NORTH GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Meeting Minutes
May 3, 2006
Opening:
Joe Hatfield called the Board of Directors’ meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. in the Conference Room on the Blairsville Campus.
Present:
Joe Hatfield
Jeff Patterson
Jeff Gooch
Kathy Blalock
Don Jamison
Staff: Ruth Nichols, Tom Sommer, Mark Ivester, Judy Taylor, Mike King, Larry Culpepper, Sammy Howe, Sara Moore, Billy Chism, Michele Shirley
Absent:
Gordon Telford
Terry Wright
Alice Ariail
A. Invocation
Mr. Jeff Patterson gave the invocation.
B. Approval of Minutes
Upon motion by Ms. Blalock, second by Mr. Patterson, the minutes of the March 1, 2006, Board of Directors’ meeting were approved by all.
C. Committee Reports
Administrative Services (presented by Jeff Patterson/Mark Ivester)
· The Clarkesville construction projects are progressing well. Completion date for the Transportation Building is May 2006, and the estimated date of completion for the Visual Arts Building is June 2006. The new sewer system is close to completion.
· This is the time of year we take a very close look at our financial situation to determine if we will have money left at the end of the year. At this point, we look at priorities for the school on which to spend this money. There could be more money this year that we can carry over such as continuing education and business and industry money. Final word has not been received on this.
Upon motion by Ms. Blalock, second by Mr. Gooch, the Board approved the Financial Report as presented.
Blairsville Campus (presented by Larry Culpepper)
· Jeanie James has been hired as the Medical Assisting Instructor, and Amanda Parnell has been hired as the new student recruiter for the Blairsville Campus.
· The Conference Center hosted 13 events with over 1,400 people attending. Some of the larger events were the Northeast Georgia Realtors, training for Air One EMT’s, the Young Harris College Spring Formal, the Fannin County High School Prom, the Beta Club Beauty Pageant and CPR Saturday.
Currahee Campus (presented by Sammy Howe)
· Jason Long has left NGTC to pursue a career in the mission field.
· David Simons, a graduate from the Drafting program at NGTC, accepted the position of Drafting Instructor and began his duties April 3.
· Fran Thomas transferred to the Currahee Campus from the Blairsville Campus as the Business Office Technology Instructor on April 3.
· Courtney Kirk from the Currahee Campus was chosen as NGTC’s GOAL winner. Four students from Currahee participated in the competition.
· Numerous events have been held in the Conference Center. The Stephens County High School is using it a lot.
Economic Development (presented by Judy Taylor)
· We met with representatives from Yancey Bros. to discuss the possibility of offering a Heavy Diesel Equipment Technology TCC. The company will help us purchase the equipment, and they will be a major employer of the technicians from the program. If approved by the State Board, this program will begin Fall Quarter. This program will be offered to other students, not just to those that Yancey Bros. recruit for the program.
· NGTC offered a free Customer Service training workshop for the tourism industry on the Currahee and Blairsville campuses. Both were well attended. The Chambers carried the attendees on a tour in order to make them aware of other establishments and attractions in their area.
· Latexco, a Belgium-based manufacturer of latex foam components for the bedding industry, will be locating in Lavonia. Initially the company will be fabrication only with plans to move into manufacturing in a few years. This will be a Quick Start project.
· Middle school and high school stay-over camps will be held this year. Participants will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. These students will learn a lot about entrepreneurship and small businesses.
Instructional Services (presented by Tom Sommer)
· The local Board of Directors gave approval via telephone for the Heavy Diesel Equipment Technology TCC to be offered on the Clarkesville Campus.
· We had 11 students who placed in the top five in the Phi Beta Lambda state competition. Of those, 7 placed first or second. These 7 will participate in the national competition.
· The COC team visit was May 1-2. They will recommend to the Compliance and Reports Committee that we be approved for candidacy.
A motion to approve the Performance Accountability System (PAS) evaluation, planning, and budgeting information was made by Ms. Blalock, second by Mr. Jamison, approved by all.
Student Services (presented by Mike King)
· Various members of the Student Services Department attended meetings and gave presentations on NGTC to Fruit of the Loom employees in Rabun County during April 3-6. Approximately 930 employees will be affected by the closing of this plant, and 850 employees attended the sessions. We will be going back on Thursday, May 4. Another plant closure in Hart County will affect over 300 employees. Some of these people live in our service area, and we will be working with them to provide services.
· Our GOAL winner will be participating in the state competition this month.
· There were 279 students from White County Ninth Grade Academy who toured NGTC and received the results from their ASSET test on February 28. A total of 450 high school students in our service area were tested in March.
· There were a lot of recruitment activities during February, March, and April.
Chair’s Report
· The schedule of Board meetings for the next year is in the notebook.
· The Leadership Conference will be Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
· Mr. Hatfield asked for volunteers to serve on the Nominating Committee to nominate Chair and Vice Chair for FY-07. Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Blalock, and Mr. Jamison volunteered.
· The next meeting is June 7 on the Currahee Campus.
President’s Report
· Alumni Day is June 10.
· We submitted our COC application in August 2005. Our COC team member reviewed our application and advised us that we had to improve it before it was submitted to the COC Board. We resubmitted the application in April, and the COC team visited May 1-2. The team recommended us for candidacy.
· Employee Appreciation Day will be held on Friday, May 5.
· One of the Governor’s committees has approved $26,500 to be used for a GED Instructor and Instructor’s Aid to provide adult education services to the employees of the Fruit of the Loom plant who wish to attend the program. This money will also pay for developing a brochure regarding the services offered.
· The Foundation Golf Tournament will be held May10 at The Orchard. Board members are invited to attend. Lunch will be served at Noon.
· The Foundation’s Big Band Event will be held August 5 on the Blairsville Campus.
· A retirement party was held last Friday for Larry Whitener, Diana Cornelius, and Pete Elder.
· Vickie Nichols has been hired as the new Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness.
· Grapevines were planted on the Clarkesville Campus for our Vineyard Technician program. We are getting ready to plant some on the Blairsville Campus.
· Honors Day was held on the Blairsville Campus today. Dr. Nichols received two emails from students expressing their appreciation for the awards and for the faculty and staff.
Adjournment:
Mr. Hatfield adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m.
Minutes submitted by: ______
Ruth R. Nichols, President
North Georgia Technical College
Approved by: ______
Gordon Telford, Chair
NGTC Board of Directors