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: 3:00 – 5:00 PM, Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Chair: Lynn Stocking (interim)
1)
2)
Call to Order and Roll Call
a) Advisory Council members present: Jennifer Burdette, Pat Connell, Roger Maclean, Patricia Meakin, Kimberley
Mills, Deb Morris, Rick O’Brien, and Dixie Stark
b) Advisory Council members absent: Perry Brown
c) BCP staff present: Victoria Clark and Carole Tallman (taking notes)
Introductions  members of the public were asked to introduce themselves
a) Public present: Allen Bjergo (representing Bitterroot RC&D), Blaise Favara (retired MD and president of South
Valley Child & Family Center), Norma Gillmore (retired educator), and Melissa Sundberg (manager of South
Valley Child & Family Center)
3) Announcements and Documents Received
Discussion Summary: Victoria Clark provided a summary of the February 16 incident at the BCP wherein a BCP student
made negative racial remarks and threatened another student with a knife. Clark explained that the student had been
charged by the Hamilton Police Department with a felony (assault with a weapon) and had been banned from the BCP
campus (and all UM property) by the UM Dean of Students until the issue was fully investigated and resolved. Dixie Stark
asked if there was any “no weapons allowed” signage at the BCP. Clark replied that no such signs were posted at the BCP
nor were such signs posted at the Missoula UM campuses to the best of her recollection. Clark noted that from the
internal institutional perspective this was a Student Code of Conduct issue and was being handled according to code of
conduct policy. Clark commented that the Student Code of Conduct is discussed during New Student Orientation and
students are shown how to access the Student Code of Conduct on the BCP website.
4) Approval of Steering Committee Meeting Minutes from October 26, 2011 and December 7, 2011
Discussion Summary: No minutes were available for approval. Approval of October and December 2011 minutes was
postponed until the March meeting.
5) Approval of Advisory Council Meeting Minutes from January 25, 2012
Discussion Summary: No changes were proposed for the January 25, 2012 minutes; the minutes were unanimously
approved.
6)
Student Representative
a) Report from Steering Committee Nominating Committee for New Student Representative(s)
Discussion Summary: Chair Stocking and Dixie Stark agreed that they would connect before the March meeting and have
a nomination(s) for the student representative position(s) by the March meeting.
7)
Advisory Council Old Business
a)
Strategic Plan Update
b) Review Council Bylaws
c)
Select Nominating Committee for Advisory Council Leadership Positions
d) BIG Committee Member Selection Update
Discussion Summary: Clark explained that the Strategic Plan was waiting for UM President Engstrom’s approval and then
would move to the Regents; consequently the plan was still in somewhat ambiguous standing and would not be before
the Regents for their March meeting. Dixie Stark asked if the Advisory Council positions that were now underway would
date the beginning of their terms to July 2011 or July 2012. The consensus was that the Advisory Council positions would
be considered interim until the plan went before the Regents (probably in May 2012), with the official Advisory Council
terms then starting in July of 2012. With that decision in mind and considering that three Advisory Council positions were
still vacant (one a UM appointment, one the student representative appointment, and one a local appointment [Patricia
Meakin noted that with the resignation of John Robinson there was now a local position open]), the council determined
to follow the council bylaws timeline with respect to nominating and filling the Advisory Council Leadership positions, e.g.,
have a slate of candidates ready for the June meeting and elect and seat the new leadership at the July meeting.
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 2-22-2012, Page 2 of 4
Consequently selecting a Nominating Committee for Advisory Council Leadership positions was postponed until the April
or May meeting.
The discussion then turned to Rick O’Brien’s brief on nominations for the BIG (Business, Industry, & Government)
Committee. O’Brien provided a handout with possible candidates for the BIG Committee. O’Brien noted that the list
needed to be shortened but that it was a place to start. After some discussion as to the spelling of names on the list,
thoughts on various individuals on the list, making decisions by identifying sectors that needed representation, and
choosing the members with respect to a workable dynamic, it was decided that O’Brien, Stocking, and Clark should meet
before the March meeting and develop a plan for asking individuals to be on the committee and for paring down the list
so that sectors and communities were equitably represented.
