MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1999 MEETING
A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State College System was convened at Chadron State College, City of Chadron, County of Dawes, State of Nebraska, on Thursday, September 30, 1999.
In compliance with the provisions of Neb. Rev. Stat. Section 84-1411, printed notice of this meeting was mailed to each member of the Board of Trustees and was posted in the Office of the Secretary of the Board. In addition, copies of such notice were sent to the Associated Press, Lincoln Journal Star, and Omaha World-Herald on September 17, 1999. We, each of us, hereby acknowledge due and sufficient service to the above, the foregoing notice of the time and place and object of said meeting, and agree to meet in said meeting at the time and place presented.
Board Members attending:
Dr. Alfred Gigstad, Nebraska City
Ms. Frances Grimes, Grand Island
Ms. Willa Kosman, Scottsbluff
Mr. Steve Lewis, Lexington
Ms. Sheryl Lindau, Wayne
Mr. Jeff Renner, Bellevue
Board Member absent:
Dr. Doug Christensen, Lincoln
Student Board Members present:
Ms. Jessica Cady, Chadron State College
Mr. Robert Hollis, Peru State College
Mr. Dan Wetherell, Wayne State College
System Office Staff participating:
Dr. Carrol Krause, Executive Director
Dr. Larry Schultz, Associate Executive Director for Academic Affairs & Legal Services
Dr. Donna Nelson, Associate Executive Director for Fiscal and Facilities Management
Mr. Bruce Donelson, Director of Facilities Management and Planning
Ms. Suzi Shugert, Public Relations/Information Director
Others attending:
Dr. Thomas Krepel, President, Chadron State College
Dr. Ben Johnson, President, Peru State College
Dr. Sheila Stearns, President, Wayne State College
Dr. Joyce Hardy, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chadron State College
Mr. Ed Hoffman, Vice President for Administration, Chadron State College
Mr. Dale Grant, Director of Business Services/Comptroller, Chadron State College
Ms. Sherry Douglas, Financial Aid Director, Chadron State College
Dr. Rex Cogdill, Dean of Students, Chadron State College
Dr. Pat Colgate, Dean of Education and Graduate Studies, Chadron State College
Dr. Don King, Asst. Dean of Education and Graduate Studies, Chadron State College
Dr. Donald Green, Dean of Liberal Arts, Chadron State College
Dr. Monty Fickel, Dean of Science and Mathematics, Chadron State College
Dr. Jerome Martin, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Peru State College
Dr. Susan Udey, Vice President for Administration and Finance, Peru State College
Mr. Ted Harshbarger, Dean of Student Services, Peru State College
Ms. Carolyn Murphy, Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance, Wayne State College
Dr. Glenn Kietzmann, Jr., Faculty Senate President, Wayne State College
Mr. Phil Hovis, Fiscal and Program Analyst, State of Nebraska
Mr. Steve Cleveland, President First National Bank of Chadron, and Chadron Foundation Board member
Mrs. Barbara Marcy, Commissioner, Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
Mr. John Axtell, Chadron radio
Mr. Trevor Schmidt, Eagle newspaper
The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m. A roll call was taken: Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell were present. Christensen was absent.
Ms. Grimes moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing personnel and honorary degree items. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Ms. Lindau moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to go out of Executive Session at 8:45 a.m. and reconvene in a Strategic Planning Work Session at 9:00 a.m. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
The Strategic Planning Work Session was called to order at 9:10 a.m. The Board discussed the following two issues.
Dr. Krause opened the discussion by stating there is a national concern about the shortage of teachers; namely the number of people going into teacher education, and the quality of teachers. He reviewed the Nebraska Department of Education’s study on teacher supply and demand, which concluded that an annual teacher shortage of 250-400 could be expected over each of the next five years. Each of the college Presidents were then asked to describe what their institutions are doing to address this expected teacher shortage.
