South Plains College held their monthly regular meeting Thursday, regarding a proposed budget, tax rate and upcoming school year.
SPC President Dr. Robin Satterwhite addressed the board regarding the proposed 20232024 budget and tax rate.
Regarding the budget, the regents recently held a budget workshop where Dr. Satterwhite felt that the group came to necessary conclusions and were in agreement about the overall budget.
Dr. Satterwhite explained that the college is proposing a balanced budget which is based on the same enrollment as last year.
Moving forward, the regents unanimously approved the proposed budget for the upcoming year.
The No-New Revenue Tax Rate for the next fiscal year would be $0.281483, while the Voter-Approval Tax Rate would be a slightly higher $0.304834.
Discussion between Dr. Satterwhite and the regents was brief as there was agreement that the voter rate would put the college in a better economic standing in the future. The board unanimously approved the proposed tax rate as the Voter-Approval Tax Rate. The next step moving forward requires the board to hold a public hearing regarding the proposed budget and tax rate. The meeting is slated for Tuesday, August 22nd, at 8:30 a.m.
Plans for an outdoor fitness court were approved by the board which will be placed south of the natatorium and west of the Smallwood Dorms. An outdoor workout facility will be open to the community and has a projected total cost of $180,000.
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Ryan Gibbs got the meeting rolling with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission On Colleges or SACSCOC submission.
The submission is a longwinded review that SPC has been undergoing and preparing for the last two years. Dr. Gibbs explained that the hard work from the entire SPC staff was put in to the review, which will grant the college their accreditation for another decade.
SACS is scheduled to be on the main campus September 17th – 21st, after which a report will be issued and reviewed by SPC. Among the requirements for SACS was a Quality Enhancement Program or QEP in which SPC decided to turn their focus toward their writing center.
Dr. Gibbs explained to better serve all its students, the writing center will be expanding and offering more services to students. A Writing Center Coordinator position is now open on their website, and the goal of this expansion is to improve success rates, especially those of students who come to the college less prepared. It was also added that students will benefit from the center as is pertains to any subject where an essay has to be written.
Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Stan DeMerritt presented multiple reports to the board which included the SPC Policy FH Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct for the previous academic year.
The college received a total of four reports with one being confidential, one investigation currently being conducted and two cases concluded with no findings of policy violations.
For Summer II enrollment, Dr. DeMerritt brought in an additional 39 students compared to last years session with a total of 1,655. It was an increase of 2.4%. As of August 10th, the current enrollment has gone up by 132 students, an increase of about 2%. In total, the college is slated to expect 6,838 students in the fall semester.
The Fall 2023 Occupancy report has a 94.26% capacity rate compared to last year’s 93.63%. Currently, there is an 89.27% capacity rate for men’s housing and a 100% capacity rate for women’s housing. Dr. DeMerritt explained there is a rising need for campus housing which is a great sign.
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Julie Gerstenberger and her office have been working toward providing students with a seamless experience for them to access scholarship opportunities.
The scholarship portal will now be integrated within the student admission process, making it easier to get in contact with new students and connect them with resources, and it will also be displayed more prominently on students MySPC profiles.
Gerstenberger also spoke about new employee orientation as it has been the same process since 2002. In order to make the event more welcoming and inspire new employees, Gerstenberger posed a new 2-day event in which the focus is put upon the culture of the school, and what makes SPC special.
Vice President for Business Affairs Teresa Green shared her excitement with the board as she reported HEERF expenditures were wrapped up.
The funds have facilitated a camera and door access project the college has been in the works for a period of time as an effort to provide added security across their campuses. The project includes key-carded door locks and more security cameras.