Clarendon College Regents named Interim President Texas D. Buckhaults as the lone finalist for the college’s top job during their regular meeting last Thursday, May 21.
Board Chairman Tommy Waldrop said at the meeting that the college must now wait 21 days under state law before hiring Buckhaults officially as president. Waldrop said regents could meet in closed session next month to “hash out” any questions and details of a contract.
Buckhaults told the Enterprise the 21 days is considered a “cooling off” period by the state and allows time for community members and faculty to raise any questions or concerns about the appointment.
Regents originally named Buckhaults as “part time interim president” on November 27 and then met again on December 9 to name him the “full time interim president.”
According to a statement on the college website, Buckhaults has been with CC for 21 years and has served in the following positions: Vice President of Academic Affairs, Executive Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs, Vice President of Student Services, SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison, Director of Institutional Research and Title III, and various other positions.
Mr. Buckhaults holds a Master’s of Education from West Texas A&M University and a Bachelor’s of Science from West Texas State University.
The statement says the new president is expected to assume office July 1.
In other college business last week, Regents accepted a proposal for $16,975 for landscaping work on the Pampa campus to be reimbursed by the Clarendon College Pampa Foundation.
The board accepted the administration’s recommendation to renew nine-month and 12-month faculty rehires as follows: Nine-month positions – Candace Abrams, Dale Askew, Melvin Balogh, Edward Caraway, Bruno Castel, Tye Chesser, Joseph Davis, Russell Estlack, Scarlet Estlack, Kim Jeffrey, Kelly McDonough, Devin McIntosh, Ken McIntosh, Andy McLatchy, Mark James, Deb O’Neal, Linda Rowland, Laura Paul, Jeremy Sain, Robert Taylor, Johnny Treichel, and Frank Vance; and 12-month positions – Jay Anders, Missie Bradford, Ken Carlile, David Carr, Jana Coats, Sherrie Denham, Rodney Donahue, Alicia Hunter, Jamie Mears, Alyssa Oates, Mandy Poole Guerrero, Decee Surratt, and Tommie Ray.
In other personnel moves, the board ratified the hiring of Hunter Jenkins as the head men’s basketball coach and former Lady Bulldog Aleiyah Bantley as the assistant women’s basketball coach; accepted the resignations of Joseph Mulder, Isaac Fontenot-Amedee, and Pamela Hill; acknowledged the retirements of Charla Crump and Martha Smith; and let expire the contract of assistant women’s volleyball coach LaDerrianne Golden.
Among several items in his report to the board, Buckhaults updated the regents on the SACSCOC site visit, which has been postponed to June 23, and said the college currently has a projected fall occupancy in the dorm of 230 students at this point although recruitment is still ongoing. He said CC is watching Navarro College, which plans to reopen its dorms in July to see what safety measures they take amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
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