NEOSHO COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MINUTES

DATE:                                    November 13, 2003

TIME:                                    5:30 P.M.

PLACE:                                  Student Union, Room 209

PRESENT:                             Kevin Berthot
                                                Mariam Mih
                                                Dr. Marvin Johnson
                                                David Peter
                                                Dr. Robert Thomen
                                                Mark Watkins

                                                Dr. Vicky R. Smith, President
                                                Dr. Brian Inbody, Vice President for Student Learning
                                                Sandi Solander, Dean of Finance and Student Services
                                                Brenda Krumm, Dean of Continuing Education
                                                Brett Bright, Dean of Student Services
                                                Mark Eldridge, Dean of the Ottawa Campus
                                                Tonya Bell, Director of Public Relations/Marketing
                                                Karen Gilpin, Director of Nursing
                                                Ben Smith, Director of Technology Services
                                                Linda Rather, Faculty
                                                David Fewins, Faculty
                                                Mary Bulk, Bookstore Manager
                                                Charles Thompson, Faculty
                                                Eileen Robertson, Guest
                                                Bill Wendt, Student
                                                Neil Phillips, Phil Jarred, Accountants
                                                Kent Pringle, Board Attorney
                                                Terri Dale, Board Clerk
                                                Jesse Tuel, Chanute Tribune

      III.  Public Comment

Eileen Robertson, representing the Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area designation for Kansas, distributed information and asked the Board and the College to support the effort by writing to legislators. 

    IV.  Approval of the Agenda

Mr. Peter asked to amend the agenda by adding Board Retreat Report under reports as VI-C, and moving the President’s report to VI-D.  He also asked to move item VIII-A Audit Report to immediately following the consent agenda. 

Mr. Peter requested that the Agenda be approved as amended.  The motion was made, seconded and approved.

V.  Consent Agenda

The following items were approved by consent.

1. Minutes from October 9, 2003
2. Claims for disbursement for October 2003
    

C.  Personnel
            1.  Retirements
            2.  Technology Services Support Technician
            3.  Paraprofessional – Carl Perkins Grant

 Consent Agenda Item C-1:  Retirements

Leitha Farwell, nursing secretary at the Ottawa campus, submitted her notice that she plans to retire effective December 31, 2003.  Ms. Farewell was hired in 1997.  It was the recommendation of the President that the Board accept her retirement.

Elvita (Bea) Orozco, library clerk, submitted her notice that she plans to retire effective January 16, 2004, after being employed at the college for 26 ½ years.  It was the President’s recommendation that the Board accept her retirement.

Consent Agenda Item C-2:  Technology Services Support Technician

It was the recommendation of the search committee and the President, that the Board employ Janice Erickson in the position of Technology Services Support Technician.  Ms. Erickson would be paid $9.00 per hour on a 9 month contract. 

Ms. Erickson has been employed for USD 413 as a computer technician since 1998.  Prior to that she was a Social Service Designee for Neosho Memorial Hospital for 8 years.  She completed an Associate of Science from NCCC in 1996. 

Consent Agenda Item C-3:  Paraprofessional-Carl Perkins Grant

It was the President’s recommendation that the Board employ Anna Catterson for the paraprofessional position funded by the Carl Perkins grant.  Ms. Catterson holds a Bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University.  She has taught business classes as an adjunct instructor for NCCC since 2001. 

Ms. Catterson would be paid $10 per hour for 21-22 hours per week, not to exceed $5,016.

Mr. Peter requested that the Consent Agenda be approved.  The motion was made, seconded and approved.

Agenda Item VIII-A:  Audit Report FY Ending June 30, 2003

Phil Jarred, representing Diehl, Banwart, Bolton, Jarred & Bledsoe, reviewed the results of the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003.  The auditors’ reported no reportable conditions relating to the audit of the financial statements for Neosho County Community College.  Findings from the prior year audit were also reported as having been corrected.  Mr. Jarred noted that there were instances for the same employee performing too many related duties concerning the cash disbursement, cash receipting, and posting to the general ledger, but that no evidence of wrong doing was found.  He also made recommendations in regards to old accounts receivable collection and write-off, tracking dorm deposits, documentation of paid invoices, and replenishing the bond reserve account.

