ANC Board of Trustees Meeting Held June 21, 2023

ANC Board of Trustee Members with Dr. Shemwell (Pictured L to R): Mr. Randy Scott, Mr. Curtis Walker, Dr. Anes Abraham, Dr. James Shemwell, Mr. Dan Ritchey, and Mr. Gordon Miller.
Not pictured: Mr. Clif Chitwood and Mr. Lowery Robinson

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Members of the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of Trustees met Wednesday, June 21, 2023, for their regularly scheduled meeting, marking the last board meeting for retiring President Dr. James Shemwell who officially ends his service on June 30, 2023.   

ANC Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Christopher Heigle, who will become the College’s fifth president on July 1, presented the Board with a report of summer enrollment. The enrollment remained somewhat steady with a slight decrease in headcount of 411 compared to 434 in 2022, and with 2,050 credit hours being taken this summer compared to 2,050 in the summer of 1825. Students still have time to enroll for the fall term.  

Dr. Heigle provided information pertaining to requests for several new positions. On March 1, Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald, along with the department directors for the Office of Skills Development and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission met at the ANC campus with local leaders representing the major steel-related employers in Mississippi County, including Nucor-Yamato Steel, Nucor Steel Arkansas, U.S. Steel/Big River Steel, HiBar Steel, Tenaris, Majestic Steel, and Lexicon Steel, as well as ANC personnel. The meeting was arranged and hosted by the Great River Economic Development Foundation. 

During this discussion, local employers expressed a desire for basic steel-related training for over 1,000 anticipated new hires in the foreseeable future. Secretary McDonald invited ANC to submit a proposal for training dollars to fund the needed training expressed by the local employers. ANC brought forth the Arkansas Steelmaking Bootcamp which is a job skills initiative designed to prepare people for the urgent labor demand in the steel manufacturing industry in Mississippi County. The Bootcamp is comprised of 80 hours of workforce education and training that provides participants with entry level knowledge for entering a career in steelmaking. The Bootcamp proposal intends to train 1,050 participants during the first year. The 80-hour Bootcamp will be offered over a two-week period (M-F) with open entry, meaning that participants will not have to wait until the next cycle begins to start training. Participants may enter in the midst of a two-week cycle and finish the training during the following cycle. The Bootcamp will accommodate up to 25 participants per cycle. During the first year, the Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) will offer 20 cohorts for a total of 40 training weeks during the year in Mississippi County. 

ANC’s partner colleges (Black River Technical College, East Arkansas Community College, Arkansas State University Newport, & Arkansas State University-MidSouth) will offer another 22 cohorts (collectively) across Northeast Arkansas. Participants will enter the Bootcamp via two methods; 1) direct company placement and 2) Bootcamp application pool. Company partners may enter new hires directly into the Bootcamp without going through the Bootcamp application process. Other participants from the general public will be recruited by ANC and its partner colleges via local and regional job fairs by way of direct mail, outdoor advertising, newspaper, cable advertising, and social media as initiated by the Bootcamp Coordinator. General public participants will complete a Bootcamp application which will allow for the administration of basic blind screens, such as minimum work experience, high school diploma, etc. as established by company partners’ minimum standards. Final selections will be made by mutual agreement of company partners and participants. The Board approved the Bootcamp proposal which includes funding for a full-time Bootcamp Coordinator as well as training dollars to add three full-time trainers. These additional positions will afford the College more flexibility, timeliness, and nimbleness in meeting training/staffing needs of local steel industry employers as part of the Arkansas Steelmaking Bootcamp project. Currently, the Office of Skills Development/Arkansas Department of Commerce has indicated that an MOU for full funding of the project is forthcoming. The total amount requested is $1,213,800 with ANC’s portion being $602,000. The anticipated cost of salaries and fringe for the proposed personnel would be approximately $350,000. The Board’s approval is subject to OSD fulfilling the commitment to fund the initiative.

