Minutes of the Board of Trustees, June 2007

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

THREE RIVERS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was held in the Board Room of the Tinnin Fine Arts Center of the college in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on Thursday, June 21, 2007, at 6:30 PM.

JUNE 21, 2007

Those present: Trustees James E. Grassham, chairman; Stephen C. Cookson, vice chairman; John R. Stanard, secretary; Bill G. Hollida Sr., treasurer; Thomas R. Turner, member; and Marion L. Tibbs, member; college administrators: J. Larry Kimbrow, executive vice president/vice president for academic affairs; Robert L. Myers, vice president for finance and governmental affairs; Joseph T. Rozman, vice president for administration and technology; Judith W. Scott, vice president for college advancement; Susan Carrier and Danetta Norris, recording secretaries. Others present were: L. Joe Scott, college attorney; Silas Allen, Daily American Republic reporter; Kelly McDaniel, instructor of social science/faculty council chair; Kristina McDaniel, human resources director; Annabeth Miller, news services coordinator; Teresa Johnson, marketing director; Charlotte Eubank, comptroller; Cindy Clark, dean of student services; Michele Weimer, instructor of industrial technology; Nicole Sifford, instructor of mathematics; Tiechera Samuell, instructor of English; Steven Lewis, division chair of humanities & performing arts; Dr. Carol Lewis, instructor of English/director of honors program; Dr. Martha Kirkman, instructor of business management; Mary Brown, extended learning administrative assistant; and Don Crandall, Booster Club.

ATTENDANCE

The minutes of the regular meeting of May 17, 2007, were approved as presented on a motion by Trustee Turner and second by Trustee Tibbs.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

OF REGULAR MAY MEETING

Trustee Grassham welcomed those in attendance. In Dr. Cooper’s absence, Dr. Larry Kimbrow reported on the following items: Introduced Dr. Carol Lewis who presented the Capstone Program for this month’s Academic Focus Presentation; next Board Meeting date will be July 19, 2007; proposed Summer 2007 and Fall 2007 Board Meeting dates will be: July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, November 5, and December 13. Upcoming events include: New Student Orientation 8:00-3:00 P.M., Friday, July 27, in the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. TRCC will host the Partnership for Prescription Assistance’s (PPA) Help is Here Express on Friday, June 29, 2007 from 9-11 AM in the Tinnin Center parking lot. Syndicated talk-show host, Mr. Montel Williams, is the national spokesperson. The presentations on the bus will provide information to uninsured and under-insured patients about drug assistance programs. In collaboration with St. Louis University of Missouri, we now have some earthquake monitoring equipment installed behind the Porter Center. It will be operational June 22, 2007.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Academic Focus Presentation

Proposed Summer/Fall 2007 Board Meeting Dates

Upcoming Events

Disbursements totaling $607,676.46 as listed on the check register for the month of May were given unanimous approval for payment on a motion by Trustee Hollida and second by Trustee Turner.

DISBURSEMENTS ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

Vice President for Finance and Governmental Affairs, Robbie Myers, made the report of the current cash position of the college with a cash flow projection.

FINANCIAL REPORT

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Cookson and second by Trustee Turner to adopt the FY 2008 preliminary budget as presented.

ACCEPTANCE OF PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR FY 2008

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Tibbs and second by Trustee Stanard on the following personnel action:

            Acceptance of Retirement

            Harry Prouty, Security Guard, effective September 30, 2007

            Charles Hayes, Custodian, effective December 20, 2007

PERSONNEL ACTION:

NOTIFICATION OF RETIREMENT

PROUTY

HAYES

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Stanard and second by Trustee Cookson on the following personnel action:

            Notification of Employment

            Doug Houston, Technology Technician, effective June 22, 2007

Sherrie Newman, Instructor of Nursing, effective July 30, 2007

NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYMENT

HOUSTON

NEWMAN

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Tibbs and second by Trustee Turner on the following personnel action:

            Grant Formal Employment Status

            Jeff Allen, Custodian

            James Dixon, Custodian

GRANT FORMAL EMPLOYEE STATUS

ALLEN

DIXON

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Turner and second by Trustee Tibbs to adopt the resolution authorizing renewal of a lease agreement (Housing):

ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RENEWAL OF LEASE AGREEMENT

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Hollida and second by Trustee Cookson to approve the President’s Advisory Committees for FY 2008.

