Bitterroot College Program of The University of Montana
Minutes of the Advisory Council
Meeting Location: Human Resource Council Building Meeting Room, 316 North Third Street, Hamilton
Meeting Time and Date: 3:10 – 5:20 PM, Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Chair: Lynn Stocking (interim)
1)
Call to Order and Roll Call
a) Advisory Council members present: Jennifer Burdette, Pat Connell, Patricia Meakin, Al Mitchell, and Dixie Stark
b) Advisory Council members absent: Perry Brown, Heather Green, and Deb Morris
c) BCP staff present: Victoria Clark and Carole Tallman (taking notes)
2) Introductions
a) New Advisory Council Member introduced: Al Mitchell (new Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce Director
and Owner of The Paper Clip in Hamilton); Mitchell previously served on the Hamilton School Board and on the
Hamilton City Council.
b) Members of the public were asked to introduce themselves: Terry Berkhouse (UM Director of Internship
Services and resident of Florence), Amanda Duley (BCP Adjunct Instructor in Biology and RML Postdoc), and
Suzanne Shope (BCP Continuing Education Instructor and prospective BCP Adjunct Instructor in Education)
3) Announcements and Documents Received
Discussion Summary: Victoria Clark announced that Carole Tallman (BCP Operations) would be leaving the BCP with her
last day scheduled for May 14, 2012. Tallman was moving to Alaska where her husband had accepted a new job. Clark
said that Patty Skinner had been hired to replace Tallman. Skinner, like Tallman, was hired as a six-month temporary
employee. Skinner had been identified from an existing BCP applicant pool.
4) Approval of Steering Committee Meeting Minutes from December 7, 2011
Discussion Summary: Minutes from December 7, 2011 were not available for action.
5) Approval of Advisory Council Meeting Minutes from March 28, 2012
Discussion Summary: The minutes from March 28, 2012 were unanimously approved without changes.
6)
Student Representative
a) Report from Steering Committee Nominating Committee for New Student Representative(s)
Discussion Summary: Chair Stocking announced that the newly selected Student Representative Heather Green was not
able to attend the afternoon’s meeting due to a conflict with a final exam. Stocking commented that she and Clark would
be meeting with Green prior to the next meeting to discuss duties and responsibilities and establish a regular meeting
time with Green each month.
7)
Advisory Council Old Business
a) Advisory Council Vacancies (Lynn Stocking)
b) Nominating Committee for Advisory Council Leadership
c) Fall 2011 Statistics Course and Student Issues (Lynn Stocking)
Discussion Summary: Chair Stocking reported that there were two Advisory Council vacanciesone local position and
one UM position. Stocking noted that Terry Berkhouse’s name had been put forward to the UM Provost for the UM
opening. With respect to the local opening on the Council, Stocking commented that the Nominating Committee was
working on filling the slot. Dixie Stark welcomed Al Mitchell to the board, noting that his long involvement in the
Bitterroot Valley community would be an asset to the Council. Stark also commented that Berkhouse’s residence in
Florence helped with the geographic balance of the Council which currently favored the southern valley.
With respect to the Fall 2011 statistics course issue, Stocking said she had notified all the students in the
Hamilton section via email asking them if they had concerns about their grade in the course. She reported she had heard
back from two of the students to date. Stocking also said that the Math Department Chair was also involved in the
communication. Stocking commented that in the future the procedure for handling this sort of situation needed to be
clear for students, staff, and Council members. Stark stressed the importance of there being Council training on the chain
of command relating to students bringing issues to Council members. Pat Connell agreed with Stark, noting that there
were liability risks if communication wasn’t handled properly; that procedures and policies needed to be in place as safe
guards for all. Member of the public Suzanne Shope remarked that the process for students grieving a grade needed to
be in accordance with UM and UM-COT policy. Stocking said that such was the case but that this had been a situation
wherein technological difficulties had interfered with the delivery of course content. Patricia Meakin expressed concern
about equity for BCP students and that in this case BCP students had not received the same course content as UM
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 5-09-2012, Page 2 of 4
students. Clark said that much had been learned from this event and that she would draft policy relating to this matter
for review at the next Council meeting.
