August Board Meeting Highlights

 The Board of Trustees gathered for their August 26th meeting in the President's Dining Room at the McAtee Dining Center. This meeting was advertised in the CourierTraveler in accordance with K.S.A. 79-2988 for the purpose of answering and hearing objections of taxpayers relating to the proposed budget and for the purpose of considering amendments to such proposed budget as Cowley College intends to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate. Chair Bazil recognized taxpayers in attendance and conducted the official hearing for comments. 

Under Standing Committee Reports, Trustee Bob McGregor presented an overview of the August 19th, 2024, Trustee Finance Subcommittee meeting. The Board took action on changes to the 2024-2025 Master Agreement (Approved 6-0), Revenue Neutral Rate Resolution (Approved 5-0-1), State Appropriations Budget (Approved 6-0), and the Amended Operating Budget (Approved 6-0) were discussed. 

Trustee Dr. Alan Marcotte provided a recap of the August 20, 2024, Trustee Academic Subcommittee meeting where the Institutional Effectiveness Office and the Trustee Academic Subcommittee requested approval of a new General Education Core certificate. This 35-credit hour certificate aligns with the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) General Education Common Core.  The Board voted to approve the new certificate in accordance with IPEDS reporting 6-0.

Board Chair Brett Bazil provided a recap of the August 21st, 2024, Trustee Policy Subcommittee meeting where policies 111.00 – Employee Code of Conduct (Revision), 137.00 – Conflict of Interest (Revision), 160.00 – Telecommuting (New), and 173.00 – Bulletin Boards (Revision) were presented for a first reading. Formal approval will be at the September Board meeting. 

Under Awards and Reports, Trustee Dr. Alan Marcotte provided a recap of the August 23-24 KACC Quarterly Meetings held at Kansas City Community College, also attended by VP of Finance and Administration, Holly Harper. The meetings included discussions on software analytics, machining, robotics, and new campus construction.

Dr. Schoon provided a College update, taking a moment to thank everyone who assisted with the Tyler Technical Education Center Grand Opening event and the Donor Appreciation dinner. She also made note of two award recipients. Matt Stone who received the Tiger Heart Award and Beverly Frank who received the Ben LeClair Staff Award at the August 9th in-service. 

Throughout the month, Cowley has participated in the Cowley and Sumner County fairs, Dorm Storm, and new employee onboarding.

Additionally, Dr. Schoon shared that there has been a 7% increase in dorm occupancy with an increase in students choosing a single-rate room.

In other news, The new customer relationship management (CRM) software the Enrollment Management Team is implementing will be shared at the September Board Meeting. This CRM software will assist in the recruitment and retention of students. The software will allow Cowley College to set up automated communications for prospective students who have not yet applied and customize the message to the specific types of students targeted in the enrollment management plan.

Under Administrative Reports, The Bookstore began distributing fall course materials on Monday, July 22 with over 150 online orders processed, and almost 200 students purchasing their materials in-store. Dr. Rachel Bates is continuing interviews for open positions with the Academic Affairs department. The Registrar's Office has processed over 953 transcripts. The top recipients were Wichita State University, Butler CC, Fort Hays State University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Kansas.

Jeff Fluty, Cowley College Athletic Director shared that Fall sports are back in action with a coaching staff that is excited for what is ahead. Cowley Volleyball, Soccer, and Cross Country have kicked off their fall season. Expectations are high for these nationally ranked-teams. Women's Volleyball ranked First in the nation, Men’s Soccer ranked Sixth, Women’s Soccer ranked Tenth, and Cross-country rankings are yet to be released.

The Board then held a pair of executive sessions totaling twenty minutes to discuss personnel transactions.

Under the Consent Agenda, the Board moved to remove the AVP position from the consent agenda (6-1), the board then moved to approve the remainder of the Consent Agenda, including the Minutes of the July 15, 2024, regular meeting, Financial Reports, Bills, and Claims, Personnel Transactions, Board Policies 124.00 Retirement Benefits (Revision), 167.00 – Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace (New), and 401.00 – Student Affairs Council (Revision) by a vote of 7-0.

With no other business to discuss, Chair Bazil declared the meeting adjourned at 7:14 pm.

For more details, see the agenda or visit https://cowley.edu/about/administration/board/index.html.

Hunter Ferguson | Integrated Communications Specialist
Cowley College
125 S. 2nd Street
Arkansas City, KS 67005
hunter.ferguson@cowley.edu