Board Minutes - September 9, 2024 - Western Iowa Tech Community College

Date: September 9, 2024
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: WITCC Cherokee Campus - Room 301
Agenda

WITCC Mission

We elevate our diverse learners and strengthen our communities through inclusive and innovative education.

Board Members

Absent: Blanca Martinez

Brenda Wright, Board Secretary

Administration: Terry Murrell, College President | Troy Jasman, VP of Finance and Administrative Services | Darin Moeller, Executive Dean of Instruction | Jackie Plendl, Dean of Human Resources | Tawnya Beermann, Dean of Students | Christina Brandon, Dean of Outreach and Information Technology | Revathi Vongsiprasom, Dean of Opportunity and Engagement | Erin Volk, Dean of Quality

Presenters: Carmen Wilson, Associate Dean - Corporate College | Wendy lvarson, Director of Cherokee Campus and Northern Service Area

Item

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

Brenda Wright took the roll call of Directors

No Oral Communications were brought forward to the board.

Russ asked the board to review the Written Communications from Shannon Jorstad.

Russ asked the board if there were any questions or concerns regarding the Consent Items. No questions or concerns from the board. Jeremy made a motion to approve the Consent Items and it was seconded by Micah Lang. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Erin Volk introduced Wendy lvarson to report on the Cherokee and Northern Service Area Update. Wendy has been the Campus Director for about a year. Wendy reported on what has been happening on the Cherokee campus.

Tawnya Beermann and Christina Brandon presented the Fall Semester Enrollment Report. Fall enrollment up 5.5%. High schools students were up 14.6%. Online is up 26.5% from last year. Terry thanked the entire staff for their hard work.

Troy Jasman presented the FY25 Open Purchase Orders. This is a list of any blanket purchase order over $100,000. Linnea Fletcher made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Jeremy Ogle. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Troy Jasman also presented Change Order #1 for the 2024 WITCC Parking Lot 4 Paving Improvements Project. Found some subsoil that was not suitable. Had to put down a polimer grid. This increased the project by $10,221. Micah Lang made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Brad Griffin. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Troy Jasman presented Change Order #2 for WITCC Denison Campus Addition Project. It was discovered that the soil was not a good building foundation. Had to bring in soil. This increased the project by $38,202. Erin Muck made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Linnea Fletcher. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Troy Jasman then presented the ISCAP Solvency Ratio. This is unaudited information. We are at 15.83%, down slightly. Our auditors said we should be between 12.5 and 17%. We are still a strong institution.

Christina presented a contract for a Partnership with Digital Marketing Agency. This contract will show us how to optimize our budget and impact on our community. Brings marketing - digital and puts our plan/strategy under one roof and can expand our marketing efforts and do more digital marketing more efficiently. Linnea Fletcher made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Erin Muck. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Christina also presented the WITCC Scholarships plan for 2025-2026. Christina worked with Financial Aid to look at our current scholarships and to make our scholarships more appealing. Jeremy Ogle made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Linnea Fletcher. All were in favor and the motion carried.

Darin Moeller introduced Carmen Wilson to present the Resolution Approving Assignment and Assumption Agreement between Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. and Western Iowa Tech Community College. Erin Muck made a motion to approve and it was seconded by Micah Lang. All were in favor and the motion was carried.

Tricia Sutherland reported on Community Colleges for Iowa meeting this past month. She explained the new platform adopted, Quorum Grass Roots. This will be communicated out to board members across the state. This is a program that will help us better communicate and advocate for our students. There will be a webinar on September 20 to explain and help everyone log in. This program will help us write our legislators. More information will be coming soon.

Terry Murrell gave his President's Report. He encouraged everyone to go to 4 Brothers restaurant in Sioux City during September to order the Comet Burger to help support WITCC.

Jeremy Ogle made a motion to go into Executive Session to Finalize the Administrative Contract Strategy in compliance with Chapter 21.9, Code of Iowa, 2024. Linnea Fletcher seconded the motion.

In Open Session, Brad Griffin made a motion to increase Terry Murrell's pay for next year by 3.9% to match this year's faculty and staff increase. Linnea Fletcher seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried.

Russ reviewed the upcoming events with the board. Micah Lang made a motion to adjourn and Erin Muck seconded. All were in favor and the motion carried.

The next regular scheduled board meeting will be Monday, October 14, 2024, at 4:00 pm on the Sioux City campus in the Boardroom.