Dr. Krepel reported that Chadron State College has seen an increase in the number of students entering student teaching programs, from 105 in 1998-99 to 123 in 1999-2000. The quality of students entering the teacher preparation program is quite high, at or above the national ACT average and with an average GPA of 3.11. Dr. Krepel referenced a report by the American Association for Employment and Education that indicated a wide variety of disciplines will experience teacher shortages. The report also identified factors that will affect the supply of teachers; namely, retirements, the number of students going into teacher education programs, and the adequacy of salaries to attract and retain talented individuals to the teaching profession. Dr. Pat Colgate, Dean of Education, described the process used to accept students into the teacher education program. He noted that many of the students are from small rural communities and return to small communities to teach. Chadron State College has established a mentoring program for first-year teachers throughout Chadron’s service region.
Mr. Renner suggested establishing 240 full scholarships for students interested in entering the discipline areas experiencing teacher shortages, in return for a guarantee that they would teach in Nebraska for a specified number of years.
Dr. Johnson reported that Peru State College has 100 students entering their student teaching program this year, and the teacher education program has the largest number of majors registered. Peru is historically a teacher training institution, and that continues today. There is strong support on campus for the teacher education program. He also indicated that a large number of the teacher education majors are taking courses at off-campus locations. This presents a difficulty of uniformity between on-campus and off-campus student focus; on-campus students seem to receive more attention. Most students come from the counties surrounding Peru State College and, like Chadron, want to return to those communities to teach. Dr. Johnson reported that Peru State College has developed a new initiative to prepare teacher education majors to work with “at risk” students in middle school and high school. This extra, specialized training would be offered prior to the internship year and increase the number of hours education majors would spend in a middle school or high school working with students at risk. Area school superintendents see this as a major need in their schools, and view this training as a desirable quality in the teachers they recruit in the future. Dr. Johnson also commented that several surrounding states perceive Nebraska as an “export state” for teachers due to the lower cost of education in Nebraska and more competitive salaries outside of Nebraska.
Dr. Stearns reported that Wayne State College is part of the National Network on Education Renewal, and she and several staff members attended a conference this past summer. She addressed earlier comments regarding status deprivation, salary deprivation and no market responsiveness to say that these problems are “our” problems. Collaborative pre-Kindergarten to post-Doctorate efforts are needed, in which teacher quality is addressed; efforts that subsidize teachers by offering tax relief or scholarships. She called attention to the following suggestions found in the information provided to Board members: “Some states offer incentive funding programs to public four-year institutions to recruit students in high demand areas. For example, the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education Funding for Results program rewards institutions that design programs aimed at attracting and preparing qualified students for the diverse challenges facing the state’s teaching workforce. Similarly, the Quality Initiative Grants offered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education encourage innovation and high quality in teacher education. The second round of grants, totaling more than $250,000, recently were awarded to five higher education institutions to strengthen their programs and promote teaching careers to qualified students. Focused specifically on initiatives that attract students from underrepresented populations into teaching, the Ohio Projects for a Diversified Teaching Force are jointly funded by the Ohio Board of Regents and State Department of Education. These grants allow colleges and universities in partnership with school districts to design programs that recruit students, incorporate knowledge and understanding for diversity in pre-service and in-service education, and design strategies to increase student and teacher retention rates. Through state resources, early outreach centers provide information and support services to promote student success in teaching. The Oklahoma Minority Teacher Recruitment Center targets minority students and teachers, but encourages all students — K-16 –- to take advantage of its services. To ensure teachers to teach in high demand disciplines (such as mathematics and science), some states are developing alternative certificates that target recruitment of professionals making career changes, military personnel facing retirement, former teachers who want to return to the classroom, and people who trained to teach but never entered the profession. Today, 41 states and the District of Columbia offer alternative routes to teaching careers.” (Taken from “Preparing Quality Teachers: Issues and Trends in the States”, by Esther M. Rodriquez)
Ms. Grimes and Mr. Lewis emphasized the need for more public relations efforts and strengthening the image of teachers and teacher education throughout the state.