Resolution 2003-60

             RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of Neosho County Community College accept the audit report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003.

The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

VI:  Reports

Faculty Senate Report:  David Fewins, President of the Faculty Senate, reported that the Faculty Senate had held a short meeting earlier in the day.  Student advising was one of the topics discussed.  Mr. Fewins also reported that the Faculty Senate offered their thanks to the Board of Trustees for participating in the retreat and work on strategic planning.  The Faculty Senate is willing to assist the Board in any way, and would welcome to opportunity for input.

Treasurer’s Report:  Sandi Solander reported that she is currently working on reconciling the October bank statements without the assistance of the auditors. 

Board Retreat Report:  Chairman Peter reported that the Board Retreat held the previous weekend had been very successful and that some of the items developed during the retreat would be acted upon later in the meeting. 

President’s Report:  President Smith introduced Ann Neff, coordinator for the International Program at the College. Miyuuki Ueno form Japan presented Mr. Peter with a proclamation from the City of Chanute proclaiming International Student Week.

Dr. Smith also shared information from the KACCT indicating that that there would be virtually no growth in state revenues for next year.  She also shared her response to the Kansas Board of Regents regarding service area reallocation; which was that community colleges had invested much time and money in there current service areas and that she did not think reassigning them was a good idea.  Dr. Smith also informed the Board that she had assigned an ad hoc committee to study the student union area and how it could be best used, she expects a recommendation by early spring.  She reported that In-Service training had been held earlier in the day and that Dr. Brian Inbody provided the federal mandated training in FERPA and the Graham Leach Bliley Act.  Next week she and several administrators will attend Performance Agreement Training in Topeka and she will remain in Topeka for the Board of Regents meeting and a meeting of the Council of Presidents.

Agenda Item VII-A.  Policy Revisions (second reading)

The following policies were presented at the October Board meeting for consideration.  The proposed revised policies are listed on the following pages.  Following discussion of the revised policy for Grading System, the policies were approved.

Resolution 2003-59

RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of Neosho County Community College approves the policy revisions for Grading System, Repetition of Courses for Additional Credit, Grade Appeals, Degree Requirements, Attendance, and Classification of Students and Student Load as presented.

 The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

Grading System

Grades are issued and recorded as A, B, C, D, I and F (superior, good, average, below average, incomplete, and failure).  No grades are issued with a plus or a minus.

The Pass/No Pass grade is based on class participation of the student rather than grade assessment through testing.  The grade is not calculated in the student grade-point average, but the course(s) may count as college credit and be counted toward hours for graduation.  Instructors may utilize this type of grading when recommended and approved by the curriculum committee and the chief academic officer.

An incomplete grade, (I), may be issued where illness and other unavoidable circumstances interfere with the student’s completing coursework in the schedule time.  Every grade of (I) must be removed within the first nine weeks of the semester following the receipt of this grade; otherwise, the (I) automatically becomes the grade indicated by the instructor on the incomplete contract.Incomplete Contract.  For emergency cases, a petition for exceptions to this rule may be made to the chief academic officer.

Repetition of Courses for Additional Credit

Students may not enroll in a particular course more than two times, unless the course has been designated for repeat credit.  Courses which have been designated to be taken for additional credit may not be taken for more than six (6) credit hours to apply toward a one-year certificate, or for twelve (12) credit hours to apply toward a two-year certificate or associate degree.  Any exceptions to this policy must be petitioned by the student to the chief academic officer.

Grade Appeals

Grades are based only on academic standards and the instructor’s evaluation of how well a student achieved those standards.  Final grades shall be based upon written grading criteria given to the student at the beginning of each course.  Each instructor is required to issue a syllabus for the course the first class session each semester outlining the requirements for the course and the grading criteria to be used in the course. 

Grounds for grade appeals include:

1.      Failure of the instructor to follow the written criteria given to the student at the beginning of the course (or failure of the instructor to provide written criteria as required).

2.      Alleged errors in the mathematical calculation of grades.

3.      Alleged errors in recording the grade on the student’s transcript.

4.      Non-academic issues such as attendance (i.e. if a student completed the work and would otherwise have been entitled to a grade acceptable to the student, but did not receive the grade due to poor attendance, poor class participation, discrimination, etc.).

