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, January 25, 2012
Chair: Lynn Stocking (interim)
1)
Call to Order and Roll Call
a) Advisory Council members present: Pat Connell, Roger Maclean, Patricia Meakin, Deb Morris, Rick O’Brien, and
Dixie Stark
b) Advisory Council members absent: Perry Brown and Jennifer Burdette
c) BCP staff present: Victoria Clark, Kathleen O’Leary, and Carole Tallman (taking notes)
d) Public present: Suzy Foss (out-going BCP Steering Committee member)
2)
Introductions
a) Transition from Steering Committee to Advisory Council
i) New Members
(1) Jennifer Burdette, Darby High School Principal (not present)
(2) Pat Connell, Montana House District 87 Representative
b) New BCP staff member
i) Carole Tallman, BCP Operations (temporary position)
Discussion Summary: Although the Ravalli County Commission will no longer have a voting member on the BCP Advisory
Council (formerly the BCP Steering Committee), Ravalli County Commissioner Suzy Foss will remain involved in BCP
meetings and will plan on attending Advisory Council meetings as much as her schedule allows. Too, if she is unable to
attend a BCP Advisory Council meeting she will encourage one of the other four Commissioners to attend in her place.
3)
Announcements and Documents Received
a) Ryan Foundation Scholarship Fund - $10,000 donated for Academic Year 2012-13
Discussion Summary: In 2011 the Ryan Foundation gave $5,000 to be awarded as multiple scholarships for BCP students
transitioning from construction to healthcare careers. The Ryan Foundation has now doubled their scholarship fund
award for 2012 to $10,000. For this 2012 donation the Ryan’s have donated the scholarship money via the University of
Montana Foundation (in 2011 the scholarship money was handled via an account with Bitterroot RC&D). The Ryan’s have
stipulated that recipients of last year’s awards should be given priority for the 2012 awards. Victoria Clark is working with
the UMF to set up a process for awarding the new 2012-2013 scholarships. The process is likely to mirror what was
developed for the 2011-2012 scholarships; Janet Woodburn (BCP adjunct), Lynn Stocking, Dixie Stark, and Kathleen
O’Leary were all part of the 2011 selection process and will be contacted by the UMF for assistance in going forward with
the 2012 awards.
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 February meeting.
5)
Student Representative
a) Report from Past Steering Committee Student Representative(s) (none present)
b) Report from Steering Committee Nominating Committee for New Student Representative(s)
Discussion Summary: The New Student Representative Nominating Committee (Dixie Stark, lead) will announce the new
student representatives (two individuals sharing one Council voting position) at the February Advisory Council Meeting.
6)
Steering Committee Old Business
a) Planning Discussion
i) Update on Strategic Plan Submission to Regents
Discussion Summary: The BCP Strategic Plan final draft went to Provost Perry Brown in early January and is now being
reviewed by UM President Royce Engstrom. Pending President Engstrom’s approval the plan will move to the Regents as
a likely Information Item on the Regents’ meeting agenda for this upcoming March. It was noted that in the plan that was
sent to Provost Brown, Deb Morris’ name had been cited incorrectly – her first name needs to be changed from Deborah
to Deb. Clark will let Provost Brown know of the needed name correction.
7)
Advisory Council New Business
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 1-25-2012, Page 2 of 3
a) Review Council Bylaws
b) Select Nominating Committee for Advisory Council Leadership Positions
Discussion Summary: It was decided that Council members would review the Council bylaws between the January and
February meetings and then be prepared at the February meeting to select a Nominating Committee for the Advisory
Council leadership positions. Until new leadership is identified, UM-COT Associate Dean Lynn Stocking will serve as
Interim BCP Advisory Council Chair (Stocking served as Vice Chair of the BCP Steering Committee and was currently in the
acting chair role due to Chair John Robinson’s resignation from the BCP Steering Committee in December 2011). Rick
O’Brien, who had previously been selected as chair of the new council’s Business, Industry, and Government (BIG)
Committee, asked about nominating members for the BIG Committee. He wondered if it would be appropriate for him to
consider individuals who were associated with organizations which already had different representatives on the Advisory
Council. The Council decided this was fine and with respect to larger local organizations (i.e., Marcus Daly Memorial
Hospital) that such outreach should be encouraged.