8)
Advisory Council New Business
a) Dropping the Word “Program” from the BCP Name (Victoria Clark)
b) Discussion of Idea on Forming Workgroups (Victoria Clark) – see supplemental material
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that Provost Brown had asked her to relate to the Council that as part of the state’s
2-year rebranding initiative that the recommendation was that the word “Program” be dropped from the BCP name.
Meakin said she favored this move as the word “Program” was confusing to the public and potential students. There was
general consensus among Council members in favor of the rebranding recommendation for the BCP.
Clark then introduced the idea of forming Advisory Council workgroups (refer to supplemental handout). Clark
said she thought the formation of workgroups responded to Council concerns on improving Council communication and
participation with respect to BCP issues. Too, she saw the workgroups as being able to provide true support to BCP staff.
Stark commented that it might be useful to approach this issue from the angle of identifying Council members’ skill sets
and how those skill sets could be best employed to the BCP advantage. Clark responded that while this made sense, she
did believe that there needed to be some structure to the approach and that the workgroups would provide this
structure. Meakin remarked that she was interested in some activities from each workgroup, but that she did not
necessarily want to be involved in all the duties associated with any one workgroup. Connell asserted that the term
“workgroup” was” too fuzzy,” and that subcommittee was more appropriate and that subcommittee chairs would report
to the Council chair rather than to the BCP Director. Connell noted that in the Legislature all the work was really
accomplished in subcommittees rather than in the committee of the whole. Stocking suggested that Clark develop the
idea further over the next few meetings with the goal to have something firm to present to the Council at the September
retreat. Stark expressed concern that with the workgroups too much responsibility might be given to volunteers. Meakin
remarked that the BCP was not using volunteers enough; that volunteers were project oriented and needed projects.
Too, Meakin wondered if the workgroups were just being given tasks that the staff did not want to do. Al Mitchell said
that for the Chamber the subcommittee idea worked well, but that for the City of Hamilton the subcommittee idea had
not been successful. He said that personally he favored a committee of the whole wherein committee members were
assigned or choose to participate in specific projects as the need arose. Meakin asserted that she thought Council
members should drive the “to do” list; noting that she was personally interested in doing student advising. Clark wound
down the discussion saying that she would explore and develop the idea further and bring the issue back to the Council at
the next meeting. Clark asked the Council if they believed the BIG Committee should be put on hold until this issue was
decided. Stark directed that as the BIG Committee was in the by-laws that formation of this committee should continue
to move forward.
9)
Director’s Report
a) Programming
i) College
(1) Summer 2012 and Fall 2012 – courses and enrollment – see supplemental material
(2) Degrees:
(a) Development of Natural Resources and Filmmaking degrees
(b) Development of Entrepreneurship Credential
(3) Partnering with Valley Veterans for college admissions
ii) Continuing Education
(1) Spring 2012 and Summer 2012 courses
(a) New: 3 Courses for OPI Renewal Credit
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that all five of the BCP summer courses had met the 10 student summer enrollment
minimum. She noted that general education courses seemed to have the most appeal for the summer. Clark said that for
the next summer she would work with SELL to identify a specific BCP summer allotment (rather than the BCP being part of
the UM-COT summer funding allotment) and that she would ask for funding for more than five summer classes. With
respect to fall 2012 BCP college classes, Clark remarked that registration was steady and she expected to reach 400+ in
“Actual” by August. Clark listed some of the new classes for the fall as well as relaying that she and Stocking were still
working on bringing the Anatomy and Physiology labs to Hamilton for the fall.
Regarding degree development, Clark reported that initial meetings with employer groups had been held for
Natural Resources, Health Care, and Energy. Too, she said that she and MAPS personnel would be meeting with UM
officials on Thursday, May 10 to discuss a Filmmaking AAS. Also Clark stated that she was working with RCEDA on an
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 5-09-2012, Page 3 of 4
Entrepreneurship Credential. Clark thought it was interesting that a common theme in all her employer meetings was
employers’ concern for improved communication skills/interpersonal skills/soft skills.