If a student questions the calculation or recording of a grade, the student shall first confer with the appropriate course instructor.  If the problem cannot be resolved, the student may initiate the grade appeal process by making an appointment with the chief academic officer.  It rests within the chief academic officer’s discretion to investigate and determine the basis for the appeal and then either resolve it or refer it to an ad hoc committee for review and resolution.  Investigation of the grade appeal would relate to determining whether a student’s grade was affected adversely by calculation, recording, or non-academic issues as outlined above.  No further appeal by the student is allowed. 

A grade appeal must be filed no later than ninety (90) days from the last day of the spring, summer, or fall term in which the class was attended.  Each grade being questioned must be appealed separately.

Degree Requirements

The board of trustees grants the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of General Studies degrees.  Requirements for the degrees include the successful completion of a minimum of sixty-four (64) semester hours credit and a cumulative GPA of 2.0.  To be eligible for graduation, students must have earned at least fifteen (15) of their last twenty-four (24) semester hours from NCCC.  Requirements for graduation may be completed during any semester.  Any change in graduation requirements must be approved by the chief academic officer.

Remedial and developmental courses (those with course numbers lower than 100) will not count toward the sixty-four hours required for the associate degrees.

All students who plan to graduate at the conclusion of any given semester must file a “Statement of Intent to Graduate” form no later than the 40^th day (the end of the 8^th week) of their final semester so that their records may be checked to ensure that all graduation requirements have been met.  Students who do not apply by this date may not be allowed to graduate.

Students who enroll under the provisions of a previously dated catalog will have the option of continuing and graduating under those provisions, or under the provisions of the current catalog, but not both.

Attendance Policy

Unless students are participating in a school activity or are excused by the instructor, they are expected to attend class.  If a student’s absences exceed one-hundred (100) minutes per credit hour for the course, the instructor has the right, but is not required, to withdraw a student from the course.  Once the student has been dropped for excessive absences, the dean of student services/registrar’s office will send a letter to the student, stating that he or she has been dropped.  A student may petition the chief academic officer for reinstatement by submitting a letter stating valid reasons for the absences within one week of the dean of student services/registrar’s notification.  If the student is reinstated into the class, the instructor will be notified. 

Classification of Students and Student Load

To be classified as a freshman, one must be a graduate of an accredited high school, must be classified as at least a junior in an accredited high school, must be in the gifted program as defined in the Kansas Statutes, or must have successfully completed the GED.  Students who do not meet the above requirements are admitted as special students.  A student is classified as a sophomore upon attainment of 26 semester hours of credit and a minimum of 52 grade points.

Enrollment in a minimum of 12 hours of college credit is required for classification as a full-time student.  A credit hour is defined by the Kansas Board of Regents and the North Central Association’s Higher Learning Commission policy.

Fourteen to eighteen credit hours per semester are considered a normal load.  A minimum of twelve credit hours is required to be classified as a full-time student.  By special permission of the chief academic officer and the recommendation of designated student service staff, students may carry from 10 to 21 credit hours providing they were previously enrolled for at least one semester and have a 3.0 grade-point average.  Students may not carry more than 21 credit hours in a regular semester or 12 credit hours in the summer.

Agenda Item VIII-A:  Audit Report FY Ending June 30, 2003

This report was heard following the consent agenda and is recorded earlier in the minutes.

Resolution 2003-60

             RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of Neosho County Community College accept the audit report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003.

The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

Agenda Item VIII-B:  Master Course List Approval

Before each semester the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) requires each institution to complete a list of all possible course offerings for the next semester.  The document is referred to as the master course list.  This list should be approved by the institution’s governing board. 

The list goes beyond just what will be offered next semester.  It contains every course, both active and inactive, that Neosho County Community College could offer.  The reason for this lies with the requirement by the state that every course offered in that semester be on the list.  Occasionally, we are approached by groups wanting a course that we did not consider at the time of scheduling.  By giving the state the entire course list, we are insured that we will not break state policy and offer a course that is not on the approved list.

The master course list has been thoroughly inspected by our deans and chairs and audited against our student information system software.  

