LINN  — State Tech President Dr. Strong praised the efforts of all involved for the college’s continued success.

“We are seeing retention getting better, and the graduation rate is one of the highest in our history,” he said. “We will see if it moves us into first place in Missouri for the highest graduation rate. I’m looking forward to the upcoming rankings to see where we fall this year.”

Dr. Strong said that while it’s tough to beat five straight years of record enrollment, he expects the college to set the bar again this fall.

In other business, John A. Klebba and Steve Sellenriek were re-elected to serve as president and vice president, respectively.

• Dr. Strong reported that Katy Minnix accepted the position as Executive Assistant to the President, and regents approved his recommendation that she be appointed to serve as secretary to the board.

REPORTS

Faculty Senate President and Science Department Chair Randall Rice told regents that in addition to his election as president, Dolan Jahn was elected vice president, and Melissa Hart is the secretary. Other Faculty Senate members are Mike Oetterer, Aaron Rivera, Tony Brenneke, Chris Haynes, and Cole Schaefer. 

The Faculty Senate met several times over the spring semester to discuss compensation, equity, and policies. Rice told regents that the Faculty Senate appreciates the focus on compensation and equity over the past year. 

Rice reported that only two elected members remain employed at the college and are serving a term, and the other three have left State Tech. Faculty Senate members are concerned about the turnover of faculty and the amount of new faculty coming into the college this fall. Rice added he is hopeful with the increase in compensation and continuation of equity, faculty turnover will decrease. Klebba noted that turnover has been an issue for every industry and is not unique to State Tech.

In her Staff Senate report, Chief of Staff Amy Ames said the group has been working on policy reviews and an equity versus raises survey. Results are being gathered and will be shared with Dr. Strong as soon as they are summarized.

• Staff Senate Membership includes President Amanda Barch (Admissions), Courtney Schnieders (Business Office), Mike Pruett (IT), Hanna Hensing (Housing Manager), and Makayla Broeker (Marketing).

An election will be held in July to replace Ross Dickneite, who resigned in December, and Courtney Schnieders, as her term is expiring.

State Tech Legislative Liaison David Jackson recapped the 2022 legislative session, noting the session adjourned early, which hasn’t happened in many years. 

Jackson said nothing that passed during the legislative session had a negative impact on State Tech and noted that district lines have changed and several individuals are running in the primary to replace Sen. Dave Schatz.

VP of Academic Affairs Angie Gaines thanked faculty, who delivered 1,141 sections of quality instruction for the 2021-22 academic year.

Since the January board meeting, much has been accomplished. 

• The implementation of a new chair structure, including revised procedures regarding load, release time, and compensation.

• The revision of the Advisory Council to allow more flexible scheduling. State Tech successfully hosted 222 advisors in the spring.

• Gaines submitted the Quality Initiative proposal, focused on the strategic planning process, to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Proposals are due between years five and seven of the 10-year accreditation cycle, and initiatives are completed by year nine.

• State Tech was awarded a $2.1 million enhancement grant match to purchase $2.8 million of instructional equipment for the 2022-23 academic year by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

• The college received approval from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) to offer an Associate of Applied Science in Facilities Operations and Management beginning the fall of 2023. This program, which was presented to regents in January, prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to keep a building functioning and service various structures. 

• MDHEWD granted approval for the following name changes: Networking Systems Technology to Computer Networking and Cyber Security; Heavy Equipment Technology to Diesel Technology, Off-Road Heavy Equipment; and Medium/Heavy Truck Technology to Diesel Technology, On-Road Truck.

• The HLC and MDHEWD approved the college to offer Commercial Turf and Grounds Management at the Osage Country Club beginning this fall.

Gaines expressed her appreciation to deans Ben Berhorst, Chris Muenks, Ken Thompson, and Dr. D’Allegro, to her assistant, Faith Joyce, and the AA Assistants, Brianna Bunners, Amber Cox, Madelyn Doyle, Joyce Ittner, and Amanda Powers. Gaines said these accomplishments would not be possible without their efforts.

VP of Student Affairs Dr. Chris Bowser thanked everyone that helped students over the past academic year. He presented a report to the board that detailed student engagement, early alert, counseling, tutoring, and student affairs activities to help students stay in college and remain active. 