Clark then turned to Continuing Education, announcing that for the summer the BCP was offering three courses
for OPI Renewal Credit – one relating to organizational performance, a second focused on Indian Education for All
curriculum, and the third on French Impressionist painting. Meakin asked about advertising for these courses. Clark said
that all the schools had been sent the information over email. Suzanne Shope, the instructor for the Indian Education and
painting courses, said that she was meeting with Hamilton Superintendent Duby Santee to promote the classes. Jennifer
Burdette stated that she had forwarded the email announcing the courses to all her faculty and that she had posted the
flyers in her teacher lounge. Meakin urged Clark to make sure all the other school districts were passing the word onto
their faculties.
a)
Administration/Operations
(1) Advising and Enrollment Services Coordinator – new position update
b) Community Outreach and Regional Issues
i) TAACCCT Grant
ii) Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders meeting
iii) Earth Day (Kathleen O’Leary)
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that the BCP’s Advising and Enrollment Services Coordinator position was now fully
approved and that advertising for the position was set to run any day now. Salary for the position was pegged at $30,000
per annum with full benefits.
With respect to the BCP TAACCCT Grant application, Clark stated that the BCP was applying for the grant as part
of the state-wide consortium application being led by MSU-Billings COT. The consortium could apply for up to $15 million
total; the BCP had to date submitted a grant budget of $1.3 million, but that this was likely to see trimming before the
final application was submitted. Clark explained that the grant was targeting health care and energy sector programming
and that the BCP hoped to use some of the funds to start-up an industrial arts-energy sector component as well as to
expand the college program’s existing health care offerings. Clark noted that the overall vision of the grant application
was to create a Montana network of training centers of which the BCP would be part. Clark said that the BCP portion of
the grant included the hiring of a lead faculty in health care, a lead faculty in energy, and two part-time personnel in
career counseling/job placement and IT support.
Turning to the Western Alliance Conference, Stocking noted that time was getting tight and asked Clark to
postpone this topic until the next meeting. Clark ended by letting the Council know that the BCP would be holding Earth
Day clean-up activities at the college program on Saturday, May 19 and that all were encouraged to participate. Jennifer
Burdette said that Darby FFA students might be looking for a volunteer opportunity, and she encouraged the BCP to
contact Darby FFA and let them know about the May 19 event. Clark then thanked John and Patricia Meakin for their
leadership and assistance with the college program’s on-campus April 28 tree and shrub planting effort, saying that the
morning had been a great success with over 40 new trees and shrubs planted.
d) Fiscal Issues
i) Monthly Financial Statement – State Fund (College) – see supplemental material
ii) Fundraising Update
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that although the BCP balance appeared to be in the red that the Provost’s Office
fiscal director had assured her that end-of-the year money was being allocated to cover the BCP’s deficit. Connell
commented that the Legislature was likely to be supportive of the needs of 2-year units in the next Legislative session.
Meakin asked how the year’s fundraising effort related to the current budget balance. Clark responded that ultimately
$28,000 had been raised which was about $4,000 short of what was spent on expansion equipment and furniture, but
that end of the year money was able to cover the $4,000 shortfall.
Clark noted that while the balance line for the BCP may be a moving target, what she and the Council needed to focus
on at this point was how money was being spent and if spending was aligned with other units in terms of instructional
costs versus administrative costs and cost/funding per student. Clark said that she would be preparing an information
sheet for Council members and the Provost’s office that would highlight these comparisons so that the BCP could work on
larger budget goals.
2)
3)
Public Comment (none)
For the Good of the Order
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 5-09-2012, Page 4 of 4
Discussion Summary: Chair Stocking reminded everyone to attend Friday’s BCP graduation celebration. Burdette
thanked the BCP for facilitating the offering of dual credit math and writing classes at Darby High School for the next
school year.
4)
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:20 PM.