In other news, Dr. Heigle reported that in June 2012, ANC leased from the ANC Foundation the former Mo-Ark Communications property located immediately south of and adjacent to the College for the purpose of leasing the property to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. The ADWS office has been a part of the ANC campus since that time. ADWS announced on May 30, 2023, the closure of nine local offices including the office in Blytheville. The termination of the lease by ADWS effective June 30, 2023, allows the facility to be leased back to the College from the foundation for anticipated growth related to the Solutions Group and the Arkansas Steelmaking Bootcamp project that could put pressure on the College in terms of needed office space. Executive staff plan to pursue an independent appraisal of a fair market rental that could be paid by ANC to the ANC Foundation for use of the existing building and parking lot. The Board approved, subject to the establishment of a fair market rental value and approval of the ANC Foundation, a new Memorandum of Understanding between ANC and the ANC Foundation whereby ANC rents the soon-to-be-former ADWS property from the ANC Foundation for use as office and/or teaching space.    

ANC Interim Vice President for Instruction June Walters presented the Board with the College’s annual Minority Report, stating Arkansas Northeastern College’s commitment to the recruitment and retention of minorities represented in its faculty, staff, and students. Ms. Walters reported various programs and activities that have been instituted to accomplish this goal. 

A personnel report was given and the Board welcomed new employee Chelsey Ellis as an Early College Specialist. Additionally, they approved three employees for new positions as Dr. Heigle will become President on July 1. At that same time, Ms. Mindy Walker will become the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Ms. KeTierra Jones will take over as the Director for Financial Aid. 

In other business, the Board approved acceptance of a Student Support Services Grant.    Student Support Services (SSS) is a long-standing program at ANC as part of the TRIO initiative designed to assist first-generation college students with basic college requirements and academic development, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. The program requires 175 participants to be served during each grant year. The College was notified that its Student Support Services program received a 4% increase, bringing the award total from $335,111 to $348,515 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.   

Before conclusion of the meeting, the ANC Board of Trustees approved Resolution 79, to be spread upon the permanent minutes, expressing the appreciation of the Board of Trustees of Arkansas Northeastern College and its College community to Dr. James R. Shemwell, for his 29 years of service to the College.

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At the close of the meeting, ANC Board of Trustee members presented retiring ANC President Dr. James Shemwell with a certificate whereby they have established a scholarship through the ANC Foundation in his honor.  Anyone wishing to donate toward the Dr. James R. Shemwell Honorary Scholarship Fund can contact Rachel Gifford at 870-838-2902 or by donating directly online at https://www.anc.edu/donate and enter "SHEMWELL" in the description box.  All donations made to the ANC Foundation are tax deductible.

ANC Holds Board of Trustees Meeting

 

New ANC Board of Trustees Chairman Randy Scott (LEFT) presents outgoing Chairman Curtis Walker with a plaque of appreciation for Mr. Walker's services as Chairman of the Board from February 2020 through February 2023.

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Members of the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of Trustees gathered for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, where members the College’s operating budget for the 2023-2024 year.

Based on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Board passed the College’s Operating Budget for 2023-24. 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 a $1 tuition increase for the year with in-county resident tuition to be $75 per credit hour for the first 18 credit hours only, $85 per credit hour for out-of-county residents including Missouri Bootheel, and $135 per credit hour for out-of-state residents. Despite increases in technology usage, the College will not raise its technology fee from its current amount of $15 per credit hour. ANC’s annual tuition/mandatory fee rate will remain the lowest among Arkansas’ colleges for 2023-24. 

The Board also approved the Academic Calendar for the 2023-2024 academic year. Registration for both the Summer and Fall Semesters is currently underway. The new calendar shows that registration for the Fall 2023 semester will end on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, with classes for the Fall 2023 Semester beginning on Monday, August 14.

In other business, the Board approved several new employees including: Michea' Caruthers as Administrative Specialist I, Educational Talent Search (Grant-Funded), Anthony Mula as Electricity & Electronics Instructor, Terrie Kennett as Adult Education Instructor (Grant Funded), Allen Holmquist as Steel Technology Instructor (Grant-Funded), and Robert Davis as Construction Technology Instructor (Grant-Funded).

ANC President Dr. James Shemwell announced that on April 28, ANC will host the 10th Annual Best Practices Symposium on its Main Campus in Blytheville. American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Senior Vice President for Academic and Workforce Development Jennifer Worth will be the College’s special guest for this year’s event. The Symposium event is designed to celebrate various best practices across the organization, including a broad menu of presentations by faculty and staff members. Organizations typically spend considerable time and effort analyzing and correcting things that produce less than desired results (things that go wrong) but do not spend enough time celebrating and consolidating gains from best practices (things that go right). The Symposium provides a calendared date and structure to celebrate and learn from all the many things going right, as well as how best practices in one area might be leveraged in other areas. AACC Senior VP Worth is attending the event to glean knowledge about best practices at ANC, as well as learning about the Symposium event itself, to share information across the country. 

