A land survey will be required on the site of Barton Community College’s future $3.7 million Agricultural Complex, to be located just east of the Great Bend campus, Vice President of Administration Mark Dean told college trustees on Tuesday.
During the Nov. 8 Board study session, Dean reported he’d been notified by the state that the entire section needs to be surveyed before the project proceeds in case there are Native American burial grounds. At that time he was asking the state to review whether or not that would actually be required.
“We have to do it,” Dean said Tuesday, during a report on the Agricultural Complex. After reviewing options for entities qualified to do the work, Dean said he has contacted Wichita State and asked them to do the survey after Thanksgiving.
His comments came during a presentation from Lindsey Bogner, Barton’s executive director of institutional advancement. Bogner noted that tax credits from the State of Kansas are still available for certain donations toward this project. The college also accepts non-monetary donations such as gifts of grain, livestock or stock.
For more information contact Bogner at bognerl@bartonccc.edu or 620-786-1141 or visit bartonccfoundation.org.
Action items
In action items Tuesday, the trustees approved new personnel and some changes to the wording of their “Ends” policies, updating two of the eight policy statements that guide the overall board governance.
End No. 4, “Barton Experience,” previously stated that student responses will reflect positively of their Barton experience and will reflect the diversity of the student body.
The changes reflect the importance of faculty feedback as well. The new version states that “Student and employee feedback will reflect positively of their Barton experience.” Furthermore, “Student and employee feedback will reflect the diversity of the student body.”
There were also changes to End No. 8, Contingency Planning. Much of the earlier wording was deleted, streamlining the first part of the statement to read, “The President will make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on resource allocation due to changing educational priorities; shifting enrollment patterns; lack of funds; and/or the requirements of legally imposed mandates.”
The other “Ends” deal with fundamental skills, workplace preparedness, academic achievement, regional workforce needs, Barton services and regional locations, and strategic planning.
New personnel
The following personnel were approved, all for the Barton County campus:
• Nicole Lofland – Administrative Assistant (Student Services)
• Keith Frank – Instructor of Gas Program (contract position)
• Janna Knebel – Secretary (Workforce Training and Economic Development)
• Christina Wells – Systems Analyst
• Amanda Staab – Communications Strategist
• Shelby Ellegood – Assistant Care Provider (part-time)
The trustees also heard reports on strategic planning, presented by Todd Mobrary, director of institutional effectiveness; and on the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and The National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE) Partnership, presented by Lindsay Holmes, director of Hazardous Materials, Emergency Management, and Occupational Safety and Health; and by Kurt Teal, dean of Military Academics, Technical Education and Outreach Programs.
