CRESTON, Iowa--The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of trustees met on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration Center board room.
Iowa community college legislative liaisons Dave Palmer, Jerry Fitzgerald, and Matt Fitzgerald briefed the board regarding the past and upcoming legislative sessions.
Tom Lesan, SWCC vice president of economic development, spoke to the board about a proposal related to replacement of the bleachers in the Student Center gymnasium. Lesan said the bleachers currently in the gym are original, making them 44 years old, and have been updated to keep them up to current standards so many times that further repair is becoming difficult. Lesan showed the board plans for new bleachers through Iowa Direct Equipment at an estimated cost of $173,253.11. These new bleachers will seat 1,189 individuals, which is less capacity than the current bleachers, but the new design will allow for additional space behind the team benches on the north side of the facility during athletic events. Lesan said because the bid falls under the state bid, the project would not have to go out for bids. Following Lesan’s report, the board passed the proposal and authorized purchase of the new bleachers. Lesan said the plan is to install the bleachers in mid- to late-March in between athletic seasons and prior to May graduation.
Lesan next spoke to the board regarding the Union County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. According to Lesan, Union and Clarke counties have recently been working on their plans and the Union County plan is ready to be adopted. Lesan said the process had been on-going for more than a year. The board adopted the Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan after Lesan’s explanation.
Dr. Barb Crittenden, SWCC president, spoke to the board regarding the final report on the special engagement with the auditors at Denman & Company, LLP. Board members were provided with copies of the audit report which identified $15,064.48 of improper and unsupported disbursements paid by the college that appeared to be for personal use by former Dean of Student Services Beth Kulow.
Crittenden explained the Denman & Company report lays out concerns initially arising regarding personal travel by a college employee that was represented as being for college purposes. The stated purpose of the trip in question was for Title IX training in Ohio, however upon further investigation, an internal review revealed that no Title IX training was held in Ohio on the dates identified.
Based on this finding, Crittenden said further trips were reviewed and the employee was questioned. During this meeting, the employee admitted two recent trips and several questioned purchases were personal in nature and not for college purposes.
Crittenden said as a result of these internal findings, Denman & Company, LLP, was engaged to conduct a complete review and the Office of Auditor of State and the Union County Attorney were notified of the concerns. The final report was received by the college just prior to the board meeting.
Crittenden went on to explain the college recently received reimbursement from the employee in the form of a personal check. She spoke to the board regarding the process in place for employees to make purchases and said the college has since reviewed policies and procedures to identify additional safeguards to ensure a situation like this doesn’t happen in the future.
Following receipt of the special audit report, Crittenden stated the Office of Auditor of State and the Union County Attorney will receive a copy of the final report as well.
During the president’s report, Crittenden mentioned the athletic department is hosting their annual Athletic Fundraiser this Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, at the Elk’s Lodge in Creston.
Crittenden told the board the college has hired Dr. Katie Davidson, director of The International Center, at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND, as SWCC’s new dean of student services. Davidson is a 2001 graduate of Creston High School and will be starting at the college on Dec. 18.
Jerry Smith, board member from Osceola and Iowa Association for Community College Trustees (IACCT) representative, gave a brief report regarding happenings at the state and national level.
The meeting adjourned and the board went into closed session to discuss strategy in matters presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent because disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the board of directors.
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