetutti, and Tim Webb.

The media was notified of the meeting. Courtney Edwards and Lance Brownfield of The Sentinel Record were in attendance.

Chair Joyce Craft opened the meeting with a welcome.

Trustee Bush provided the invocation.

Kelli Embry introduced the guests present.

Tia Armstrong, Dogwood Hall Community Manager, introduced the Dogwood Hall Resident Assistants.

Items for Action

• Trustee Bush made a motion to approve June 28, 2023, Executive Session minutes as presented. Trustee Hale seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• Trustee Westfall made a motion to approve June 28, 2023, minutes as presented. Trustee Wright seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• Trustee Spicher made a motion to approve the May 2023 financial statements as presented by Andrew Pennington, Controller, during the Finance Committee Meeting. Trustee Harrington seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• National Park College Executive Vice President for Advancement and Government Relations, Dr. Wade Derden, presented Board Policy 8.130, Preservation of Learning Environment. Trustee Spicher made a motion to approve Board Policy 8.130 as presented. Trustee Bush seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Trustee Hale asked if this policy precludes anyone from coming on campus. Dr. Derden stated that the purpose of the legislation is to ensure no one is precluded. National Park College is a free-expression campus, as are all state institutions. The only exception to this is in the event the expression threatens the safety of the campus or the safety of the students or is overly disruptive.
• National Park College Executive Vice President for Advancement and Government Relations, Dr. Wade Derden, presented Board Policy 2.100, Summary of College Programs. Trustee Hale made a motion to approve Board Policy 2.100 as presented. Trustee Bush seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• National Park College Vice President for Administration, Kelli Embry, presented Resolution 2023-F, Plans for On-Campus Housing. Discussion ensued: John McMorran with Lewis Architects Engineers presented a slideshow of the final renderings of the next phase for on-campus housing. The new residence hall will be located adjacent to Dogwood Hall and will necessitate the relocation of the existing Maintenance Department.
  • David Braden with Servitas presented the next steps in the on-campus housing process including construction timelines and the next phase of work to be done moving forward via a slideshow presentation. Final construction documents will be ready on December 1, 2023, with construction starting no later than March 1, 2024. The new residence hall will be opened in August 2025 with the possibility of completing the building in June 2025. The room mix for the new residence hall will allow for 176 beds. There will be five units designated as triple units, thus allowing for a lower cost point.
  • Trustee Hale asked about the qualifications of the four anticipated bids for a general contractor. Of those four firms, Servitas has worked with two and the other two have been vetted. The bid will be put out to additional firms that Servitas is aware of or other firms that have inquired about the project, and each will be put through the same thorough vetting process.
  • Trustee Hale asked about the use of local contractors and/or subcontractors. Servitas will use local contractors/subcontractors as much as possible as long as they are able to meet the pricing and cost guidelines.
  • Trustee Hale questioned if all fees for the building include the design fees for the architect. All fees payable to Servitas include the architect and engineer fees.
  • Trustee Westfall questioned whether the invitation to bid was exclusively at the discretion of Servitas and if this is a totally open bid process that complies with state laws due to Servitas’ decision to exclude certain subcontractors.
  • Dr. Hogan expressed that NPC had followed the state procurement process to engage Servitas.
  • David Braden explained that the subcontractors were vendors used during the construction of Dogwood Hall and did not meet deadlines, guidelines, or cost implications.
  • Kelli Embry requested a recommendation for approval of Resolution 2023-F, Plans for On-Campus Housing. Trustee Bush made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-F as presented. Trustee Porter seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• National Park College Executive Vice President for Advancement and Government Relations, Wade Derden, presented Resolution 2023-G, Naming of Residence Hall. Dr. Derden explained the rationale of the NPC naming convention for residential facilities. In keeping with this convention, the 2^nd residential facility is recommended to be named Redbud Hall, representing springtime transformation and renewal, and a perfect companion to Dogwood Hall. Trustee Wright made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-G as presented. Trustee Hale seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
• National Park College Vice President for Administration, Kelli Embry, introduced Leigh Ann Biernat and Ryan Bowman to present Resolution 2023-H, Bond Issuance, authorizing the issuance of National Park College district improvement bonds.
  • Leigh Ann Biernat emphasized the success of the bond sale on Tuesday, September 22^nd. The total par amount of bonds to be issued was $6,470,000 and this will provide $6.2M in project funds. The true interest cost is 4.65% with a final maturity of March 1, 2051. The security for these bonds is the National Park College district millage which can be leveraged 1.2 times the millage rated to the debt service, based on the most recent assessment.
  • Ryan Bowman explained that this is the final action that needs to be taken by the Board of Trustees to complete the process of issuing the bonds for funding to complete the now-named Redbud Hall. Based on Board of Trustee approval, transaction closure is planned for September 14^, 2023. Mr. Bowman directed board members to the back page of the resolution which contains the different maturities and respective interest rates, restating the final maturity date of March 1, 2051.
  • Trustee Wright asked whether the interest rate of 4.65% was a locked-in rate. Mr. Bowman stated that it is a locked-in interest rate.
  • Trustee Bush made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-H as presented. Trustee Westfall seconded.
  • A roll call vote was required. Trustee Bush voted AYE; Trustee Hale voted AYE; Trustee Harrington voted AYE; Trustee Joe voted AYE; Trustee Porter voted AYE; Trustee Spicher voted ABSTAIN; Trustee Westfall voted AYE; Trustee Wright voted AYE; Chair Craft voted AYE. The motion passed.
  • Kelli Embry expressed her sincere appreciation to the Board of Trustees for their affirmation of the final plans, the naming, and the bond issue for Redbud Hall.
• National Park College Executive Director of the Foundation, Nicole Herndon, presented Resolution 2023-I, Naming of Recital Hall. Ms. Herndon stated that Dora Jane Ledgerwood Ellis served as a faculty member at National Park College and devoted her educational career to the arts, specifically music. She was a supporter of both the music and nursing programs at National Park College. Following her passing, her estate allowed National Park College to renovate the recital hall located in the Computer Resources building. Ms. Herndon requested to formally name the music facility the Dora Jane Ledgerwood Ellis Recital Hall.
  • Trustee Harrington made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-I as presented. Trustee Spicher seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
  • Ms. Herndon stated that a formal naming reception will be planned for a later date.
• National Park College Vice President for Administration, Kelli Embry, presented the ratifications of personnel actions.
  • Trustee Wright asked if the new hires were replacement personnel actions. Ms. Embry stated that the new hires are replacement personnel actions with the exception of the Fountain Lake Career Coach position which is being funded for the first time this year.
  • Trustee Wright made a motion to approve the ratifications as presented. Trustee Bush seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

