Hill College Board of Regents holds February monthly meeting 

  Ashlee Ferguson
  Wednesday, March 25, 2026 10:04 AM
  Enrollment Management

Hillsboro, TX

On February 17, 2026, the Hill College Board of Regents met for the monthly regular session meeting.  

Hill College President Dr. Thomas Mills presented a consideration of approval for the Consent Agenda Items, including the minutes from the January meeting, the certified minutes of the January Executive Session, as well as several memorandums of understanding (MOU). The MOUs presented included partnerships with humanskills.ai, a company that facilitates organizational use of artificial intelligence (AI); one with Robinson Independent School District (ISD) for a college prep program; and one with Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU). All were approved. 

Vice President of Administrative Services Melissa Boyle presented the financial report. Revenue is up overall. The college is utilizing the outcomes-based funding offered under House Bill 8 guidelines. The motion was to accept the financial report was approved.  

Dr. Mills presented his report to the board, which began with a program spotlight by Vice President of Student Learning & Success and Chief Academic Officer Irene Benero and Director of Learning Innovation Theresa Arias on the course design and delivery overhaul initiative, including: 

  • The conversion from a 16-week course timeline to an eight-week timeline, an active trend with other community colleges. 
  • A full academic year course schedule that is available to students so that they may register for courses at any time during the year as well as plan their full academic year. 
  • The adoption of four standard delivery modalities, including in-person, online, hybrid, and live stream. 
  • Utilizing Quality Matters standards for online and hybrid courses, which provides objective, evidence-based ways to evaluate components of the above listed learning modalities. 
  • The transition to Brightspace Learning Management System from Schoology. 
  • The adoption of Simple Syllabus software in compliance with House Bill 2504, which requires higher education institutions to provide streamlined online syllabi for students. 
  • The implementation of open education resources, providing online and digital materials and texts to students as an alternative to physical textbooks. 
  • The creation of a course scheduling dashboard to track work progress and priorities. 

This initiative also includes a weekly spring training schedule for faculty for these new standards, all in an effort to provide Hill College students with the tools needed for success. 

Dr. Mills continued with the president’s report, including an overview of the Cleburne Technical Center VIP Tour that was held on January 22, 2026. He also gave an overview of the American Association of Community Colleges Workforce Development Institute conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the end of January, which he attended along with Vice President Benero, Assistant Vice President of Student Learning & Success Christy Morgan, Director of Strategic Projects Damien Ydoyoga, and Director of the Truck Driving Academy Jeff Vaughn.  

He provided highlights from the Police Academy Completion Ceremony held on February 2, 2026, in Mansfield, Texas, and the recently initiated monthly First Friday Professional Development Day, which was held on February 6, 2026, covering Microsoft Teams Training, followed by an opening day cookout celebrating the Hill College Softball Team.  

Vice President Benero and Dean of STEM Dr. Sagar Paudel announced that several Hill College graduates co-authored a student publication on the 2024 solar eclipse in Solar Physics, a journal dedicated to solar and solar-stellar research and the study of solar-terrestrial physics. Advised by Dr. Paudel, former students Nathaniel Cook, Nathan Dodson, and Shekhar Pant contributed to the article. 

Vice President Benero reported that two faculty members, Biology Science Lab Instructor Aaron Warren and Professional Nursing Instructor Olivia Sanders Patrick, received the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award for their service. The ceremony will be held this May in Austin, Texas. 

Vice President Boyle gave an update on the progress of the new soccer stadium, including a timeline for construction and the announcement of a groundbreaking lunch on April 9, 2026. 

An update on enrollment was also presented; enrollment numbers continue to trend up from last year. 

Dr. Mills also announced a proposal for restructuring the Job Training & Workforce Partnerships Program for the board’s consideration, to be discussed further at the April board meeting. 

Athletic Director & Dean of Students Randy Graves presented the athletics report, including an update on women’s and men’s basketball; softball is in full swing as well as track. Rodeo is starting their season. Volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer are in off season but are actively recruiting. Thirty-nine academic awards were given to Hill College student-athletes for the 2025–2026 season. 

Vice President of Information Technology & Learning Innovation/CIO Kevin Rocha gave an update on esports. The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) spring season is underway. The program is engaging with high school students, with 20 schools registered. The college hosted the Regional High School Esports Tournament. 

Executive Director of Human Resources Tamy Rogers gave an update on personnel considerations. The motion was approved. 

Vice President Boyle presented several considerations for approval including an increase for room and board rates, a change in course fees, and a change in Truck Driving Academy fees. The motions were approved. 

The board then broke for executive session to discuss deliberation of real property pursuant to Section 551.072.  

The board returned to regular session during which Mr. Siddons made a motion to authorize Dr. Mills to conduct a search to identify potential buildings in Hill County that could accommodate men’s and women’s wrestling programs. The motion was approved. 

Mr. Siddons also made a motion to table the launch of the wrestling program until more information is available. The motion was approved. 

Members present: Christy Bailey, Karen Brackin, Kent Eubank, Bill Galiga, Jolene Lehmann, Dwight Lloyd, Jennifer Nowlin, Kevin Ray, Bill Siddons III, Rick Sullins, and David Teel 

Members absent: Dr. Allan Lane and Guy James (ex officio) 

The Hill College Board of Regents meets the third Tuesday of every month.