WCC Board of Trustees met on Thursday, August 6

The Wilkes Community College Board of Trustees met on Thursday, August 6, at the John A. Walker Center.

The oath of office was administered to the following trustees: Evan Handy, newly appointed; Dr. Alexander Erwin, newly appointed; Connie Cox, reappointed; and Kelly Vannoy, newly appointed.

The business session began with the approval of the minutes from the June 24, 2020 Board of Trustees meeting.

Buildings and Grounds Committee

The building and grounds committee elected to extend the open-end design agreement with LS3P Associates Ltd that was given full board approval in August 2019. While there are no capital projects currently planned for the next year, architects are used at times for space planning, feasibility studies, and other areas where their expertise is needed. The board endorsed the extension of the open-end design agreement through June 30, 2021.

The Naming of Facilities Task Force presented proposals for the naming of the following areas: The Business Office will be named in honor of  Dr. Conrad Shaw given by friends of Dr. Shaw, former CFO of WCC; the Pardue Library History Room was converted to a rare book collection room that will become the Bowman Rare Book Collection given by Dr. Tom and Karolen Bowman and the Welding Lab at the Alleghany Center will be named the Blan Bottomley Welding Lab in memory of Blan Bottomley given by his wife, Martha Bottomley, and family members.

The board received an update on current capital projects including the Ashe Campus project scheduled for completion in April 2021; the Alleghany Welding Lab that is due to be completed in September, and the Pardue Library renovation. The construction work for the library will be completed by mid-August, with the remainder of the renovation to follow.

Finance Committee

The board gave authority to the finance committee to approve the 2020-2021 state budget allocation and other budget-related items that require action before the board’s October meeting, reporting the same at the October meeting.

The board approved the following appropriations from Wilkes, Ashe, and Alleghany counties for the 2020-2021 fiscal year:

• County of Wilkes: regular appropriation of $2,885,724, capital outlay appropriation of $129,000, salary supplement (3%) of $366,000, and bond matching (4 of 5) of $202,000.
• County of Ashe: regular appropriation of $464,522, capital outlay appropriation of $20,000, non-recurring supplement-Early College High School renovation of $2,500, and salary supplement (3%) of $17,282.
• County of Alleghany: regular appropriation of $165,095 and salary supplement (3%) of $10,965.

Personnel Committee

Dr. Cox introduced Dr. Yolanda Wilson who has been employed as VP of Instruction, effective June 29, 2020. Dr. Wilson holds a Ph.D. in Adult and Community College Education from NC State University. Dr. Wilson was previously employed as Associate VP, Business, Computer, Arts and Sciences, Dean of the Learning Commons at York Technical Community College.

For the 2020-2021 year, and by recommendation of the Personnel Committee, the board of trustees named Terry Bumgarner to serve as chairperson; Jay Vannoy as vice-chairperson; and, Josh Roten as secretary to the board.

On May 6, the US Department of Education released new Title IX regulations that will dramatically alter how schools address, investigate, and resolve issues involving sexual harassment. The new regulations require all schools to promptly revise their existing policies, procedures, staffing, and overall approach to addressing Title IX complaints. Schools must make changes by August 14, 2020.

The board gave the Personnel Committee authority to approve the policy prior to the August 14 deadline, with the full board review of the policy occurring at the next Board of Trustee meeting in October.

Employees assuming new roles at WCC are Chris Cox, Construction Technician, has assumed the position of Construction/Grounds/Gardens Supervisor effective July 1, 2020. Other personnel changes include the retirement of Beth Reynolds, Chair of Developmental Studies/Instructor English/DRE, effective June 30, 2020.

Resignations received since the board last met include Josh Jordan, custodian, effective March 13, 2020; Jon Howle, director of professional development, effective May 15, 2020; and Dana Henson, math instructor, effective June 2, 2020.

Chairperson’s Report

Terry Bumgarner, board chair, shared details of the next trustee orientation/education session, as prescribed in G.S. 115 D-19(b), which will be held virtually due to Covid-19. The 2020 NCACCT Virtual Leadership Seminar would be held on Friday, August 28, from 9 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.

College President’s Report

Dr. Cox gave an update on the status of WCC and the College’s plans for the 2020 fall semester that begins August 17. Additional information can be found on the college website under the COVID-19 page.

Dr. Cox announced that he has been chosen to serve as secretary of the Executive Committee for the N.C. Association of Community College Presidents. He will serve for one year as secretary and then as is customary, will advance on to treasurer, vice president, and then president for the association.

Dr. Cox spoke of the service of former WCC President David E. Daniel, who passed away on July 23, 2020. Dr. Daniel was president from July 1, 1977, to April 2, 1989.

Debbie Woodard, Dean of College Readiness and Basic Skills was recognized by Dr. Cox for her three years of service on the N.C. Information Technology Requirements Oversight Council. Ms. Woodard received an award from the N.C. Community College System for her work on the committee. The Information Technology Requirements Oversight Council and its supporting processes review, validate, and prioritize enterprise impacting IT projects, Requests for Change, and other IT enabled capabilities within the North Carolina Community Colleges System.

The WCC Board of Trustees will meet again on Thursday, October 8, 2020, at the Alleghany Center.