The University Center (UC) Board of Trustees held their regular monthly meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2 in the UC conference room at 8:30 am.

Rich Cantillon called the meeting to order.

At the top of the meeting, the Board approved the minutes of the Jan. 5, 2023 regular meeting.

The Board then discussed and approved the Month-End Budget Report and details for December 2022. For December, the UC’s total revenues were at $41,920.64 with expenditures at $35,168. The UC is remains under budget for the current fiscal year.

University Center Foundation (UCF) Chair Diane Anderson was not in attendance, but UC CEO Robyn Armstrong shared that UCF approved to do $10,000 in scholarships for the spring semester, and another $10,000 in the fall semester in their last meeting.

The family of Guy Clark are working to set up a scholarship in his name and were asking for donations.

UC CEO Armstrong then provided her administrative report.

Spring enrollment is down with 166 students for this year, whereas 2022 had 182 students. There are a total of 936 credit hours this semester that includes 40 concurrent students.

It was also noted that more students are taking online and virtual courses, especially the concurrent students.

58 classes from Northwestern have come in this semester and 51 from Northern Oklahoma College (NOC).

The LEGO After School program started on Feb. 1 with 16 students enrolled in the class.

Leadership class tours will be at the end of the month for Tonkawa and Ponca City.

Conoco-Phillips retirees were at UC for their AARP training for their tax preparation class.

The floor was open to comments and several attendees provided updates.

Ponca City Public Schools (PCPS) Superintendent Shelley Arrott provided an update.

The Anderson STEM building is anticipated to be open for use in September of this year, as opposed to the original estimate for the 2024-2025 school year. As a result, PCPS has posted the job for a 12-month STEM Academy Director.

PCPS is posting for four teachers and they want to have both project-based learning for their students and also want these courses to count for high school credit so all students can have a chance to use the facilities.

PCPS will also be implementing e-sports and have posted a position for e-sports director.

They will also be planning for culminating activities for second graders to come in and utilize the STEM space.

PCPS have a Chad Cargill ACT prep event coming up on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Cargill took the ACT 18 times in high school and managed to improve his score from a 19 to a 32. Cargill’s workshop focuses on test prep with students to improve their ACT scores with test taking strategies. This course is offered to juniors and seniors. The course is held from 8 am to 1 pm and is $30. PCPS is also offering scholarships.

NOC President Dr. Clark Harris then provided his update.

Enrollment is up at NOC at about 9% overall, and 6% by FTEs (Full-Time Equivalent).

The Roustabouts held a show on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The next show will be held on Saturday, April 1.

April 1 will also be the day for the Distinguished Alumni event.

NOC is also celebrating the 50th year of nursing at the college on Saturday, March 25.

Trustee Steve Scott then shared a presentation over REP training. Some of the relevant points shared in this presentation included information on enrollment, tuition costs and educational achievement rankings.

Oklahoma is 43rd in the nation for bachelors degrees and 45th in the nation for associates degrees obtained.

Only Arkansas has a lower educational achievement ranking in the mid-region of the United States.

Oklahoma colleges have the seventh lowest tuition cost in the nation.

By 2030, 50 of the top 100 jobs critical to growth in Oklahoma will require an associates degree or higher, and the top 29 jobs will require a bachelors.

Oklahoma ranks third lowest in the nation for college appropriations.

Oklahoma’s Promise is not a free ride and only pays for tuition, not other expenses. However, 92% of graduates using Oklahoma’s Promise stay and work in Oklahoma after graduation. 90% of those students are still working in Oklahoma five years after graduation.

90% of in-state graduates, and 88% of out-of-state graduates stay and work in Oklahoma after graduation.

Following the presentation, the Board then voted to adjourn.