Recently, the state board modified the method by which new courses are accepted for credit in the state of Kansas.  Formally, each new course was approved by KBOR individually.  Under the current procedure, a new course merely needs to appear on the institution’s master course list and be approved by the local board to be accepted by the state.  This change has increased the importance of the master course list.

The master course list is on the following pages.

Resolution 2003-61

RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees of Neosho County Community College approved the Master Course Listing as presented.

The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

Agenda Item VIII-C:  Policy Revision-Grade Forgiveness (first reading)

In this policy there are four proposed changes. 

1. Allowing students to retake courses for which they earned an “unsatisfactory grade” as apposed to a “D” or “F”.
2. Allowing students to take most courses twice only.
3. Change in vice president title to job duty of chief academic officer.
4. Strike of a sentence to improve readability and succinctness.
5. Removing the student’s need to inform the registrar that they have repeated a class.
6. Removing the restriction on the number of credit hours that can be repeated.

The first proposed change allows a student to retake any class for which they received an “unsatisfactory grade.”    The student determines what grades he or she considers unsatisfactory.  On rare occasions, students have asked to retake courses for which they have earned a “C” in an effort to improve their overall GPA and prove their readiness to enter competitive programs, such as NCCC’s nursing program.  Under current policy, students would not be allowed to re-enroll in a course for which they have earned a “C” or better.  The proposed policy does allow this second chance.

The second proposed change allows a student to retake a course twice only, except those courses that are designed for repeat credit, such as lifetime learning or concert band.  Under the current policy there are some students who enroll and withdraw from or fail the same course over and over.  These students need to change something to be successful or perhaps think about a different educational goal.  Additionally, each seat in a course costs not only tuition from the student, but subsidies from local, state and federal taxpayers as well.  Under the proposed policy, after the second attempt at a course, the student will need to petition to the chief academic officer to re-enroll in the course for the third time.  This will require a conversation between the student and student’s advisor about what changes will be needed for the student to be successful in the course or perhaps discussion of the student’s educational goals. 

For the third proposed change, there have been several title changes for the vice president over the years which can be found in several policies.  “Chief academic officer” refers to a duty within a job description rather than a title.  This reference allows for current and future title changes of the vice president without requiring a change for each policy that mentions the title.

The forth proposed change strikes a sentence that is redundant with an earlier sentence and is a bit confusing.

The fifth change removes the procedure for informing the registrar that a class has been repeated.  In the past, it was necessary for students to inform the registrar of the repeat in order to have the registrar change the transcript to reflect the repeat.  Currently, the registrar makes these changes automatically, so there is no need for student notification.

The sixth change removes the fifteen credit hour limitation for course repeats.  By removing this limitation the Board allows students to retake as many courses as they wish in order to improve their GPA.  Please keep in mind that, due to the second change in this policy mentioned above, the students are limited to two chances to take one particular course

Current Policy - Grade Forgiveness

Students will be allowed to repeat for credit a course in which a grade of “D” or “F” has been received.  For such a course repeat, the student need not obtain approval to re-enroll from the vice president of academic affairs.  Upon completion of the retake of the course, the student must apply to the dean of student services/registrar to have the most recent grade replace the prior grade received for the repeated course to count toward graduation requirements and grade point averages.  However, the original grade remains on the student’s transcript to be considered by any four-year school or other receiving institution to which the student may transfer.  There are no automatic repeats or substitutions of later grades for earlier ones on a student transcript.  In addition, a student may only apply to have a total of fifteen (15) hours of course work replaced for earlier courses taken under this policy at this institution.  Any exceptions to this policy must be petitioned by the student to the vice president of academic affairs.

Proposed Policy - Grade Forgiveness Replacement

Students will be allowed to repeat for credit a course in which an unsatisfactory grade has been received.  For such a course repeat, the student need not obtain approval to re-enroll from the chief academic officer.  However, students may not enroll in a particular course more than two times, unless the course has been designated for repeat credit.  Upon completion of the retake of the course, the student must apply to the registrar to have The most recent grade will replace the prior grade received for the repeated course to count toward graduation requirements and grade point averages.  However, the original grade will remains on the student’s transcript to be considered by any four-year school or other receiving institution to which the student may transfer.  There are no automatic repeats or substitutions of later grades for earlier ones on a student transcript.  In addition, a student may only apply to have a total of fifteen (15) hours of course work replaced for earlier courses taken under this policy at this institution.  Any exceptions to this policy must be petitioned by the student to the chief academic officer.

