February BOT meeting included report on plans for using new Federal Stimulus Funds

Board of Trustees

Feb 26, 2021

In addition to awarding tenure to five faculty members, other actions at the Feb. 23 meeting of the Cincinnati State Board of Trustees included a report from Chief Financial Officer Chris Calvert on the use of past and newly allocated Federal Stimulus Funds.

The College received about $4.8 million in CARES Act stimulus funds and an additional $7.2 million in new stimulus funding.

Some of the new funds, like previous stimulus funds, will be awarded directly to eligible students.
CFO Calvert said some College projects previously expected to be financed using capital funds from the State of Ohio are eligible for use of Federal Stimulus Funds. This means the capital funds can be applied to other high-priority College projects.
CFO Calvert said the College expects to “fully utilize stimulus funds, optimize capital appropriatations, and accelerate our master planning.”

The College’s master plan includes projects like modernizing Enterprise Resource Planning (which includes software like Colleague and other systems used to run College business operations), as well as completing building repair and maintenance activities associated with Main Building recovery.

Next steps in planning how the College will use Federal Stimulus Funds and state capital funds includes seeking feedback from the Budget Advisory Team and the Facilities Committee.

The Board also received a progress report on efforts to repair and reopen the Main Building.

Vice President of Administration Lawra Baumann said the Main Building will be ready for reoccupancy prior to the start of Summer Semester in May. Academic Deans and other managers are working on the return plans.
Ongoing equipment repair and replacement activities involve the electrical systems, the hot water systems, and the air handling systems. VP Baumann said when the repair and replacement work has been completed, all air handlers will meet COVID-related air circulation standards.
Design work for replacement of the fire loop system– which was the source of the water leak that led to Main Building closing– is underway, and in the future the College will seek bidders to complete the replacement work.
CFO Calvert said the College has continued to receive insurance reimbursements for costs associated with Main Building repair, and to date, no insurance claims have been rejected.

To view the complete set of slides from the Feb. 23 Board meeting, click here or click the image above. (Note: this is a large file and might take a few moments to download.)

Other business conducted at the Feb. 23 BOT meeting included:

Recognizing and congratulating Bursar Dan Ramsey, who is retiring at the end of February after more than 30 years of service to the College.
Recognizing the success of the Mardi Gras Party-in-Place sponsored by the Alumni Association.
Reviewing the monthly Financial Report.
Receiving updates on activities of the Faculty Senate and the Student Government organization.
Receiving President Posey’s report on recent College achievements and new initiatives, including assistance for College marketing efforts from Locale, a Cleveland-based agency that will provide help with marketing strategic planning and efforts leading to increased enrollment.

Tim Coughlin, Locale’s Managing Partner, briefly described the company’s approach to working with Cincinnati State.

Recordings of Board meetings conducted via Zoom, and the “packet” of information (the agenda and supporting documents) for each Board meeting are posted on the College intranet.

Go to How the College Works > Board of Trustees and then select “BOT Packets” or “BOT Recordings” and choose “2021”. (The February meeting recording should be posted soon.)

The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Mar. 23, starting at 3:45 p.m., via Zoom Remote Delivery.