Press Release

2009-2010

January 20, 2010

Spring semester enrollment sees dramatic increase

Spring semester enrollment continues to climb. Cowley College’s Board of Trustees learned at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night in the McAtee Dining Center that as of Jan. 14, FTE for the spring semester was 2,683, which is up from 2,286 at this time last year.

Cowley College president Dr. Patrick J. McAtee stated that enrollment is up at each of the college’s centers as well as online. An outreach update was also provided, which showed not only significant increases in enrollment, but also student visits.

The Board also heard an update from Tony Crouch, executive vice president of business services, on the construction projects at Cowley College. The new physics lab is in use, while work on the roofs of the Brown Center and Wellness Center has been completed.

Crouch also spoke about the electrical upgrade work being done in Galle-Johnson Hall. Ziegler Electric has completed the first phase of the update. A temporary power supply caused some issues with computer servers; however, those issues have been resolved. The permanent generator should be received by the end of the month and installed/connected soon thereafter.

"We will spend as much time as needed testing the new equipment before we connect to it," Crouch said.
In other matters, the Board:

1. Saw Cowley President Dr. Pat McAtee present a gift to Jamie Blackim of Broken Arrow, OK for being named January Student of the Month.
   
2. Discussed the annual PTK Honors Luncheon, which will be held at the Ramada Downtown/Topeka on Feb. 18. The COP’s/Trustees will have meetings in the morning, prior to the honor luncheon.
   
3. Slade Griffiths, vice president of academic affairs, provided the Board of Trustees with an overview of courses that were created/modified and approved by the academic affairs council. The Introduction to Teaching Profession course was added, while the Foundations of Education course has been modified. The Kansas Board of Regents/Technical Education Authority approved changes to the Graphic Design program. Based upon the computer advisory committee recommendations from business and industry, it is recommended to suspend the Network Support and Management certificate and the Computer Forensics AAS degree. The suspension was approved by the Academic Affairs Council on Dec. 10, 2009. Individual courses may still be taught though the certificate and degree will no longer be offered at the college. The degree and/or certificate could be brought back if needed by stakeholders.
   
4. Approved four new action projects presented by the AQIP Steering Committee. The action projects are: Maintaining consistency and quality of an online learning environment; Ensuring an academic environment during times of college crisis; The Cowley retention action project; Improving and reviewing enrollment services from new students to graduates.
   
5. Provided the Board with an overview of the Fall 2009 Stakeholder Survey results.
   
6. Accepted the audit contract from Parman, Tanner, Soule & Jackson for the annual audit of accounts and records of Cowley County Community College for the year ending June 30, 2010. The firm’s fee will be $19,240 to audit Board Funds and Student Activity Funds, and $10,225 for the Compliance Audit. The cost of the audit will be included in the 2010-2011 college budget.
   
7. Accepted a letter of resignation from Mendy Pfannenstiel as CTE secretary, effective Jan. 22.
   
8. Approved the employment of Krys O’Brien as student loan specialist, effective Jan. 1; approved the employment of Malachi Winters as MICT instructor, effective, Feb. 1; approved the employment of Blayne Schafer as student service specialist at the Westside Center. Schafer replaces Lauren Davis.
   
9. Approved the decision to convert Chris Parrott’s employment from staff instructor to Automotive instructor with Classification B of the professional salary schedule; approved the decision to convert Rick Squires’ employment from staff instructor to machine tool instructor with Classification A of the professional salary schedule.
   
10. Held a 30-minute executive session for preliminary discussions relating to acquisition of real property, professional negotiations, and consult with legal counsel.
    
11. Approved the motion from Board member Lee Gregg, Jr. to purchase property at 1601 South A Street. Board member Dennis Shurtz asked that the minutes reflect that the property was purchased at a cost of $8,000. Shurtz also asked the minutes reflect that the property at 1621 South A Street, which was purchased in November, was purchased at a price of $57,421.48.
    
12. Board member Donna Avery commented about the work Sue Saia, vice president of student affairs, does with the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Unity, which was held Sunday in the Robert Brown Theatre. "Sue does an excellent job with the Martin Luther King Celebration, this was the best one we have ever had," Avery said. “The reason it keeps going is because of her hard work.”
    
13. With Cowley College having been named by G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School for 2010, Shurtz asked about military enrollment at the college. Slade Griffiths, vice president of academic affairs, said he would look into military enrollment and report back to the Board.