KCTCS BoR Meeting Minutes, December 5, 2024
KCTCS System Office, Conference Room 102 A/B
I. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Martin called the regularly scheduled meeting to order on December 5, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. EST. The roll was called, and a quorum was established.
Attendance
Chair Barry Martin (Present)
Vice Chair Keith Hamilton (Present)
Secretary Brianna Whitten (Present)
Mr. Russell Cox (Present) Arrived at 1:41 p.m.
Mr. Christopher Girdler (Absent)
Mr. Ryan Hall (Present)
Mr. Robert Higdon (Present)
Ms. Candace McGraw (Absent)
Ms. Raeanne Powers (Present)
Ms. Kelly Rabinowitz (Present)
Ms. Audra Shouse (Present)
Mr. James Lee Stevens (Present)
Mr. Marty Sutherland (Present)
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Regent Rabinowitz made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 31, 2024 special Board of Regents meeting. Regent Sutherland seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
III. CHAIR’S REPORT
Chair Martin stated that he would like to celebrate the conclusion of the state and forensic audits. Chair Martin stated the audits provided a road map for the next steps but there were no significant findings. Chair Martin noted that Dr. Quarles and his staff have done a fantastic job over the past year.
IV. PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Quarles thanked the staff and faculty of KCTCS. Dr. Quarles shared some of the recent successes. Enrollment numbers are up 7% from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024. Spring enrollment is projected at a 16% increase. KCTCS celebrated awarding 4,400 GED’s to inmates prior to their release. KCTCS will be announcing a transfer agreement system-wide with the University of Louisville on Monday, December 9th.
Dr. Quarles attended the Fire Academy’s graduation ceremony and encouraged the Regents to attend in the future. Dr. Quarles shared that KCTCS is working on partnerships across Kentucky including the state parks and utility companies.
KCTCS has completed the reclassification across the system and now work has begun on compression. Dr. Quarles stated that the Cabinet has been completed and announced the addition of Chris Crumrine as Chief External Affairs Officer and Jessica Stigall as the General Counsel.
Dr. Quarles stated that KCTCS has been meeting with legislators and the Governor on the recommendations from SJR 179. On February 6th, Dr. Quarles will be hosting a fundraiser to address food insecurity and KCTCS will be partnering with Feeding Kentucky.
V. INCREASE ORGANIZATION SUCCESS
A. Approval of SJR 179 Response and Recommendations
Dr. Quarles presented 11 total recommendations based on the research and work of the SJR 179 groups Dr. Quarles shared that over 8,000 hours were put forth for this effort. Dr. Quarles noted some recommendations did not make it into the SJR 179 work. The next step is to divide the recommendations into four separate buckets and present them to the legislature. KCTCS will present these recommendations to the Kentucky General Assembly on Tuesday, December 10th. Dr. Quarles shared that these recommendations will not go into effect until approved by the Board of Regents and the legislature.
Regent Whitten made a motion to divide the question, specifically to pull Recommendation Five – “Governance reform, including the KCTCS Board of Regents and the 16 college board of directors”, from the rest of the recommendations and vote on that recommendation separately. Regent Sutherland seconded the motion. (Yes: Whitten, Sutherland, Powers, and Hall, No: Martin, Hamilton, Higdon, Rabinowitz, Shouse and Stevens). The motion did not pass.
Regent Hamilton made a motion that the KCTCS Board of Regents approve the KCTCS SJR 179 response and recommendations. Regent Stevens seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
B. Facilities Support Services
Mr. Andy Casebier, Assistant Vice President of Facilities, presented the facilities support services report. Mr. Casebier shared twenty-eight current projects. The Office of Facilities Support is compiling a master plan related to safety and security and there will likely be a related budget request to get consistency across the Colleges. Mr. Casebier reviewed the capital projects evaluation and ranking criteria and the related planning process. Mr. Casebier shared the capital projects funding breakdown and said that every college will have at least one project related to the funding. Next, Mr. Casebier highlighted the renovations at several of the Colleges. Mr. Casebier reviewed asset management and shared real property transactions and space utilization improvements. Mr. Casebier shared the safety and security management plan. Information related to critical incidents was provided and noted that there was not much improvement from the prior year. There has been over $2 million dollars in savings from energy conservation since June 2023.
The Board took a recess at 1:16 p.m. EST. and resumed at 1:31 p.m. EST.
C. Maysville CTC Montgomery Campus Welding Project
Mr. Casebier presented the information on the Maysville Community and Technical College Montgomery Campus Welding Project.
