by Mark Archibald, Corsicana Daily Sun

The Navarro College Board of Trustees heard an update May 27 from Guy Featherston, Dean of Midlothian Campus and Health Professions, regarding House Bill 885. The bill is expected to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott by the June 15 statutory deadline and will bring the Corsicana campus one step closer to offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

The bill was necessary because Navarro College’s Corsicana campus didn’t meet the previously required $6 billion threshold of taxable valuations, based on the previous year’s calculations by the Navarro County Appraisal District. The amendment secured in this legislation includes the taxable valuation of the entire district the college serves.

Navarro College District President Dr. Kevin Fegan thanked Representatives Jake Ellzey, Cody Harris, who serves Anderson, Hill Freestone and Navarro counties, and State Senator Brian Birdwell who helped secure the bill’s success of legislation in the full Senate May 22. Harris was the bill’s sponsor, ushering its passage through the House in April.

The bill is expected to clear the final hurdles as versions of the House and Senate must match before going to the Governor for his signature.

The next steps for the BSN program include the accreditation processes including the Texas Higher-Education Coordinating Board, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, then The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

Many of these processes can occur at the same time, although timelines depend on when these Boards meet.

Featherston indicated a target start date for the program is the fall 2023 semester, with the first graduation occurring in August 2024.

Trustees moved Thursday to re-elect Phil Judson as Chairman, Todd McGraw will serve as Vice Chairman, and Richard Aldama will continue his service as Secretary/Treasurer of the Board.

Aldama, who represents Place 4, and A.L. “Buster” Atkeisson, Place 6, At Large, are both beginning their third terms and were sworn in by Navarro County Judge H.M. Davenport during the Board’s regular May meeting,

A resolution to cancel the May 1 election was adopted in March, after neither Aldama or Atkeisson were slated to be in contested races.

Trustees also approved routine enrollment, financial and personnel reports before they adjourned.

Sina Ruiz, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Institutional Effectiveness reported that pre-registration for the Summer and Fall semesters has begun. The headcount credit and contact hours are all expected to increase. It’s good to see positive numbers again, said Trustee Watt. The increase is due in part to local high schools having their dual-credit students return.

The next meeting of the Navarro College Board of Trustees will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 24 inside the Cook Education Center on the Navarro College Campus in Corsicana. The meeting will follow a budget workshop held in the same location at 4 p.m.

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SOURCE: Corsicana Daily Sun