Hill College Board of Regents holds February monthly meeting
Jessyca Brown
Monday, March 18, 2024 8:12 AM
Enrollment Management
Hillsboro, TX
On February 20, 2024, the Hill College Board of Regents met for the monthly regular session meeting.
The minutes from the January meeting were approved. The financial report was also presented and approved.
Mr. Guy James was introduced as the new board president for the Johnson County Campus Advisory Board.
Hill College President Dr. Thomas Mills presented his report, including a report on recent events at the college—the Hill County fire school; the Student Government Association regional event; the Performing Arts Series event, Breakneck Romeo & Juliet; and students attending the Texas Music Educators Association conference.
An update on enrollment was presented; enrollment numbers continue to remain steady. The numbers for the spring eight-week session are up.
Personnel updates were also presented and approved.
Dean of Students and Athletics Randy Graves presented the athletic report, including current standings for men’s and women’s basketball and rodeo. The men’s rodeo team is currently ranked fourth in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Southern Division, the women’s team is ranked sixth. Hill College baseball and softball teams begin their conference seasons in March. Cross country, track, volleyball, and men’s and women’s soccer are all currently recruiting and have continued to sign athletes over the last month. For more information on standings and upcoming events, visit https://hillcollegeathletics.com.
Graves also shared that Head Coach of Baseball Chris Rateike has achieved 500 wins during his career at Hill College, a record for the baseball team at the college.
Vice President of Student Learning & Success Irene Accomando presented two considerations of approval including a memorandum of understanding template for the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) dual credit funding to be used for each of the college’s independent school district partners, and a memorandum of agreement with the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) for pathways for students to have access to dual enrollment at UNTHSC through Hill College.
Accomando and Vice President of Administrative Services Billy Don Curbo presented a consideration of approval for a pilot program for inclusive access for textbook costs for MATH 1332, an online algebra course that would provide students online resources for course materials that would be included in tuition costs rather than students having to purchase textbooks in addition to course costs.
Dr. Mills presented an update on the deferred maintenance plan. Since his appointment as president, Dr. Mills has initiated a significant number of campus upgrades structured within a two-year deferred maintenance plan. Projects range from upgrades to athletic facilities, the Texas Heritage Museum, the Vara Martin Daniel Performing Arts Center, as well as landscaping and structural and safety improvements to the library and various residence halls.
A significant aspect of the 2023–2024 deferred maintenance plan is an upgrade to college’s information and technology systems and equipment at a cost of $2,228,415, which was presented by Dr. Mills, Executive Director of Information Technology and Learning Innovation Kevin Rocha, and IT Security and Compliance Analyst Damien Ydoyaga. The proposal included funding requests for cybersecurity enhancement, cloud migration, and network and equipment upgrades. The motion was approved.
Following the executive session, several motions of approval were presented for consideration, including the purchase of 27.98-acre Williams property for $1,218,808, the purchase of the 7.61-acre Waggoner property for $330,461, and the purchase and installation of the lights and synthetic turf for the softball field at a total of $1,881,856. The motions were approved.
Members present: Karen Brackin, Kent Eubank, Bill Galiga, Guy James, Dr. Allan Lane, Jolene Lehmann, Dwight Lloyd, Tony Marley, Jennifer Nowlin, Kevin Ray, Bill Siddons III, Rick Sullins, and David Teel
Members absent: Allan Lane
The Hill College Board of Regents meets the third Tuesday of every month.