Several information items shared with Board of Trustees

The revisions are to Board Policies 4420 (Dual Enrollment Courses Delivered to High School Students) and 5015 (Adjunct Faculty). Both revisions result in consistent criteria for faculty credentials. The changes to policy were prompted by the elevation of the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) expectations and standards, said Chadron State College Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Charles Snare.

The Board also approved the Revenue Bond Audit Report for the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years.

Reports reviewed dealt with online programs, summer instructional load, off-campus offerings, quantitative academic summary, summer enrollment, physical plant status and capital construction.

Additionally, the Board reviewed information about the Board of Trustees scholarships. The merit-based scholarships are awarded annually to Nebraska graduating high school seniors who score a 25 or above on the ACT. The number of scholarships available to each college is calculated from the full time equivalent enrollment from the previous fall semester. For the 2016-17 academic year, 96 CSC students used the Board of Trustees scholarship for a total of approximately $490,000. The number of CSC students is 36 percent of the NSCS total.

The Board also received information in the meeting materials that Chadron State College has applied for four grants. They are two NASA Nebraska Space Grants – Cosmogenic Dating of Holocene Glacial Advances in the Wind River Range for $6,000, and Predicting Rock Failure Mode in Drilled Samples for $4,000. The other two grants are to the U.S. Department of Education – TRiO for $247,344, and Upward Bound for $257,500.

The Board meeting concluded with reports from each of the state college’s Student Trustees and Presidents. Dr. Randy Rhine’s report highlighted the HLC Quality Initiative Report Panel Review that stated, “Chadron State is an exemplary model of how faculty, staff, and administrators can collaborate to successfully tackle a major quality improvement initiative.” Chadron State’s Quality Initiative focused on supporting the Essential Studies Program.

The next Board of Trustees’ meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2017, in Lincoln.