The Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees on Wednesday agreed to move forward on the Mih Family Fine Arts Center.
Brian Inbody, NCCC president, told trustees the capital campaign for the center kicked off before the Thanksgiving break. He and Yvonne Hull, NCCC Foundation director of development, have moved forward with the next steps to complete the project.
Inbody reported that contract discussions have begun with DLR Group for architectural services. These contracts are expected to be presented at the January meeting.
Trustees also approved a resolution for signing a disclosure letter to Ranson Financial Group for the bonding process. This letter does not commit the college to the bonding process or a specific dollar amount but is required under federal regulations to conduct contract negotiations. A final decision to move forward with bonding is expected at the April 2025 meeting.
Inbody also reported that 2024-25 enrollment is up 6.64% over the 2023-24 academic year. This includes an increase of 16.28% for summer 2024, an increase of 0.56% for fall 2024 and an increase of 16.95% in the upcoming spring semester. Winter session 2024 enrollment is currently down 34.56%, though this is a decrease of just 11 students.
“I was happy that we were able to not only maintain the large increase we had in fall 2023 but also managed to add a little bit to it this fall,” Inbody said.
Inbody also gave updates on various capital projects across the campus.
The Panther Power Lab recently installed at the Mitchell Career and Technology Center is nearing completion.
The building is waiting for the completion of the fire code footprint, the installation of a transformer and an ADA door and door opener.
Concrete work on the Student Union Plaza is nearly finished, and crews have begun laying pavers and building the retaining walls around the plaza. Lighting and electrical work is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
An additional set of bleachers has been installed at the softball complex and is ready for use.
Brenda Krumm, dean of outreach and workforce development, presented trustees with the annual report for the Department of Outreach and Workforce Development (OWD).
The Mitchell Center saw an increase of 41% in headcount and an increase of 43% in credit hours generated.
Each year, OWD presents NCCCthemed cords for high school students who graduate with 24 or more completed credit hours from the college. A total of 157 cords were sent to Class of 2024 students at 19 high schools, up 28.7% over a year ago.
Krumm also reported OWD made 14,406 contacts for recruitment across 165 different opportunities. This includes mailers, campus tours, high school visits, community events and more.
OWD was recently the benefactor of a donation from Anderson County Emergency Medical Services. The donation was a 2016 Ford T250 Transit Leader Ambulance, valued at $14,250. A NCCC wrap will be added, and the vehicle will be used for recruitment and training within the emergency medical technician (EMT) and other Allied Health programs.
Rekeisha Jones, director of residence and student life, was selected as the November Service Award winner.
“She’s just the sweetest and kindest person and has gone out of her way to make me feel comfortable at the college,” the anonymous nomination read.
Jones will be recognized with a framed certificate and a $500 prize.
“Rekeisha does a tremendous job with the residence hall and Student Senate,” Inbody said. “We all appreciate her excellent effort and the long hours she puts into the job.”
The men’s soccer team was recognized during the meeting.
The team put together the best season in program history, finishing as NJCAA D-II national runners-up with a record of 20-2-2. They finished as KJCCC, Region VI, and Plains District Champions and qualified for the national tournament as the No. 2 seed.
They completed a sweep of the KJCCC postseason honors, as head coach Elliott Chadderton was named Coach of the Year for the second-straight year. Callum Niven was named Offensive Player of the Year, and Joe Taylor was named Defensive Player of the Year. Niven, Taylor and Grant Thackeray were also named NJCAA First Team All-Americans.
In other business, trustees: —Heard a report on Faculty Senate from Paul Walcher, Faculty Senate president.
—Held a first reading for an update to the emergency leave policy.
—Approved the chief financial officer to write off delinquent student accounts receivable for the period July 2024 through December 2024. All written-off balances are documented on the applicable student accounts and a hold is placed on student records until delinquent accounts receivable are paid. The college will continue to attempt to collect delinquent accounts receivable that have been written off.