Regent Stevens made a motion to approve the Maysville Community and Technical College Mongomery Campus Welding Lab Renovation project with a scope of $1,220,000. Regent Whitten seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
D. Elizabethtown CTC Science Building Expansion
Mr. Casebier reviewed the project needs for the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Science Building and the increase in the project scope.
Regent Stevens made a motion to approve the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Science Building Expansion project with a scope increase of $6,100,000. Regent Sutherland seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
E. Elizabethtown CTC Leitchfield Campus Addition
Mr. Casebier reported on the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Leitchfield Campus Expansion and the increase in the project scope. Regent Stevens made a motion to approve the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Leitchfield Campus Expansion project with a scope increase of $1,350,000. Regent Sutherland seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
F. Ratification of Personnel Actions
Ms. Bridget Canter, Vice President for Human Resources, presented the personnel action report for the most recent quarter. Ms. Canter held a moment of silence for those KCTCS employees who have passed away.
Regent Whitten made a motion to ratify the personnel actions from August 1, 2024 through October 31, 2024. Regent Powers seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
G. Compression
Ms. Bridget Canter presented information on compensation, compression and the related timeline. The goal is to look at the data in the spring and develop options, budgetary impacts, and an implementation plan. Dr. Quarles stated the goal is implementation for everyone within the next three years.
As the Board was ahead of schedule, the following items were moved from the agenda for December 6th to December 5th.
VI. INCREASE LEARNER SUCCESS
A. Ratification of KCTCS Colleges’ Candidates for Credentials
Dr. Phil Neal, Provost and Acting Executive Vice President, presented the KCTCS Candidates for Credentials. Regent Whitten made a motion that the KCTCS Board of Regents approve the awarding of KCTCS colleges’ candidates for degrees and diplomas and ratify certificates as presented in the supplemental booklet, KCTCS Candidates for Credentials July 13, 2024 – September 27, 2024, with the credentials (degrees, diplomas, and certificates) to be awarded to the candidates upon certification that the requirements have been satisfactorily completed the credentials. Regent Sutherland seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
B. Certificate and Program Approvals
Dr. Neal presented the new certificates and programs. There have been no new degree programs added since the September meeting and five new certificates at five separate KCTCS Colleges.
C. KCTCS Online Learning Assessment (KOLA) Plan
Dr. Neal provided an update on the KOLA plan. Dr. Neal shared that 61% of KCTCS adjuncts had completed the assessment. A new website lists the available online credentials through KCTCS and has testimonials from students.
D. Enrollment Report
Dr. Neal presented the enrollment overview for fall 2024. The fall 2024 semester had the highest total enrollment across KCTCTS in a decade. The number of new students to KCTCS has increased since fall 2023. Dr. Neal shared a comparison of KCTCS enrollment and national enrollment.
E. Program Costing Analysis
Dr. Alicia Crouch, Vice Chancellor of Research and Policy Analysis, presented the Program Costing Analysis. Dr. Crouch reviewed the costs for educating a healthcare student. KCTCS loses approximately $2,800 per healthcare student. Dr. Crouch presented the net costs by sector. The data looked at one academic year. The next step is to look at other points of data and other costs.
The Board engaged in a discussion related to healthcare workforce development and other topics related to costs.
VII. INCREASE ORGANIZATION SUCCESS
A. Financial Report
Mr. Todd Kilburn, Chief Financial Officer, presented the financial report. Mr. Kilburn provided a quarterly TRAINS update, indicating the program continues to be successful. Mr. Kilburn shared the original budget and the realized-to-date numbers and explained the differences. The revenues in excess of expenditures were $77,752.
The Board took at recess at 2:41 p.m. EST and resumed at 3:00 p.m. EST
Chair Martin recognized Dr. Tony Newberry for his service to KCTCS over the past year. Dr. Quarles also recognized Dr. Newberry’s service and extended his appreciation.
VIII. OPEN COMMENT PERIOD
There were no individuals who registered to participate in the open comment period.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Regent Stevens made a motion to go into executive session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(c) to discuss proposed or pending litigation. Regent Sutherland seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The Board went into executive session at 3:03 p.m. EST.
Regent Stevens made a motion to return to open session. Regent Whitten seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The Board returned to open session at 3:49 p.m. EST. Chair Martin announced that no action was taken in executive session.
X. ADJOURNMENT
Regent Whitten made a motion to adjourn. Regent Shouse seconded the motion. The motion passed by consensus and the meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m. EST.