APPROVAL OF FY 2008 PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Following discussion by the trustees and with the recommendation by the president, unanimous approval was given on a motion by Trustee Turner and second by Trustee Tibbs to approve the TRCC Program Advisory Committees for FY 2008.

APPROVAL OF FY 2008 PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEES

A motion was made by Trustee Tibbs to enter into executive session to discuss personnel and legal matters, permissible under guidelines of Missouri Rev. Statute Section 710.021.1 Legal – legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body and confidential and privileged communications between a public governmental body and its attorney; and Section 610.021.3 – Personnel – hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees by a public governmental body when personal information about the employee is discussed or recorded. The motion to enter into executive session was seconded by Trustee Turner. The Board was polled; the vote was as follows: Trustee Turner, yes; Trustee Tibbs, yes; Trustee Grassham, yes; Trustee Stanard, yes; Trustee Hollida, yes; and Trustee Cookson, yes. Following the executive session, Trustee Tibbs moved to enter into the regular board meeting; Trustee Turner seconded the motion. The Board was polled; the vote was as follows: Trustee Turner, yes; Trustee Tibbs, yes; Trustee Grassham, yes; Trustee Stanard, yes; Trustee Hollida, yes; and, Trustee Cookson, yes.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

A motion was made by Trustee Stanard that the Board accept the Michael Lance Athletic Investigative Report as part of the official minutes, and further authorize the TRCC administration to take appropriate corrective action to address this unfortunate situation to include; but not limited to, letters of apology from the college to Michael Lance, the Lance Family, and Arkansas State University’s Head Basketball Coach and Assistant Coach and the Administration take the necessary actions internally to see that such a situation never arises again. The motion was seconded by Trustee Turner, with a roll call vote as follows: Trustee Turner, yes; Trustee Tibbs, yes; Trustee Grassham, yes; Trustee Stanard, yes; Trustee Hollida, yes; and, Trustee Cookson, yes.

ATHLETIC INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned on a motion by Trustee Turner and second by Trustee Tibbs.

ADJOURNMENT

JAMES E. GRASSHAM, CHAIRMAN APPROVAL DATE

JOHN R. STANARD, SECRETARY APPROVAL DATE

THREE RIVERS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Report of Investigation

Mr. Joe Rozman

Vice President for Administration and Technology

June 13, 2007

Subject: Michael Lance

In May 2007 Michael Lance committed to play basketball with Arkansas State University (ASU). Various individuals within the community were upset with the way Coach Gene Bess allegedly treated Michael upon hearing of his decision to sign with ASU. Specifically, they were upset with the allegedly rude and spiteful manner in which Coach Bess talked to Michael and the fact that he told the young man that he could no longer come to the TRCC gym and associate in any way with the TRCC basketball players. At the May Board meeting I was asked to talk to the Lance family and Coach Nutt at ASU about this incident.

I tried to be objective in reporting my conversations with Coach Gene Bess, Mrs. Chris Lance, and Coach Dickey Nutt and reported what each said without making any value judgments in this brief. I talked with Mrs. Lance for at least 90 minutes and with Coach Nutt for approximately 30 minutes, so this brief only hits the high points of each conversation.

I had talked to Coach Bess prior to the May board meeting when he had come to my office to inform me of Michael’s decision to leave TRCC. Subsequently I talked to Chris Lance, Michael’s mother, on four occasions and Coach Nutt once. I have not talked to Michael. I told Mrs. Lance after our conversations that I had the information I needed and I did not want to put Michael in a compromising position where he would have to talk to me about his coach. She agreed this would be best. I further told her that I would talk to Michael if he wanted to talk with me on this matter.

In May, Coach Bess came to my office to inform me that he had just learned that Michael was signing with ASU. He told me that he had never been so “shocked” as he was when he heard Michael was leaving. He said he knew Michael had visited ASU but did not think he was serious about leaving. In any case, he thought he would have the opportunity to talk to Michael and his parents before any decision was made. He said he thought Michael had made a bad decision and he was unhappy with Coach Nutt for recruiting Michael out of the TRCC program. He said that he had told Michael that since he had made his decision he needed to move on and to let the remaining TRCC players work without him. He told Michael to stay away from the gym and the players. I did not have the impression at the time that these things were said with as much emotion and vehemence as I later heard from Mrs. Lance and Coach Nutt.

