Members of the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of Trustees gathered for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, where members were provided the newest data for the Arkansas Economic Security Report which reveals that ANC is once again a leader in the state.
ANC President Dr. James Shemwell provided the report to the Board. Act 852 of 2015 passed by the Arkansas General Assembly established the creation of the Economic Security Report, designed to provide prospective students, families, and the public at-large with vital statistics related to employment and earnings after college graduation. The Economic Security Report is published by the Arkansas Research Center and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services using actual Arkansas wage data (as opposed to self-reported surveys) of graduates of all Arkansas colleges and universities. The 2020 Economic Security Report provides first year earnings and employment data for 2017 and 2018 graduates.
The Economic Security Report data reveals that the Arkansas Northeastern College leads all colleges and universities in Arkansas in terms of the average full-time wages for technical certificates and associate degree graduates with averages of $48,257 and $51,499, respectively, during students’ first year of employment. As with the previous four Economic Security Reports, ANC’s associate degree average placed above every bachelor degree average of every public university in Arkansas except the medical school at UAMS. For the 2020 Report, ANC’s technical certificate (1-year) graduates’ earnings also exceed all bachelor degree overall wage averages except UAMS. The data also reveal that ANC performs at or above the State average for community colleges in every wage and employment rate measure for each credential category, except for full-time employment for Certificate of Proficiency graduates. This anomaly is attributable to the high number of Certified Nursing Assistant graduates who often work less than full-time. Additionally, Arkansas’ independent community colleges, on average, outperform the system (ASU & UA) community colleges in the State in virtually all categories. In terms of specific metrics for credential programs at ANC, the highlights include the average full-time wages of $73,056 for Steel Tech associate degree graduates, $53,757 for Nursing associate degree graduates ($53,493 for LPN-to-RN transition graduates), $49,611 for Paramedic technical certificate graduates, $50,365 for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration technical certificate graduates, $46,951 for Welding technical certificate graduates, $47,271 for Emergency Medical Technician certificate of proficiency graduates, and $98,902 for Industrial Electrical System certificate of proficiency graduates.
Based on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Board passed the College’s Operating Budget for 2021-22. The budget reflects the College’s budget development process, which considered department funding requests in support of personnel operations, services, and equipment. There will be no tuition increase for the year with in-county resident tuition remaining $72 per credit hour for the first 18 credit hours only, $82 per credit hour for out-of-county residents including Missouri Bootheel, and $132 per credit hour for out-of-state residents. With the increase in technology usage, the College will raise its technology fee by $3 to $14 per credit hour. ANC’s annual tuition/mandatory fee rate will remain the lowest among Arkansas’ colleges for 2021-22. The net tuition and fees, other revenue, and State funds expected for Arkansas Northeastern College total $14,326,157 for 2021-22.
ANC has been utilizing its current, computer enterprise system POISE for 40 years. This system has been well maintained and has adequately supported the College during that time, however its data structure limits the system’s ability to work well with other learning technologies used within higher education today. After thorough investigation, ANC staff has identified Jenzabar One as the best system to promote ongoing student engagement by offering students a more streamline portal environment to closely mimic social media platforms. The system will provide a centralized digital campus from which students can access student services and supports traditionally offered exclusively on-campus.
Jenzabar One ERP is cloud-based and requires no on-site hardware, thereby reducing the ongoing costs associated with updating or upgrading local servers. The transition from a flat-file (POISE) to a relational database (Jenzabar One) will significantly improve the campus’s access to data. Furthermore, the Jenzabar One system allows for the use of automated critical operations which could potentially reduce the burden on some staff during peak times for specific services. The Jenzabar One ERP includes the following modules: Admissions, Advising, Registration, Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Academic Records (enrollment), Human Resources, Finance, Payroll, Data Reporting and Analytics. The cost of the enterprise system upgrade is apportioned over a 5-year period, as follows: Year 1 $469,636; Year 2; $411,278; Year 3 $237,352; Year 4 $249,250; and Year 5 $261,745. The total upgrade cost is $1,629,261. The Board approved making the Year 1 payment out of Unrestricted Educational & General Fund reserves and, subsequently, making a decision in each of the four succeeding years either out of UE&G reserves or that year’s operating budget depending upon availability of operating budget funds.
