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Advisory Council

Advisory Council Minutes Thursday, February 8, 2024

The regular meeting of the NJC Advisory Council was held Thursday, February 8, 2024 on the NJC main campus in the Hays Student Center Tennant Art Gallery.
Members Present: 
Kevin Blankenship
Jamie Jo Axtell 
Jeff Long
Karla Rosas
Wade Tyrrell
Felicia Rodriguez
Members Absent:
 Shawn Randel

Others Present: President Mike White, Shawn Rose, Lisa LeFevre, Jeri Estrada, Jeri Garrett, Jada Thurber, Faythe Eichler, Mackenzie Chrisman, Trevor Chintala, Bronson Moton, Steve Shalla, Tracey Knox, Tami Patten, Cherie Brungardt, Amanda Kerker, Brian Lewton, Katie Thompson, Rachelle Davis, Leslie Weinsheim, Mattie Haney, Brock White, Jaci Gerk, Ashley Unrein, Chad Borgmann, Celeste Delgado-Pelton, Crystal Frank, Shelby Winchell, Justin Mertens, Jesse Quinlin, Nerea Alvarez Jorge, Whitney Chintala, Francesca Nuzzo, Divine Faith Faleao, Emily Maske and Callie Jones from the Sterling Journal Advocate.

  1. Jamie Jo Axtell, 2023-2024 Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:30pm.
  2. The group participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
  3. The agenda for the February 8, 2024 Advisory Council Meeting was approved as presented. Felicia Rodriguez made the motion to approve the agenda and Kevin Blankenship seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
  4. The minutes of the November 16, 2023 Advisory Council Meeting were approved as presented. Felicia Rodriguez made the motion to approve the minutes and Kevin Blankenship seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
  5. ACTION ITEM: Election of Advisory Council Officers
    1. Jaime Jo Axtell and Karla Rosas graciously agreed to continue to serve as the Chair and Vice Chair through this school year, but we are looking for volunteers to take these roles for next academic year.
    2. President asked the Advisory Council members to give it some thought. President White will be in communication with the council members before the next meeting.
  6. NEW FACULTY/STAFF INTRODUCTIONS – Jeri Estrada, HR Director
    1. Ashley Unrein, Director of Financial Aid, introduced:
      1. Jaci Gerk, new Financial Aid Advisor
    2. Celeste Delgado-Pelton, Department Chair for Liberal Arts, introduced:
      1. Chad Borgmann, new Criminal Justice instructor
      2. Crystal Frank, new History instructor
    3. President White introduced:
      1. Codi Cass (not present), new Community Education Culinary Manager at the prison
    4. Shelby Winchell, Dean of Career & Tech, introduced:
      1. Justin Mertens, new Diesel Tech instructor
    5. Jeri Estrada, HR Director introduced:
      1. Tydan Archilbald (not present), new Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach
      2. Wesley Younger (not present), new Custodian
      3. Bryson Carley (not present), new Custodian
  7. CELEBRATING SUCCESS:
    1. STUDENT SUCCESS
      1. PTK All-Colorado Scholars – Jeri Garrett
        1. NJC has two students who have been selected for the PTK All Colorado Scholars.
          1. Faythe Eichler
            1. Faythe is from Gypsum, Colorado and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the NJC Aggies club, while double majoring in Agriculture Business and Animal Science at Northeastern Junior College. Faythe’s interests include anything agriculture related, volunteering, and shopping. She also loves to attend livestock shows and helping younger kids with their livestock projects. After graduating at NJC, she plans to attend the University of Wyoming to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Business. Faythe actively volunteers through Phi Theta Kappa and the Aggies Club. She has helped collect canned food for the canned food drive and assists with the Aggies Blood Drive each semester. She also helped with the Annual Aggies Oyster Fry and will help advocate for agriculture during National Ag Appreciation Week.
        2. Jada Thurber
          1. Jada is from Rigby, Idaho and is an active member of the Northeastern Junior College Livestock Judging Team and Phi Theta Kappa, while double majoring in Agriculture Business and Animal Science. Jada’s interests include livestock, business and economics. When she is not travelling the country competing at collegiate livestock judging contests, she enjoys riding horses, golfing and spending time with her family and friends. After NJC, Jada plans to continue her education to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business with a minor in Accounting, and ultimately a Master’s degree in Ag Business. Career wise, Jada’s goals include working as a loan officer for a farm credit bank and would love to start her own business in the livestock industry.
        3. Volleyball Team Success – Mackenzie Chrisman