Heigle Named 5th President of Arkansas Northeastern College

 

HEIGLE NAMED 5th PRESIDENT OF ARKANSAS NORTHEASTERN COLLEGE

Arkansas Northeastern College has named Dr. Christopher Heigle as the new president for the
institution, making him the fifth President in the College’s 48 year history. This announcement
comes five months after the announcement of current president Dr. James Shemwell’s plans to retire June 30, 2023.

Heigle, who is a native of Heber Springs, has been with Arkansas Northeastern College since
2020, and first came to the College as the Director of Federal Grant Development and Special
Projects where he was successful in gaining designation for Arkansas Northeastern College as an eligible institution for the federal cost-share waiver. This allowed ANC to pursue further funding opportunities which resulted in an additional $350,000 in federal support for the College. During that time he earned his doctorate from the University of Memphis in higher and adult education then was promoted to the Vice President for Student Affairs, a position he has held since July 2021 to the present. Heigle came to Arkansas Northeastern College after serving more than eight years at East Arkansas Community College where he last served as Associate Vice President for Student Success. In addition to his experience in education, he also served as a staff member for former Congressman Marion Berry until Berry’s retirement in 2011.

Dr. Heigle has a passion for public service and brings a wealth of community service and civic engagement experience to the College as well as an understanding of and appreciation for workforce development. He has served on the boards of both the Mississippi County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Forrest City Chamber of Commerce, having served as the president of the latter. He is also a current member of the Blytheville Lions Club.

Dr. Heigle is a graduate of the Blytheville Leadership Institute, the Arkansas Community Colleges Leadership Institute, and the Crittenden County Leadership Institute. Additionally, he has completed the Midsouth Basic Economic Developers Course offered through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

“Dr. Heigle is a highly qualified and experienced leader in higher education, government relations, and economic development, making him an excellent fit as the next leader at Arkansas Northeastern College. He and his family have made Mississippi County their home and we are very happy to have his vision and leadership as we plan to move Arkansas Northeastern College forward,” said Randy Scott, Chairman of the ANC Board of Trustees.

Heigle and his wife Amber reside in Osceola with their daughter Hollyn.

The Steel Tech Academy Among Topics Discussed at the Latest ANC Board of Trustees Meeting

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of trustees met for its regularly scheduled meeting where members approved the use of $250,000 gift (over two years) through the ANC Foundation from U.S. Steel and Entergy Arkansas to fund a Steel Tech Academy. The U. S. Steel Corporation, through Big River Steel, and Entergy Arkansas have entered into this partnership with the Arkansas Northeastern College to support efforts to train students through, what will be, the country’s only Steel Tech Academy for high school students. ANC is already home to the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy (ASA), an international training hub that began as a partnership between ANC and the SMS group in 2018 and focuses upon advancing economic development by training a skilled steelmaking workforce. This new partnership expands the goal and has been formed to help build a sustainable pipeline of workforce talent from local high schools within the context of ASA.

This partnership includes an investment, through the ANC Foundation, of $75,000 from Entergy
Arkansas and $175,000 from U.S. Steel over a two-year period. U. S. Steel also has committed to invest $50,000 up front to fund training equipment and software purchases. The Steel Tech Academy is envisioned as a two-year program, with the first year taking place during students’ senior year in high school and the second year continuing after high school graduation. ANC will begin recruiting students for the Steel Tech Academy with an “Internship Week” held this summer to allow U. S. Steel/Big River Steel Works and other partners to make presentations, interview interested candidates for internship and make internship offers to specific students.

The proposed structure currently allows for 25 students entering each year. Students participating in the Academy will be immersed in steelmaking processes, industrial technology and manufacturing principles to prepare them for making immediate contributions in the industry upon completion of the program. A major appeal to potential Academy participants will be the opportunity for paid internships. Internships will immerse students in steelmaking operations under the supervision of company personnel. Internships will occur around class schedules in coordination with U.S. Steel and other steel partners. Upon program completion, participants will earn the Associate of Applied Science degree in Steel Industry Technology, as well as various Certificates of Proficiency depending upon electives taught/taken during the program’s delivery. Counting the student’s senior year in high school, the program will take two years and three months to complete.