In other news, it was reported that the Center for Allied Technologies is in need of utility connections for the paint booth in the Aircraft Complex. The recommendation of the architect, A. C. Williams, is to work with the original contractor of the Center for Allied Technologies, Construction Network, Inc., to provide materials and labor associated with the paint booth thereby maintaining all warranties that are still valid on the original building, i.e. roof, HVAC, electrical and fire suppression systems. A price quote from CNI, an already pre-vetted State vendor through the TIPS/TAPS program, has been received for material and labor for making final utility connections to the paint booth ready for owner’s use in the amount of $92,500. The Board approved contracting with CNI to make all utility connections and associated building modifications to bring the Aircraft Complex paint booth into full operational order and code compliance at a cost not to exceed $95,000, including all architectural fees.
ANC runs two Opportunity Busses throughout the county, serving the communities of Blytheville, Gosnell, Luxora, Osceola, Wilson, Bassett, and Joiner. ANC’s Office of Community Relations has established a grassroots series of designated bus stops at local churches strategically selected to assist with the recruitment and mentoring of students. Administration of transportation services occurs through the Office of Community Relations. During the four years of the operation of the Opportunity Bus, participation has gradually increased to the point that two dozen riders are regularly served. The success of the program has prompted ADHS to issue another grant extension for one year through June 30, 2022. The Board approved acceptance the funding in the amount of $110,816 to cover the continued operations of the Opportunity Bus through June 30, 2021, including fifty percent of the cost of drivers, fuel, recovery of depreciation of the two buses, repair/maintenance of the buses, as well as recovery of supporting staff costs based on percentage of efforts devoted to the Opportunity Bus operation. The Board also approve acceptance of an addition to the current USDA grant award in the amount of $31,467.
In March 2020, the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (ADWS) awarded ANC a grant in the amount of $97,501.40 to develop a “pilot-before-the-pilot” program titled TANF Career Connect Subsidized Employment Program. The purpose of the grant is to connect recent and soon-to-be ANC graduates with local employers, so that participants can obtain or maintain employment to allow them to become self-sufficient. Eligible participants are Arkansas’ adult (18 and over) parents who must have a child or children under the age of 19 in the home. In addition to being a parent of a custodial child, the individual must be economically disadvantaged as either a current TEA (Transitional Employment Assistance) participant, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or Medicaid participant, or have an income less than 150% of Federal Poverty Level. The initial grant ran from March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 and has provided funds to pay salary and fringe benefits for one non-classified Coordinator position tasked with identifying and recruiting participating employers, as well as providing career placement assistance to trainees/students. The grant also provides funds for student supportive services to include emergency transportation and supplies required for work, up to $400 per student. ANC receives indirect cost reimbursement of up to $9,068.40, which covers grant administration, travel, and office/training supplies.
The Career Connect program operates through the Office of Community Relations. Employers participating in Career Connect have the opportunity to reduce their labor costs. ADWS will reimburse employers who hire a Career Connect participant for 100% of wages during the first month of employment, 50% of wages for months 2 through 6 of employment, and, if the employee is retained for a full year, the other 50% of wages for months 2 through 6 will be reimbursed at the end of one year. To receive reimbursement through ADWS for hiring a Career Connect participant, the employer must pay the employee at least minimum wage with a maximum reimbursement of $15 per hour, and must employ the participant for a minimum of 35 hours per week. Participants also must be recognized and treated as a regular employee, who receives all benefits associated with employment. ADWS has issued a no-cost extension for the existing grant through June 30, 2021, to align with the State of Arkansas’ fiscal year. The grant amount of $97,501.40 remains the same because sufficient unspent funds exist to allow for coverage of all grant costs through June 30. A grant renewal for FY2022 is anticipated with the expectation that ANC serve as a mentor to two additional sites in the Arkansas Delta where the Career Connect program will be launched (the “pilot”). The Board approved ratification of the no-cost extension of the TANF Career Connect grant through June 30, 2021
Board members also approved the 2021-2022 Academic Calendar for the College. Classes for the Fall 2021 semester will begin on Monday, August 16, 2021, and registration is currently underway.