          1. This year NJC was the Region IX Champions and finished fifth in the Nation.
          2. The teams’ accomplishments for this year include:
            1. Top 5 finish
            2. Highest program ranking
            3. Longest winning streak
            4. Least amount of losses (36-3)
            5. Most wins at a National tournament
            6. Highest finish since 1981
          3. For the first time in program history, we have not one, but two First Team All Americans, Annika Helf and Nerea Alvarez Jorge.
        4. Dalton Knecht, Former NJC Men’s BB Player – Trevor Chintala
          1. Dalton Knecht, a former NJC basketball player, is now playing for Tennessee in a Master’s Program. He has been scoring 30-40 points per game. He is predicted to be a first round NBA draft pick. Kevin Durant, a Phoenix Suns NBA player, is following him. Dalton has been on podcasts and he speaks about his experience here at NJC. He loved his time here at NJC; he has commented that it was one of his favorite times of his life. This is definitely an athletic success story that is helping recruitment for men’s basketball.
        5. Scholar Athletes – President White
          1. NJC currently has 196 student athletes. Of those, ninety-nine student athletes received a 3.0 GPA or above for the fall semester.
          2. Number of scholar athletes per sport:
            1. Baseball – 22 students
            2. Men Basketball – 8 students
            3. Women’s Basketball – 13 students
            4. Golf – 6 students
            5. Men Soccer – 10 students
            6. Women’s Soccer – 6 students
            7. Softball – 14 students
            8. Volleyball – 11 students
            9. Wrestling – 9 students
          3. Women Basketball Team Success – Trevor Chintala/Bronson Moton
            1. ​​​​​​​Northeastern Plainswomen Basketball is 23-3. This team is history making. They are on pace to have TWO 400-point seasons this year, for just the sixth time in program history (21-22, 18-19, 09-10, 08-09, 01-02).
            2. NJC Women’s Basketball Records being chased after this season:
              1. Single Season Points Record
                1. #23 – Seneya Martinez (2023-2024)
                2. #63 – Ruby Sweeney-Spitnek (2023-2024)
  8. FACULTY SUCCESS
    1. Classified Employee of the Year (Steve Shalla) – Tracey Knox
      1. Steve Shalla, Structural Trades (Electrician) in the Physical Plant received the Classified Employee of the Year award.
    2. Prof/Technical Employee of the Year (Tami Patten)Cherie Brungardt
      1. Tami Patten, Technical Systems Analyst in the IT Department, received the Professional/Technical Employee of the Year award.
    3. Instructor of the Year (Mike Wasson – not present)Amanda Kerker
      1. Mike Wasson, Business Instructor, received the Instructor of the Year award.
    4. Rising Star Performer of the Year (Katie Thompson)Rachelle Davis
      1. Katie Thompson, Science Faculty, received the Rising Star Performer of the Year award.
    5. Faculty of Year (Brian Lewton) – Amanda Kerker
      1. Brian Lewton, Business Faculty and Faculty Senate President, received the Faculty of the Year award.
    6. Makenzie Chrisman, AVCA West Region Coach of the Year – Trevor Chintala
      1. Head Volleyball Coach, Makenzie Chrisman, was named the AVCA (American Volleyball Coach Association) West Region Coach of the Year. A HUGE accomplishment! Coach Chrisman was recognized and awarded this achievement at the AVCA Convention in Tampa, Florida in December.
  9. ITEMS
    1. Academic Profile – Leslie Weinsheim
      1. Leslie handed out the Academic Profile for Fall 2023 and went over the highlights. ​​​​​​​
      2. Wade Tyrrell commented that he wonders if Concurrent Enrollment helps the fear that most freshmen experience when they start college.
      3. Felicia Rodriguez feels that the increase in female enrollment is due to the changing times that women want careers and are entering the workforce more 
      4. Karla Rosas asked if we are able to track how many of our concurrent enrolment students enter the military instead of going to college.
      5. Kevin Blankenship thanked Leslie for the comprehensive report.
    2. Foundation Fundraiser – Mattie Haney
      1. ​​​​​​​Ag Sports Wildrag Fundraiser
        1. ​​​​​​​To raise funds for competitive scholarships and travel budgets
        2. $250 includes your brand on the NJC wildrag and one for you to keep! All donations are tax deductive and go to support NJC Ag Sport students.
        3. Only 100 brand spots will be sold
        4. Contact the NJC Foundation Office for more information or to purchase a spot or make a donation
        5. Rodeo
          1. ​​​​​​​10-15 is the typical team size
          2. Team average GPA is 3.72