Board members present were given an enrollment report by ANC Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Christopher Heigle. ANC saw a slight increase for this Spring Semester with a total headcount of 1,287 as compared to last Spring’s number of 1,179. The total number of credit hours this Spring is 9,926 as compared to 9,385 last Spring. ANC faculty have continued to work very hard to provide their students with instruction utilizing a variety of methods.

Reported personnel changes included the hiring of Karen Allmon as Administrative Specialist I for the Student Support Services Program(Grant-Funded), Justin Branch as Administrative Specialist I for the Student Affairs Department, and Jernal Woods as Advisor for the Educational Talent Search Program (Grant-Funded).

Additionally the Board approved authorization to add one 3/4th-time Adult Education Instructor faculty position. The 3/4 th time instructor will deliver Adult Education instruction through distance education and on site at ANC Leachville Center. This position will be paid for by Adult Education grant funds.

In other news, the Board approved acceptance of additional Career Pathways Initiative funding with Ed Pays ($29,500) and Work-Based Learning ($2,175) grant awards for the current fiscal year 2022-23. The Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) is an employability program that provides Arkansas residents with assistance in obtaining the education and training necessary for gainful employment. CPI is funded annually by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant that is administered by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) as a fiscal agent for the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, the direct recipient of the Federal funding for CPI.

For 16 years, the CPI program has operated under a case management approach to provide individualized academic and career advising, as well as direct student support to cover costs such as tuition/fees, books, childcare, and transportation. The outcomes for ANC’s CPI program have led the State for 16 of the 17 years, often by wide margins. For the FY2022-23 year, ADHE launched the Ed Pays program where qualifying students can earn financial incentives as follows:

 Credit Enrollment = $100
 Mid-Term Successful Progress (GPA of 2.0 or higher) = $300
 Successful Semester Completion (GPA of 2.0 or higher = $300
 Program Completion/Employment = $500
 Non-Credit (such as the WORK program) Program Completion/Employment = $500

ADHE has issued an additional $29,500 (Ed Pays) and $2,175 (Work-Based Learning). Work-Based Learning is designed to provide real-life work experience for CPI students, allowing them to receive technical training to further develop employability skills and build a resume for future job opportunities.

Before closing, the board elected its officers for the 2023 year:
Chairman, Mr. Randy Scott of Blytheville
Vice Chairman, Gordon Miller of Leachville
Secretary/Treasurer: Dr. Anes Abraham of Blytheville

ANC Board of Trustees Meeting — ANC GRADS STILL EARN MORE, 2 Trustees Recognized, and More

 

Members of the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of Trustees met Wednesday, December 14, 2022, where they learned of data that revealed that associate degree graduates of the Arkansas Northeastern College earn the highest associate degree average in Arkansas, even five years after graduation, at $61,343.

The data comes from the Arkansas Division of Information Services 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.  For the first time, 5-year earnings data is available for 2019 earnings of 2014 graduates.

Not only do ANC graduates earn the highest average in the state five years after graduation, their average also exceeded the second highest community college associate degree average by nearly $10,000.  Five years after graduation, ANC's associate degree wage average remains higher than all bachelor degree averages of all public universities in Arkansas, except for the medical school at UAMS.  ANC's average also exceeds all associate degree averages of Arkansas universities offering these credentials.

In other news, the Board approved the financial statements and personnel recommendations.  Additionally, the Board was given an update regarding construction projects on campus as new heat and air installation has been completed in the John P. Sullins Administration Building.

The Board also approved an addition of $15,287 to its $61,100 in grant funds from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education for the purpose of implementing the annual Carl Perkins Grant.  An additional funding is the result of an unusually high amount of carryover funding in the state.  The Carl Perkins Grant is designed for the purpose of strengthening Career and Technical Education, with a focus on program improvement, flexibility, data and accountability.  ANC plans to use the additional funds awarded in the 2022-23 grant award to help fund activities in the local plan that address improving retention and placement, credential attainment, non-traditional participation in career and technical education programs.  The balance of the funds will be used for professional staff development related to career and technical education.

A new two-third-time position was approved by the Board for the Construction Technology Program.  As a result of changing instructional needs, it has become necessary to create one replacement position in the ANC Secondary/Technical Center for the Construction Technology program.  Although an additional full-time Construction Technology instructor is not justified at present, there is a need for a 2/3-time instructor in this program.  The 2/3-time instructor will deliver two blocks of instruction for area high school students through the ANC Technical Center.  A similar 2/3-time arrangement is currently filling the ANC Tech Center Aviation Maintenance offering.  Sufficient grant funds exist to fund the requested addition.

The Board also approved the updating of several policies for the ANC Policy Manual, and the 2023 Travel Handbook for employees was also approved.

In other news, the ANC Board recognized two Trustees for their service.  Dr. Thomas Westbrook, who has served the board for 13 years, and Mr. John Newcomb, who has served almost 23 years, will be retiring from the Board at the end of January.  ANC President Dr. James Shemwell read resolutions for both Dr. Westbrook and Mr. Newcomb, and the Board voted to approve both resolutions and have them permanently recorded in the Board's minutes.

Dr. Shemwell closed the meeting with well wishes for the holiday season and a reminder that registration is currently underway until January 4, 2023, with Spring classes to begin at ANC on January 9, 2023.

Board of Trustees Meeting held October 19, 2022

 
Members of the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, where ANC President Dr. James Shemwell concluded the meeting by announcing his retirement effective June 30, 2023.

Shemwell, who has served as president of the Arkansas Northeastern College since January 2013, has been with the College since 1994, and began his career as the Director of Training and Coordinator of the Osceola Center. With education and experience in banking and finance he moved up the ranks at the College to the Dean for Technical Programs & Training in 1999 then to Vice President for Finance in 2010, where he served until his promotion to president.

Dr. Shemwell is a college success story. Having left Blytheville High School after his eleventh grade year to attend Arkansas Northeastern College (then Mississippi County Community College), he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas State University and was named their “Top Graduate” by Arkansas Business. He later earned a master’s degree in finance from Texas Tech University and a doctorate degree in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix. He began his professional career two weeks after turning nineteen years old as a small business consultant for Arkansas State University, later holding a similar position at Texas Tech. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he worked in banking, last serving as Vice President of Finance/ Chief Financial Officer at SouthBank in Mississippi County as well as Corinth, Mississippi.

Under his tutelage as president, the Arkansas Northeastern College has gained recognition nationally as a leader in workforce education and as an innovator for impoverished communities. Shemwell has been featured in books and magazines as well as serving as a keynote speaker at national conferences.

“Certainly this institution, this county, this region has Dr. Shemwell’s stamp all over it, even nationally he’s recognized for the work he has done and the innovative programs and services he has forged at ANC,” said ANC Board Member and economic developer Clif Chitwood who served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees when Shemwell was hired as president. “He has far exceeded our expectations of him as a president. When looking back over his career, it is really amazing the many accomplishments he has made and the impact he has had for our workforce here in Mississippi County.”

Current ANC Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mr. Curtis Walker stated “We really hate to see him step down, but we know he has paved the way for the next president to continue what he has started. Dr. James Shemwell will be missed after he retires, but he has certainly earned a rest and we wish him only the best.”

The Board of Trustees voted to launch a presidential search process that should conclude with the naming of the 5th President of ANC in late March or April, who would begin work on July 1, 2023.

Prior to Shemwell’s announcement, the Board conducted its regularly scheduled meeting where they approved a new Youth Engagement Initiative. On September 7, the United States Steel Corporation, through its Big River Steel Works facilities, donated $1 million to area organizations to help equip Mississippi County for the future. Among the grants issued, $80,000 was donated to the ANC Foundation to fund a Youth Engagement Initiative in South Mississippi County for two
years. The crux of the initiative is the notion of neighborhood learning hubs designed to build life skills competencies needed to become successful adults. The primary target audience for the initiative are children in grades K through 3rd grade. The basic idea is to plant seeds in the minds of young impoverished children that their futures are not limited. Also intended is implanting in these
young minds that the College is for everyone, regardless of background. Included among the life-skills competencies to be covered will be establishing the importance of education and lifelong learning, interpersonal/intercultural communication and conflict resolution, career development, and the value of a healthy work ethic. The primary feature of these Youth Engagement Initiative
sessions will be fun activities and games to attract children with the learning component sandwiched in between, such that the initiative is not viewed as more “school.” For this initiative, the Board approved using the $80,000 grant ($40,000 per year) from the U.S. Steel Corporation to the ANC Foundation and an additional investment of $40,000 of College operational funds each of the next two years ($80,000 total) to be expended by the ANC Office of Community Relations to launch and to operate a Youth Engagement Initiative in South Mississippi County, as well as the Blytheville area;

Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Christopher Heigle gave an enrollment report for the fall semester which shows an increase in both headcount and student semester credit hours over fall 2021. Headcount is 1,502 compared to 1,457 in 2021, and credit hours being taken is 12,031 compared to 11,855 in 2021.