I talked to Mrs. Lance on four occasions. Once I called her and she called me three additional times. Mrs. Lance made it very clear at the beginning of our conversations that neither Michael, nor she and her husband wanted to get Gene or Brian Bess in trouble. TRCC and the TRCC athletic department had been good to the Lance family and they would always be TRCC supporters. Further, she felt that if Coach Bess got into trouble over this issue then Michael would be forever remembered as the player who got Coach Bess in trouble. However, they were very disappointed with the way Coach Bess had treated Michael. Specifically, she said that Coach Bess told Michael that he never wanted Michael in the gym, he never wanted to see Michael again, and he did not consider Michael a Raider. She said they had no desire for an apology but did want Coach Bess to change his mind about allowing Michael in the gym and allowing him to work out with the other players, his friends, during the summer.

Mrs. Lance believed that Michael had not been duplicitous in his dealing with TRCC and with ASU. It had always been Michael’s dream to play Division 1 ball and to do so at a school near Poplar Bluff so his family could see him play. Prior to attending TRCC he had thought about signing with UMSL but Coach Bess and Randall Lee had convinced him to try TRCC for a year, which he did. Michael always felt that it would be alright for him to leave TRCC after his first year. In the later days of this past season, ASU was trying to recruit Mantas Griskenas. They realized they would not get Mantas but were impressed with Michael. The ASU coaches talked to Brian Bess and asked if they could talk to Michael - Brian said yes. This ultimately led to Michael’s visit to ASU and their subsequent offer of a full three-year scholarship which Michael accepted after much prayer and thought. On one hand he wanted to continue his second year at TRCC but ultimately felt that he could not pass up an opportunity that might never be available again. The problem came when he went to talk to Coach Bess about his decision.

I also talked to Coach Nutt. He felt that all of his actions were above board and he was upset with Coach Bess’ treatment of Michael. He said he would never have recruited Michael if he knew that it would end this way. He said that he has the greatest respect for Coach Bess and his athletic programs but thought his treatment of Michael was inappropriate. He was very appreciative of my phone call and the fact that we were interested in finding out what happened.

Coach Nutt said that his assistant coach, who handles recruiting, told Brian Bess they were interested in Michael shortly after our first post-season game with MAC. Coach Nutt and his assistant coach later attended a TRCC practice and the assistant asked Brian if they could recruit Michael. Brian said that was ok. On the way back to ASU Coach Nutt called Brian from his cell phone to reconfirm that they would like to recruit Michael. Coach Nutt said he told Brian they would back off if Brian said so. Brian said this was not necessary and they could go ahead and talk to Michael. Brian said that TRCC’s agreement with Michael was that he could go if he found what he wanted. Coach Nutt felt that Brian had given him the green light. The end result was their offer to Michael.

Coach Nutt said he first found out about the problem when he talked to Mrs. Lance to congratulate her about Michael’s commitment with ASU. He thought there surely must be a misunderstanding and immediately called Coach Bess. Brian answered the phone and Coach Nutt asked him what the problem was as he, Brian, had given ASU permission to talk to Michael. He said Brian shouted at him on the phone and said he had a very big problem with this matter. Coach Nutt then asked to talk to Coach Bess and Gene told him that he was unhappy with the situation and was disappointed with ASU, with Coach Nutt and with Michael Lance. Coach Nutt said that he could withdraw the offer from Michael but Coach Bess said it was too late for that and ASU could have Michael.

Mrs. Lance later called me and said that Coach Bess had written a very nice note to the Lance family that praised them and Michael. However, he never mentioned Michael’s ban from the TRCC gym. It’s the ban from the gym that really has the Lance family upset. In the beginning of June Michael called Coach Bess and asked if he could come to the gym to work out with his former teammates. However, Coach Bess remained firm that he could not come to the gym. Mrs. Lance said they are saddened in that they feel that neither they nor Michael can ever come to watch the Raiders play or be part of being a former Raider family.