Board approves measures that will save CBC thousands of dollars

Left, Coastal Bend College Board of Trustees member, Emilia Dominguez, receives a 15-year service award from CBC President Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza.

Left, Coastal Bend College Board of Trustees member, Laura Fischer, receives a 5-year service award from CBC President Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza.

Left, Coastal Bend College President, Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza, presents CBC Board of Trustees Secretary, Louise Hall, a service award for her 35 years of dedication and commitment to CBC.

Left, Coastal Bend College Board of Trustees President, Paul Jaure, receives a service award from CBC President, Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza, for his 30 years of dedication and commitment to CBC.

Coastal Bend College students from the Alice, Beeville, and Kingsville sites participated in Community College Day in Austin, Texas on February 5, 2013.

Board approves measures that will save CBC thousands of dollars

During the February 21, 2013 regular board meeting, four Board of Trustees members were honored for their years of service to Coastal Bend College. Laura Fischer received a 5-year service award, Emilia Dominguez received a 15-year service award, Board President Paul Jaure received a 30-year service award, and Board Secretary Louise Hall received a 35-year service award. CBC thanks the Board for its service and commitment to the college, staff, and students.

In an effort to remain fiscally conservative and responsible, the Board approved two cost savings measures for the college. The first is to enter into a contract for property insurance with AIG through McGriff, Seibels, Williams in Houston as of March 1, 2013, and cancel the current liability insurance that expires September 1, 2013, with TCOR. This switch in liability and property insurance providers will save the college over $150,000 in the next year, while still protecting and insuring all the college’s assets and property.

The other cost savings measure will come from eliminating incentive pay for delivery of online courses. Currently, the college spends over $200,000 a year in incentive pay to instructors who teach online/Internet courses. Mark Secord, Vice-President of Instruction and Economic & Workforce Development, says it is a good time to eliminate this incentive pay because so many of the professors at CBC have received extensive training in online course delivery and it’s now become the norm. With Internet courses growing at the college, most professors are accustomed and able to deliver high quality, engaging, and educational courses online to students. The incentive pay for delivery of courses will be eliminated beginning the summer 2013 semester.

Census date for the spring 2013 semester showed that CBC is down in enrollment by only 16 students from the same time in spring 2012. Randy Lindeman, Director of Institutional Research, attributes this success to the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) team that the college assembled in fall 2012. The SEM team worked hard to find innovative and effective methods to recruit new students and retain current students.

Lindeman also provided a CBC strategic plan update focusing on the college’s key performance indicators (KPI). The update shows that CBC is performing well and increasing in numbers of graduates, dual credit students, and fall-to-spring persistence rates. Data has been collected annually since the 2008-2009 academic year, and these KPI help the college gauge what areas need attention and improvement. A KPI that has decreased is the first time in college (FTIC) rate. Many factors contribute to the decline, such as the Eagle Ford Shale, but CBC remains committed to helping FTIC students have access to higher education and workforce opportunities.

CBC is gearing up for the new changes to the core curriculum being implemented by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in fall 2014. Currently, the core curriculum encompasses 51 areas that are assessed and evaluated by colleges. The new core curriculum will whittle that number down to six core objectives area that will focus on coherent general education knowledge and skills. These six core objectives are: critical thinking, communication, and quantitative skills as well as teamwork, social responsibility, and financial responsibility. The new core curriculum will require 42 credit hours—three less than the current core curriculum requirement of 45 hours. CBC has developed a Core Curriculum Committee that will choose the courses for the CBC core curriculum and ensure that they align with institutional effectiveness measures.

Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza, CBC President, accompanied 25 CBC students from the Alice, Kingsville, and Beeville sites to Community College Day in Austin, Texas. Students met with State Representative J.M. Lozano to hear about legislation and issues that affect community colleges. TRiO students from the Alice site also met with Representative Lozano at Jim Wells County Day at the Capitol. For many students, this was the first opportunity they had to visit the Capitol. CBC strives to provide these opportunities for students at all sites throughout the school year.

At Coastal Bend College your future begins here—and now. Let us help you advance your career and education. With so many programs, there’s bound to be something perfect for you. Let us tell you how by contacting us for more information about the programs and courses offered at Coastal Bend College by calling 1-866-722-2838 ext. 2266. Or you can visit us on the web at www.coastalbend.edu.

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