8)
Advisory Council New Business
a)
Request to UM Provost for Receptionist and Faculty Member Positions for FY2013
b) Planning for a Council Retreat (Lynn Stocking)
c) Planning for BCP Graduation Celebration (Kathleen O’Leary)
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that she had spoken to UM Provost Perry Brown about adding a fulltime
receptionist/cashier position and full-time faculty position (preferably in mathematics or science) to the BCP in the next
fiscal year. Clark noted that the addition of a faculty member was likely to change how the BCP fit into the UM hierarchy,
for a faculty member had to be assigned to a degree-granting academic unit and at the moment the BCP was not such a
unit. Clark commented that MSU’s Gallatin College Programs was such a unit so there was an existing model for a college
program to be a degree-granting academic unit. Chair Stocking then brought up the issue of the Council Retreat. Stocking
and Clark expressed support for the retreat and Stark said she was interested in helping to plan the retreat. Stocking
would follow through on initiating a retreat planning group. Regarding a BCP graduation celebration, Kathleen O’Leary
was set to take the lead on this item, but she was absent from the council meeting. All gave their support to the
graduation celebration idea with a reception at the Daly Mansion suggested. O’Brien offered to help with PR. Clark
suggested that any council member who was interested in planning the event email Kathleen and let her know of their
willingness to help.
9)
Director’s Report
a)
Programming
i)
College
(1) Spring 2012 Courses and Enrollment; Summer 2012 Courses; Fall 2012 Planning
(2) Degrees:
(a) Enrolling for Fall 2012: Early Childhood Education AAS
(b) Exploring: Natural Resources AAS, Graphic Design AAS
ii)
Continuing Education
(1) Winter 2012 Enrollment; Spring 2012 Courses; Summer 2012 Planning
(2) New Offerings: CompTIA A+ Certification, Fundamental Electronics, Building High Performance
Organizations, Geology (Teacher Units/Credits)
Discussion Summary: Clark presented the spring 2012 BCP enrollment totals with duplicated headcount at 519 and FTE
at 100.2 – the first time the BCP had broken 100 FTE. Clark mentioned that the UM-COT had allocated the BCP enough
funding for five summer classes but that the BCP would really like to run 8 courses. Clark noted that despite the BCP’s 58
percent enrollment growth since last spring the BCP had not received any additional funding for summer courses. Clark
lobbied Stocking to look into this and urged her to up the BCP’s summer allocation so that BCP students could be served
at levels equal to the Missoula campuses. Clark said that planning for fall 2012 BCP college classes was underway and
that she was focused on bringing the BIOH 202 and 212 labs to Hamilton. Stocking said that the UM-COT was meeting
about this shortly and that direction on this issue was coming. Clark next mentioned that the BCP would soon be
promoting its Early Childhood Education AAS, hoping to enroll 10 to 15 students by the June 15, 2012 application deadline
for the fall 2012 term. Clark remarked that a Natural Resources AAS and a Graphic Design AAS (degrees identified in the
BCP Strategic Plan) were being explored. For Natural Resources, George Furniss (BCP geology adjunct) and Kelsy Milner
(retired UM Forestry professor) had expressed interest in being on a degree committee. Stark and Pat Connell suggested
Wayne Hegman for the Natural Resources degree committee and Stark, with her Master’s in Botany, expressed interest
herself in being on the degree committee. Also suggested were Allen Bjergo and Scott Grasser. Clark said she would look
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 2-22-2012, Page 3 of 4
into speaking with all these individuals and scheduling a Natural Resources degree committee meeting. Stark reiterated
the importance of community input with respect to degree development.
Clark then turned to Continuing Education. Clark noted that Winter 2012 continuing education enrollment was
strong and she credited a more aggressive advertising campaign for this success. Clark did remark that the Winter Walking
class had been cancelled due to no enrollment and that the Western Movie series had run but that enrollment wasn’t
self-sustaining. Clark said that for at least the next few continuing education quarters she was going to focus only on
workforce and business development courses and forgo enrichment programming. Clark stated that she believed it was
at present most important for the BCP to focus on community economic needs, and that she didn’t currently have the
resources to effectively take on enrichment programming in conjunction with workforce and business development
programming. Clark reported that for Spring 2012 BCP Continuing Education would be offering CompTIA A+ classes and
that for Summer 2012 offerings would include an introduction to electronics series, a “Building High Performing
Organizations” series, and a geology series – with the latter two to include teacher renewal units.
a)
Academic Affairs and Student Support Services
i)
Student Strategies for Success Workshops
ii)
Advising for Fall 2012; AA Pathway Update (Kathleen O’Leary)
iii) Textbooks and Food Services
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that the Student Strategies for Success Workshops had started, although to very low
enrollment, but that then the instructor’s (Chris Love) mother had passed away and the remainder of the series had to be
cancelled – with a rescheduling for the week between the spring and summer college terms. Clark said that development
of this series was continuing to evolve. With O’Leary absent from the council meeting, Clark passed over advising issues.
