Southwestern Community College issued the following announcement.
The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., for their regular board meeting.
In personnel, the board moved to extend the contracts of Lindsay Stoaks, vice president of instruction, and John Franklin, assistant vice president of instruction, through June 30, 2022, with salary increases of 3.25 percent.
Uncollectible account write-offs were approved as presented. According to Tia Samo, SWCC chief financial officer, most of the accounts recommended for write-off were incurred during fiscal years 2017 and 2018 and had been at collections with little or no activity for 18 months or more. Samo explained although the account balances are written-off, students’ transcripts are held and students cannot register for additional classes until the balances are paid. A total of $183,701.25 was written off for uncollectible accounts. Samo said the balance of the write-offs has already been included in the college’s reserve for uncollectible accounts and has been expensed in previous years; therefore, SWCC’s unrestricted fund balance will not be directly affected by this write-off.
During the president’s report, Stoaks spoke to the board regarding the building operator pathway. Stoaks reminded the board Southwestern was presented with the opportunity to collaborate with the Energy Association of Iowa Schools to develop, implement, and pilot college coursework in the building operator pathway across the state.
According to Stoaks, Julie Weisshaar of Creston, executive director of the Energy Association of Iowa Schools, secured funding for the programming through a Grow Energy Workforce Development Program for Rural Iowa Communities through Iowa Workforce Development. Stoaks said the grant program will assist in building a pipeline to provide foundational coursework in the building maintenance pathway to both prepare and excite individuals about careers as building operators in school facilities, hospitals, and other industries.
The pathway will launch during the fall 2021 semester and students will enroll in six college credits each semester for two years, culminating in the attainment of a third-party building operator certificate. It is anticipated there will be 20 students enrolling in the first year of the program this fall.
Doug Greene, SWCC distance education director, shared information with the board regarding the Canvas educational management system that supports student learning at SWCC. The system is utilized in online and face-to-face classes. Greene said there are more than a dozen educational software resources embedded inside the college's Canvas account giving students access to everything from library services to tutoring. According to Greene, textbooks are increasingly being embedded into online coursework so students have immediate access to college material. Greene explained a reliable phone app and 24/7 technical support have made Canvas an essential part of student academic success.
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