Community College Board Minutes
Thursday, October 20, 2005
6:30pm
ENMU-R Campus Union Building Fireplace Room
Members Present: Milburn Dolen, Orlando Chavez, John Jackson, Jose Chaves, Albertina Silva
Members Absent: None
Others Present: Judy Armstrong, Bill Jones, Paul Merryman, Art Leible, Earnest Williamson, John Jones, James Buchanan, Donna Gutierrez, Susan Keohane, Robert Bowman, Mike Kious, Charlotte Hetherington
Milburn Dolen declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 6:32pm.
I. Finalize Agenda: Milburn Dolen moved that the agenda with the following items be approved:
1. Provost’s remarks.
2. An action item to approve a resolution to authorize the sale of bonds
and publication of notice of meeting and sale.
3. Update on the Board restructuring.
4. 21-Day Count update and any other business.
John Jackson seconded, the motion passed 100%, and the agenda was finalized. There were no further additions to the agenda.
II. Provost’s Remarks: Provost Armstrong requested that approval of the September 8, 2005 minutes be deferred until the December 1, 2005 meeting. The executive assistant who normally prepares the minutes is currently on medical leave and was unable to prepare the minutes before her leave began. She is expected to return in mid-November and will have the minutes available for the December 1, 2005 meeting. All Board members concurred with Provost Armstrong and approval of the September 8, 2005 minutes was deferred until December 1, 2005.
Provost Armstrong introduced Susan Keohane to the Board and explained that she is the new ENMU-R Foundation administrative assistant. The Foundation, and its activities, has grown to the point where administrative assistance is needed.
The ENMU-R Foundation Golf Tournament that was held the previous Saturday was a great success. Even with rain showers, the tournament had double the number of teams from last year and raised close to $10,000.
The ENMU-R Art Club recently held a hurricane relief fundraising activity. Decorative ceramic mugs were sold for $10 each. Included with the mug was one serving of fresh coffee and one donut. Additionally, a ceramics art auction was held. An approximate grand total of $1,500 was raised, which was donated to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts. Many thanks to Jeanie Bower, Art Instructor, for this event.
The ENMU-R Christmas Bazaar will be on Friday, December 2, 2005 from 9:30am to 5:30pm in the Instructional Center. The funds raised from this event will be for the ENMU-R Foundation’s College Access Program Scholarships (CAPS). In addition to all the handcrafted merchandise available for sale, there will be a special Elves’ Gift Shop for children where everything is priced under $2.00 and the Elves’ Workshop where children can have their photograph taken with Santa Claus. As usual, the event is free and open to the public.
A new ENMU-R literary magazine is forthcoming. Initially, it will contain prose, poetry, and photography. Submissions should be directed to Kate Davis in Liberal Arts. The first issue is scheduled for December via email, followed by hard copy. Additionally, a short story instructional class is forthcoming.
Recently, a gentleman approached Betty Patton, Business and Science Chair, offering his instructional services for a potential ballroom dancing class. He is Arthur Murray-certified and a vibrant, energetic 95 year-old. This is further testimony to the strong ties the campus has with the local community and the wealth of knowledge and instructional experience that can be shared and provided.
Provost Armstrong requested a photo-op for the Board members following the meeting. The Board agreed.
III. Action Item
Resolution Authorizing the Sale of Bonds: Bill Jones, Dean of Administrative Services, requested that a resolution authorizing the sale of the remaining $4,500,000 in bonds be approved along with the procedural publication of notice of meeting and sale. Dean Jones explained that the reason for selling the remaining bonds at this time is three-fold. 1, that interest rates are rising; 2, that an additional $600,000 is needed to complete the current phase of the Health Sciences Center construction project; and 3, the difference ($3,900,000) can be used to fund needed infrastructure projects and can also be invested. Conversely, he explained that the return on investment will be equal to the interest payment. The infrastructure projects detailed were as follows:
1. Health Sciences Center- In addition to the current phased construction, a proposed rehabilitation hospital joined as an annex, and in conjunction with the New Mexico Department of Health, is undergoing the planning and negotiation stages. Since this proposal will be a joint venture between the campus and the state, we are awaiting what matching state funds will be allocated.
2. University Center- This will serve as the main entrance and reception locale for the campus. It is proposed to contain instructional classrooms, faculty and office space, and house Customized Training and Workforce Development. Additionally, an auditorium large enough to hold all major campus events, including commencement ceremonies, and public events is planned.
3. Infrastructure repairs and improvements- Specifically, this would entail a comprehensive roof replacement project. Most of the major campus buildings were constructed between 1985 and 1987. While tremendous efforts have been made in roof repair and patching projects, it is now becoming cost prohibitive and ineffective to continue such projects because the roofs themselves were made to last approximately 15 years and we are now at 20+ years on the lifespan cycle. Another infrastructure replacement/upgrade project is the replacement of the campus cooling towers, which also have reached their maximum lifespan cycle.
4. Campus Union Building expansion- Of primary importance is the expansion of the cafeteria and kitchen area, which is increasingly becoming inadequate in size and functionality to handle the current volume of use. Additionally, expanding the amount and size of meeting rooms is needed in order to accommodate both instructional and non-instructional requirements.
5. Physical Education Center expansion- An additional two classrooms and expansion of the weight training and aerobics workout facilities is needed in order to accommodate increased use and demand.
6. Performance Arts Center expansion- This project will consist of equipment and expanded facility space to support instructional requirements for the campus graphic arts design and film making programs.
