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FLATHEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Regular Board Meeting
Monday, February 25, 2013, 3:45 p.m.
Board Room - Blake Hall/SCA Building
A regular meeting of the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees convened at
3:45 p.m., Monday, February 25, 2013, in the Board Room of Blake Hall/SCA 140/144.
I.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chairperson Bob Nystuen called the meeting to order at 3:45 p.m. The following Board
members were in attendance:
Mark Holston
Shannon Lund
Thomas Harding
John Phelps
Ralene Sliter
Also present were President Jane Karas and Monica Settles, Clerk of the District. Trustee
Tom McElwain was present via conference phone with prior Board approval.
II.
CONSENT ITEMS - ACTION
A.
Approval of the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting on January 28, 2013.
B.
Recommendation that the Board of Trustees accept the Monthly Human Resources
Report as submitted.
C.
Next regular Board of Trustees meeting – March 25, 2013
Mark Holston moved that the Board of Trustees approve ITEMS A, B, & C Under Section II,
Consent Agenda-Action. John Phelps seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously
with seven (7) "yes" votes.
III.
COMMENTS
A.
Students
Student Government Sophomore Senator, Robert Putman, presented the Board
with an update.
 Student Organization Information Tables combined with a nacho social
was a successful event during Spring Semester 2013 Welcome Week.
Eleven people attended the Student Activity Planning Meeting on
February 6 and the next meeting is scheduled for March 6.
 American Sign Language is working on becoming a recognized student
organization.
 Habitat for Humanity continues to work on homes in Columbia Falls.
 Human Services Club is becoming an active student organization again.
 Intramurals Ping Pong is available on Mondays and Trivia is taking place
every Tuesday. Basketball is on Monday nights through the end of the
semester and volleyball on Thursday nights at Kalispell Middle School.
Hockey will be completed at Woodland Ice Rink February 27. Intramurals
sponsored the Warren miller film Playground as an event for Welcome
Week and was well attended. Intramural Valentine Bowl was available
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February 13 and will have a St. Patrick’s Bowl on March 14. A Ski Night
is planned to Whitefish Mountain Resort on Friday, March 1.
Multicultural is planning a film festival for the first week of March.
Phi Theta Kappa had a Valentine Bake Sale. Their open house took place
February 21. The induction ceremony is planned for March. They are
planning to do a mini Relay for Life during spring semester.
Renewable Resources sold flowers for Valentine’s Day in the Blake Hall
foyer.
Student Government will be sponsoring the 4th Annual FVCC’s Got Talent
on Friday, March 8 at 6:00 pm in the Blake Box Theatre. The Allocation
process for student organizations to request funding for the next school
year took place February 19 and 20. Our next Student Government
meeting will be February 27 at 7:00 am in Blake Hall 140 and everyone is
invited to attend.
B.
Faculty and Staff
Laura VanDeKop reported that Michael Ober recently had an article he wrote last
July published in Big Sky Journal, a regional Montana publication headquartered in Bozeman.
The article, entitled “Fish Town”, appears in their spring fly fishing edition and is a community
sketch of the town of Craig, Montana on the Upper Missouri River. Several FVCC faculty and
staff volunteered as speech and debate judges at the 2013 National Forensic Qualifying
Tournament held at Flathead High School February 8 and 9. Dr. Craig Naylor, a music and
theater adjunct faculty member, had Yes, I Want to Cross Over performed by the University of
Texas-El Paso Wind Ensemble on February 17 as part of their Black History Month concert. Dr.
Naylor will also be one of the judges for the University of Montana Band Festival on February 25
and 26. This festival features high school bands from the Western Montana region.
C.
Monthly Reports
1.
Executive Staff Activities Report
The Board of Trustees thanked the Executive Staff for their informative
reports. Trustee Harding requested a report on enrollment trends and graduation rates for
programs that are being reviewed by the program review committee. Trustee McElwain inquired
about the 2 month pilot or Respondus LockDown Browser. President Karas noted that an update
on the pilot would be given at the March meeting.
D.
Commissioner of Higher Education Report
Deputy Commissioner, John Cech, presented the Board with an update from the
Commissioner of Higher Education’s Office. Deputy Commissioner Cech gave the Trustees a
preview of what would be presented during the Two Year and Community College Committee
report to the Board of Regents at their March meeting. A general update will be provided to the
Board of Regents on dual enrollment. Deputy Commissioner Cech noted that FVCC is doing
very well in dual enrollment. FVCC is responsible for approximately 25% of all dual enrollment
in the state of Montana. In Fall 2012 there were 1100 students participating in dual enrollment in
the state of Montana. Of the students who received dual-enrollment credit in Fall 2012, 70%
received face-to-face instruction and 30% took classes online. In addition, 86% of the students
received grades of “C” or better. Nationally, Montana ranks 37 in the percentage of students less
than 18 years old who enrolled in higher education. Research has shown that participation in
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dual enrollment courses while in high school is positively associated with improving the chances
the high school student will enroll in college and carry a higher GPA as well. Deputy
Commissioner Cech also updated the Board on the workforce development efforts. The
Workforce Development Taskforce is continuing to meet and work with the State Department of
Labor and Industry on how the Two Year Colleges in Montana are addressing the needs in the oil
and gas industry.
E.
IV.
