National Park Community College faces another drop in enrollment for the 2014-15 school year.
Brad Moody, associate dean for Institutional Research and Academic Affairs, said enrollment numbers are still in flux for the start of the semester. Total enrollment is expected to end up at about 3,100, down about 125 from last year.
The college will see a 5 percent drop in college enrollment, about 100 students, from a year ago. College enrollment is anticipated to top out at about 2,500.
The college's Board of Trustees met for a regular meeting on Wednesday in the Gerald Fisher Campus Center. Board members Ray Donathan, Mahlon Grigsby and Gene Parker were unable to attend the meeting. The Budget and Finance Committee met before the regular meeting.
Janis Sawyer, vice president for financial affairs, reported that the college finished with about $18.5 million in revenue in the 2013-14 school year and $17.8 million in expenses. She said the school's fund balance increased by nearly $650,000.
Talks appear to have broken down for the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to pay the premiums and book the Other Post-Employment Benefits for colleges. Doing so would have freed up about $2.6 million to go into NPCC's plant funds.
"I think we actually did a very good job when you consider that the board allowed us to give merit bonuses June 30 at $139,000," Sawyer said. "And we had early retirement, sick and annual leave payout of over $300,000 and we still ended positively, except for the OPEB liability. I think hat we did a good job."
Sawyer said the early of the audit conducted in the summer of 2013 came back "perfectly clean." Sara Brown, director of development, said an audit of the NPCC Foundation was also "clean and clear."
The board approved the use of school funds to have the Blanche Lincoln Building appraised, which formerly housed the federally funded Early Head Start program. School officials were also enabled to begin negotiations for the purchase of the building.
The Arkansas Human Development Corporation lost the grant for the program. Arkansas Early Learning received this year's grant for Early Head Start. The college would like to own the building and repurpose the space.
Mark Ohrenberger, from the Arkansas attorney general's office, said a federal government property interest attached to the facility once the Early Head Start program began, even though the college owns the land the building sits on.
The AHDC paid about $83,000 in 11 years on the lease. College officials had hope to resume payments on the remaining $250,000-plus remaining on the lease, but the federal government's interest in the building prevents that method of purchase.
The board allowed for the housing of the University of Arkansas PROMISE program on campus. The program provides additional services to teenagers and their families to support their education and career goals. Youths must be between the ages of 14-16 and receive Supplemental Security Income. The lease will last through next June.
"We see this as a recruitment tool too for the college," said Maggie Picking, vice president of student services.
Wednesday's meeting marked the second regular board meeting for the college's new president, John Hogan. The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce held a welcome event Thursday evening for Hogan.
Local on 08/29/2014