The Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees met Wednesday and recognized an NCCC track athlete.
Rusiate Matai, a freshman from Tavua, Fiji, achieved All-American status with a runner-up finish in the high jump at the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Lubbock, Texas, this month.
“We are extremely proud of Rusiate,” said Trey Bruton, NCCC head track and field coach. “He has worked extremely hard to get to this point, and he did an amazing job representing both NCCC and his home nation of Fiji.”
Matai cleared a height of 2.09 meters (6-foot, 10 ¾ inches), which ties the Fijian national record.
“The coolest part about this record, is Rusiate still has a lot of potential left to unlock,” Bruton said. “He had the shortest run-up in Lubbock by far. This is his first full season with a dedicated coach, so we are still getting him up to speed with a full run-up. We expect him to make even bigger gains in the outdoor season this spring.”
The outdoor track and field season began Thursday, when the Panthers traveled to Coffeyville for the Early Bird Invitational.
Steve Murry, NCCC head baseball coach, was also recognized for his selection to the inaugural class of the NJCAA Coaches Legacy Award. Nearly 200 coaches across 28 sports were nominated, and Murry was one of 36 baseball coaches chosen.
“We are very excited for Coach Murry’s legacy to be recognized by the NJCAA,” said Dr. Riann Mullis, NCCC athletic director. “His dedication throughout the years to the sport of baseball and this community are commendable as he continues to impact lives both on and off the field. We are grateful for coach and are beyond proud to witness him make history.”
All honorees will be recognized at a special luncheon June 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
President’s report
NCCC President Dr. Brian Inbody reported on legislative changes that could affect NCCC, including various tax proposals, student aid, and budget allocations.
Inbody announced Allen Community College has renewed a five-year agreement that allows NCCC to offer welding and construction at the Regional Rural Technology Center in La Harpe. The agreement, which previously included Allied Health classes as well, is now set to expire in 2030.
Dr. Inbody also provided updates on several facilities projects: Demolition has been completed, and preparation is underway to install pottery wheels in the art classroom in Sanders Hall. Installation is expected to finish over spring break.
In response to multiple requests from residents and Student Housing staff, an ice machine has been installed in NeoKan Residence Hall.
The Panther Power Lab is awaiting the installation of foam insulation and various electrical components, as well as the completion of the fire code footprint review by the state fire marshal.
The Student Union Plaza is nearing completion. There is some gas line work yet to be completed, and three memorial stones and two lighting implements will be installed this month. The project is expected to be finished after spring break, and a ribbon cutting will be scheduled upon completion.
Dr. Inbody also reported an increase in enrollment of 2.1% year-over-year, and an increase of 2.55% for the spring 2025 semester.
Online Division Report
Trustees heard a report on the Online Division from Maggie Miller, dean of the online campus.
Miller reported a 9.8% increase in online enrollment for the 2024-25 academic year compared to 2023-24.
Miller also provided updates on the High School Online and Virtual Initiative, which allows Kansas high school students to enroll in online and virtual classes at a reduced rate. The initiative currently serves 32 high schools, with more expected to join for the 2025-26 academic year.
Five new courses were added to the Online Campus during 2024-25, including CSIS 230 – Virtual Basic Programming, CSIS 237 – Java Programming, CSIS 240 – C++ Programming, ENGL 113 – General Literature, and PSYC 274 – Psychology of Adjustment. These courses were developed as part of the faculty course development process, which supports faculty transitioning in-person courses to an online format.
The Online Division offered 56 “Deskside Coaching” opportunities, providing online and adjunct instructors with one-onone teaching support.
Faculty training opportunities nearly doubled to a total of 16 in 2024-25. Miller reported that these opportunities will continue to increase with the help of Sesthleng Garcia, NCCC Instructional Technology Assistant.
Miller and Garcia are working on developing new support methods for instructors and students, including step-by-step screenshot guides with the service Scribe How, instructional video hosting through Screen Pal, and in-house online training certifications.