Provost Armstrong brought to the Board’s attention the campus’ efforts regarding student housing. The campus is looking to build new residence halls in conjunction with the Portales campus’ RFP with Collegiate Development, Inc.. Currently, Price Waterhouse is conducting a feasibility and design study. There is also an online survey that students, parents and potential students are strongly encouraged to participate in. It is posted on the campus webpage. If this project is successful, new residence halls will be built with private funds, not with taxpayer dollars. Provost Armstrong then noted that the aviation maintenance and special services programs cannot increase enrollment and expand until there is more student housing available; and that the campus is also currently renting one floor of dormitory space from the National Guard.
Charlotte Hetherington, Bond Attorney for the campus, informed the Board that after approval of the resolution, a notice of publication of meeting and sale will be placed in area newspapers at least one week prior to commencement of bidding and consequent approval of sale that is scheduled for December 1, 2005.
Mike Kious, Bond Advisor for the campus, explained that after approval of sale by the Board on December 1, 2005, he expects actual delivery of bonds on January 4, 2006. The preparation for the official sale will be published online with Parity, a bond company, and the bidding will take place online. On December 1, 2005, Mr. Kious will be in the Administrative Services area on campus and have a computer set-up for electronic bidding monitoring beginning at 11:00am. He will have a synopsis of the bidding process available for the Board at their meeting later that day.
Albertina Silva asked Mike Kious if he would be able to see the bids and bidding process in real-time. Mike Kious said that Parity will electronically send a summation at the conclusion of the bidding process.
Dean Jones explained that the first sale of bonds ($3,600,000) resulted in an interest rate of 2.87%, and that the estimated interest rate for the next sale, if authorized by the Board, would be around 4.00%.
Albertina Silva inquired on the proposed dental clinic addition to the Health Sciences Center and its connection to the Dental Hygiene program. She wanted to know if the current program offered by the campus is either a certificate program or a lower level degree program. Provost Armstrong replied that it is a degree program, but only as an associate’s and that the collaboration with UNM and Dona Ana will make it a bachelor’s program with student residency.
Milburn Dolen then moved for a motion to approve the resolution authorizing the sale and issuance of bonds and publication of notice of meeting and sale. Orlando Chavez seconded the motion, and the motion passed 100%.
IV. Information Item
Update on Board Restructure: Provost Armstrong informed the Board that a draft legislative act, prepared by campus attorneys, has been sent to Senator Tim Jennings to be placed on the legislative agenda for the January session. She also relayed that Steven Gamble, ENMU President, has asked the ENMU Board of Regents to write letters of support for the ENMU-R Community College Board restructuring to the legislative body in Santa Fe. Provost Armstrong then suggested that the Board might want to do the same. Milburn Dolen agreed and recommended that a copy of the minutes where all previous 20 Board members had a consensus on the matter be attached to single letter of support signed by all five current Board members. The rest of the Board concurred and it was agreed upon that Donna Gutierrez, Director of Campus Development and Community Relations, will draft the Board’s letter of support and present it to the Board for approval and execution.
Provost Armstrong inquired on whether a public announcement regarding the Board’s restructuring is now a prudent course of action. Donna Gutierrez also inquired if the Board desired a press conference event for the announcement. Milburn Dolen, along with the rest of the Board, declined a press conference and recommended that a public service announcement be issued instead. Provost Armstrong informed the Board that a press release will be drafted and presented to the Board for approval.
V. Information Item
21-Day Count Update: Robert Bowman, Dean of Student Services, presented the Board with the latest 21-Day Count update. Dean Bowman explained that the report itself has now been condensed to a one-page document thanks to the design efforts of Dr. John Jones, Director of Institutional Planning and Research. While the report shows a slight drop in enrollment, the data collected for the report does not reflect the actual census current as of today. With the report showing a 3,849 headcount and 2,219.3 FTE, Dean Bowman projects that the final, official enrollment will be at approximately 4,000. Additionally, the headcount classification breakdown was computed and added after the current report was printed. Dean Bowman also clarified an apparent gap reflected in the report. The campus does not have juniors or seniors; however, students who exceed the semester hours normally indicative of freshmen and sophomores will be calculated as juniors or seniors. This is automatically generated by the reporting software. As such, corrective programming measures will be explored and implemented.
The list of prospective graduates for December is approximately 170.
Currently, the female student population is 57% and appears to be increasing.
Provost Armstrong followed-up with a prospective male student recruiting and retention effort that is under development. Her concern was that the male/female differential may be the result of a higher male student drop-out rate. Statistical data is forthcoming and will be presented at the next Board meeting. Provost Armstrong also commented on an in-progress recruitment/retention mechanism. It will be a statistical diagram that can be used to show current and prospective students the average salary of individuals with a high school diploma as compared to the average salary of individuals with a college degree, along with inter-degree average salaries. She concluded that while this is an area of concern, overall enrollment rates remain high and continue to grow (3% in headcount and 2% in FTE); even though, traditionally, when unemployment is relatively low, student enrollment rates drop as a consequence.
Albertina Silva inquired on whether ENMU-R has received any transfer students from any of the hurricane-ravaged areas in the gulf coast. Provost Armstrong indicated that the campus has, to this date, received no applications and that within the area she believes New Mexico Military Institute has received three or four students at most.
With no further items up for discussion, Milburn Dolen moved that the meeting be adjourned. John Jackson seconded the motion, which then passed 100%. Milburn Dolen adjourned the meeting at 7:04pm.