The Black River Technical College (BRTC) Board of Trustees recently convened for their first quarterly meeting of 2024.
The meeting opened with the president’s report. Dr. Martin Eggensperger told the board that the college is in year three of its five-year plan and has already met “the lion’s share of our long-range goals.” Those goals were to foster an atmosphere in which learning and working were exemplary, deliberate enrollment retention, fundraise for large projects, and expand programs in Paragould. “We serve as a leader in the workforce training industry,” Eggensperger said.
Vice President of Finance and Administration Rhonda Stone informed the board that BRTC stands on fiscally stable ground. She added that several new employees have been hired including Autumn Guillot in The Coffee Shop and Bookstore, and Kyle Dye as a police officer on the Pocahontas campus.
Jason Smith, vice president of student affairs, told the board that enrollment has only decreased by .7 percent. He also stated that the financial aid department is learning a new FAFSA simplification process.
Executive Director of Institutional Advancement Sissy Gray presented the annual assessment progress report. She included the results of the latest student satisfaction survey and noted the positive results.
She also informed the board that planning for the Title III grant is underway. An instructional designer, Scott McNamara, has been employed to create lessons for the desired Title III courses. She added that industry leaders came together to decide which skills were most needed in the workplace and the skills are now called, “workforce effectiveness skills.” The desired skills are communication effectiveness, personal effectiveness skills, professional effectiveness skills, and teamwork effectiveness.
Julie Edington, executive director of human resources, informed the board of several new hires. She also told them that a new Title IX training for faculty and staff will soon be implemented.
Communications Specialist Jessica Rainwater filled in for the vice president of institutional advancement who was unable to attend. She gave the board an update on the BRTC Foundation’s Spring Soirée which was headlined by RiverBank.
Workforce and Corporate Education Coordinator Dana Bradford filled in for Executive Director of Workforce Training Priscilla Stillwell who was unable to attend. She gave the board an update on the many corporate education training, events going on and the many more being planned.
In other business:
- The board approved a resolution to authorize expenses/reimbursements for board members.
- The board approved a resolution to authorize tuition and fee recommendations for FY25, a tuition increase of $6 and a fee increase of $1.
- The board approved updates to policies and procedures.
- The board approved FY26 annual plan.