Clark then turned to textbooks and food service, remarking that textbook sales had gone very smoothly for students and
staff alike this semester and that she believed headway had been made for system improvement. With respect to
initiating food service at the college program, Clark said that she was approaching the UM Bookstore to provide packaged
snacks and drinks (like the UM Bookstore does at the UM-COT). Patricia Meakin remarked that perhaps a local business
should be approached with this opportunity. Clark answered that this was tricky as the BCP does not control the building
and that the BCP was not looking for anything elaborate just something immediate; that the business opportunity in the
BCP’s current facility would be limited by space (and the need for space improvements) which the BCP had no control
over. With a partnership between the BCP and the UM Bookstore already established that approaching the UM Bookstore
for initial food service seemed to make the most since in the short term. Clark did say she would draft something that the
BV Chamber could put out to members who might be interested in providing a food service operation to serve BCP
students.
a)
Administration
i) New Advising Position Update
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that no new action had been taken on the new advising position since the last
meeting. She said she would have something to report at the March meeting on the new advising position.
a)
Community Outreach and Regional Issues
i)
WECAN March 6 Event
ii)
Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps Vista Member Application
iii) Partner with MAPS
iv) Partner with Valley Veterans Center
v) Dual Credit Offerings for Darby High School
Discussion Summary: Clark commented on several outreach events/issue. Clark promoted the WECAN March 8 (not
March 6) event which was being held at the Bitterroot Job Service (sponsored by Rural Employment Opportunities) and
which would be a “job networking night.” Clark spoke of the college program’s letter of intent sent to the Montana
Campus Compact outlining a partnership between the BCP and collaborating Ravalli County High Schools (Corvallis, Darby,
Hamilton, and Victor) to secure one or two AmeriCorps Vista members for the next academic year to build a program
focusing on high school drop-out prevention and college access. Clark mentioned that she was meeting with MAPS
representatives Peter Rosten and Laura Henderson on Friday, February 24 to discuss a MAPS/BCP partnership. Next Clark
commented on the development of a partnership between the Valley Veterans Center, the Bitterroot Job Service, and the
BCP with respect to the Valley Vets Center offering veteran’s assistance with college financial aid paperwork and
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 2-22-2012, Page 4 of 4
certification. Lastly Clark mentioned that Darby High School had set up a meeting with UM-COT Dean Barry Good to
discuss dual credit opportunities for fall 2012.
a)
Fiscal Issues
i)
Monthly Financial Statement
(1) General Fund (College)
ii) Fundraising Update – Expansion Campaign: $27,000 raised to date; $6,000 to go
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that the BCP monthly fiscal statement for the school’s general fund was back in the
negative. Clark was unsure about whether or not compensation amounts reflected an October raise and how this
affected her budget planning from the previous spring. Clark was planning a budget meeting with the Provost’s fiscal
director to iron out the issues. In terms of the BCP Expansion Campaign fundraising effort Clark related a bright picture,
with the total left to raise for the fiscal year down to just $6,000. Clark planned to try to wrap up the First Fifty part of the
campaign to bring in the final dollars needed. Stark asked if the $27,000 amount included the $2,000 from the Bitterroot
Valley Community College Effort endowment fund. Clark said no; Stark said she would work on getting this money
transferred from the Effort’s fund to the BCP’s UMF fund before the March meeting.
2) Public Comment
Discussion Summary: Norma Gillmore asked where Chair Stocking’s main office was; Stocking replied that it was at the
UM-COT in Missoula. Blaise Favara suggested that when asking for a County Commissioner to be on the BIG Committee
that the BCP Nominating Committee requests that the Commissioners provide three Commission candidates for the
committee from which the Nominating Committee could then select one for the BIG Committee. Favara also suggested
that the BCP hire a professional facilitator for its retreat. With respect to building high performance organizations, Favara
recommended including the expertise of local resident Rob Ryan. With respect to food service options, Favara supported
putting out a request for a proposal.
3)
4)
For the Good of the Order (none)
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.