Faculty Senate report
Paul Walcher, NCCC math instructor and Faculty Senate president, reported on recent activities: The NCCC Music Club and the NCCC Theatre Club took a joint trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 7 to visit the Bob Dylan Center, the Woody Guthrie Center and attend a production of “Dear Evan Hansen.” The power of music, storytelling and the discussion of contemporary issues in theatre were discussed in length during classes following the trip.
The Department of Theatre earned three awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival on Jan. 19-25 for the spring 2024 production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
Walcher reported on the curriculum committee’s work to approve new support courses for mathematics and English, which were approved by trustees in the consent agenda. Walcher also reported Math Pathways is still deciding on additional options for students at the lowest placement levels.
Invitation letters were sent to students for the honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) this spring. Three informational sessions will be held this week on the Ottawa Campus introducing students to PTK and encouraging attendance at the April 11 induction ceremony.
Current members of PTK traveled to the Heartland Regional Convention in Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 28 to March 2. Students received awards for completing the Edge Program, and the Omega Iota Chapter on the Chanute Campus was awarded the Five Star Chapter Award.
Students in the #Adulting Club spent time in the Yuza Family Greenhouse, planting an herb garden and learning to propagate plants.
Mark Johnston, NCCC psychology professor, led sessions on mastery-based learning and the psychological benefits for students during the Innovative Educator Summit hosted by Hawkes Learning, the publisher of the learning system used by the psychology faculty at NCCC.
As part of the sessions, Johnston showed aggregated data from the last five years at NCCC. Most notably, there was an increase in students passing psychology courses – an increase from 75-82% to over 94% - and a measured reduction in reports of stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues related to doing psychology coursework by the students.
Service award
Kenneth Gragg, part-time custodian on the Ottawa Campus, was selected as the February 2025 Service Award winner.
“Kenny is always helpful and smiling and takes the time to ask about you as a person. He goes the extra mile,” the anonymous nomination read. “The other day, he was out shoveling the snow off the sidewalk to the entryway when the snowplows had completely covered it. I have never seen him have a bad attitude. Way to go Kenny!”
Gragg will be recognized with a framed certificate and a $500 prize.
In other business, trustees: —Approved the minutes from the Feb. 20 meeting.
—Heard a treasurer’s report from Chief Financial Officer Sandi Solander and approved claims for disbursement for February.
—Approved an update to the workman’s compensation policy.
—Approved the following Course Inventory Revisions: Added ENGL 031 – Composition Studio, MATH 013 – College Algebra Workshop, and MATH 032 – Statistics & Math Essentials Workshop and deactivated MATH 112 – Intermediate Algebra due to new corequisite developmental course requirements; Added CMCT 108 – Introductory Craft Skills, CMCT – 115 Construction Basics, CMCT 201 – Carpentry I, and CMCT 221 – Carpentry II due to KBOR realignment.
—Held a first reading for an update to the Evaluation of Adjunct Instructor Policy.
—Approved a renewal of the Neighborhood Revitalization Interlocal Agreement with the Board of Commissioners of Neosho County. A public hearing was held, no comments were heard.
—Accepted a bid proposal of $36,800 from Steve Faulkner Ford in Chanute to replace two 2016 Ford Fusions with two 2025 Ford Escapes. Bids were also solicited from Jay Hatfield in Chanute and Shields Motors in Chanute. A bid of $43,190 from Shields Motors was also received.
—Approved an update to the job description for the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Student Services.
—Approved the hiring of Jennifer Barnett as Upward Bound Administrative Assistant. Barnett’s first day will be May 12.
—Approved the resignation of: Sandy Haggard, RSVP director, with a last day of March 31; Rodrick Sikes, Assistant Director of Residence and Student Life, with a last day of March 31; Dr. Shehla Zeeshan, Diagnostic Sonography Program Clinical Coordinator, with a last day of March 31; and Nancy Huffman, A.B.E. Instructor, with a last day of April 1.
