Board Minutes - March 2023 - Western Iowa Tech Community College

Date: March 13, 2023
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: WITCC Campus - Sioux City, Iowa

WITCC Mission

As a comprehensive community college, our mission is to provide quality education and to economically enhance the communities we serve.

Board Members

Administration:

Terry Murrell, College President | Juline Albert, VP of Learning | Troy Jasman, VP of Finance and Administrative Services | Darin Moeller, Executive Dean of Instruction | Mike Logan, Dean of Information Technology | Jackie Plendl, Dean of Human Resources | Tawnya Beermann, Dean of Students | Christina Brandon, Interim Dean of Outreach and Information Technology | Revathi Vongsiprasom, Associate Dean of Inclusion

Presenters:

Dr. Erin Volk, Director of Institutional Research and Resource Development | Carmen Wilson, Associate Dean – Corporate College | Revathi Vongsiprasom, Associate Dean of Inclusion | Jennifer McCune, Student Leadership Coordinator | Andrea Rohlena, Director of Marketing and Publications | Matt Pfister, Executive Director of College Development | Merlyn Kathol, Director of Financial Aid

Item

Meeting called to order at 4:00 pm by Russell Wray.

Brenda Wright took a roll call of Directors.

Public Hearing for Published Budget – published in Sioux City Journal on February 25, 2023.

Oral Communications - Russell Wray presented a 15-year recognition for being here for 15 years to Terry Murrell.

There were no Written Communications to be presented to the Board.

Russell Wray asked the Board to review the Consent Items. Jeremy Ogle made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Neal Adler. All were in favor and motion was carried.

Juline Albert introduced Revathi Vongsiprasom and Jennifer McCune to present their Annual Community Colleges for Iowa Student Legislative Summit Report. Jennifer McCune took 10 students to Des Moines for the legislative event. They sat with a legislative panel and asked questions. Tess Fryer, Jordan Hicklin, and Brett Rosenbaum spoke of their experiences and the tour.

Terry Murrell presented the Redistricting Plan. This plan will be in effect for the November elections. Jeremy Ogle made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Linnea Fletcher. All were in favor and motion was carried.

Terry introduced Andrea Rohlena to present the marketing plan to roll out the New Logo. New logo will launch on August 1. Derrick Franck made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Blanca Martinez.

Andrea Rohlena presented a Public Relations Report. Andrea spoke on the positive ways the media views the college.

Juline Albert introduced Erin Volk to review the FY2022 Federal Funding Profile This report shows all federal funding that comes into the college.

Troy Jasman and Darin Moeller reviewed the FY24 Tuition, Fees, and Other Charges. We are proposing a $5 increase in tuition for in-state tuition. Darin then spoke about the course fees. They are reviewed by the departments each year. Jeremy Ogle made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Neal Adler. All were in favor and the motion was carried.

Darin introduced Carmen Wilson to present the 260E Preliminary Agreement for TEC Equipment TEC is looking to expand in Sioux City. This will help pay for training for new employees. They plan on hiring an additional 15 employees. Neal Adler made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Tricia Sutherland. All were in favor and motion was carried.

Carmen Wilson also presented the 260E Preliminary Agreement for Thermogenics. Thermogenics is not going to bond this year. They will be able to in the next two calendar years. Linnea Fletcher made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Neal Adler. All were in favor and motion was carried.

Troy Jasman introduced Matt Pfister to present the College Foundation Board Nominee. Matt would like to nominate Keith Obermiller. Will be a great member of the board. He also served on the alumni board for several years. Jeremy Ogle made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Tricia Sutherland.

Troy Jasman and Merlyn Kathol presented the Cohort Default Rate Summary and Action Plan Update. The current default rate is 0% and because of the Cares act and forbearance no one went into default.

Troy Jasman presented the Great Western Dining Contract. This is a five-year agreement. Derrick Franck made a motion to approved and it was seconded by Neal Adler. All were in favor and motion was carried.

Troy Jasman presented the Published Budget Troy reviewed the process for the published budget. Derrick Franck made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Jeremy Ogle. All were in favor and motion was carried.

Troy Jasman also presented a proposal for the Parking Lots 5&6 Bids. Troy is requesting the board to approve the bid to make some parking lot improvements. Jeremy Ogle made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Neal Adler. All were in favor and the motion was carried.

Derrick Franck reviewed the Audit and Finance Committee Report. Today’s topic was learning about the budget process. They also talked about the P Card process and he is very satisfied with the processes we have in place to review P card purchases.

Derrick Franck talked about the last meeting for the Community Colleges for Iowa. He also gave some legislative updates.

Terry Murrell gave a President’s Report. He gave some updates on the Iowa legislature. Terry also talked about the funding formula change for 2024 and how some colleges’ fundings would be distributed differently. This is currently scheduled to go into the next legislative season.

Jeremy Ogle made a motion that was seconded by Linnea Fletcher to go into Executive/Closed Session pursuant to Iowa Code sec.21.5(1)(c) to discuss strategy with legal counsel on a matter presently in litigation, where its disclosure would likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the College in that litigation. Roll Call was taken by Brenda Wright.

After discussion in Executive Session, Derrick Franck made a motion to exit Executive Session. Jeremy Ogle seconded the motion. Brenda Wright took a roll call. We returned to regular session.

Tricia Sutherland made a motion to adjourn the meeting and it was seconded by Jeremy Ogle. All in favor. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned.