Clarendon College President Phil Shirley is upbeat after travelling to Austin last week as the State Legislature continues to wrangle with budget woes and the fate of funding for community colleges.
“I have hope, and my faith has been restored in the system,” Shirley told the Enterprise last Friday.
CC has balanced its budget for 2011-2012 under the assumption that its state funding would be cut by 13 percent, but Shirley said he was given words of encouragement by Rep. Warren Chisum.
“Everything is still in a holding pattern waiting for Susan Combs’ final projection,” Shirley said. “In two weeks we should know a great deal more.”
Shirley said the college dealt with the proposed cuts by “doing some cutting and keeping a sense of optimism.”
“We based our figures on good enrollment and keeping the doors full,” he said.
The college has raised tuition and fees by $4 per semester hour for students out of district and out of state and also eliminated seven positions, mostly through people quitting, closing obsolete programs, and letting two most recent hires go.
Asked how the college could eliminate positions and then create a new position – hiring John Green of Borger as athletic director, Shirley said Green will be a revenue generator for CC.
“[Green] is a recruiter par excellence, and he will work to keep the dorms full,” Shirley said. “By semester’s end, we have 70 rooms empty. If we can retain those students, he will make up his salary and more.”
Overall, Shirley says he thinks the future is looking good for Clarendon College as he finishes up his first semester as president.
“With the addition of John Green and the news from Austin, there is not a reason not to be optimistic and excited for the future,” he said.
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