The Northeast Texas Community College Board of Trustees met for its regular March meeting on Tuesday, April 1st. The meeting was delayed by a week due to the timing of the college’s spring break. The board unanimously voted to appoint Brian Applegate, of Camp County, to the vacant Place Two board seat. Applegate will be sworn in at the April meeting and will serve the appointment until the next board election in May 2026.
Amy Adkins, Executive Director of Human Resources, gave a brief update on NTCC’s ongoing presidential search. She said that a board subcommittee has narrowed the field of 67 to six applicants. They will conduct interviews in coming weeks and plan to name a finalist at April board meeting.
President’s Report
Legislative Update
In his President’s Report, Dr. Ron Clinton gave an update on the current Texas legislative session. He mentioned two specific bills, HB 2110 and SB 1786, which are “Clean Up” bills to address some unresolved issues in HB8 funding from last session. One important aspect of these bills is that they redefine the definition of “credentials of value,” which is an important measurement used to determine college funding. Essentially, the calculation to determine credentials of value will shift from a 10 year analysis to 5 years. This will result in some associate degree programs being removed from the list. Clinton said that community colleges are supportive of both bills.
“This change will only affect a few of NTCC’s associate degree programs. All of our certificate programs will retain their credential of value status. The impact to our budget will be minimal and we feel that these bills are fair and will benefit Texas community colleges,” Clinton said.
He stated that NTCC is also closely following appropriations efforts related to the TC3 Consortium. The consortium is a group of colleges, including NTCC, that works together to share services and negotiate more competitive pricing on important infrastructure projects like student information systems and accounting software.
“There was a real push for colleges to increase collaboration and shared services during the last legislative session. The TC3 Consortium has been doing this for years and is often praised as a good example of how colleges can work together. We are now up to 11 colleges in the consortium, and we are hoping that this session will result in an increase in appropriations to support those efforts,” Clinton said.
College News
In other college news, Clinton praised the nursing program for receiving more than $1 million in grants over the last year. These grants are being used to add much-needed personnel, simulation equipment and more.
“I just want to congratulate Dr. Denman and her team for securing some very competitive grants that are doing a lot to help grow and improve our nursing programs,” Clinton said.
He also reported that the new Unity Center is on track to be completed by the end of the month and that a ribbon cutting will be announced soon.
Giving Report
The Foundation reported $79,978 in giving for the month of February. Dr. Jon McCullough, NTCC Executive Vice President for Advancement, pointed out that this included a new scholarship that Texas Heritage National Bank founded in memory of Sid Greer, who served on the NTCC Board of Trustees for many years. Nita May, Director of Development, also gave a preview of East Texas Giving Day, which is coming up on April 29th. Early giving for the event opens on Monday, April 7th.
Action Items
After approving the consent agenda, the board approved a Resolution of Support for 89th Texas Legislative Funding Recommendations for Community Colleges. Dr. Clinton said that this is an effort to show that Texas community colleges are unified in their support of the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) recommendations.
The board also approved special course fee changes for the 2025-2026 academic year. Tuition and general fees will stay the same for 2025-2026. Clinton said that Governor Abbott instituted a tuition and fee freeze for all state-funded colleges and universities for the upcoming school year.
Personnel Items
The only personnel items on the agenda was to release the Career Service Coordinator from her employment contract. Dr. Kevin Rose said that Linda Watson, who has been with NTCC for 20 years, will soon be retiring. The board approved the item.
Discussion
The board briefly discussed the annual board evaluation results. They indicated that they plan to look at items that need improvement and put together a plan to address those areas over the coming year. They then adjourned to executive session. The only action taken after the meeting reconvened was the appointment of Applegate for vacant board seat. With no other business, the meeting was adjourned.
