Southwestern’s board holds November 2024 meeting

The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors held their regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., in the board room of the college's Administration Center.

As part of the consent agenda, the board approved the college's annual dues to the American Association of Community Colleges.

Brandi Shay, SWCC chief financial officer, spoke to the board regarding renewal of the early retirement policy for employees. Shay explained the college's administration was recommending to keep the policy unchanged from last year's plan. The current policy states the employee must be 57 years of age or more prior to June 30 of the year in which the application was received, have at least 10 years of continuous paid full-time service by the effective date of retirement, and must be actively employed on a full-time basis during the year prior to the start of early retirement.

Shay said the policy, if approved, requires early retirement applicants to submit written applications to the board of directors prior to February 1, 2025. She stated 16 current employees are eligible for the plan. Following Shay's summary of the policy and recommendations, the board approved the renewal of the early retirement policy.

In personnel, the board approved the following:

• Employment of Joe Beaman as a carpentry and building trades instructor, beginning with the spring 2025 semester. Beaman, a SWCC carpentry and building trades and electrical technology graduate, has worked as a subcontractor for the Heart Mountain Company in Afton since 2016. He served as an adjunct carpentry and building trades instructor this fall.
• Resignation of Marc Elcock, criminal justice instructor, effective Oct. 31. Adjunct instructors are finishing instruction in the fall 2024 semester criminal justice courses.
• Resignation of Stephens Jefferies, English instructor, effective Dec. 13.

Jeff Smith, lobbyist from Fitzgerald, Smith and Associates of Waukee, spoke about the changes in leadership at the state and national levels, and offered board members an update on the upcoming legislative session at the state capitol.

Dr. John Franklin, SWCC vice president of instruction, gave the board four career and technical education program reports. The reports, which are required by the state, are completed for each of SWCC's programs on a five-year cycle. This year's program reviews took place for the following programs:

• Administrative office technology - Now known as administrative office management
• Graphic design - Program report recommended rearranging course layout
• Criminal justice - Program report recommended looking into discontinuing the Associate of Applied Science degree option, and continuing to offer the arts & sciences transfer option.
• Nurse assisting - Franklin pointed out this program prepares students for employment as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and is not affiliated with the college's nursing program. He said nurse assisting is the college's highest enrollment high school Career Academy program.

At the end of Franklin's report, he spoke about recent data from the state showing SWCC ranking high among its peers in the Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges report. As one of Iowa's 15 community colleges, SWCC ranks as follows:

• First in transfer rate
• Third in graduation rate
• Third in success rate

Kim Bishop, SWCC dean of students, presented the Fall 2024 Demographics Report. Bishop said fall 2024 enrollment is down 4 percent from last year, at 1,566 students. Credit hours are down 3.7 percent at 14,181. There are 201 students living on campus this semester. During the fall semester, 785 students are returning students, while 781 students are new. Bishop said, during the 2023-24 academic year, 498 certificates, diplomas, or degrees were awarded to 436 students.

Wayne Pantini, SWCC vice president of economic development, gave an update on the ORBIT Center in Osceola, as well as the Transportation Training Center project at the ag site north of the Creston campus. Pantini said the ORBIT Center should be fully enclosed by Friday, with site grading next week. Construction will likely be completed by the end of the calendar year. The Transportation Training Center building is nearing completion as well. The plan is to be working on electrical and mechanical installations by the week of Thanksgiving.

Sue Stearns of Woodburn, SWCC board member and Community Colleges for Iowa representative, told the board the Community Colleges for Iowa group recently had a productive joint meeting with the community college presidents.

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