Tuition adjustments along with campus dorm renovations where among the biggest talking points during the South Plains College Board of Regents monthly meeting last week.
During the presidential report, Dr. Robin Satterwhite presented the board with tuition and fee changes for the upcoming Fall semester.
Satterwhite presented the cost-chart to the board for the Fall and Spring 2023-2024 year which is also available on the college’s website. He explained that the structure is tiered in a way that it is most cost-efficient way to attend college at SPC is for an individual to be a for In-District Resident. The next cost-efficient method would be to an In-District Resident and attend a different campus such as Plainview, Lubbock Downtown or Reese.
Satterwhite explained that the structure was made to benefit the students that are residents of the taxing district, but to also encourage the students to attend the main campus in Levelland.
One option presented to the board included raising the price per credit hour for instructional support that spans all campuses minus the Levelland campus. However, when looking at the number of hours the entire student body is projected to take outside the Levelland campus, the amount generated was not the most favored option as the amount felt miniscule.
Board member Richard Ellis noted that small increases basing expenses against income would be the most logical solution moving forward. The second option was an adjustment of tuition for Out-of-District and Non-Resident students. It was explained that Out-of-District students were paying $107 per semester hour and Non-District students were paying $137 per hour.
Options were given to the board with projected generated revenues by dollar increments. Ellis made a motion to adjust Outof- District and Non-Resident by $7 per credit hour.
Board member Joe Tubb asked if other colleges are doing the same that are similar to SPC and Satterwhite noted that it keeps the college in a middle of the pack as far as cost is concerned. The proposal approved by the group.
Construction upgrades were presented by Satterwhite concerning Fraizer Hall. Those projects included new doors in and out, new vanities in dorm rooms, updated wall coverings, new ceiling in the lobby, new windows, new flooring and converting lighting to LED.
The main concern for the project is based on the proposal that there is a possibility that the facility would need an ADA compliance update as well. The school asked for a variance to avoid the additional cost. However, after conversation with individuals who have experience with filing for the variance, the likelihood of it being approved appears slim.
Satterwhite presented two different numbers in regard to the overall project. The cost of the scope of work comes in at $778,327.00 without the ADA work. If the variance is denied, the project will include some additional work moving the cost to $950,608.00. Satterwhite believes if the plan can be approved by April, they can probably complete the project over the summer.
Satterwhite believes that $950,000 is a good investment in a solid building. He noted that the administration is not asking for approval until the results of the variance request are in.
He reported that the renderings of the Natatorium are not in yet. He hopes to have them back by April for the board to discuss going out for bids on that project. He also noted that he is optimistic about an increase in funding around the corner, but those projections will not be in for another month. He noted that they should have about $5.7 million in a capital improvement fund that could cover both projects.
He is planning on having the construction projects on the agenda in April for approval.
Board member Richard Ellis questioned keeping some of the work in house, but Dr. Satterwhite believes that their staff does not have the manpower to take any major projects on. Ellis also asked about the college going out for individual bids on the Fraizer project and while Satterwhite said that could happen, he noted that could add some timing issues.
Dr. Ryan Gibbs, Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented the South Plains College Occupational Skills Awards. The completion of an “Occupational Skill,” equates to hours attached toward further educational achievements. The committees that oversee the occupational skills returned a unanimous verdict that all the CTE’s are in line with the industries that they are used to train employees for.
The research is not only part of a check and balance for CTE’s needed and their effectiveness put are also part of the funding mechanism from the state of Texas. The board approved the awards as presented.
Dr. Gibbs also introduced a new certificate. The new Barber Certificate has been made possible by new rules from the state. In years past, the “Barber College,” had to be separate from Cosmetology. With the change of that rule, a student can take Cosmetology base and add two classes to be Barber certified.
The step up of program will require the purchase of barber chairs, barber poles, straight razors and hot lather machines. Currently the college has 34 students on campus that said they would go barber if it were available. They will also be adding an instructor for the program. The board also approved that unanimously.
Dr. Stan DeMerritt, Vice President for Student Affairs, noted the number of students that will be preparing for the two May 10 commencement ceremonies. DeMerritt added they do not have hard numbers yet but they are seeing a strong increase. Ceremonies will be done in a morning and afternoon session as it was in 2023.
He also presented the Policy FH: Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy. The board was presented with the policy last month to review, and the board approved it unanimously.
Samatha Goldie, Director of Development and Alumni Relations presented an update on the 2024 South Plains Scholarship Gala. She reported the Gala raised nearly $200,000 for scholarship funding. Goldie also reported the annual golf tournament will be moving to Rawls on June 17th for 2024. This is a venue change as the Lubbock Country Club pricing has gone up.
During the meeting, Shanna Donica, Director of Institutional Effectiveness was introduced to present the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory to the board. The inventory is a nationally normed survey administered to community college students nationwide.
Students are asked to rate the level of importance and their satisfaction level with 40 standardized statements and nine SPC specific statements. Both the importance and satisfaction ratings are on a seven-point scale, with one being the lowest rating and seven being the highest.
Over 500 responded to the Fall of 2023 survey with overall satisfaction slightly down compared to years past. Regardless, it is down a very small percentage and is still doing better than the nation averages. National averages are running between 5.5 and 5.9 on the national average while South Plains College is running between 6 and 6.31.