The Northeast Texas Community College Board of Trustees met for its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 26th. A Public Hearing on Proposed 2025-2026 Operating Budget and Proposed Tax Rate was held prior to the meeting. There were no public comments.
President’s Report
In the president’s report, Dr. Kevin Rose said that the fall 2025 is officially underway after a busy and productive summer. Highlights from his report included:
- 83 students completed degrees and/or certificates at the August 2025 commencement
- Residential housing students were welcomed last week with a move-in hamburger luncheon sponsored by the Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber of Commerce, Titus Regional Medical Center and Living Truth Fellowship. He thanked everyone involved in making the event a success.
- Mobile credentials are now available for both employees and students. This allows people to access things like meal plans and door lock systems with just their phone or smart watch.
- NTCC will begin developing its next strategic plan. The new plan will be called “Empowering the Future: NTCC 2030.” A steering committee comprised of both college and community representatives will be assembled soon. Planning will culminate in March 2026.
- Phi Theta Kappa recently announced that four NTCC students were named Coca-Cola Scholars. There were only 200 scholarships awarded worldwide. Recipients include Ladarrius Patterson, Sarah Hamlin, Litzy Flores, and Isabel Tressider. This is a remarkable accomplishment!
- The NTCC Foundation reported $67,382.93 in gifts for the month of June and $46,346.16 for the month of July.
Items of Information
Under items of information, Kim Irvin, Vice President for Student Services, gave a preliminary enrollment report for Fall 2025. She stated that enrollment is currently up 10% in headcount and 3% in credit hours, which is approximately 250 more students than NTCC served last fall. She attributed much of this growth to increased dual credit enrollment. Starting this fall, Mount Pleasant High School is offering its entire freshman class a dual credit Business Computer Information Systems (BCIS) course through NTCC.
“When we think about enrollment growth, it’s about more than just the numbers. As it stands now, NTCC is impacting the lives of 250 more individuals than it did last year – and that’s significant,” Dr. Rose said.
Ja’Quacy Minter, Director of Student Development, then introduced the 2025-2026 Eagle Ambassadors. Over the last year, Minter has worked to revamp and rebrand the Student Government Association to have a more active and formal role on campus. Members of the Eagle Ambassadors represent NTCC both on and off campus.
“These students have already been hard at work over the summer and getting ready for the semester. They are doing a great job and we are so proud of their contributions,” Minter said.
Eagle Ambassadors that were present to introduce themselves included: Dylan Shipp – President, Erika Mickens – Vice-President, Avery Woods – Executive Assistant, Gabby Clifton – Public Relations Specialist, Josalynn Patterson – Parliamentarian, and Camerion Mosley-Tomlinson – Campus Mascot
Action Items
In action items, the Board approved the consent agenda before considering the approval of the college’s 2025-2026 Operating Budget. Dr. Rose presented a balanced budget of $25,074,546. The presented budget included a 5% across-the-board raise for NTCC employees. The operating budget was approved unanimously.
Next on the agenda, the Board considered adoption of the 2025-2026 Tax Rate. Dr. Rose presented a proposed tax rate of 11 cents per $100 of property valuation. This is the same tax rate that was adopted in 2024-2025. The Board approved the tax rate unanimously.
The board then considered the approval of the college’s depository bank. Brandi Cave, Vice President for Administrative Services, said that the college had three banks respond to a request for proposals. Upon review, she recommended that the board select Guaranty Bank and Trust as the college’s depository bank due to a variety of factors including a higher interest rate and robust technological capabilities. Trustees Robin Sharp, Chad Elledge and Brian Applegate abstained from voting on the matter due to local banking affiliations. The other trustees present unanimously approved the recommendation.
The last item considered before the board adjourned for a brief executive session was the Establishment of a Faculty Senate as defined by NTCC Policy BGC (Local). Dr. Anna Ingram, Vice President for Instruction, said that while NTCC has historically had an active Faculty Senate, recent legislative action calls for increased oversight for such organizations. This action item ensures college compliance with new laws. The Faculty Senate will now be called to re-write its bylaws to conform to the new legal requirements. The item passed unanimously.
Personnel Action
In personnel action, the Board approved the following individuals for employment before adjourning the meeting:
- Assistant Softball Coach/Assistant Housing: Sarah Palanco
- Assistant Baseball Coach/Assistant Housing: Cody Johnson
- ITTC Student Support Specialist: Keziah Martinez
- Faculty Member in Robotics and Automation: Joseph Goodrich
- Faculty Member in Government: Matthew Homer
- Two Faculty Members in Nursing: Kelly Fowler and Tamara Lewis
- Faculty Member in Agriculture: Bernard Binns
- Assistant Soccer Coach/Assistant Housing: Rodrige Ntibanyiha