In other business, the Board approved the financial statements and the personnel recommendations which included the hiring of the following people for grant-funded positions: Michael Graham Director as for Adult Education, Brandi Leaks as Career Pathways Advisor, and Beth Miller and Miranda Sullivan as Adult Education Instructors.

The Board also ratified the TANF Career Connect Subsidized Employment Program Grant. This Arkansas Department of Workforce Services grant, in the amount of $90,942.91 (previous funding was $117,586), is to continue developing a pilot program titled TANF Career Connect Subsidized Employment Program. The purpose of the grant is to deliver a program that connects 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 child(ren) under the age of 18 in the home. In addition to being a parent of a custodial child, the individual must be economically disadvantaged as either a current TEA participants, SNAP or Medicaid participants, or have an income less than 150% of Federal Poverty Level. The grant will run from August 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The grant will provide funds for student support services to include emergency transportation and supplies required for work, up to $400 per student. In addition to funds paid direct to ANC, DWS will also compensate employers by reducing their labor costs. To receive reimbursement through DWS for hiring a Career Connect participant, the employer must pay the employee a minimum of $11 and a maximum of $15 per hour, and must employ the participant for a minimum of 35 hours per week. Participants must also be recognized and treated as a regular employee, who receives all benefits associated with employment. Employers may be reimbursed for 100% of the employee’s first month wages and 50% of wages for months two through six. If the employee is retained for a full year, then the other 50% of wages for months two through six are reimbursed.

The continuation of the Career Coach Grant from the Arkansas Department of Elementary & Secretary Education (DESE) - Career & Technical Education in the amount of $240,674.00 for the 2022-23 academic years was also approved. This grant is designated for the purpose of ensuring
that area students in grades 8-12 have the opportunity and support needed to increase their knowledge, skills, and educational attainment by providing them with college and career guidance. This grant from DESE will provide 50% of the funds needed to support full-time career coaches at Armorel, Gosnell, Blytheville, Osceola, and Rivercrest. The remaining costs for the program will be divided between the school district partners and the college. Activities supported by the grant will include career exploration, college visits/enrollment assistance, and workplace readiness experiences.

Dr. Heigle also updated the Board regarding the student experience in a post pandemic world. As students have continued to prefer more digital learning and supportive services, instructors, advisors, and staff have found it increasingly difficult to facilitate quality interactions with students outside of the classroom. In response to these growing challenges, ANC identified a promising solution from a new company with a nationally-praised product known as EdSights. Launching in
2019, EdSights sought to create an artificial intelligence framework to help students navigate the intricacies of higher education. The chatbot developed into a full-scale solution, targeting the three primary indicators for student persistence (motivation, self-efficacy, and mattering). Arkansas Northeastern College’s chatbot is officially known as Ray (the ANC mascot), and although the software has drastically improved engagement with our students, the most important component of the software is the statistical modeling proprietary to EdSights which builds a predictive model of student persistence using student behavioral indicators. Basically, Ray texts the students and the students text back. The software then builds a model of the student’s wellbeing using those responses and notifies ANC staff of students that may require additional services and supports. So far, Ray has been a tremendous success in terms of student response. The opt-in rate for students desiring texts from Ray is 98%. Since his launch in August, Ray has texted to students four separate but specifically targeted texts, and ANC has received valuable and timely information from each of these text events which helped staff intervene with the appropriate support (academic, financial, transportation, mental health, etc.). Because Ray the Chatbot is a form of artificial intelligence capable of machine learning, the more input/data that Ray receives, the more precise the chatbot is with responses and better able to predict student behavior.

Great News Regarding ANC Graduation Rates Discussed at Board of Trustees Meeting

Members of the Arkansas Northeastern College Board of Trustees gathered for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, August 18, 2022, where they received great news regarding ANC’s graduation rates.