Agenda Item VIII-D:  Policy Revision-Governance (first reading)

One of the issues that was identified by the Higher Learning Commission, was the need for the Board to make policy decisions as opposed to operational decisions and for them to understand the roles of the Board in their policy-making functions.  One of the ways to demonstrate this is to insure that the Governance policy in the Board Policy Handbook reflects that understanding.

Below is the current “Governance” policy and the proposed “Governance” policy.  The recommendation is to remove the number five (5) statement that reads “Endeavor to adhere to the chain of command.”  Since this statement leaves the impression that the Board has not recognized in policy their need to separate themselves from the operational/management of the College, it needs to be removed.  A substitute statement is noted in the proposed “Governance” policy.  That statement clearly acknowledges the division of responsibility between the Board and the CEO/President.

Current Policy - Governance (current policy)

Governing Style:  In its governance, the Board will emphasize outward vision, encourage a variety of viewpoints, provide strategic leadership with collective decision-making, and remain proactive about the future success of the college.  More specifically, the Board will:

1. Direct, control and inspire the organization through the careful establishment of the broadest organization policies reflecting the Board’s values and perspectives.  The Board’s major focus will be on results and their long-term impact.
2. Seek input from various sources including staff, students, faculty, employers, and other community members as necessary.
3. Make decisions, to the extent possible, on a consensus basis.
4. Monitor, evaluate and discuss the Board’s process and performance regularly.
5. Endeavor to adhere to the chain of command.

Proposed Governance Policy

Governing Style:  In it governance, the Board will emphasize outward vision, encourage a variety of viewpoints, provide strategic leadership with collective decision-making, and remain proactive about the future success of the college.  More specifically, the Board will:

1. Direct, control and inspire the organization through the careful establishment of the broadest organization policies reflecting the Board’s values and perspectives.  The Board’s major focus will be on results and their long-term impact.
2. Seek input from various sources including staff, students, faculty, employers, and other community members as necessary.
3. Make decisions, to the extent possible, on a consensus basis.
4. Monitor, evaluate and discuss the Board’s process and performance regularly.
5. Endeavor to adhere to the chain of command.Honor the division of responsibility between the Board and the CEO/president and staff, and contribute to creating a spirit of true cooperation and a mutually supportive relationship in support of our stakeholders.

Agenda Item VIII-E.  New Policy:  Trustee Code of Ethics

Governing Boards function better when the ethical standards for trustee behavior are clear.  At the recent Board retreat the Trustees explored the need to adopt a set of standards, often called a “code of ethics.”  The Trustees felt it was important for them to explore together expectations for their individual behavior as trustees.  In addition they acknowledged that some regional accrediting commissions for community colleges require that boards have a code of ethics or similar statement.  With the concerns expressed by the North Central Association’s Higher Learning Commission and with their own desire to establish guidelines for their behavior, they discussed formally adopting a code of ethics.  Below is the Code of Ethics. 

Proposed Policy - Trustee Code of Ethics

As a governing board member, I am responsible to:

1. devote time, thought, and study to the duties and responsibilities of a community college board member so that I may render effective and creditable service;
2. work with my fellow board members in a spirit of harmony and cooperation in spite of differences of opinion that arise during vigorous debates of points of issue;
3. base my personal decision upon all available facts in each situation; vote my honest conviction in every case, unswayed by partisan bias of any kind; therefore, to abide by and uphold the final majority decision to the board;
4. remember at all times that as an individual I have no legal authority outside the meetings of the board, and to conduct my relationships with the community college staff, the local citizenry, and all media of the community on the basis of this fact;
5. resist every temptation and outside pressure to use my position as a community college board member to benefit myself or any other individual or agency apart from the total interest of the community college district;
6. recognize that it is as important for the board to understand and evaluate the educational program of the community college as it is to plan for the business of college operation;
7. bear in mind under all circumstances that the primary function of the board is to establish the policies by which the community college is to be administered;
8. welcome and encourage active cooperation by citizens, organizations, and the media of communication in the district with respect to establishing policy on current college operations and proposed future developments;
9. support the state and national community college trustees associations;
10. finally, strive step by step toward ideal conditions for the most effective community college board service to my community, in a spirit of teamwork and devotion to public education as the greatest instrument for the preservation and the perpetuation of our representative democracy.

