North Central Missouri College’s fall enrollment was discussed at the college’s Board of Trustees meeting on September 24th.
NCMC President Doctor Lenny Klaver reported that fall enrollment set a record for the second consecutive year. The college is up six percent in headcount and four percent in credit hours compared to last fall.
He noted that in the past eight years, enrollment increased by 13% in headcount and 17% in credit hours and full-time equivalents (FTE). Since a COVID-19-related drop in the fall of 2020, enrollment has risen by 19% in headcount, credit hours, and FTE.
Klaver attributed the record enrollment to the college’s faculty and staff and their efforts. He said the faculty and staff make NCMC a place where people want to attend.
Klaver, Dean/Director of the Savannah Campus Doctor Clarence Green, Director of Business and Industry Relations Jason Helton, and Industrial Technology Instructor Rick Sharp toured Altec in Saint Joseph on September 5th. Klaver said it was fascinating how the company makes trucks, and the company has expanded recently.
He reported that NCMC hopes to create a program with Altec for students, with the possibility of an Altec welding technician teaching students.
A Barton Farm Campus expansion project meeting was held. Klaver mentioned that funds were set aside, and NCMC is considering constructing another building on that campus. He said expanding into agriculture in this part of Missouri was a good idea, as a lot of technology is now involved in agriculture.
There was an audit completion follow-up meeting with KPM Lead Auditor Matt Wallace on September 12th. Klaver said Wallace has given NCMC glowing reports, and everything appears to be in good shape. Klaver noted that Wallace also complimented the staff for their assistance with the audit. The audit will be presented to the Board of Trustees in December.
Klaver reported that he and Missouri Western State University President Doctor Elizabeth Kennedy will present information on manufacturing industry training at the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development 50th Anniversary Summit on October 2nd.
Klaver presented information on September 24th to the Workforce Development Board of North Missouri, which included a new service map after the merger of the Northeast and Northwest regions.
The presentation also included information on Gamm Incorporated, a nonprofit corporation in Missouri that operates state- and federally-funded programs related to rural economic development and job creation. Gamm is a designated service provider of the Missouri Job Centers for the Northeast Sub-Region and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs.
The Workforce Development Board of North Missouri also offers career coaching and is involved with the Job Leagues Program, Youth Build, the Youth Future Career Program, and the Northwest Missouri Mentoring Partnership.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Doctor Tristan Londre reported that Director of Regional Programs Whitney Trump will partner with Admissions to host NCMC’s first-ever homeschool student visit days for students currently in grades nine through twelve. There will be one at the Savannah Campus on October 24th and another in Trenton on October 29th.
The Barton Farm and Savannah campuses will host a Higher Learning Commission reviewer for a routine visit on November 5th. Londre explained that, in the third year of the Open Pathway Cycle, the HLC selects a random location other than the main campus for a quality assurance check. It will be a one-day visit.
Londre said Talent Search met its target of 500 students served, which will be helpful as the college prepares to apply for the renewal of the grant.
Vice President of Student Affairs Doctor Kristen Alley reported that the college had heard of student account fraud on other campuses. NCMC identified six student duplicates, but it was determined that these involved real students attending classes at NCMC. Alley commented she was unsure why NCMC had not experienced student account fraud, but she was glad it had not.
A+ meetings will be held in Trenton on October 3rd and in Savannah on October 22nd. Alley noted that reservations for Savannah were already full.
Fire drills will be held on September 25th.
Chief Information Officer Jennifer Triplett reported that NCMC is forming relationships with different vendors as the college’s student information system sunsets in three years. She said the last time NCMC changed SIS providers was in 2007, and a lot has changed since then.
The Savannah testing center will be expanded into a computer lab. Triplett said that Information Technology’s help is needed with video surveillance related to the expansion.
Green Hills Head Start Director Jenny Lewis reported that playground equipment for Unionville and Milan was ordered from a Missouri company and is expected to arrive in about four weeks.
She said teachers continue to recruit and take applications for children.
