Here is an informal account of the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees meeting, Monday, January 27, 2014.
Details on the actions items and reports are contained in the Board Packet available online at https://www.nmc.edu/about/board-of-trustees/agendas/2014/032414-board-regular.pdf.
The NMC Board of Trustees:
DECIDED
- To recommend approval of new Board Policy A-104.00 Board of Trustees Video Recording of Meetings as presented, on a second reading basis.
- To recommend approval for administration to end lease of a Cessna 172 RG aircraft and purchase two single engine complex aircraft not to exceed $295,000, to be funded from the Aviation Capital Reserve Fund.
- To recommend authorization for renewal of the $2 million line-of-credit with Fifth Third Bank.
- To recommend authorization for administration to enter into a contract with Arrow Roofing to install new roof on West Hall in the amount of $76,178 plus $7,618 contingency, for a total project budget of $83,796 to be funded through the FY 2014 Plant Fund budget.
REPORTS/DISCUSSION
- Members of NMC’s Student Government Association had their yearly dinner with the Board of Trustees before the meeting, and opened the meeting with a presentation detailing their activities and those of many of the student groups over the past year. When asked by Board members what some of the biggest issues facing NMC students were this year, their responses included: the cost and availability of child care for students, assistance in helping veterans transfer in credits for the work they’ve already done, streamlining the paperwork process maritime students face when getting licensed, more dual-enrollment opportunities, when the Hawk Owl logo will be released, more eight-week courses during regular semesters not just summer and the development of the student intranet.
- Chris Weber, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services presented the enrollment report. She said that dual enrolled high school students are eight times more likely to enroll in NMC than high school students who are not dual enrolled.
- Vicki Cook, Vice President of Finance and Administration presented the financial report. For spring 2014 the budget was set at 50,290 billing hours for budgeted revenue of $6,986,914. Actual billing hours are at 46,545 hours for total tuition revenue of $6,538,308. This is a shortfall of $448,606. A slight increase in property taxes and a decrease in bad debt and adjunct contracts will help offset this shortfall.
- Kennard Weaver, Board Representative to the NMC Foundation Board presented the Foundation report. He said the Taster’s Guild event was a big success with the total amount raised up from last year.
- Trustees Ross Childs and Kennard Weaver gave a report on the Michigan Community College Association Board of Directors Meeting, which was held at Southwestern Michigan College. Southwestern is celebrating their 50th anniversary, and gave tours of their brand new dormitories and new student center. Southwestern credits these new facilities with helping foster more of a sense of student life on the campus.
- In his legislative issues report, President Timothy J. Nelson said there has been no significant movement on the issue in the state senate of concurrent enrollment and pricing.
- In his board chair report, Doug Bishop, Chair of the NMC Board of Trustees thanked the trustees and staff who have kept him in the loop during his recent absence. He expressed gratitude for the hard work of the vice presidents and their staff for all of their hard work in providing materials and answering questions at board meetings. He said that in regards to a question he received about whether an item that was not on the agenda at the January board retreat that was discussed briefly should be included as an amendment to the minutes, that he did feel it should. He said minutes are not meant to be a verbatim reflection of discussion at the meeting. Bishop explained that at the retreat there was brief discussion of the issue of recording board meetings. It was not on the agenda because it had been referred to the board policy committee, and discussion was brief so as to not pre-empt the work of the policy committee. He also reminded trustees that the annual Association of Community College Trustees meeting this year is in Chicago, and encouraged them to commit to as much involvement as possible, and that the college is identifying potential presentation proposals to submit to the conference.
- In his president’s report, President Nelson discussed the recent trip to China undertaken by himself, Marguerite Cotto, Vice President for Lifelong and Professional Learning, Chris Weber, and Gene Jenneman, Executive Director of the Dennos Museum Center. President Nelson said they returned home late Wednesday night, which was Thursday morning in China.He said it was a great trip, and that a lot of good came out of it. He is working on a report that will break down what they did during each 16-18 hour working day. He commented that it was very enlightening, and that he was impressed by the sheer scale of everything that is happening in China, from construction to educational opportunities, even to the number of new cars being produced and purchased.On the trip, NMC officials met with two of the university partners that the college signed memorandums of understanding with during the VELT visit to NMC in the fall of 2012. One of those schools, Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute has 25,000 students and offers a water resources degree. Representatives from Yellow River will be visiting NMC in June.
He said that it was noticed and appreciated that NMC sent their president to lead this delegation, and that his being there showed the commitment that NMC has as an institution.
Yellow River is very interested in creating a faculty exchange program with NMC. While our delegation was in China, the National People’s Congress was in session and passed a measure that increases the funding for education and international exchanges. NMC and Yellow River discussed student exchange opportunities and the possibility of a joint degree that would incorporate the three-year program at Yellow River with NMC’s bachelor’s degree.
The NMC delegation met with the Weiming Education Group and signed a memorandum of understanding for the direct transfer of graduates from their international school. President Nelson said NMC would be sending back one or two college representatives in about three weeks on a recruiting trip with Weiming. They had to have the signed memorandum of understanding before that trip could be scheduled.
He said that at some point every day on the trip he felt, “This is an important day for the college.”
Marguerite Cotto said that NMC is very small compared to the schools in the Chinese university system but that “Learning at the center feels the same on both sides of the planet.”
Chris Weber said that it was a huge asset to have Wei Cao, an NMC alum who lives in Beijing, along for the visit, not only to help with translation but to talk to Chinese administrators and students about what it is like to study and live in Traverse City.
The next regular meeting of the NMC Board of Trustees is scheduled for Monday, April 21, at Parsons-Stulen, Room 101, 2600 Aero Park Drive.