Resolution 2003-62

RESOLVED, That the Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees adopts the above policy as its Code of Ethics, and include it in the Board Policy Manual.

The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

Agenda Item VIII-F: Affirmation of Service

One of the issues that the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association wished the College to demonstrate they have addressed by the time of the comprehensive visit in April 2004, was that the Board is making policy decisions as opposed to operational decisions.  In addition, they wished the Board to demonstrate that they are engaged in professional development to assist them in understanding the roles of the Board in their policy-making function.  The Board has now engaged in two retreats at which they have been engaged in professional development.

At the latest retreat, the Board discussed how they could publicly demonstrate their understanding of the role of the Board in policy-making.  One of those ways is to publicly affirm their service to Neosho County Community College.  Below is an affirmation statement which the Board approved and will include in the reorganization of the Board each year at the July Board meeting.

Proposed Affirmation Statement 

It is with the deepest sense of responsibility and conviction as a trustee of Neosho County Community College, and that I do solemnly affirm:

·        That I understand my authority exists only when acting collectively with my fellow board members, and that our authority is derived from, and obliged to serve, the interests of our entire community;

·        That I will exemplify ethical behavior and conduct that is above reproach;

·        That I will engage in an ongoing process of in-service education and continuous improvement;

·        That I will be prepared to participate in open, honest, and civil deliberation with my colleagues, vote my conscience rather than to advance any special interests, and support the decisions and policy we make; and

·        That I will honor the division of responsibility between the board and the (CEO, president, etc.) and staff, and contribute to creating a spirit of true cooperation and a mutually supportive relationship in support of our community.

Resolution 2003-63

RESOLVED, That the Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees will publicly affirm their service as trustees of Neosho County Community College each year.  And further, that such affirmation will occur at the July Board meeting as part of the organization of the Board, and that the Affirmation of Service document will be signed by all members of the Board, with such document being publicly displayed in the Board Room of the College.  (Each Trustee affirmed and signed the Service Statement)

The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

Agenda Item VIII-G:  Process to Evaluate the President

In the employment contract entered into between the Board of Trustees and Dr. Vicky R. Smith, Section 6 (six) indicates that:

“On or before May 1 of each year beginning with May 1, 2004, Dr. Smith shall be evaluated by the entire Board in executive session with her, receive a written evaluation, and her annual salary for the next year shall be fixed.”

To that end, at the recent Board retreat, the Board and President Smith developed a draft of a process for the Evaluation of the President.  No action was taken on the process procedures at the retreat.  The procedures are outlined on the following page.

Resolution 2003-64

RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees approves the Evaluation of the President Process as amended for use in evaluating the President of Neosho County Community College, to implement the process for this year’s evaluation of Dr. Vicky R. Smith, President, and to following the timeline for the evaluation and contract discussions established by the Board Calendar adopted at the August 14, 2003 Board of Trustees meeting.

The motion was made and seconded that the above resolution be adopted.  Motion was carried unanimously.

Proposed –Process to Evaluate the President

Purpose: 
Since the Board is obligated to others to make sure that the institution achieves what it should while avoiding unacceptable situations and activities; and since it is not the Board’s role to achieve, but to see that achievement occurs; then the evaluation of the president is really an evaluation of the organization, since it is the president who has to achieve the goals set by the Board.