Dr. Bowser presented an increase in engagement from students, with event attendance being the highest ever, totaling 3,379 students compared to 2,227 the previous academic year. Events scheduled during powerup and throughout the year included overkill grill BBQ, paintball, trivia night, ice cream social, meet.greet.repeat., carnival food frenzy, a NASCAR simulator, GloZone dance party, human foosball, live band karaoke, a stand-up comedian, and a mentalist. Dr. Bowser also updated the board on State Tech’s new RevUp in-person registration session and reported fall enrollment of 2,033 students.

VP of External Relations Shannon Grus told regents that the grant office is working within a consortium of two-year colleges on the Missouri Apprenticeship in Manufacturing Programs (MOAmp) grant. To date, they have enrolled 290 participants. There are multiple cohorts in the development stages across the state. This grant is slated to be completed in June 2023, but the consortia is in the process of requesting a one-year no-cost extension that would run through June 2024.

• This fiscal year, the department brought in more than 838 individual donations, event fees, and in-kind donations totaling $943,015.

• Over the last six months, external relations has been working on a new partnership with the Missouri Soybean Association, which will include a significant gift for the college; 17 leadership-level company tours and visits with Dr. Strong; hosted 10-plus lunch-and-learns, company tours, and facilitated the data collection for the 99% placement of all graduates; held the Career Expo with 300 companies; and successfully held the first-ever State Tech Cup event, with Honorary Chair Lt. Governor Kehoe on campus to kick off the event. A total of16 teams moved all over campus to compete in various events in program areas like Digital Marketing, Nuclear Technology, Powersports, and Medical Radiologic Technology.

• Future events include a golf tournament scheduled for Sept. 16 at Oak Hills; the Sponsorship Campaign kicked off with high expectations; the Dollar Up campaign, which started in the EDS program, has now been expanded to include all program internships. At least 17 non-co-op companies are participating in the program.

“I always like to leave you with some great thoughts, and the following is a quote from one of the employers who attended the Career Expo,” Grus said. “‘It was our first visit to your campus, but definitely not the last. I was very impressed by your facilities, instructors, and students. Everyone was so nice and very helpful. Several instructors came by to introduce themselves and give me a business card. I really enjoyed talking with your students. As a whole, they seem very engaged and anxious to get their careers started, whether as soon-to-be graduates or first-year students looking for intern opportunities. It was definitely worth the drive from St. Louis. Thanks for the opportunity!’”

Amy Ames updated the board on several projects since the last meeting.

• The Utility Technician Center Phase B, consisting of an approximately 21,335 square-foot addition to the existing Utility Technician Center and related site work located at the north end of the campus, is nearing completion. The main areas of the building consist of classroom and lab spaces, including a dirt floor lab used for boring and drilling. In addition, approximately 1930 square feet of renovation is included to convert open lab space into new offices. The remaining space is allocated for mechanical, restroom, and storage areas. 

Substantial completion per contract was May 13, 2022; however, this has since changed due to supply chain delays, and now rooms 212, 213, and 214 have substantial completion by Dec. 3, with the final project completion by May 1, 2023.

• The Commercial Turf and Grounds Center (CTG) project consists of an approximately 10,000 square-foot pre-engineered single-story educational building including two large classrooms, shop area, offices, breakroom, storage, and mechanical areas. The entry lobby leads to a raised outdoor platform with 10 tee boxes and lounge areas. A new driving range will be constructed toward the north of the new CTG Building, which is not included within the scope. Utilities will be provided to a new greenhouse building, not included within the scope, at the south of the new building. The project is nearing completion on roughing in electrical, finishing up on exterior wall panels, and finishing up drywall. Substantial completion is set for Aug. 12

• The Tech Center Complex/Golf Clubhouse is approximately 31,500 square feet. The building is to become the area’s entertainment hub and includes a theater, pro shop, esports lounge, golf simulator area, duckpin bowling area, sports bar including a swim-up bar, full-service kitchen, pool locker room, event center, catering kitchen, bridal suite, and large outdoor entertainment areas. A new pump house and pool storage building is included to replace the existing pump house on site. A new pool will be constructed, which is a separate scope of work excluded from this contract. Substantial completion per contract was 450 calendar days from Feb 1, 2022, which is approximately May 2023. Footings and foundation walls are nearly complete. 

