September Board Meeting Highlights

The Board of Trustees gathered for their regular September meeting at McAtee Dining Center on the Cowley College Main Campus. Trustee White provided the invocation, and Chair Bazil recited the College Mission Statement.

Under Awards and Reports, Dr. Schoon shared a college update. Last week, Cowley Student Life hosted Suicide Prevention Week activities. The College also recently received approval from the Higher Learning Commission to continue our Prisoner Education Programs, which will now go on to the Department of Education. 

Dr. Schoon also attended the Mulvane Chamber Annual Awards Banquet on September 7, where Cowley College received a thirty-year membership award.

In other news, the Enrollment Management team reports a 7% increase in dorm occupancy, a 6.1% increase in fall enrollment as of day 20, and the establishment of two more Enrollment Management groups for scholarships and technical education.

Dr. Schoon then presented the September Student of the Month award to Jessi Ritchhart, who shared, “Since I transferred here, I have been surrounded by support from people looking to help me get involved and answer my questions - they have truly made Cowley feel like home.”

Director of Marketing Abby Morris and Admission Representative/VA Military Coordinator Andrew Bohn then presented an overview of the new customer relationship management (CRM) software the Cowley College Enrollment Management team has been implementing. This CRM software assists in the recruitment and retention of students and allows Cowley College to set up automated communications for prospective students who have not yet applied and customize the message to the specific types of students targeted in the enrollment management plan.

VA Military Coordinator Andrew Bohn then provided a Military Services update. In his presentation, he discussed veterans' benefits, events for veterans in the community, and Cowley College's Gold Military Friendly status.

Under Administrative Reports, the student pantry, which had been closed for the summer, has now been restocked and is open to students. The Tiger Learning Center opened its doors to students on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, for the 2024 Fall Semester. Support from Cowley departments and changes made by the IMPACT staff have positively impacted student enrollment. Current IMPACT enrollment is at a three-year all-time high.

No Public Comments were made.

Under Standing Committee Reports, Trustee Bob McGregor provided a recap of the September 10, 2024, Trustee Academic Subcommittee meeting, where members discussed the retirement of Janice Stover and how her roles and responsibilities, as well as efforts to fill the position. The group also spoke regarding the growth of technical education programs, which include the Criminal Justice, Cosmetology, NDT, and Automotive programs.

Board Chair Brett Bazil provided a recap of the September 12, 2024, Trustee Policy Subcommittee meeting where policy 408.00 – Student Complaint Policy (New), was presented for a first reading. Formal approval will be requested at the October Board meeting. 

The Board moved to approve the Consent Agenda, including the Minutes of the August 26, 2024, regular meeting, Financial Reports, Bills, and Claims, Personnel Transactions, Board Policies 111.00 – Employee Code of Conduct (Revision), 137.00 – Conflict of Interest (Revision), 160.00 – Telecommuting (New), and 173.00 – Bulletin Boards (Revision) by a vote of 7-0.

Under the Discussion Agenda, Chair Bazil requested three volunteers to serve on a trustee subcommittee for the Sumner County Sales Tax (Trustees White, McGregor, and Marcotte were approved to join the Sumner County Sales Tax Trustee Committee by a vote of 7-0) and for the Board to approve a revision to the Board Handbook, appointing the Board Chair, or Board Chair’s designee to serve as the official alternate on the trustee subcommittees in the event one or more of the subcommittee members is unavailable to attend a meeting (approved 7-0).

With no other business to discuss, Chair Bazil declared the meeting adjourned at 7:01 pm.

For more details, see the agenda or visit the Board of Trustees page.

Hunter Ferguson | Integrated Communications Specialist
Cowley College
125 S. 2nd Street
Arkansas City, KS 67005
hunter.ferguson@cowley.edu