          3. 10 competitions attended yearly plus college finals in Casper, WY
          4. Top three qualify for college finals. NJC has competed in the finals for the last five years
          5. Currently ranked 5th in the region, out of 15 teams
        6. Ranch Horse
          1. ​​​​​​​16-20 is the typical team size
          2. Eight competitions attended minimum yearly
          3. Great need for divided horse trailer
          4. In the past six years, NJC Ranch Horse has placed 1st four times
          5. Top two in National Western Stock Show Horsemen’s Challenge in the last two years
        7. Livestock Judging
          1. ​​​​​​​15-20 is the typical team size
          2. Required to be Ag Majors to join
          3. Three All-American awards the past three years (competition includes academics plus judging ability)
          4. Multiple Top 10 team and individual finishes
          5. 20,000 miles traveled in a typical year
        8. If someone does not have a brand, they can still donate and they will be recognized some other way.
  10. PRESIDENT’S REPORT President Mike White
    1. ATC Building construction ongoing. New steel should go up in April/May. They had a good meeting with the Business Roundtable to determine programs, which still includes electrician and possibly plumbing.
    2. The SBCCOE will be visiting NJC next Wednesday go hold one of their regular meetings. The will be holding listening panel meetings in the afternoon with the community, faculty/staff and students as they are revising a new CCCS Strategic Plan.
    3. 2+2 Programs moving forward.
    4. Mike expressed gratitude toward our faculty for their help in teaching CO Online courses. We have grown to 50 plus classes in the fall and even more this spring.
  11. REPORTS
    1. Associated Student Government (ASG) Report – Brock White
      1. ASG sponsored a Cornhole Tournament on January 18. About 25 teams competed.
      2. The ASG officer team will be attending two leadership conferences, one of which is a CCCS Leaders Conference.
      3. ASG will have a table at this year’s Culture Fair, which will be held March 6 from 4:00pm-7:00pm in the Event Center Auxiliary Gym.
    2. Faculty Senate Report – Brian Lewton
      1. The faculty are very happy as they feel the college is experiencing the highest level of shared governance.
      2. Mike is working with the faculty senate on a 360 mentoring program for the college
      3. As noted at the last Advisory Council meeting, there has been an addition of two academic deans. Brenda Zink, the long-time Department Chair for Math & Science is retiring. Rachelle Davis has replaced her.
      4. Faculty have been busy with CO Online courses. NJC has expanded our adjunct faculty pool to help teach these online courses. Brian thanked the HR Office for the smooth transition of hiring adjunct faculty.
  12. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION  
    1. Wade Tyrell expressed how exciting and refreshing it is to see the changes at NJC since the Leadership chance with President Mike White. The community can feel the change as well. He is excited about the extraordinary things happening g NJC that is putting us on the map.  
    2. Jesse Quinlin, NJC Marketing Director, reported the following:
      1. The NJC College Tour episode went live on The College Tour social media. It will go live on Amazon Prime on May 28. NJC received a b-roll package of photos and videos that we can use as we wish.
      2. Hoops Homecoming is this weekend. Please come join us for some food and basketball games and connect with alumni.
      3. This year’s Culture Fair will be held March 6 from 4:00pm-7:00pm in the Event Center auxiliary gym. Food from 22 different countries will be showcased. A donation is requested for entry. The Foundation Office will have a credit card machine available for donations.
      4. The Larry Prestwich Memorial Art Exhibit will be held February 11 – March 20. A reception will be held March 3 from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Larry Prestwich was a long-time art faculty for NJC.
      5. NJC in conjunction with Centennial Mental Health will be holding a Be Mindful Exhibit in the ES French Atrium. It is currently being exhibited at Aims Community College, then it will come to Morgan Community College, then here to NJC.
    3. Mattie Haney, NJC Foundation Director, reported the following:
      1. The NJC Foundation will host a Donor Breakfast on March 2 where donors will be introduced to their scholarship recipients.
      2. A Logan County Chamber After Hours Event will be held March 14 at NJC in the ESF Atrium.
  13. ADJOURNMENT
    1. The meeting was adjourned at 2:55pm.
  14. TOUR PETE’S RETREAT REMODEL​​​​​​​

Respectfully Submitted,

Shawn Rose

 Recording Secretary