Board of Directors

Dr. Young introduced two new employees who have been hired since the last Board meeting. 

• Elysa Parks, Librarian. Mrs. Parks comes to HCC from the Hopkinsville Christian County Public Library. She has also worked in the library at APSU. She obtained her Library Science degree from UT Knoxville.
• Michael Gosceij, IT Specialist. Mr. Gosceij is a retired Army veteran. He obtained his Computer Information Technology degree from APSU. 

MOTION

Mr. Donnie Holland moved that the minutes from February 22, 2021 be approved as emailed and presented. Mr. Hollis White seconded the motion.

VOTE

Motion carried unanimously.

Dr. Leatherman shared information regarding revenue and highlighted the following:

• State Appropriations. The final state appropriation has been received. Governor Beshear’s SWAP grant reduced the final appropriation by $147K. However, HCC was given back $289K in grant money.
• Tuition and Charges. HCC has met 82% of tuition revenue this year as compared to 91% last year. This decrease is a trend throughout the country in community colleges.
• Sales and Services. Many federal and state grants have been funded this year. HCC most recently received the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) Grant. A portion was disbursed to students in the form of aid. An additional portion of the institutional monies was disbursed to students. KCTCS elected to allow colleges to use the institutional portion for lost tuition revenue. About $2.8M was recouped in lost revenue via the CRRSAA Grant.
• Other. $2M was originally budgeted in additional/operating reserves due to concern of state appropriations and revenue this year. None of this has been used and is not anticipated to be used.
• In summary, 93% of the unrestricted revenue budget has been met, about 12% higher than this time last year.

Dr. Leatherman shared information regarding expenditures and highlighted the following:  

• Instruction. HCC has expended 100% of the instruction budget. This is attributed to accounting transfers because of the CRRSAA grant. If compared to last year without the grant, the instruction budget would show a slight decrease this year.
• Financial Aid is down by about 9% as less aid has been paid out because of decreased enrollment.
• Overall, expenses continue to be in line with the budget and comparable to last year.   Reductions are due to salary savings for unfilled positions, federal grants, and reduction in financial aid. To date, HCC’s revenue is approximately $4.2M in excess of expenditures as compared to last year at $1.5M as a result of federal grant dollars. 

Mrs. Angel Prescott presented the enrollment report. The official enrollment data for Spring 2021 was shared. Overall, as reported to the Council on Postsecondary Education on April 1, HCC officially served 621 fewer students. HCC’s retention rate from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 showed a 3% increase as opposed to Fall 2019 to Spring 2020. Holistically, this is over 5% higher than the KCTCS retention rate. Faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to keep students enrolled and moving forward to meet their educational goals. To date, summer enrollment is showing a slight decline but a positive incline for the fall semester. 

Mrs. Prescott noted that summer classes will begin at various times from May to July. There are several active campaigns for summer and fall enrollment. One particular campaign is geared toward students who are Pell eligible and have financial aid available to use during the summer semester. The admissions team, along with other HCC representatives, are visiting with both graduating seniors and dual credit students at area high schools. The financial aid office is hosting workshops and one-on-one services even after business hours throughout the month of May. Faculty and staff continue to think of ways to remove barriers for students. 

Dr. Young provided a college update to share the great things that continue to happen at HCC. 

• HCC has been approved for an Intensive Immersive 4-week Summer Bridge Program. This program will be fully funded for up to 20 students and will focus on college preparedness and readiness. The program will meet July 12 – August 6. Students will earn three transfer credit hours.
• Rena Young, Director of Marketing & Communications, has been accepted into the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations Leadership Institute. This is an honor as it involves a nationwide selection process.
• Information will be mailed in the coming weeks regarding the Annual Giving Campaign.
• HCC hosted the first class to serve Workforce students across the state as a result of a partnership with all 16 colleges.
• HCC is one of eight colleges that will be featured in a series of free KY Association of Manufacturers mini conferences on May 11.
• Commencement will be held on campus this year in three separate ceremonies.
  • Friday, May 7 at 6 pm (Allied Health and Nursing programs)
  • Saturday, May 8 at 10 am (all other technical programs)
  • Saturday, May 8 at 2 pm (AA/AS degrees)
• In order to keep numbers down, three ceremonies were planned and each registered student was given four guest tickets. Students will process from under the clock tower to the AUD building and then onto the Auditorium stage. Degrees will be conferred on stage, Southern Exposure will take pictures of each graduate on stage, and graduates will exit the building. Barnes & Noble and the Alumni Association will be set up outside for students and guests to visit.
• Board members are encouraged to submit a short celebratory video to be aired on Facebook. Please submit before Wednesday of this week. Submit videos to Janice at Janice.jones@kctcs.edu.
• If any Board member would like to attend graduation, please let Janice know this week.

• A walkway will be constructed between the Emerging Technologies Building and the Technology Center. This walkway was in the original plans but not constructed at the time of the building. There are enough funds remaining in the BuildSmart project to cover the cost. Start date is to be determined.
• A ribbon cutting/open house for the Flexible Training Center will be planned soon, as well as a sneak peak for donors. 

• A Green Construction Certificate has been added to the Construction Technology program.
• Accelerated Welding will begin May 24, using the new American Welding Society online curriculum.
• Pathfinders Discovery Camp will be held this summer to students in grades 3-6. Classes will meet at the Round Table Park. 