Dr. Krause stated he understood that Senator Bruning, of Sarpy County, was considering a legislative bill that would focus on keeping college graduates in the state through the use of state-supported scholarships and we could ask that this include graduates in teacher education. This issue will also be on the agenda for the fall meeting of the Nebraska Council for Public Higher Education (NCPHE), involving representatives from the University, State Colleges and Community Colleges. He suggested that some of the current State College scholarships might need to be shifted and targeted to teacher education.
Dr. Stearns commented that our future teachers are better because they are in a comprehensive learning environment at each campus. She also shared a concern that Nebraska’s State Colleges are seen as colleges for the “late bloomers”, a stereotype that needs to be countered.
Mr. Lewis shared his experience at a recent college night for his high school son where the school counselor referred to the State Colleges as the place to go if you don’t have high ACT scores or are a “late bloomer.” There is the perception that the State Colleges must have open enrollment and low cost in order to attract students; quality is being overlooked.
Ms. Cady suggested that the positive attributes of teacher education and the Nebraska State Colleges need to be publicized to a greater degree.
Board members agreed that marketing and promoting the Nebraska State Colleges is necessary. The current teacher shortage presents a unique opportunity to promote the System. Ms. Kosman stressed that Board members and administrators need to say students are “choosing” the State Colleges because they want a smaller institutional setting and more attention, not because they can’t meet the University entrance requirements, because many State College students could meet those entrance requirements.
Dr. Krause introduced the financial aid report compiled by the System Office with assistance from the campuses, and distributed to Board members as follow-up to the discussions held in previous Board meetings.
Cost of attendance for the academic year 1998-99 averaged $7,500 (including tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation and personal expenses). The average expected family contribution was approximately $2,500, leaving $5,000 anticipated need per student. On average 85% of a student’s need is met with scholarships, grants, college work study and student loans. The remaining 15% represents the student’s additional out-of-pocket expenses.
Several scenarios of financial aid were shared. Following is the scenario for an average Nebraska State College resident dependent student:
Cost of attendance: $7,500
Expected family contribution: 2,545
Anticipated student need: $4,955
Pell Grant $ 450
SEOG Grant 300
Subsidized Stafford Loan 2,625
Perkins Loan 950
Unmet student need: $ 630
Generally, as the expected family contribution increases, grant money becomes less available and students are required to take on a greater proportion of loan debt. Average student debt after attending a Nebraska State College for four years is $9,000-$10,000.
The report also demonstrated the significant shift in financial aid from grants to loans at each of the State Colleges during the 1990’s. At Chadron State College the dollar volume of Pell grants has decreased –4.00% between 1991 and 1997, while the dollar volume of need-based student loans has increased +186.35% during the same time period. Similarly, the number of students receiving Pell grants has decreased –6.61%, while the number of students receiving need-based loans has increased +119.80%.
At Peru State College the dollar volume of Pell grants has decreased –15.44% between 1991 and 1997, while the dollar volume of need-based student loans has increased +51.41%. Similarly, the number of students receiving Pell grants has decreased –16.67%, while the number of students receiving need-based loans has increased +33.21%.
At Wayne State College the dollar volume of Pell grants has decreased –1.22% between 1991 and 1997, while the dollar volume of need-based student loans has increased +111.30% during the same time period. Similarly, the number of students receiving Pell grants has decreased –4.60%, while the number of students receiving need-based loans has increased +37.69%.
A recess was taken at 10:30 a.m. prior to the Public Session.
PUBLIC SESSION
The Public Session was called to order at 10:45 a.m. A roll call was taken: Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell were present. Christensen was absent.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Ms. Grimes moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to approve the agenda as distributed. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENTS -- None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 6, AUGUST 24 AND SEPTEMBER 16 MEETINGS
Mr. Renner moved and Ms. Grimes seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the August 6, August 24 and September 16 meetings. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS--CONSENT AGENDA
The following links are to (.pdf) files. They can be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Personnel Recommendations ( SO, CSC, PSC, WSC)
Summer Enrollment Reports (CSC, PSC, WSC)
Summer Instructional Load Reports (CSC, PSC, WSC)
LB 309 Fund Acceptance and Retrieval
Acceptance of $63,750 for Heating Plant re-routing of steam/condensate lines.
