Hill College Board of Regents holds February 2023 monthly meeting
Jessyca Brown
Thursday, March 2, 2023 10:28 AM
Enrollment Management, Academics, General Events
Hillsboro, TX
On February 21, 2023, the Hill College Board of Regents met for the monthly regular session meeting.
The minutes from the January meeting were approved. Hill College President Dr. Thomas Mills’ report included mention of the public grand opening of the Burleson Higher Education Center on Thursday, February 23, 2023. Enrollment and legislative updates were also discussed. Overall, spring enrollment is up.
In further discussion of the new funding model from last month’s meeting, Dr. Mills talked about the Texas Commission on Community College Finance, legislation which is currently under review with the Texas State Legislature. As discussed at the last board meeting, this effort is part of a larger focus hoping to provide a funding model that is geared toward supporting and encouraging community colleges to provide affordable funding/financing for students to achieve associate degrees, certifications, job training, and dual credit programs for high school students. This initiative ties directly into Dr. Mills’ goal of reinventing the college through the lens of student success.
Dr. Mills also mentioned the recent appointment of Ray Martinez III, who is the newly appointed President and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Mr. Martinez commented in a release on his appointment that “community colleges serve as a foundation of the higher education infrastructure in Texas,” a statement that Dr. Mills fully stands behind and one which furthers the mission of Hill College.
In other news, Hill College program coordinator and instructor, Dr. Joanne Baham, is now serving on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Transfer Advisory Committee.
Representatives from Hill College attended the annual Community College Day in Austin and visited with local legislative offices.
Dr. Mills, Dr. Kerry Schindler, and Dean Nancy McKenzie kicked off the North Texas Community College Consortium’s Instructional Innovation Conference with a panel discussion. This annual event was held at Hill College in February.
On February 20, the Phillip H. Lowe Performing Arts Series featured “Unbought.” Tiffany Terrell starred in the play, in what Dr. Mills called a “riveting performance.”
Other topics discussed by the President were the Buc-ee’s ground-breaking event in Hillsboro, which several Hill College staff attended. Dr. Mills also attended the Johnson County Development Foundation and Johnson County Education Foundation meetings.
He also attended the Go Hillsboro meeting and met with Judge Lewis and Commissioner Lake.
In campus news, Dr. Mills presented continued maintenance to further campus beautification and facility upgrades. Discussion included expanding the soccer field to regulation size; completion of the renovations of Dudley and Frazier Halls; and sidewalk repair at Loftland, a proposed total of $3,200. The board approved continued work on the baseball fields, including ceiling fans for the grandstand, press box renovations, and improvement on the dugouts, a total of just under $39,000. The ongoing tree trimming and removal across campus was also approved for a total of $17,110.
The Texas Heritage Museum continues its accreditation process. Members from the American Alliance of Museums will visit the museum and campus on March 27–28, 2023. The museum is also working on better handicap access, a motion of which was approved at the amount of $6,100.
Athletic Director Paul Brown presented the athletic report, including updates on both women’s and men’s basketball, both of which are contending for Regionals; current standings in softball and baseball; and the rodeo team, which will host the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association March 31 through April 1.
The board also approved an agreement of affiliation with Outcomes Detox and Recovery and Hill College for students in the drug and alcohol abuse program in the Health and Public Service pathway to do their fieldwork, a requirement of the degree plan.
Hill College will host the second annual Hill County Summit on April 5 at noon in the Performing Arts Center, featuring the State Comptroller of Texas Glenn Hegar. A light lunch will be available starting at 11:30 a.m.
Vice President of External Affairs Jessyca Brown presented consideration of rental fees for several college facilities, including the baseball and softball fields, as well as The Commons in the new Burleson Higher Education Center. The motion was approved.
The last point of business was the addition of new personnel presented by Dr. Mills, which was approved by the board.
Members present: William Auvenshine, Bill Galiga, Jolene Lehmann, Dwight Lloyd, Tony Marley, Jennifer Nowlin, Kevin Ray, and David Teel.
Members absent: Karen Brackin, Kent Eubank, Allan Lane, and Rick Sullins.
The Hill College Board of Regents meets on the third Tuesday of every month.