The Northeast Texas Community College Board of Trustees began its first meeting of the year on a somber note this Tuesday, Jan. 28th. Dr. Ron Clinton, NTCC President, called for a moment of silence before the meeting to acknowledge Chuck Johns, Chairman of the Board, who passed away unexpectedly on January 16th along with his wife, Sarah.
“This is a tremendous loss for this board, the college and the entire community. Chuck and Sarah both embodied the motto of ‘service above self’ and they impacted the lives of so many,” Clinton said. Johns joined the NTCC board in 1996 and served as Chairman from 2020 to 2025.
Selection of Board Officers
As Vice Chair, Robin Sharp led the meeting. The meeting opened with the election of officers to fill the vacant position of Chairman. Sharp was nominated for the role by Sondra Fowler and the board agreed unanimously. This left the position of Vice Chair vacant and Kerry Wootten nominated Russell East to fill the role. He agreed to serve and the board unanimously approved.
Clinton stated that board policy dictates that the vacant Place 2 board position will need to be filled by board appointment. That individual will serve until the next election in May 2026. Sharp indicated that the board will consider making an appointment at a future meeting.
President’s Report
In the president’s report, Clinton said that spring 2025 enrollment looks good going into the second week of classes. As of the meeting, headcount was up 7 percent over Spring 2024 and 3.5% in credit hours. While these numbers may change some before the census date, the administration is optimistic.
He also gave an update on the freeze of federal funds that was announced earlier this week. The Office of Budget Management has indicated that the freeze will not affect PELL grants or student loans, but will likely impact other federal programs at NTCC, such as Title V.
“We are waiting for guidance from the Office of Budget Management to determine exactly what is affected and where we go from here,” Clinton said.
Legislative Update
In his state legislative update, Clinton said the session is off to a positive start. All of the requested community college appropriations for the next biennium were included in the initial Senate and House Bills. He said there is still work to be done regarding supplemental appropriations for the current biennium after a shortfall that resulted from colleges exceeding their projected outcomes.
Clinton also stated that Governor Abbott has indicated that he will not support any tuition or fee increases at state colleges or universities for the next biennium, so this will need to be considered during budget planning.
He said that NTCC will send five students, along with several faculty members, to Community College Day at the Texas Capitol on February 3rd. This will give students an opportunity to represent NTCC, meet with our local legislators and get acquainted with other community college students from around the state.
Construction News
Clinton ended his report with a construction update. He was pleased to report that the renovation of the counseling center in the Business Technology building was completed in time for the Spring semester. He also showed the latest rendering of the new Unity Center that will be located next to the Student Union Building. Stansell Construction is set to begin work on the project soon and it is projected that it will take 45-60 days to complete.
The giving report indicated that the Foundation brought in $63,589.51 in December.
Action Items
In action items, the board approved the Consent Agenda before hearing a report by Dr. Kevin Rose regarding the addition of a new standing committee. The Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Team is being developed as part of safety and security efforts. The group has set up an anonymous submission form that allows anyone to report issues of concern regarding students, faculty, staff or anything else that pertains to the college. They will monitor submissions and meet regularly to review. The board approved the new standing committee.
Personnel
In personnel action, the board released two employees from their contracts and approved the following new employees:
- Jonathan Ramirez – Enterprise System Support Analyst
- Jasmine Hayes – College Navigator
- Jeltje Hoekstra – College Navigator
- Fatima Fuentes – Financial Aid/Veteran’s Specialist
Presidential Search
Sharp gave a brief update on the presidential search before adjourning for executive session. He said that Human Resources reported that there had been 39 applications for the president as of January 28th. The application will remain open until February 21st. To learn more about the presidential hiring process and timeline, visit ntcc.edu/presidentialsearch.
After the executive session, Kerry Wootten congratulated Clinton on his receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Mount Pleasant-Titus County Chamber banquet last week. With no other business, the meeting was adjourned.