ANC President, Dr. James Shemwell presented information about the Arkansas Northeastern College’s graduation rates for the past ten years. Each year, colleges and universities across the nation submit data to the National Center for Education Statistics through their Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS publishes, among other statistics, graduation rates for annual cohorts of first-time, full-time (FTFT) freshmen. In the case of community colleges, the graduation rate relates to associate degrees obtained within three years of the normal length of a two-year degree. The IPEDS analysis also captures students who pursue technical certificates and certificates of proficiency. ANC staff analyzed the data on FTFT freshmen cohorts from 2009 through 2019, including racial demographics for the overall cohort each year as well as the graduate cohort within the three year timeframe. 

At ANC, the overall FTFT cohort graduation rate has increased from 17.6% to 38.8% (20.2 percentage points, a 120% improvement) over the past 10 years.  ANC performed better than the national community college average which is 36%.  The FTFT white cohort graduation rate has increased from 21.9% to 40.5% (18.6 percentage points, an 85% improvement) over the past 10 years. This is slightly higher than the national community college white student average of 39%. The most drastic increase was with minority students. ANC’s FTFT minority cohort graduation rate has increased from 10.1% to 36.3% (26.2 percentage points, a 259% improvement) over the past 10 years. For many years, educators have referred to the difference between white students’ performance as compared to minority students’ performance as the “achievement gap.” As demonstrated by the analysis, the FTFT minority cohort graduation rate at ANC has either exceeded or been within a half-percentage point of the FTFT white cohort graduation rate in four of the past six completed cohorts, thereby eliminating the nationwide “achievement gap” in those years. Even though the most recent cohort results reveal a 4% achievement gap, minority students did not lose ground versus the previous year. The gap arose due to a huge increase in the performance of white students, with their graduation rate rising from 27.3% to 40.5% in one year. Staff is currently analyzing data and having exploratory conversations to better understand and consolidate the gains of the most recent cohort’s success. The results serve as confirmation of academic, advisement, and placement reforms made in recent years, and, particularly, the College’s focus upon and investment in holistic supports for under-resourced students. 

ANC Vice President for Administration Don Ray gave a financial report for the College with the Board approving the financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. 

In other news, the Board was given a personnel update. Four faculty members earned rank. They are Lance Morris, Professor/Life Sciences and Instructor/Lab Coordinator: Gianluca Strazzullo, Assistant Professor/Choral Director: Emily Thomasson, Assistant Professor/Mathematics Instructor: and Dr. Gary Yarbrough Professor/Psychology Instructor. Additionally the Board approved the following new hires: 

• Jennifer Adcock, Medical Professions/AH Instructor 

• Torian Bell, Special Projects Trainer 

• Megan Buchanan, Internship Coordinator 

• Isabella Campbell, Director for Career Pathways Initiative 

• Heather Carlton, Assistant Professor/Business Tech Instructor 

• Michelle Chapman, Special Projects Trainer 

• Austin Coleman, Welding Instructor 

• Richard Dean, Computer Information Systems Instructor 

• Bryndon Dunn, Public Safety Security Officer 

• Alexis Harris, Admissions Counselor/Recruiter 

• Chloe Johnson, Early College Specialist 

• Adron Poole, Recruitment & Placement Specialist 

• Mariana Reyes-Lopez, Business Manager 

• Damon Richardson, Admissions, Data & Project Advisor 

• Alexis Smith, Early College Specialist 

• Floyd Stegall, Industrial Technology Instructor

In other news, Vice President of Instruction Dr. Keith McClanahan brought information regarding a new Certificate of Proficiency and a reconfiguration of an existing degree program. The Board approved a new Certificate of Proficiency and the reconfiguration of the AAS in Office Management Degree to include the original certificates and a newly embedded Certificate of Proficiency in Contact Center Operations & Customer Service. This new credential will be earned by employees of Chime Solutions, a large high-contact customer service center operator seeking to create a Contact Center in Blytheville. Chime Solutions desired the College to provide the training to address their need for preparing contact center professionals for their operation. Chime Solutions was directly involved in the creation of the course content of the training and they will identify prospective students and approve them to enroll in the program. Students will spend 40 hours per week over 8  weeks to accomplish the training goals. This 9-credit hour Certificate of Proficiency is embedded in ANC’s existing AAS in Office Management and will be a single new 9-credit hour course in Contact Center Operations and Customer Service. The reconfiguration of the existing AAS degree and the inclusion of the high-demand Contact Center Operations & Customer Service CP and the CP in Entrepreneurship will also allow students to complete the 60-credit hour AAS in Office Management degree, depending on their personal interests. Students who are more interested in the traditional administrative assistant/office management track may take that track, or the Entrepreneurship track, or the Contact Center track without needing to take additional hours to complete the AAS in Office Management. All Office Management tracks ultimately result in the 60-credit hour AAS in Office Management. 