8)
Director’s Report
a) Operational Issues
i) Highlighted topics
(1) College
(a) Spring 2012 Courses and Enrollment – another record-setting semester
(b) Textbook Sales
(c) Student Success Workshops
(d) Summer 2012 Planning
(2) Continuing Education
(a) Winter 2012 Courses and Enrollment
(3) Administration
(a) New Advising Position Update
(4) Community Outreach and Regional Issues
(a) Opportunity is Here! Saturation Postcard
(b) Women’s Business Center Grand Opening
(c) College!NOW Implementation Group Highlights
Discussion Summary: Clark reported that spring 2012 college enrollment was record-setting at 531 duplicated students
(102.9 FTE) with over 200 headcount. Clark credited Kathleen O’Leary for an exemplary job advising and registering
students. O’Leary remarked that the BCP had enrolled its first Golden College students (students age 65 or over who
attend tuition free) for the spring and suggested that the BCP make an effort to advertise the Golden College opportunity
locally. Clark next commented that for the spring only ACTG 102 had been cancelled due to low enrollment. Clark did
mention, however, that three laboratory sections had been cancelled due to other issues. The CHMY 122 nursing lab had
been cancelled because there had not been enough time to purchase all the needed equipment prior to the class start
date; however, Clark stated that the BCP was on track to be able to offer the CHMY 122 lab for fall 2012. The BIOH 202
and 212 (Anatomy and Physiology) labs had also been cancelled due to a lack of preparation time, however for these labs
there remained concerns about coordinating the labs at a distance from the UM-COT. Clark and Stocking were
considering investigating some other routes to bring the BIOH 202 and 212 labs to the BCP for fall 2012. Clark was
pleased to announce that the BCP was offering the BIOB 101 (Discover Biology) lab in Hamilton for the spring and that in
initiating this lab the BCP was investing in microscopes and various other lab equipment which would ultimately be
useable for a range of BCP lab courses.
Clark turned next to textbook sales, stating that Daniel Dimezza had been subcontracted to handle textbook sales at
the BCP for the spring. Clark related that sales seemed to be going smoothly and that not having the BCP staff involved in
these sales was a tremendous relief and was allowing for a far less chaotic start to the new semester than the BCP had
endured previously. Clark reported that Chris Love had been hired to offer another round of Student Success Workshops,
with the BCP again able to offer these workshops free due to a College Access Challenge grant which had been awarded
to the Bitterroot Job Service and shared with the BCP. With respect to summer 2012 course planning, Clark related that
she and Stocking were working on the schedule and that the class list should be out shortly.
Turning to Continuing Education, Clark commented that enrollment for BCP Winter 2012 Continuing Education
courses, which were to start the next week, was at 52 with more registrations expected as the class start dates drew
nearer. Clark mentioned that for this continuing education quarter they had advertised in the Bitterroot Star, Ravalli
Republic, and Tidbits. Patricia Meakin and Dixie Stark remarked that they believed the cost of the Walking Course was too
high. Meakin considered the course not reasonably affordable, and Stark expressed doubt that the BCP should even be
BCP Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, 1-25-2012, Page 3 of 3
offering such a course. Clark noted their comments and promised to review the course cost and content with respect to
future offerings. She did state that she did not believe the class was going to run as there was no enrollment to date.
Regarding the new advising position, Clark said the process was underway and that she should be able to report real
progress at the February meeting. Finally, with respect to Community Outreach and Regional Issues Clark reported that
the BCP had put out a PR saturation postcard with the Opportunity is Here! tagline at the beginning of January. The
postcard was mailed to over 22,000 Ravalli County addresses and highlighted the BCP’s college, continuing education, and
veterans’ programming. The postcard mailing had been funded by a $5,000 College Access Challenge grant (also used to
fund the Student Success Workshops mentioned earlier) which the Bitterroot Job Service had shared with the BCP. Clark
then mentioned the Grand Opening of the Ravalli County Women’s Business Center, which was happening the next day,
noting that both she and Stocking were on the advisory committee for the center and that the BCP was proud to be
working with RCEDA in this new venture. Lastly Clark related the latest on the state’s College!NOW initiative. Clark
reported that in December she had attended a rebranding retreat for the five COT’s, the two College Programs, and the 2year programs at Dillon and Havre. Clark stated that the new name suggested for the BCP was the Bitterroot Valley
College of The University of Montana. Clark also reported that she had attended in January via teleconference a retreat
wherein the five COT CEOs presented plans to implement the comprehensive community college mission at each of their
respective institutions. Clark said she was impressed with all the plans, but was particularly interested in UM-COT Dean
Barry Good’s plan to implement a local Advisory Council and to broaden the scope of general education offerings at the
UM-COT.
b) Fiscal Issues (15 minutes)
i) Monthly Financial Statement (State Fund Only)
ii) Fundraising Update
(1) New First Fifty members
(a) Dr. Michael and Theresa Moran
(b) Don and Mary Shaughnessy
(2) Open House and Pint Night Fundraisers
Discussion Summary: Clark, referencing the monthly financial statement handout, reported that the college budget was
very tight but still within its bounds. She highlighted the deficit under supplies, noting that this line was in the red due to
the decision to invest in microscopes in order to offer the Discover Biology lab. With respect to fundraising, Clark first
thanked two new First Fifty membersthe Moran’s and the Shaughnessy’sand then stated that the Open House and
Pint Night Fundraisers had totaled together just over $5,000. She said that there was about $7,000 that still needed to be
raised to pay for the expansion furniture and equipment. Clark was planning on widening her First Fifty efforts to deal
with the remaining outstanding fundraising balance.
9) Public Comment (none)
10) For the Good of the Order
Discussion Summary: Dixie Stark commented that she believed the transition from the Steering Committee to the
Advisory Council might present a good moment to hold a board retreat. Stark noted that it would be helpful to have a
clearer understanding of the council’s roll and parameters. Patricia Meakin added that defining members’ responsibilities
and understanding the chain of command with respect to decision-making would be very beneficial. All agreed that a
council retreat was a good idea, and Clark said she would put the topic on the February agenda to be further fleshed out.
11) Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.