At the start of the meeting, seven students introduced themselves, and Angela Heins introduced herself as the new Student Support Services Assistant Director. The students were in a class taught by Education Instructor Cassie Cordray.
The Board of Trustees accepted a proposal for the development of a campus master plan. The accepted proposal was from Ellison-Auxier of Saint Joseph for $86,500.
Four proposals were received, and Ellison-Auxier’s was deemed the best fit for the college based on a combination of cost, experience, and proposal structure. Gifted funds will cover the purchase 100%.
Vice President of Business and Finance Tyson Otto said he did not know when the last master plan was completed. It was noted that the last master plan was likely developed in the 1990s.
Otto explained that a master plan involves an architect meeting with people on campus to assess needs and develop the plan.
The board approved the purchase of testing/accreditation supplies from the Assessment Technologies Institute of Leawood, Kansas, for a total of $133,825. The cost breaks down to $35,775 for the Trenton Practical Nursing Program, $35,112.50 for the Trenton Associate Degree in Nursing Program, $23,187.50 for the online ADN Program, $15,900 for the Savannah PN Fall Cohort, and $23,850 for the Savannah ADN Nursing Program. Budgeted funds were allocated to the nursing programs for testing supplies and accreditation needs.
The board approved repair costs to the Geyer Hall HVAC system. Daikin TMI will perform the work for $35,167. It is a sole-source repair because Daikin was the vendor that installed the equipment during the 2016 renovation. The Maintenance and Repair Operating Budget will cover the cost.
The board declared 14 desktop electronics trainers as surplus. The equipment is about 14 years old and mostly obsolete, so it is no longer used in Industrial Technology courses.
The board waived the first reading of a board policy change involving the Faculty Senate Constitution and then approved the change. The change adds an advisory committee on technology to the Faculty Senate’s structure. The committee’s responsibilities will include representing faculty interests regarding technology, coordinating information from standing and ad hoc technology-related committees, addressing IT issues and policies of importance to the faculty and administration, and serving in an advisory capacity to the chief information officer.
The board approved Trio Program personnel changes. One was Holly Hernandez’s title change to Trio Academic Advisor. She will be employed on a 12-month contract with a salary of $39,000. Her contract will reflect 11 months dedicated to Student Support Services and one month dedicated to Upward Bound.
Chief of Staff Kristi Harris reported that Hernandez previously served as the Trio Administrative Assistant. She will move into the SSS Academic Advisor position vacated by Angela Heins’s promotion to SSS Assistant Director in August.
NCMC revamped the SSS Academic Advisor position by adding one month of service to Upward Bound, which is why the position was renamed. The college will not refill the Trio Administrative Assistant position because workflow processes and department needs have changed.
The other Trio personnel change approved was an adjustment for John Wilbur to move to an 11-month contract with an annual salary of $40,284. He was previously employed on a 12-month contract with a salary of $42,656.
Harris said NCMC was able to make the change without a loss of support for students because little to no tutoring or advising occurs in SSS between semesters. Harris noted that Wilbur was agreeable to the change.
The board approved hiring Casey McCollum of Chillicothe as an enrollment marketing specialist, starting on October 7th. Employment was also approved for Sue Nichols of Albany as an adjunct and clinical instructor, starting this fall.
The board approved Marissa Hefele’s employment as a teacher for the Chillicothe Head Start Center Toddler Room. Her start date was September 10th.
The Green Hills Head Start community assessment, annual program report, grant application approval, and in-kind hourly rate increase were approved by the NCMC Board of Trustees.
Head Start Director Sue Ewigman reported that a new community assessment must be completed every three years. The assessment includes updated data.
The grant application for year one of Green Hills Head Start’s five-year grant includes a funding total of $2,799,991. That breaks down to $1,898,448 for Head Start with $19,269 for training and technical assistance and $871,296 for Early Head Start with $10,978 for training and technical assistance.
The in-kind hourly volunteer rate was increased to $14.57 per hour in conjunction with the new cost of living adjustment minimum wage. The amount was calculated by using the $12.67 per hour minimum wage and adding a 15% fringe cost.