• Staff is currently working on a business plan for the Airport. Retired DNR Environmental Scientist Kevin Thoenen was hired part-time to help State Tech with completing requirements for DNR. Thoenen has gone through all the lab spaces and placed localized hazardous waste collection stations for central collection. 

Thoenen has met with a DNR representative several times and has submitted the first draft of the Environmental Management Manual. He also has developed a regular inspection routine to implement this fall. Thoenen will be developing training for waste handling for all programs to incorporate as a part of the curriculum for all applicable classes and programs where hazardous waste is generated. He plans to train our instructors and staff this fall and present to students best practices within the classroom.

• The Activity Center received an interior refresh with new paint.

• Nilges Room 226 Manual Drafting Lab classroom is being updated, with seating increasing from 22 to 30 and making it a dual-purpose manual/computer lab. New electrical circuits and data ports are being added, and old whiteboards and furniture is being removed.

• ITC Room 233 is changing from an electronics lab to a computer lab for the business program. This renovation includes adding electrical circuits and data ports and outfitting with new furniture to allow for a class of 50.

• The MoDOT lab is being refreshed with additional electrical circuits, fans, cabinetry, and paint. Space is being updated to improve its appearance.

• Staff is working with the college’s airport consultant to find a proper place for a new 10,000-gallon fuel tank on the main campus to allow for more bulk purchases. 

• With the help of Kristen Hackman, the Human Resources Department is working on filling positions and trying to fill all vacancies by August. Currently, there are 20 full-time and part-time positions open; 15 positions have been filled in the last month.

• All policies have been placed on the State Tech website with the help of marketing. The next step is to continue documenting procedures associated with policies.

• Staff continues to work through the equity process.

• Quarterly check-ins and annual performance reviews in their first year of the new process have had challenges, but improvements have been made.

• Information Technology, led by Mike Ely, is working on several major projects:

• ShoMe is working to get fiber installed for the Osage Country Club. The ground is very rocky, and the boring is slow-moving, but they have made significant progress. They have conduit in the ground along Rt. U and are now working on fiber down Turner Road.

• The student laptop pilot is finalizing the process and will have the first batch of students with college-leased laptops this fall.

• Phones are being upgraded to a fully-hosted system which will allow better reporting, cost savings, and routing in case of an outage.

• State Tech has added a secondary Starlink internet connection which utilizes satellite internet in case the primary connection goes down.

Marketing Director Brandon McElwain and his staff are completing recruiting materials for the 2022-23 season, working with HR on a marketing campaign for open positions, and developing a marketing plan for the next student recruitment cycle.

The department is seeing success in program-specific marketing campaigns (examples are HVAC and Drafting) and working on about 95-100 marketing requests per month (website, graphic design, video, and social media top this list nearly every month).

RECOGNITIONS

Dean of Professional Studies Ken Thompson recognized the following:

• Physical Therapist Assistant (P.T.A.) Department Chair Katherine D. “KD” Berrey is currently serving as the P.T.A. member of the Advisory Commission for Physical Therapists. The commission was created in 1989 and is responsible for advising the Board of Healing Arts on the licensure and regulations of the Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant disciplines.

• Cassidy Bax and the Dental Assisting Technology program ranked #1 on the list of Best Dental Assisting Programs by the team at Best Accredited Colleges. The ranking is based on consideration of hundreds of institutions across the country and uses data around financial aid awards, the quality of education, faculty, campus resources, and more.

Dean of Technology Ben Berhorst recognized the following:

• Chris Cox and the Automotive Technology program ranked #2 on the list of Best Associate Degrees in Automotive Technology by the team at Best Accredited Colleges. The ranking is based on consideration of hundreds of institutions across the country and uses data around financial aid awards, the quality of education, faculty, campus resources, and more.

• Four State Tech students competed at SkillsUSA Nationals in Atlanta in June.k Those students and their associated departments are Alexander Baker (Welding Technology) – Competing in Welding Sculpture; Benjamin Anderson (Precision Machining Technology) – Competing in CNC Technician; Joshua Brack (Precision Machining Technology) – Competing in CNC Milling Specialist; and Shiann Goon (Automotive Collision Technology) – Competing in Collision Repair Technology.