ANC Associate Vice President for Workforce Development and Allied Technologies Dr. Jamie Frakes brought two grant award notifications to the Board who approved Arkansas Northeastern College to receive grant funds, in the amount of $61,100, from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education for the purpose of implementing the annual Carl Perkins Grant. The Carl Perkins Grant is designed for the purpose of strengthening Career and Technical Education, with a focus on program improvement, flexibility, data and accountability. ANC plans to use the 2022-23 grant award to help fund a Perkins Program Specialist to assist in the implementation of the four year plan required by federal law for continued participation in the grant. This specialist will work collaboratively with the public schools, business and industry, and college CTE programs to support student success and help meet the workforce needs of our region and state. The balance of the funds will be used for professional staff development related to career and technical education.

Additionally, the Board ratified two Regional Workforce Grant awards, one in the amount of $200,000 for Advanced Manufacturing and one in the amount of $100,000 for Transportation/Aviation Maintenance for a combined amount of $300,000. The two new Regional Workforce Grant awards are from the Arkansas Division of Higher Education. The previous round of Regional Workforce Grant awards provided ANC with $122,000 for Allied Health and $29,000 for Computer Information Systems with both grants being fully expended this past year. The Advanced Manufacturing Grant award will be used to purchase equipment related to industrial process control, programmable logic controller (PLC) trainers, metallurgical training, and related training tables. A portion will be used to purchase acoustic panels for four classrooms/laboratories to reduce echo and residual noise. Also, 15 classroom/lab computers with related printers will be purchased to support specialized training/testing in three rooms. The Transportation/Aviation Maintenance Grant award will be used to purchase a PT6 turbine engine stand (Powerplant licensure training) as well as three aviation welders (Airframe licensure training). The grant has a one-year term.   

Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Chris Heigle presented information about the American Rescue Plan which was signed into law in March of 2021. A component of that legislation included an additional $198 million for public institutions of higher education. In spring of 2022 the U.S. Department of Education held the Supplemental Support under the American Rescue Plan (SSARP) grant competition requiring interested institutions to qualify by providing evidence supporting at-least one of the five legislatively defined absolute-priorities. As a result of this competition, ANC was awarded $259,869. Like previous funds awarded under the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Education requires that the funds be equally split between the students and the institution. Therefore the Board accepted the grant and gave approval for $129,935 of the funds to be used for emergency financial aid grants to students, and the remaining $129,934 to be used by the institution toward its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrade.

Heigle also brought notification of TRiO grant awards. Three Federal TRiO Grants were approved for acceptance by the Board. The Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) is a program designed to assist adults 19 and older in returning to education - in college, vocational/technical, specialized school or GED programs. The program requires the advisors to serve 1,097 participants in Mississippi, Greene, Poinsett, Dunklin and Pemiscot counties in Missouri and Arkansas during each grant year. Services include help with the admissions and enrollment process and assistance with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process. The College has been notified that its Educational Opportunity Center program has been awarded $391,147 for the FY2022-23 fiscal year.  

Educational Talent Search (ETS) is an access program designed to assist school-aged children in grades 6-12 in programs and activities that guide them to college and careers. The program requires the advisors to serve 1,068 participants in 14 public schools in 3 counties throughout Arkansas and Missouri. Services include ACT preparation, financial literacy, FAFSA assistance, college tours, study skills enhancement, and more. The College has been notified that its Education Talent Search program has been awarded $592,473 for the FY2022-23 fiscal year.

Student Support Services (SSS) is a long-standing program at ANC as part of the TRIO initiative designed to assist first-generation college students with basic college requirements and academic development, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. The program requires 175 participants to be served during each grant year. The College has been notified that its Student Support Services program has been awarded $335,111 for the FY2022-23 fiscal year.