MINUTES
TIFTA DELEGATE COUNCIL MEETING

February 22, 2000
Holiday Inn - Forsyth, GA

President Tommy David called the TIFTA delegate council meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Mr. David asked the group to make self-introductions.

Approval of the Minutes
President Tommy David called for approval of the March 2, 1999 minutes. A motion was made in favor of approval and the minutes were approved as written.

Nominating Committee Report/Election of Officers It was brought to the attention of the committee that, according to the bylaws, TIFTA state officers would serve 2-year terms. Therefore, current officers will remain in office until the next election in November 2000. The current officers are: Tommy David, President, Lanie Shipp, Vice President, and Mike Lott, Secretary/Treasurer. Mike Cheokas, delegate for South Georgia Tech, mentioned the possibility of alternating terms. Tommy David will take the idea back to the executive committee and develop a proposal to present to the delegate council.

Amendment to By-Laws
Current by-law changes were presented to the delegate council.

• A motion was made by delegate Keith Kreager, Augusta Tech, to repeat terms of office for a maximum of four (4) years, but it was agreed that these designations may change at any time (Article V, section 4).
• Keith Kreager, Augusta Tech, also made a motion that two (2) signatures be required for any expenditure over $1000.
• Delegate, Tom Alexander, Chattahoochee Tech, motioned that a statement be added to protect against dual invoicing. Mike Lott was asked to come up with suggested wording to present at the next delegate council meeting.
• President Tommy David made a motion to approve the by-laws. Keith Kreager, Augusta Tech, seconded the motion, and the by-laws were unanimously approved as amended.

New Members of TIFTA
President Tommy David welcomed two new member institutions to TIFTA: Heart of Georgia Tech and North Georgia Tech.

Statewide Development Plan (draft)
DTAE Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Roger Slater presented the draft of an 18-month statewide campaign schedule. Dr. Slater explained that the schedule was a "Plan in Progress", and suggested that each institute review the schedule and report any changes at the next meeting. Dr. Slater also emphasized that this plan is not intended to replace current campaigns, but to help coordinate statewide efforts to raise money for equipment.

Keith Kreager, delegate from Augusta Tech, said that a mandatory plan might be a deterrent the schools from their current efforts. Dr. Slater assured that this plan was not mandatory, only a layout of what DTAE will support.

Jon Johnson, president of South Georgia Tech, asked if there was a risk in raising funds to purchase items that the public feels is the responsibility of the state to purchase. Dr. Slater responded by saying that it is excellent to raise local dollars to support state dollars and it would make a good case for support because equipment money has been minimal in the past.

State Matching Grant Update
Claire Farnell, Director of Resource Development for DTAE, reported on the state matching grants, worth $3.3 million, that are available to all schools. Currently, three schools have not submitted applications for the matching grants, but have indicated that they will be applying in the near future.

Special Recognition
TAEN (The Advancement Executive Network) just completed its second year of training workshops for the state. (Level One - Training, Level Two - Practicum). The following participants were recognized for completing their respective training levels:

        Level One - Kathy Harvill, Thomas Tech
        Level Two - David Russell, Ogeechee Tech
        Level Two - Chris Tiller, Swainsboro Tech

Tommy David thanked Bill Sanders, delegate from Lanier Tech, for sponsoring the luncheon for all the meeting participants.

Commissioner's Message
Dr. Kenneth Breeden, commissioner of DTAE, addressed the delegate committee and discussed the state matching grant. Dr. Breeden explained the critical need for replacing obsolete equipment was the main reason for offering the state match so the institutes would become active in forming partnerships with industries and businesses to help alleviate the problem. In addition to the current matching grant proposals, Dr. Breeden also suggested the idea of finding an industry that would be willing to match up to $1 million in state funds to provide specialized training in an industry such as automotive technology. He invited comments and suggestions on this idea.

Dr. Breeden also discussed House Bill 1187 which includes: * Funding formula for technical institutes * Name change to 'Technical College'
* HOPE Scholarship changes that will affect technical school students - Pell students will be eligible for HOPE - Two (2) program limit will be lifted

COMMITTEE REPORTS
Finance - Bill Sewell reported on TIFTA finances. Total revenue (1999 membership dues and conference registration fees) was $29,875. Expenses (including the conference, trustee guidebooks, legal fees, bank service charges and legal fees totaled $18,042.86. The TIFTA balance budget as of 12/31/99 was $11,832.14. President Tommy David opened the floor for discussion. Since there was no discussion, Mr. Sewell motioned that the report be accepted. Keith Kreiger seconded the motion and the report was approved as presented.

Advocacy - Tom Alexander reported on the role of the advocacy committee.

Friendraising - Chunk Newman reported that the goal of the friendraising committee is to develop contacts with community and business leaders to help with the challenge of the matching grants proposed by Dr. Breeden.

Networking - Bill Sanders reported on the results of the evaluation for the 1999 TIFTA conference and the plans for the 2000 TIFTA conference in Jekyll Island on August 20-22. Room reservation cards were distributed. The room rate for the 2nd annual TIFTA conference will be $83.00/night. The group was asked for suggestions for conference speakers and was encouraged to contact Claire Farnell at DTAE or Susan Stephens at North Metro Tech with names of any suggested speakers.

The meeting adjourned at 1:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kim Frank
Director, Institutional Advancement
Carroll Tech

Mike Lott,
Secretary/Treasurer
TIFTA
Note: Kim Frank was asked to act as recording secretary for Mike Lott, Secretary/Treasurer TIFTA Meeting Minutes
February 22, 2000