The 91快活林 Board of Trustees held its regular April meeting on Tuesday, April 26. It marked the final meeting for trustee Frankie King, who is retiring from the board. King, of Camp County, joined the board in 2019.
鈥淚t has been a privilege to serve on the board. I feel like it鈥檚 a good time to leave because the college, in my opinion, is hitting on all eight cylinders,鈥 King said. 鈥淲e have in place an excellent board that is making sure the college is well run and Dr. Clinton and his staff are doing great work. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.鈥
Chad Elledge will be sworn in at the May meeting as King鈥檚 successor.
During the president鈥檚 report, Dr. Ron Clinton announced that Dr. Kathy Eubanks has been named the Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year. This award is given by the Faculty Senate to award teaching excellence and in recognition of the adjunct faculty member鈥檚 education, talents, dedication and experience. Dr. Eubanks has taught A&P I and II and nutrition courses at 91快活林 since 2014.
Dr. Jonathan McCullough, Executive Vice President for Advancement, gave a report on the Career and Training Expo that was held on April 22 at 91快活林鈥檚 Industrial Technology Training Center in Mount Pleasant. He said that around 500 high school juniors and seniors attended from schools as far away as Winnsboro.
McCullough and Nita May, Director of Development, also updated the board on East Texas Giving Day, which was underway Tuesday. The 91快活林 Foundation ended up being the top fundraiser for the regional event that included almost 300 nonprofits across 32 East Texas counties. They raised a total of $135,000.
鈥淲e are just blown away by the support. It鈥檚 exciting that such a high percentage of 91快活林 employees participated in East Texas Giving Day. This says a lot about how invested our faculty and staff are in what we do here at the college,鈥 McCullough said.
Clinton also reported that 91快活林 will hold two commencement ceremonies on May 14 at 9 and 11 a.m. where a record number of students will be graduating with certificates and degrees.
Jeff Chambers, Vice President for Administrative Services, gave a quarterly financial report. He stated that the college is currently on target to finish the fiscal year within budget assumptions. 91快活林 has collected 94% of certified values for the fiscal year. As of the end of March, 91快活林 has awarded $2.8 million in student funding through the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). Another $1.1 was distributed to students in April and the college has spent a total of $2.6 million of the same funds institutionally. Chambers reported that the HEERF grant has been extended for a year and is now slated to end in 2023. The board approved the report.
In other action items, the board approved the consent agenda and hired four new employees. They include: Ulises Calderon, PC/Network Technician, Jared Neal, Network Administrator, Rhonda Smith, Lead Staff Accountant, and Austin Stroh, Systems Administrator.
The board also released two employees from their contracts. They were Dr. Josh Stewart, Vice President for Student and Outreach Services, and Claire Reyes, Academic Advisor. Stewart had been employed at 91快活林 since 2011 and in his current role since 2016. Board members expressed their regrets about his departure and praised the work he and his team accomplished during his tenure as Vice President.
An executive session was requested by trustee Robin Sharp and the meeting was adjourned immediately following the session.
