Agendas & Meetings

NPC Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting

October 23, 2019

The National Park College Board of Trustees met in regular session on October 23, 2019, in the Student Commons Conference Center. Trustees present were Larry Bailey, Mike Bush, Gail Ezelle, Don Harris, Forrest Spicher, and Raymond Wright.

Staff and faculty members present were Leslie Braniger, Janet Brewer, Juanita Brewer, Terry Bright, Mellisa Bryan, Blake Butler, Samantha Christian, Lisa Couch, Yolanda Cox, Chasey Dibble, Kelli Embry, Laurie Everton, Bill Freuck, Susan Gaither, Bruce Hankins, Leane Hardin, Nicole Herndon, John Hogan, Brad Hopper, Jill Houlihan, Gerald Huddleston, Janice Ivers, Rodney Ivers, Toni Knupps, Brian Kroening, Becky McAlister, Marilyn Ridge, Melony Ritter, Jerry Thomas, Darla Thurber, Steve Trusty, Mike Wiles, and Mark Kay Wurm.

Forrest Spicher presented the invocation. The media was notified of the meeting.

Mr. Bill Frueck, Industrial Technology Faculty member, introduced the October Student of the Month, Leslie Slife. Leslie is enrolled in the Industrial Technology program and is projected to complete her technical certificate in May 2020. She is a full-time student, step-mother of two and works at Taylor’s Cleaners doing equipment maintenance. She decided pursuing a college education would be the most secure move for her family. Mr. Freuck stated that Leslie has been a leader in this year’s new daytime class. She is on top of her studies and is often one of the first students to step up and take the lead in hands-on lab activities. She relates to others well in class and is able to take what she is learning to her current job.

Janet Brewer, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, introduced the 2019 NPC Leadership Academy Class IV. Participants are Terry Bright (Coordinator of Career Services), Sam Christian (Social Sciences Faculty), Lisa Couch (Adult Education Faculty), Nicole Herndon (Executive Director of NPC Foundation), Leane Hardin (Apprenticeship Coordinator & Workforce Assistant), Rodney Ivers (Business Faculty), Becky McAllister (Educational Talent Search Advisor), and Caysie Martin (Admissions Representative), who was absent due to recruiting duties. Participants must complete an extensive process to be nominated. The 2019- 2020 Class IV schedule was included in the Board packet.

Items for Action 

1. Mike Bush made a motion to approve the September 25, 2019 Larry Bailey seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
2. Steve Trusty, Vice President for Finance and Administration, presented the July 2019 financial report for approval. He also requested approval of the FY18 Legislative Audit Report. Arkansas Code § 6-1-101(d) requires that the College’s Board review the Legislative Audit Report and any accompanying comments and Gail Ezell moved to accept the July 2019 financial report and the FY18 Legislative Audit Report as presented. Raymond Wright seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
3. Steve Trusty, Vice President for Finance and Administration, presented Resolution 2019-I to revise the not to exceed amount from $15M to $16.5M for Phase 1 of the College’s Campus Expansion and Master Planning Project, previously approved with Resolution 2017-K. The increase was to cover items outside the scope of the original estimated budget, including completion of the Commons Market and Lovit Coffee , upgrades to audio/visual equipment, and office, classroom, and lobby furnishings. In addition, the final bids for the Marine Technology facility exceeded original estimates. Don Harris moved to accept the resolution as presented. Mike Bush seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
4. Steve Trusty, Vice President for Finance and Administration, presented updates to NPC Policy 8.120 Firearms on Campus. Revisions were made to remain in compliance with Act 562 and Act 859 of 2017 and to promote the safety and security of NPC students, faculty, and staff. Raymond Wright made a motion to accept the revisions to Policy 8.120 Firearms on Campus as presented. Mike Bush seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
5. Steve Trusty, Vice President for Finance and Administration, presented updates to NPC Policy 8.000 College Property, Equipment, and Facilities. Formatting changes were made for clarification purposes. Mike Bush made a motion to accept the revisions to Policy 8.120 Firearms on Campus as presented. Gail Ezelle seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
6. Wade Derden, Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented updates to NPC Policy 6.500 Academic Clemency. Changes were made to the wording for clarification. Gail Ezelle made a motion to accept the revisions to NPC Policy 6.500 Academic Clemency as presented. Raymond Wright seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
7. Wade Derden, Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented updates to NPC Policy 5.720 Sabbatical Leave. There was an addition to the policy statement to provide sabbatical leave to staff members with a doctoral Mike Bush made a motion to accept the revisions to NPC Policy 5.720 Sabbatical Leave as presented. Gail Ezelle seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
8. Wade Derden, Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented Academic Program changes in two groups, program revisions and new transfer degrees.
   Program revisions were made in the Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing, Technical Certificate in Professional Medical Coding, Associate of Applied Science in Business Management/Marketing, and Associate of Science in Pre-Engineering. Raymond Wright made a motion to accept the program revisions as presented. Gail Ezelle seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
   To enable NPC students to transfer to a university as a full-standing junior in a designated program area, the College wishes to offer transfer degrees with Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, Henderson State University, Harding University, and Southern Arkansas University in Fall 2020. University of Central Arkansas degrees were tabled until a later date as more degrees are being created. All degrees must be approved by the NPC Board, the partner institutions, and the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, before becoming available to students in Fall 2020. Mike Bush made a motion to accept the new transfer degrees as presented. Gail Ezelle seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
9. Nicole Herndon, Executive Director of the NPC Foundation, presented a resolution to name the computer resource lab the Jack and Rory Ott Computer Resources The College wanted to express its appreciated for a monetary gift and to memorialize Jacy and Rory Ott for their commitment to lifelong learning. Gail Ezelle moved to accept the resolution (2019-J) as presented. Don Harris seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
10. Janet Brewer, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, presented the ratifications of personnel Mike Bush made a motion to approve the ratifications as presented. Raymond Wright seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