Allocation Date 7/22/99
Allocation Amount $63,750
College Contribution 11,250
Total Project Cost $75,000
Retrieval of $1,973.50 for condensate tank project. Project has been completed.
Allocation Date 12/16/98
Allocation Amount $25,000
Retrieval Date 8/24/99
Retrieval Amount 1,973.50
Total Project Cost $23,026.50
Acceptance of $44,000 for Heating Plant de-aerator tank and piping.
Allocation Date 7/22/99
Allocation Amount $44,000
College Contribution 11,000
Total Project Cost $55,000
Wayne State College
Retrieval of $4,401.30 for Quonset building repairs. Project has been completed.
Allocation Date 8/10/98
Allocation Amount $17,255.00
Retrieval Date 7/29/99
Retrieval Amount 4,401.30
Total Project Cost $12,853.70
Campus Physical Plant Reports (CSC, PSC, WSC)
Ms. Lindau moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
SUBCOMMITTEE AGENDA
Academic Affairs, Student Life & Personnel Subcommittee -- Sheryl Lindau, Chair
Ms. Lindau moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to approve the Honorary Doctorate Degree recommendation as submitted by Chadron State College. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Chadron State College, Spanish Degree
Ms. Lindau moved and Ms. Grimes seconded a motion to approve a Chadron State College request to offer a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in Education Degree with a Subject Endorsement (7-12) in Spanish. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Mr. Renner moved and Ms. Grimes seconded a motion to approve the requests to write-off specific uncollectible student accounts as follows: Chadron—$9,371.17 cash funds and $13,286.84 revenue bond accounts; Peru--$10,314.78 cash funds, $178.20 other funds, and $12,782.26 revenue bond accounts; and Wayne--$96.66 cash funds and $80.30 revenue bond accounts. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Mr. Renner moved and Ms. Grimes seconded a motion to authorize the Executive Director to submit the State Colleges’ deficit budget requests on October 15, 1999, after consulting with the Board Chair and Physical Plant Chair. At its November 10, 1999 meeting, the Board of Trustees will schedule ratification of the submitted deficit budget requests. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Mr. Renner moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to approve requests from the State Colleges to make the following Cash Fund Adjustments to their 1999-2000 Operating Budgets to carry forward unencumbered Cash Fund balances from the 1998-99 fiscal year:
Chadron State College -- $604,751.14
Peru State College -- $791,390.11
Wayne State College -- $225,000.00
Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Mr. Renner moved and Ms. Grimes seconded a motion to authorize Wayne State College to proceed with a financing arrangement through the State’s Master Lease Program for replacement of Graphics Lab computers and the Student Identification System equipment, and approve the purchase of the proposed equipment at a cost not to exceed $30,000 and $25,000 respectively. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Business Affairs Subcommittee--Physical Plant -- Fran Grimes, Chair
Ms. Grimes moved and Mr. Renner seconded a motion to approve final completion designation for the Chadron State College Miller Hall renovation project. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Ms. Grimes moved and Mr. Renner seconded a motion to approve the change orders as provided by Chadron State College. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Business Affairs Subcommittee—Revenue Bond -- Steve Lewis, Chair
Mr. Lewis moved and Mr. Renner seconded a motion to approve the extension of a contract with Berens-Tate Consulting Group for rebate services related to Series 1999 Facilities Corporation bonds and Peru State College bond anticipation notes at a fee of $2,000-$3,000 for project and reserve funds or $1,000-$1,500 for reserve funds only, plus any actual out-of-pocket expenses. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Mr. Lewis moved and Mr. Renner seconded a motion to authorize Peru State College to reallocate the following Contingency Maintenance Funds:
$8,003.00 from Resolution 4/99, Line 8 (Complex Carpet Replacement, Phase 2) to AD Majors compressor replacement; and
$8,395.00 from Resolution 4/99, Line 8 (Complex Carpet Replacement, Phase 2) to Resolution 4/99, Lines 3-5 (Davidson-Palmer, Nicholas-Pate and Delzell Hall roof replacements).
Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
Ms. Lindau moved and Mr. Lewis seconded a motion to approve the appointment of Bruce Cutshall to serve as Lobbyist during 2000 for the Nebraska State College System. A fee of $20,000 will be paid in four equal quarterly payments commencing January, 2000. Gigstad, Grimes, Kosman, Lewis, Lindau and Renner; Cady, Hollis and Wetherell voted aye. Motion carried.
INFORMATION ITEMS
Dr. Krause provided details of the December 10 meeting with the Coordinating Commission to be held in Lincoln. The Board of Trustees will hold a strategic planning work session around 9:00 in the morning, followed by the public session after lunch. The joint meeting with the Coordinating Commission will be scheduled around 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. He also announced that the fall meeting of the Nebraska Council for Public Higher Education (NCPHE) would be held on November 4. Dr. Gigstad and Mr. Renner are the Board’s representatives on this council, which includes representatives from the University and Community College sectors.
Dr. Stearns announced recent campus events, including the celebration of the Little Priest Tribal College accreditation, the American premiere of the play Café Zeitgeist on the Wayne State College campus, and Homecoming activities this weekend. A $5,000,000 capital campaign has been announced, which will focus on scholarships, campus beautification and facility improvements. A lead gift of $1,000,000 has been received from Dan Gardner.
Dr. Johnson reported on Peru State College’s $4,000,000 capital campaign that is in its silent phase. He also announced that the campus greenhouse was purchased and moved in August to another city property; approximately 60 community people physically lifted the greenhouse and carried it nine blocks to its new location. Peru State College will have a week-long Artist Series, which will include sculpture Tom Palmerton who will create art with a variety of classes, and the play “Rumored” will be performed (the first play in three years). Dr. Johnson stated that there seems to be a renewed spirit on the Peru State College campus this year.
Dr. Krepel reported that, for the fourth year in a row, the Chadron State College incoming freshmen average ACT scores are higher than the national average, which he feels reflects the attractiveness of the institution and the quality education provided by the public school systems. He announced that over 340 student placements were made to summer internships (nearly 6,000 hours), and the annual Band Day, which included clinics, field competition and a parade, recorded three times the number of bands that participated in 1998. Dr. Krepel reported that a very positive financial aid and state supported funds audit will be available at the November Board meeting; and a number of campus diversity activities are underway. A Chadron State College office is scheduled to open on the Mid Plains Community College campus in North Platte in October to respond to needs of southwest Nebraska; and joint academic meetings are scheduled between Chadron State College and Western Community College to discuss transfer, collaboration, and developmental education. He concluded by thanking the Board for meeting on the Chadron State College campus.
Mr. Wetherell commented on the upcoming Wayne State College homecoming activities.
Mr. Hollis reported that Peru State College has become the charter chapter in Nebraska of the International Reading Association, which emphasizes adult teachers becoming more involved with reading to younger children. The Campus Activities Board is working with Peru community establishments to organize theatre nights and bowling nights; and is working on improving the fluidity of fee payments to students.
Ms. Cady thanked the Board members on behalf of the Student Senate for meeting with them. Recent and upcoming campus activities include the Science Fair, Octoberfest, a Leadership conference and a campus Special Olympics. She reported that the Coalition Building Team for Diversity has scheduled monthly campus videos, and the Task Force Against Alcohol and Drugs is involved in a mentoring program with area middle schools.
Dr. Gigstad thanked Dr. Krepel on behalf of the Board for the hospitality shown to Board members.
ADJOURNMENT -- The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m. so members could attend the Miller Hall Dedication Ceremony.