Public Comment--None
COLLEGE ISSUES
A. Sabbatical Report
Ronnie Laudati updated the Board on her recent sabbatical. Ronnie stated that
during her sabbatical she was able to revamp the current payroll and accounting certificate
program. During the process, Ronnie has deleted four classes from the program and has added
four new classes that will replace the old classes. In addition to the new classes added to the
program, two of the previous classes have been combined into one three credit class. The total
number of credits for the program remains the same. The new classes that have been added are
Human Resources Management, Foundations of Business Ethics, Legal Issues in Human
Resources and Employment and Compensation Strategies. The new revamped certificate will
also be available as an online certificate for the Fall 2013 semester. Trustee Holston did inquire
about what areas of the program have changed the most after the review of the old program.
Ronnie indicated that through her research and discussions with her advisory group and local
businesses, they indicated that students needed more training and knowledge in employee issues.
B. Accreditation Year One Report
Jessica Hopkins presented the Board with an update on the Accreditation Year
One Report. The college is currently in year one, standard one of a seven year accreditation cycle
with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Standard one addresses FVCC’s
mission, core themes and expectations. The Board was given a draft report of the current
standard one report. Jessica noted that changes from the current proposed standard one report
and the previous year one report submitted included two mission fulfillment indicators. One
indicator addresses the college’s non-credit community education and the other addresses the
college’s developmental core theme. The Board is being asked to approve the proposed Standard
One Report. Following discussion, Mark Holston moved that the Board approve the proposed
Accreditation Year One Report. Shannon Lund seconded the motion. Jessica did note that once
the report is approved it will be sent to NWCCU on Friday, March 1. With no further discussion,
Thomas Harding called for the question. The motion carried unanimously with seven (7) “yes”
votes.
C. Spring Enrollment Update
President Karas presented an update on current spring enrollment. Full-time
equivalent enrollment decreased 6.7 percent from last spring. The college’s total head count of
students declined by 131 or a decline of 4.7 percent. The decline in head count indicated that
students have enrolled in fewer courses than they had previously. President Karas indicated that
despite the decrease in FTE, the college still continues to experience steady growth.
D. Agriculture, Associate of Science Degree
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Heather Estrada, Instructional Project Coordinator (Sustainable Agriculture),
presented the Board with the proposed Agriculture, Associate of Science Degree. At its February
1, 2013, meeting, the Curriculum Committee voted to approve the implementation of a new
focus to the transfer Associate of Science Degree in Agriculture. Upon approval, the focus will
be added to the FVCC Academic Catalog and the Montana University System’s official degree
and program inventory. This program was designed to transfer for those students who choose to.
Following discussion, Tom McElwain moved that the Board of Trustees approve the
Agriculture, Associate of Science Degree. John Phelps seconded the motion. With no further
discussion Thomas Harding called for the question. The motion carried unanimously with seven
(7) “yes” votes.
E. Integrated Agriculture and Food Systems, AAS Degree
Heather Estrada, Instructional Project Coordinator (Sustainable Agriculture),
presented the Board with the proposed Integrated Agriculture and Food Systems, Associate of
Applied Science Degree. At its February 1, 2013, meeting, the Curriculum Committee voted to
approve the implementation of a new Associate of Applied Science Degree in Integrated
Agriculture and Food Systems. Upon approval, the program will be submitted for Board of
Regents approval at their May 2013 meeting and added to the FVCC Academic Catalog and the
Montana University System’s official degree and program inventory. Following discussion,
Thomas Harding moved that the Board of Trustees approve the Integrated Agriculture and Food
Systems, AAS Degree. Mark Holston seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously
with seven (7) “yes” votes.
F. Resolution 13-1, May 7, 2013, Trustee Election
Chairperson Nystuen presented Resolution No. 13-1-may 7, 2013, Trustee
Election and called for a motion before discussion. Thomas Harding moved that the Board of
Trustees adopt Resolution No. 13-1-May 7, 2013, Trustee Election. Ralene Sliter seconded the
motion. With no further discussion Thomas Harding called for the question. The motion carried
unanimously with seven (7) “yes” votes.
G. Finance and Audit Committee Report
The Finance and Audit Committee met prior to the Board meeting. The committee
discussed the current audit that is continuing and also discussed a study of IT security that will be
performed in the near future.
H. Trustees Events Calendar
Trustees reviewed the Board of Trustees Events Calendar included in the agenda.
President Karas noted that the Board of Regents will be holding their March meeting on March
7-8, in Helena. Commencement is scheduled for Friday, May 17, at 7:00 pm at the fairgrounds.
I. President’s Update
President Karas updated the Board on several items:
 President Karas shared a letter from MIT sent to Ivan Lorentzen. The
letter acknowledged Ivan’s positive impact on former student Molly
Schmidt.
 The Legislative session continues to move forward. HB2 (the funding
bill) is moving forward. HB448 which deals with Trustee Election filing
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V.
dates passed through the house with a vote of 100-0.
The Broussard building is still scheduled to be completed at the end of
March. The plan is to move programs and classes into that building during
Spring Break when students are out of classes. A grand opening
celebration for the building will be held on April 30, at 4:00 pm.
The campus community has met and has been able to comment on the
current draft Master Plan and a community forum is schedule for later in
March to hear comments from the community. The comments have been
positive thus far.
Dr. Brad Eldredge is currently working with the four year universities in
the state and the Montana University system on a needs assessment for a
possible University System that the Board indicated as a priority. The
needs assessment should be completed this spring.
College-for-a-Day is scheduled for March 5 and the entire campus will be
hosting 600-700 high school students on campus. The students will have
the opportunity to experience what college life and college classes are all
about.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 4:43 p.m.
ms
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Robert Nystuen, Chairperson of the Board
____________________________________________
Ralene Sliter, Secretary to the Board
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