Hill College Board of Regents holds November monthly meeting
Ashlee Ferguson
Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:13 AM
General Events
Hillsboro, TX
On November 18, 2025, the Hill College Board of Regents met for the monthly regular session meeting.
The minutes from the October meeting were approved. Vice President of Administrative Services Melissa Boyle presented the financial report; the motion was approved.
Executive Director & Chief Curator of the Texas Heritage Museum gave a report on the annual Medal of Honor Brick Ceremony and museum open house. This year’s ceremony included two Hill College employees, faculty member Devin Lewis, who is an instructor and Industrial Maintenance Program Coordinator; and administrator Chris McElrath who is the dean of Job Training & Workforce Partnerships. Three others were also honored—PFc C. S. Farrell, who is the great uncle of Vice President Boyle; World War II veteran John Traveras Jr., who is the grandfather of Vice President of Information Technology & Learning Innovation/CIO Kevin Rocha; and community member Kenneth Dies, who is an Assistant District Attorney for Hill County.
Vice President of Student Experience Lizza Ross shared a report on the Student Government Association (SGA) Conference, which was hosted on the Johnson County Campus. The conference was met with good attendance. Hill College women’s basketball coach Antreanna Brooks was the lead speaker. She also mentioned the college’s annual Halloween contests, which were held at all three campuses.
Executive Director of Human Resources Tamy Rogers shared with the board the employee holiday lighting, which included office spaces, trees, sidewalks, and campus signage. She also announced a planned holiday movie night for students before the holiday break.
Dr. Mills then presented his report on the Eden Green scholarship fund, the vendor selection process for the proposed soccer facility, the public/private partnership opportunity debrief, and a review of the proposal for adding a wrestling team to the college’s sports program.
Eden Green was dedicated to creating a way for communities to have access to fresh, healthy produce by utilizing innovating engineering through vertical-growing hydroponic technology. The company’s goal was to provide sustainable, efficient produce production while reducing waste. Upon the announcement of the closing, Dr. Mills saw an opportunity to offer employees a chance to further their education to return to the workforce. The scholarship offers applicants a 75% scholarship award that can be applied toward tuition and fees as long as they enroll in at least one class with the college for the spring 2026 semester.
The president also gave an update on the vendor selection process for the new soccer facility. The committee, which was established in October, has received two bids ranging from 3.6 to 5.7 million. Updates on details and recommendations to the committee to come.
Dr. Mills discussed the possibility of a partner/public partnership, an initiative to better student life through a partnership with an outside developer that would potentially build residence halls for Hill College students off the college’s I-35 property with a management company overseeing the property and the college guaranteeing residents. Next steps include discussions with the city and exploring feasibility.
Vice President Boyle announced that the board would receive a report on the Chapter Five Plan at the December board meeting for review.
Dr. Mills also presented a proposal for the consideration of a wrestling program at the college. If approved the college would be the first community college in the state to offer a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) wrestling program, which would generate enrollment, funding, and boost the already growing athletic program. There are more than 20,000 high school students in the state of Texas that participate in wrestling. A request for feedback by from the board was made to continue discussion at the next meeting.
An enrollment report was presented. Statewide, enrollment for community colleges is the highest on record for the academic year. Enrollment at the college continues to trend up.
Athletic Director & Dean of Students Randy Graves presented the athletics report. Ivan Franco, the head coach for the men’s soccer team, was awarded NJCAA Soccer Coach of the Year for Region V. Student-athlete Kevin Mejia receive Region V NJCAA Soccer Player of the Year, as well as five all-conference athletes in the men’s division and five honorable mentions. The women’s soccer team placed second in their conference, with two honorable mentions.
Men’s and women’s basketball is underway as well as men’s and women’s rodeo. Baseball and softball will resume in January.
Executive Director of Information Technology & Learning Innovation Kevin Rocha gave an update on esports. The fall season is done. The program has a total of 27 participants with a consistent season, with an overall record of 23-1. All teams made the conference playoffs, with two teams making the semifinals.
Executive Director Rogers gave an update on personnel considerations. The motion was approved.
Dr. Mills presented a consideration of approval for Consent Agenda Items. Consent agenda items are a new approach to improve efficiency for straightforward motions for consideration of approval in an effort to respect the time of the board, faculty, and staff. The motion was approved.
Consideration of approval for Consent Agenda Items included considerations of approval of clinical agreements with Cherokee Rose Nursing and Rehabilitation, the City of Everman Fire Department, and Civitas Senior Healthcare, LLC.
Additional consideration of approval for Consent Agenda Items include a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Gatesville Independent School District for the provision of college prep English language arts courses and a consideration of approval of updated authorized bank signers for the college.
All motions were approved.
Vice President Boyle presented a consideration of approval for a JCC ambulance simulator. A bid was received from Simulator Solutions in the amount of $71,900. The motion was approved.
A consideration of approval of engineering services for geotechnical testing and a survey for the proposed new soccer facility was also presented by Vice President Boyle with a total cost of $17,000. The testing and survey would assist with final build and engineering costs. The item was tabled pending addition information.
Vice President of Student Experience Lizza Ross presented a consideration of approval for services with instructure with Parchment for a cost of $5,250 annually, which would provide students quicker service to access transcripts for transfer to four-year institutions and relieve staff time processing transcript requests. The motion was approved.
Vice President Ross also presented a consideration of approval for the student transcript fee. With the relationship with Parchment, student costs for transcripts would go up to $6 per transcript. The motion was approved.
Executive Director Rogers presented a consideration of approval for a staff remote work policy. This proposal would include a pilot program for remote work for eligible employees. The proposal includes a year testing period with a review with the board after the 2026 academic year. The motion was approved.
The board then broke for executive session to discuss self-evaluations pursuant to Section 551.072 and to deliberate a potential property acquisition in Bosque County, Texas.
The board returned to regular session during which Mr. Lloyd made a motion to decline the offer of the property offered in Meridian, Texas, if offered in the future. The motion was approved.
Members present: Kent Eubank, Bill Galiga, Dr. Allan Lane, Jolene Lehmann, Dwight Lloyd, Jennifer Nowlin, Bill Siddons III, Rick Sullins, and David Teel
Members absent: Karen Brackin, Guy James (ex officio), Tony Marley, and Kevin Ray
The Hill College Board of Regents meets the third Tuesday of every month.