Process:

• One month before the Board meeting at which the President will be evaluated, the President will submit a self-evaluation to the Board. In that self-evaluation the President will include the following:
  • Narrative of progress toward meeting the goals and expectations set by the Board.
  • Narrative of how the President is meeting the roles and responsibilities outlined in the President’s job description.
  • Report on achievements of the institution.
  • Suggest goals for the next year.
• One month before the Board meeting at which the President will be evaluated, each Trustee will fill out the Presidential Evaluation Instrument.
  • The form is returned to the Chairman of the Board two weeks before the Board meeting at which the President is to be evaluated.
  • Board Chairman summarizes the results of the instrument and has copies of the summaries available for Trustees at the Evaluation session.
• An executive session is held for the purpose of evaluating the President.
  • The Board chair shares a summary of the results of the Presidential Evaluation Instrument with the other Trustees, and the Board discusses the results. (The President is excused from this part of the process.)
  • The President is invited into the executive session. The Board chair shares with the President a summary of the results of the Trustee’s Presidential Evaluation Instrument. The President may ask questions about the results. 
  • The President will briefly review his (her) progress on the goals, and answer any questions the Board members may have about the President’s self-evaluation narrative.
  • The President is excused from the executive session for the Board to discuss the evaluation.
  • The President returns and hears the results of the Board’s discussion.
  • A draft of the Goals and Expectations for the President for the coming year's) is developed jointly by the President and the Board.
  • At the next Board meeting the Goals and Expectations are formally adopted.
  • A written copy of the evaluation will be developed and confidentially provided to the President by the end of the next Board meeting following the meeting at which the President was evaluate.  A copy of the evaluation will be placed in the President’s official personnel file.

Agenda Item VIII-H:  Vision and Strategic Direction

At the Board retreat on November 7-8, 2003, the trustees undertook a process to establish the Core Values, Vision Statement and Strategic Directions that will guide the institution including a SWOT analysis.  Attached is the outcome of that process.  It was the President’s recommendation that the Board discuss and make any adjustments to the Core Values, Vision Statement and Strategic Direction at this meeting.  At the December Board meeting the Board can review their work and, if appropriate, approve the three documents.

The documents are listed below.  The Board approved the Vision Statement – Resolution 2003-65.  They did not act on the Values Statement but agreed to distribute them to the campus community and to include it at the beginning of the Board of Trustees Handbook.  The directed the President to forward their thoughts for strategic direction to the Strategic Planning Committee for input and the Board will approve the strategic plan at a later date.

Values

The following values were identified by the Trustees at their retreat.

1. We believe in student learning.

This overarching value summarizes the following statements made by the trustees.

1. We value the student experience.
2. We believe the faculty and staff should be given the opportunity to introduce new ideas as long as they consider the outcomes for students.
3. We care about each student having respect for his/her learning experiences that equip him for life.
4. We believe all students can learn.
5. We believe in equal opportunity for all students.
6. We care about student success.
7. We believe that our students should be smarter when they leave.
8. We believe our students are well equipped to transfer to other institutions.
    

2. We value NCCC’s contribution to the community.

This overarching value summarizes the following statements made by the trustees.

a.       We believe that our students should desire to contribute positively to society.
 

b.      We believe that the College contributes to the enrichment of our communities through the arts.

c.       We believe our faculty and staff are great ambassadors for our college and communities.

d.      We believe in the value of NCCC to the community.
 

3. We believe in the value of education.

This overarching value summarizes the following statements made by the trustees.

1. We believe a well-rounded education makes a successful student.
2. We believe in educating our “community.”
3. We value the power for learning our faculty brings.
    

4. We value honesty and integrity.

This overarching value summarizes the following statements made by the trustees.

a.       We believe that our students should graduate with utmost integrity.

b.      We value honesty and integrity.

5. We respect and value the opinions of our stakeholders.

This overarching value summarizes the following statement made by the trustees.

a.       We respect and value the opinions of our stakeholders.

6. We believe in the value of achieving excellence.

This overarching value summarizes the following statement made by the trustees.

1. We believe in achieving “excellence.”

7. We value the family environment of our college.

This overarching value summarizes the following statement made by the trustees.

1. We value the student-faculty relationship.
2. We value the family environment.

SWOT Analysis

The trustees engaged in a SWOT analysis to identify the opportunities and threats in the external environment against which the College could leverage its strengths and find conviction to correct its weaknesses. As part of the analysis, the trustees identified the most important areas in each category. Those items are in bold. From this analysis a vision statement was developed.