Cabinet has been working on the Strategic Needs Analysis. There are minimum recurring dollars but there have been some salary savings. In an attempt to implement various plans to increase enrollment, some positions will be opened. More resources are needed to reach the community. 

Dr. Leatherman presented the 2021-2022 budget request. The fiscal year begins on July 1 and was built with the following assumptions:

1. State appropriations will be received as projected with no cuts.
2. Tuition rate will remain flat at $179 per credit hour.
3. The dual credit waiver will remain the same with students paying 40% of tuition.
4. Tuition and charges revenue is down for 2021.
5. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, another Congress approved grant, was budgeted into the request. HCC is estimated to receive over $6M with $3M to be given to students in the form of aid and $3M to be used by the institution. The balance of other smaller grants has been included in the budget proposal such as the Strengthening Institution Program, the Governor’s Emergency Education Relieve Fund, and the Mental Health Grant. There is a possibility of an infrastructure grant, but it has not been approved by Congress and is not in the proposed budget.

The total proposed budget is $33,579,600, an increase of $5,411,200 over last year, primarily coming from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Regarding the unrestricted budget, state allocations show a $232,300 increase from the current year due to an increase in performance funding and the KY employee retirement system. The Tuition and Mandatory Fees budget was reduced by about $500K. Other Sources (sometimes called operating reserves) was increased by $1M due to SNA decisions. There are some much needed items on campus that need to be replaced or upgraded and this additional money will cover those expenses. The Instruction budget shows an increase of $115,800, a net effect of reserves being used for instruction and personnel changes. Operation & Maintenance has been budgeted at $2.5M, a $558K increase directly related to additional reserves budgeted for the SNA process. The Current Operating expense line shows an increase of $379K, primarily grant related and an increase for SACS-COC accreditation incremental costs and the nursing ACEN accreditation. Capital Outlay has been increased by $201K, a net effect of adding reserves, reducing some contract expenses, and the new energy release payment. Overall, the unrestricted budget is proposed for $15,889,600. 

A question was asked about technology outlay. This budget is being increased incrementally to bring technology up to date in classrooms. The CARES Institutional Grant purchased laptops and desk stations for all employees. Dr. Leatherman will bring additional details to the next Board meeting.

Pertaining to the restricted budget, the Federal Government Grants/Contracts line was increased by $4,799,500 because of the American Rescue Plan fund as well as accounting for expected reductions in federal financial aid and grants. There are minimal changes to the other funding budget lines with a proposed budget of $17,690,600. Current Operating and Grants & Aid expense budget lines show an increase due to the net effect of budgeting institutional and students grants and the offset of financial aid that is expected to be reduced by financial aid funding. 

MOTION

Mr. Tony Holloway moved to accept the proposed 2021-2022 budget request as presented. Mr. Donnie Holland seconded the motion.

VOTE

Motion carried unanimously.

Chair Nelson thanked the Board for 100% participation in the evaluation. Overall, Dr. Young received exceeds or meets expectations in 11 of the 13 categories. Two areas that could show improvement are (1) strengthening the relationship to the HCC Foundation and to explore fundraising opportunities and (2) enlisting board members in maintaining and improving relations with state and local officials and constituents as well as creating new relationships.

Chair Nelson thanked the Board for 100% participation in the evaluation. Out of the 12 categories, the board was very satisfied or satisfied with their involvement in 11 of the categories. The only area that shows needs improvement is board involvement in strategic planning processes and to be kept apprised of progress with regards to planning and priorities.

Dr. Young addressed the Board’s involvement in strategic planning. HCC is currently operating in the 2016-2022 strategic plan. A new strategic plan will be developed next year. HCC’s strategic plan is aligned with KCTCS’s strategic plan. KCTCS is under the KY Council of Postsecondary Education (CPE). CPE is working to develop a new strategic plan as well. CPE is looking to extend the plan to eight years (two 4-year terms). The planning process will begin statewide in the 2021-2022 academic year. Faculty and staff recently completed an environmental scan through a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis. Students, the HCC Board of Directors, and other community leaders will be given an opportunity to have input as well. Once the responses from internal and external communities are compiled, HCC will then begin to create a new strategic plan to determine how to utilize resources effectively and how to move forward. 

The link for the COVID 19 Dashboard was provided. COVID numbers and active cases can be found here https://kctcs.edu/healthy-at-kctcs/covid-dashboard.aspx for all KCTCS schools. 

Chair Nelson reminded the Board to consider producing a quick celebratory video for graduates. Videos can be sent to Janice Jones. If you can attend a commencement ceremony, please let Janice know as well. 

The next Board meeting will be in September, date TBD. An in person meeting will be considered.  

Dr. Young thanked Pat Riley for serving as the Faculty representative on the Board for the past three years. Melissa Dougherty will replace Mr. Riley in September. Pat Hinton will remain the staff representative. Kudos to Mr. Riley for receiving the 2021 HCC Exemplary Faculty Member Award. 

Mr. Donnie Holland and Chair Nelson thanked Dr. Young and the staff for doing such a great job during such a challenging year.

MOTION

Mr. Donnie Holland made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Tony Holloway seconded the motion. 

VOTE

Motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 5:14 pm. 

September 20, 2021
Date Approved by Board of Directors

Signed Copy On File