SCCC/ATS Board Meets, Approves Audit

The Seward County Community College/Board of Trustees met Monday, March 4, to review the FY2012 fiscal audit, approve rates for housing, tuition and fees and hear a variety of reports.

The board of trustees approved a one-year performance agreement that will be presented to the Kansas Board of Regents. Each Regent institution is required to have a performance agreement approved by the Board of Regents. SCCC/ATS is in the third year of the current performance agreement and the new agreement is for 2013. The agreement addresses goals toward increasing on-line enrollment, career and technical education certification, success rates in developmental writing, STEM graduates, mathematic course success, and overall student graduation rates.

Linda Billings, lead auditor for Bryon Bird and Associates, presented the FY2012 fiscal audit. Billings explained that the college had received an audit with no statutory or budgetary violations and reviewed the financial reports contained in the audit.

The board approved an increase of approximately 4 percent in student housing costs for the 2013-14 fiscal year to help offset the estimated increase in food and utility costs. Housing costs will be $2,510 per semester for a single room in the Student Living Center Mansions, and $2,240 for double occupancy per semester. Hale Court housing will be $2,410 per semester for a single and $2,140 per semester for double occupancy.

The board also approved an increase in tuition for the 2013-14 school year. Tuition for Seward County residents will remain at the current rate of $42 per credit hour. In-state tuition non-Seward county rate will increase from $44 per credit hour to $46 per credit hour; Border State tuition will increase from $60 to $65; and out-of-state and international from $75 to $80. Seward Online will increase from $80 per credit hour to $90. The board also approved a fee increase of $1 per credit hour for technology and $1 per credit hour for future expansion. Total tuition and fee rates for next academic year will be $74 for Seward County residents; $78 per credit hour for in-state non-Seward county residents; $97 per credit hour for border state residents; $112.00 per credit hour for out-of-state and international students; and, $122 per credit hour for Seward Online courses.

With the increase, SCCC/ATS’s in-state tuition and fees remain lower than the 2012-13 rates for Dodge City Community College at $80 per credit hour; Pratt Community College, $87; Colby Community College, $95; and Oklahoma Panhandle State University, $194.50. The 2012-13 tuition and fee rate for Garden City Community College is $77.

Dr. Duane Dunn, SCCC/ATS president, gave the board an overview of the 2013 legislative session, including a possible 1% reduction in state aid to each of the Kansas higher education institutions resulting in a possible loss of $32,064 to SCCC/ATS.

Other legislative bills that could potentially affect the college would be the shifting of certain manufacturing equipment from taxable property to exempt property; allowing guns on campus, repeal of the in-state tuition rate for undocumented residents, and method of election of trustees. President Dunn explained that the legislative session is at the mid-way point so some bills that have not progressed out of committee will not be heard for further legislative action this session.

Kevin Brungardt, interim dean of career and technical education, reported that the Nursing program completed it’s National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission site visit and the visiting team will recommend reaccreditation for the maximum.

The college Truck Driving program will also be working with the Kansas Department of Commerce for training in both Dodge City and Garden City.

In other action, the board

1. Hired Jay Castor, instruction designer for the Title V grant;

2. Accepted the resignation of JR Doney, director of marketing;

3. Approved the 2011-12 financial audit as presented by Linda Billings of Byron Bird and Associates;

4. Accepted the bid from AOS to upgrade the existing wireless network in an amount not to exceed $58,682.93;

5. Approved the purchase of 57 Thin Client computers from Dell Computer Corporation of Round Rock, Texas in the amount of $53,965.89, nine Mini-Tower computers from Dell Computer in the amount of $8,520.57 and 16 laptop computers form AOS of Overland Park in the amount of $17,840; and

6. Approved the purchase of a back-up tape library system form Eagle Software of Salina, Kan., in the amount of $13,305.85.

The board will next meet Monday, March 4 in the college board room.