Opportunities

• Terrorism.
• Large dorm
• Technology revolution.
• Aging population
• Workforce development nationwide
• Growth up north (Ottawa area)
• Expanding Kansas City population to suburbs
• Health care industry
• Decline in economic environment increases enrollment
• Bio-terrorism
• Programs—education

Threats

• Terrorism
• Nineteen community colleges
• Limitations in financial area
• Shrinking population in Chanute/Neosho County
• Decline in manufacturing
• Behind in program development
• Six community colleges in southeast Kansas
• Legislative imitative to contract community colleges
• Taxpayer revolt
• Perceptions of people in Chanute

Strengths

• Access
• Core values
• Curriculum
• Space at Chanute
• Faculty
• Staff
• Administration
• Board of Trustees
• Public perception
• Facilities
• Location (Chanute received 4 votes and 2 were for Ottawa)
• Athletics

Weaknesses

• Financial
• Physical plant (dorms, Ottawa campus, Chanute roofs, etc.)
• Curriculum
• Public Perception
• NCA trials make burdens on faculty and staff
• Recruiting students
• Retention of students
• Costs of education at NCCC for students
• Lack of leadership stability

Vision Statement

At the Board retreat on November 67-8, 2004, the Board developed the following vision statement. They developed this statement from looking at the results of the SWOT analysis and imagining what the headlines in the Chanute Tribune would be in five years.  After the Vision Statement, are listed the headlines they developed.

In five years NCCC will serve two times the present number of students through innovative, creative programs based on the development of leadership and excellence in faculty and administration.

Strategic Directions

The trustees at their retreat on November 7-8, 2003 developed a series of strategic directions, which they want the College to pursue to accomplish its vision. The directions fell into three categories.

Programs

• All programming at NCCC will be evaluated to reinforce and improve, eliminate and/or add so necessary programming is in place to attract and retain a student population double that the College currently has.
• Evaluate and review all offerings to ensure NCCC meets its vision.
• Explore needs and opportunities in service area, state or nation for insights into successful new programs.
• Develop marketing and recruiting plan to educate publics on new programs.

Championing the Vision

• We need a person or a group to champion the vision and report progress toward reaching that vision.
• We as a Board need to remain focused (after the retreat) to relay our vision and values to all those involved at NCCC.
• We need to communicate and emphasize our new programs and vision to the stakeholders.

Leadership Development

• Seek areas of information needed in leadership training for writing new programs.
• Develop leadership programs.
• Undertake innovative ways of recruiting leadership.
• NCCC will establish financial priorities to carry out the vision that may require reorganization of talent.
• NCCC will provide time, talent, and training priorities to employ, retain, and develop the faculty, administration and Board of Trustees to carry out the programming desired.

Agenda Item VIII-I.:  Executive Session

Upon a motion and a second, the Board recessed into executive session for 45 minutes to discuss matters affecting a person as a student which if discussed in open meeting might violate their right to privacy and to include the President, Board Attorney, Dr. Brian Inbody, Karen Gilpin, Linda Rather, and the student.  The Board entered executive session at 8:00 p.m. 

The Board returned to open session at 8:45 p.m. 

Upon a motion and a second, the Board returned to executive session for 30 minutes to continue discussions of matters affecting a person as a student which if discussed in open meeting might violate their right to privacy and to include the President, Board Attorney, Dr. Brian Inbody, Karen Gilpin, Linda Rather, and the student.  The Board entered executive session at 8:46 p.m. 

The Board returned to open session at 9:16 p.m. 

The Board Chair called for a 5 minute break.  The meeting reconvened at 9:25 p.m.

Upon a motion and a second, the Board returned to executive session for 15 minutes to continue discussions of matters affecting a person as a student which if discussed in open meeting might violate their right to privacy and to include the Board Attorney.  The Board entered executive session at 9:26 p.m. 

The Board returned to open session at 9:41 p.m. 

Upon a motion and a second, the Board returned to executive session for 10 minutes to continue discussions of matters affecting a person as a student which if discussed in open meeting might violate their right to privacy and to include the Board Attorney.  The Board entered executive session at 9:42 p.m. 

The Board returned to open session at 9:52 p.m. 

Upon a motion and a second, the Board denied the student appeal filed with the Board.  Further, that written notice of the decision as discussed in executive session be provided to the student within thirty (30) days.

Agenda Item IX:  Adjournment

Upon a motion and a second, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.