Items for Report

• Vice President for College Advancement, Dr. Wade Derden, shared an update on National Park College's 50th-anniversary celebration and pointed out the display provided by the NPC Library. The display focused on the Board of Trustees members, past and present. Dr. Derden shared the plan for a community-wide drop-in celebration on October 5 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The October 5th celebration will be a student-hosted event and will include food, non-alcoholic beverages, student-led tours of the campus, and games for children. The full agenda is still being developed and will be announced later, and will include speaker presentations beginning at 6:00 PM and an alumni hour allowing attendees to connect with fellow students of their generation. Campus tours will be hosted throughout the night. Dr. Derden displayed the Alumni cards that feature an invitation to the 50^th celebration on one side and a QR code that directs to the Alumni registration page on the NPC website. Additionally, banners will be posted in downtown Hot Springs in mid-September.
• Board Chair Report - Chair Craft expressed her pleasure at seeing all the positive news coverage that National Park College has been receiving lately. This media attention is a testament to the College’s impact on the community and how well the College and its programming are integrated into this community. It is also a testament to the hard work of the faculty and staff who build strong and positive connections within Hot Springs and Garland County. Chair Craft stated that housing is clearly important to NPC students and has changed the dynamic of the campus in many positive ways. She expressed her excitement to see what comes next with the addition of Redbud Hall. Chair Craft offered her thanks to the family of Mrs. Ellis for the support of National Park College, especially the music students. Chair Craft encouraged the Board of Trustee members to mark their calendars for the 50^th anniversary celebration.
• President's Report - President Hogan thanked all who were involved in the reports today, especially John McMorran, Ryan Bowman, Leigh Ann Biernat, Jack Trumper, and David Braden. Dr. Hogan thanked Tia Armstrong and the RAs for their work in Dogwood Hall. Dr. Hogan emphasized the importance of on-campus housing stating that it does transform the nature of the campus. It creates opportunities for students to build relationships, form friendships, and connect with faculty. Housing helps students develop connections to the campus outside the classroom. Living on campus helps to retain students, thus it is an investment in student success. When students live on campus their support systems are in closer proximity, and their access to those support services increases the probability that they will be academically and professionally successful. Because students are living on campus, faculty and staff will see them more often. This helps the College dissolve barriers between students, their academic goals, and student success. Dr. Hogan expressed his gratitude to the Board for their diligence and questions toward approving student housing. Dr. Hogan stated that there has been a lot done in the last 10 years at NPC, but that nothing has had a more profound impact on NPC students’ experience than the addition of residence life, and expressed his thanks to the Board of Trustees for their support of these efforts. Dr. Hogan expressed his thanks to the Ellis family for providing support for the renovation and naming of the Dora Jane Ledgerwood Ellis Recital Hall.

There was no further business. Trustee Westfall motioned to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 4:34 PM.

Joyce Craft, Chair
Beverly Joe, Secretary/Treasurer