Clarendon College currently has its fourth highest spring enrollment in the school’s history according to information presented at the February 18 meeting of the Board of Regents.
Total headcount after the 12th class day was at 1,229, Executive Vice President Tex Buckhaults reported, an increase of 14.86 percent over the spring 2015 semester.
Contact hours, which is part of what the state uses to determine CC’s funding, was also up 4.09 percent.
Enrollment at the Pampa and Childress campuses grew this semester settling at 235 and 72 respectively while numbers in Clarendon and Amarillo dipped with 276 and 43 students at those locations.
The biggest growth came in dual credit numbers with area high school students taking classes for college credit. That enrollment grew more than 50 percent from 318 to 479, with much of that growth coming from Carson County, where 86 students in Panhandle and White Deer are taking classes from CC for the first time.
Without considering the figures from those new schools, dual credit students grew more than 23 percent.
In other college business, regents met in closed session for President Robert Riza’s annual evaluation. Following the closed session, the board approved a salary increase for the president. Board Chairman Jerry Woodard told the Enterprise later that regents are very happy with Dr. Riza.
“The board is very pleased with our college president and the direction that he taking the college,” Woodard said. “We are seeing improvements in all programs and aspects of the college for our general students and for our workforce programs, and we believe we can continue to broaden and capitalize those improvements under this president. He is genuinely interested in our community and the communities the college serves.”
Also last Thursday, Trane representative Leland Dixon addressed the board about upcoming mechanical improvements to the college facilities and discussed an initiative called NC3 – the National Coalition of Certification Centers, which is an industry-led curriculum of industry-specific certifications in the areas of aviation, energy, and transportation.
Dickson said there are currently 35 community colleges participating in the NC3 program nationwide with plans to add ten more in Texas.
The Riza administration is pursuing an association with the NC3, but a final determination on that designation won’t come for another 18 to 24 months.
“This would tie into our new industrial maintenance program and make that even stronger,” Riza said. “It would allow industry folks to meet our students before they are graduated into the field.”
Regents approved as presented a facilities master plan for the college through 2018, and the board learned that CC has made the second cut in a program that would allow state prisoners in Pampa and Childress to access Second Chance PELL Grants. More paperwork is due to be submitted for that in March with hopes of being approved by the fall semester.
The Board of Regents also approved bids on tax delinquent properties at Howardwick as presented by the Donley County Appraisal District.
Dr. Riza complimented Marketing Coordinator Ashlee Estlack for her presentation on branding at the Texas Municipal League conference in Amarillo and reported that she has been invited to address the state TML meeting this fall.
The president also gave attention to financial aid assistant Amanda Smith who received an appointment to help the Texas Association of Student Financial Aid Advisors in planning their annual conference.
Riza also told regents that with the downturn in the oil and gas industries across Texas, there is the possibility of reduced funding from the state, but he said Clarendon is taking steps to prepare for that possibility.
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