Items for Report

1. Board Chair Report – Chair Spicher gave the floor to Brad Hopper for the Campus/Building Update.
2. Campus/Building Update – Brad Hopper, Director of Physical Plant and Maintenance, gave a construction update. Final touches are taking place in the Student Commons including landscaping and engraving on the fountain. The campus store furniture is expected to arrive in mid-November. The Marine Tech building is only lacking the phone line connection for security equipment. The storm drain under the Dierks parking lot sidewalk has been corrected to alleviate drainage issues. Concrete for the first half of the west floor of Dogwood Hall has been poured. Final changes are being made to the remodel design of the first floor of the Fisher Campus Center as well as the Lab Science building. Work continues on developing signage for the new campus entrance.
3. 2018-2019 HPO Final Report/Strategic Plan Year-4 Results – Kelli Embry, Vice President for Workforce and Strategic Initiatives, presented the goals and actual results for the eight High Priority Objectives (HPOs) for 2018-2019.
   Objective 1 Student Success – The goal was to increase the percentage of students persisting from the Fall to Spring semester to 71%. The actual result was 70.1%. Student Affairs and Academic Affairs are looking at additional initiatives that will help increase retention this year, including adding 4-year degrees on campus, eliminating math foundation classes, and streamlining the advising process for students. A study will be conducted to determine best practices for a comprehensive student retention program that would be implemented in Fall 2020.
   Objective 2 Workforce – The goal was to generate 30,000 non-credit contract hours in workforce development and customized workforce training. The actual result was 39,551 hours. As reported at the last board meeting, the workforce development and customized workforce training programs continue to thrive. There has been significant growth in training engagements within the manufacturing sector, specifically as it relates to machining and automation. We anticipate that this need will continue to grow as the manufacturing sector moves into more advanced technologies.
   Objective 3 Underserved Students – The goal was to improve the persistence and completion rates of underserved students who complete within three years to 20%. The actual result was 19.4%. Data will be reviewed to determine trends and possible reasons why the percentages have been down over the last year. Additionally, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team was asked to provide feedback on any data that might give insight to improve persistence and completion for underserved students.
   Objective 4 Student Completion – The goal was to increase the number of credentials earned, including associate degrees, technical certificates, and certificates of proficiency to 750. The actual results were 778. There were significant gains in the number of credentials awarded over the past two years. Degree pathways, streamlined advising, and enhanced retention programs will help ensure that the number of credentials awarded continues to grow.
   Objective 5 Student Access – The goal was to increase credit student enrollment for Fall 2018 to 2,285. The actual results were 2,022 degree-seeking students (2,544 including concurrent). Sports programs, enhanced scholarship opportunities, new construction, and increased outreach are just a handful of the initiatives that have been introduced to increase student enrollment. These efforts have allowed NPC to maintain steady enrollment in an environment where many colleges face decreasing enrollment. Four- year degrees on campus, student housing, expanded 2+2 partnerships, and new programs will continue to expand our ability to maintain steady enrollment.
   Objective 6 Fundraising – The goal was to raise at least $1.5M through the National Park College Foundation. Actual results were $1,345,584. The NPC Foundation continues its efforts to engage alumni and friends with a variety of events on campus. Additionally, we have been fortunate to receive a significant amount of in-kind donations for specific programs.
   Objective 7 Student Transfer – The goal was to increase the number of students transferring to a four-year college or university, after completing an associate’s degree, to 150 students. The actual results were 202 students. We continue to track and monitor the number of students that transfer after graduation and anticipate even more transfers as we bring four-year degrees on campus and enhance our 2+2 programs.
   Objective 8 Fiscal Responsibility – The goal was to minimize the percentage of Education & General (E & G) budget expended for administrative services to 18%. The actual results were 20.15%. Major factors contributing to the percentage increase were (1) writing-off old student accounts receivable from 2009, (2) ERP consulting expenses, and (3) funding the Director of Campus Safety from an administrative support category.
   Kelli concluded with additional highlights from 2018-2019. Students are becoming more successful in gateway classes such as math and have been provided more real-world work opportunities through increased internship opportunities. Our staff and faculty are getting healthy though increased WellYes activities. The ITC and Makerspace are reaching a new type of student through innovation. There are many great things happening all over campus to enhance student success.
4. 4. President’s Report – Dr. Hogan recognized Kelli and the Strategic Planning Committee for their hard work. He reminded members that the HPO goals are intentionally set high to encourage us to do better.
   He thanked the Board for their support for the Jack and Rory Ott Computer Resources Lab and stated there would more naming opportunities in the near future.
   Dr. Hogan commended the academic team for their work to collaborate with university partners to expand our transfer programs. He explained that the process is complicated, but the result means our students have more opportunities to succeed. The addition of these 17 degrees brings our total number to almost 100 guaranteed course transfer opportunities for NPC students. The efforts we make to expand transfer opportunities are important to our mission of increasing degree attainment for our community. We continue to make transfer degrees a priority because it is critical to our students’ success.
   Finally, Dr. Hogan thanked Chair Spicher for agreeing to participate in a panel discussion at the upcoming Arkansas Division of Higher Education Trustees Conference in Little Rock.

Chair Spicher expressed his appreciation to Nathan Ritter for taking care of the audio/visual setup for the Board meetings in the Student Commons.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:23 p.m.

Forrest Spicher, Chair
Joyce Craft, Secretary/Treasurer