Advisory Council Minutes Thursday, November 14, 2024

Others Present: President Mike White, Shawn Rose, Jesse Quinlin, Steve Smith, Jeri Estrada, Breccen Morelli, Lisa LeFevre, Andrea Orin, Olivia Younger, Heather Brungardt, Deb Stump and Callie Jones from the Sterling Journal Advocate. 

1. Kevin Blankenship, 2024-2025 Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:50 pm.
2. The group participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. The agenda for the November 14, 2024 Advisory Council Meeting. Felicia Rodriguez made the motion to approve the agenda and Jamie Jo Axtell seconded the motion. The motion passed. 
4. The minutes of the September 26, 2024 Advisory Council Meeting. Felicia Rodriguez made the motion to approve the minutes and Jamie Jo Axtell seconded the motion. The motion passed.
5. NEW FACULTY/STAFF INTRODUCTIONS – Jeri Estrada, HR Director
   1. Andrea Orin, Director of Student Success, Equity & Inclusion introduced Olivia Younger as the new Incoming Student Success Coach
6. PRESIDENT’S REPORT – President Mike White
   1. Food Pantry
      1. The NJC Food Pantry used to be housed on a couple of shelves in between the Cafeteria and Knowles Hall. It was run by the Farm Bureau Club. There were some issues of non-students taking the food, so the structure was changed. 
      2. Jeri Garrett, Mathematics Instructor, Honors Club Director and Phi Theta Kappa Advisor, and the Honor Students took it over last fall.
      3. Now, the pantry is located in a small storage closet previously used by the Associated Student Government. 
      4. Students who need food can place an order online using a program called PantrySOFT, which also helps with inventory management.
      5. After placing an order, students select a time to pick it up on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Orders are packaged in brown paper bags by an Honors Student who then takes them to Pete’s Retreat and the employees there distribute them.
      6. 40 students have utilized the Food Pantry this fall semester.
      7. President White complimented the Sterling Journal Advocate for the nice article in the newspaper about the Food Pantry and the Honors team for building a fantastic program. 
   2. Behavioral Health Program
      1. Northeastern hosted state Senator Byron Pelton and representatives from the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration on October 24 to promote the college’s new Accelerated Addiction Counseling Master’s Program developed in collaboration with Colorado State University. 
      2. This innovative program aims to equip students with the necessary skills and credentials to become Licensed Addiction Counselors in as little as five years.
      3. The students complete their clinical experience virtually. 
      4. The partnership between NJC and CSU was developed in response to a community-identified need for trained addiction treatment professionals who are equipped to provide critical services for those struggling with substance-use disorders, particularly within rural areas across Colorado.
   3. Foundation Mini-Grant
      1. The NJC Foundation offered $7,500 in mini grants to the campus.
         1. The Foundation Board picked three proposals to fund. They were:
            1. $3,400 Purchase additional virtual reality for the NJC Welding program
            2. $2,100 to support Celeste's "Building a Bilingual Campus" initiative
            3. $2,000 to purchase age simulation suits for the Human Growth & Development class
         2. Mattie Haney, Foundation Director, reported that $195,000 in scholarships were given out during the fall semester to Northeastern students. 
   4. All-In Challenge
      1. Northeastern Junior College is part of the All-In Voter Registration Challenge, a nationwide effort to increase student voter participation and civic engagement. 
      2. NJC received word the week of September 9, that we are the recipients of a Gold Seal for Excellence in Student Voter Engagement during the 2022 midterm elections!
      3. President White thanked Steve Smith, Vice President of Student Services, the ASG team and the other Student Services employees who helped make this year’s challenge a success. 
   5. First Generation Serving Campus Designation
      1. The Colorado Department of Higher Education informed Northeastern Junior College that it has been awarded the 2024 First Generation Serving Campus Designation in recognition of our first-generation student enrollment. 
      2. This designation is given annually based on enrollment and reflects CDHE’s additional commitment to ensuring retention, success, and career paths for these exceptional students. 
      3. The First Generation Serving Campus Designation acknowledges the great work our institution has already accomplished in the area of access. 
      4. The Colorado Department of Higher Education indicated that they are excited to see how Northeastern Junior College will continue to expand high-impact practices to support first-generation students and create further opportunities for them to thrive, both academically and personally. The Department said they were honored to partner with institutions like Northeastern that make Colorado’s higher education system a place where all students can succeed. 
   6. Yuma Campus
      1. The roof on our Yuma Campus building will be replaced soon due to water damage and ongoing leak issues.  
      2. With the help of a grant, Northeastern Colorado BOCES and Yuma High School, Northeastern will be starting up a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistance) Program at the Yuma Campus.  This exciting opportunity brings equipment to the Yuma campus for this course, offering it locally to students wishing to start a career in healthcare. 
   7. Thanksgiving
      1. Students will be off for Thanksgiving Break the week of November 25. They come back for one week of class then they go straight into finals week. 
7. REPORTS
   1. Associated Student Government (ASG) Report – Breccen Morelli
      1. Continuing a series of well-attended activities including:
         1. Aggies Oyster Fry on October 15
         2. BYU Dance performance on October 22 and dance workshop Saturday morning, October 23 
         3. Pumpkin painting was held in GRB/Williams
         4. Trick or Treat Street was held October 28
         5. Escape Room/Haunted House held October 29 in Blue Spruce
         6. Mentalist on campus on November 7
      2. Breccen feels there is a great sense of community in the residence halls this school year. 
   2. Faculty Senate Report – Deb Stump
      1. Faculty Senate are working on procedures at the state level concerning Shared Governance and Academic Freedom. 
      2. Online courses have exploded at NJC. Faculty are trying to create procedures to make sure we provide quality online instruction for these online courses. 
8. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION   
   1. Jesse Quinlin, Marketing Director reported the following upcoming campus events:
      1. Desserts on Broadway Theater Production
         1. Friday, November 22 and Saturday, November 23 – 7:00pm in the ES French Theater
      2. International Student Market
         1. Tuesday, November 19 – 4:00pm-7:00pm – ES French Atrium 
      3. Rural Colorado Expo
         1. Wednesday, November 20 – 10:00am-4:00pm – various locations on campus
         2. 140 employees will be represented at the expo
         3. 1,000 local students will be in attendance 
      4. Beef Booster Barbecue
         1. Tuesday, December 3 – before women’s and men’s basketball games – 5:30pm & 7:30pm – in front of the Bank of Colorado Event Center 
      5. Winter Ensemble Concert
         1. Saturday, December 7 – 7:00pm – ES French Theater 
9. ADJOURNMENT
   1. The meeting was adjourned at 1:25 pm.
10. TOUR OF THE APPLIED TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS
    1. The tour of the Applied Technology Campus included visiting the industrial automation lab, robotic welding demonstration, the new welding facility including plasma cutters and other industrial equipment and a walk though of the new building under construction. 

Respectfully Submitted,

Shawn Rose

Recording Secretary