During a strategic planning workshop Monday at Texarkana College, trustees identified annexing Cass County into its service area as a possible goal in their belief statements for the next two years.
If trustees choose to call for an election for the population of their portion of Cass County, it would be held in November. They must make a final decision by the end of June, when a service plan has to be published, according to TC President James Henry Russell.
"The data clearly suggests the best chance a community has of being successful in the future is to have a highly educated community," he said. "Cass County is a wonderful part of our service area and we want to be able to provide more access for their students to receive a top education and stay here so that the next 50 years in this area are as great as the last 50."
This is the beginning of the process, he said, adding that trustees will have data from appraisal districts by the time the service plan is required to be published.
The goal set by the State of Texas is to have 60 percent of the population between 25 and 35 have a higher education credential by 2030. Offering more education to more people supports this, Russell said.
"We agree with that, and that is our long-germ goal to match it," he said.
Texarkana College would serve Queen City, Atlanta, Bloomburg, Linden and McLeod with the annexation. Northeast Texas Community College serves Avinger and Hughes Springs, which are also in Cass County.
Other goals identified in the workshop include: TC having a student loan default rate that's less than 30 percent; the TC Foundation reaching $10 million by 2020; an aggressive public relations campaign to educate the public on the value of obtaining higher education credentials; and continue to enhance and continue upgrades to facilities, including replacing aging core equipment and lighting improvement.
Another goal is to increase the fall and spring enrollment to 8,500 for the 2017-18 academic year.
Russell said that could be a steep goal to accomplish, but it wasn't impossible to achieve.
The board will take a final vote on the belief statements in either May or June.
During the regular April meeting following the workshop, trustees voted to accept a donation from Stan Excavating Company of Texarkana to demolish the Annex building. Formerly Medical Arts Hospital, the building was donated to TC and used as dormitories. The building's been closed for 18 months, due to mechanical and plumbing problems.
An additional item was on the agenda for asbestos abatement for the building, which must be done before it's demolished, but that item was tabled. Russell said more testing should be done to the facility.
"We're doing extensive testing now to make sure we have as much as we might think that we have," Russell said. "We did small samples. We want to do a larger sample to see if we can't maybe focus on exactly where it is and not have to spend any more money than we have to to get it in a safe state to demolish. The key thing for the community to know is we are following every rule and regulation and not cutting any corners. We'll do it the right way, but we're also not going to waste money on something that's not there."
Once the testing, abatement and demolition are complete, the area will be turned into a grassy space to be used for T-ball practice and soccer. The carpentry shop currently located in the building will be moved to a new building this summer.
In other business, trustees approved a memorandum of understanding with Parish Junior College and NTCC for a surgical technology program. Each school will provide portions of the program, with the MOU pending a partnership with CHRISTUS St. Michael and Wadley Hospital to utilize their operating rooms as a training area.
The capital improvements budget was also approved, with summer projects including heating and air controls, campus security upgrades, asbestos abatement and construction of the carpentry shop.
TC's General Studies degree will now serve as a Multidisciplinary Studies degree, due to a yes vote from trustees. The name won't change, but will fulfill the state's requirement from Senate Bill 1189 to have a degree designated as such.
The date for the June board meeting was also changed to the 20th of the month.
Trustees will meet again in regular session May 23.
