CCC board welcomes president, new trustee

CLOVIS — Plenty of transition was either happening, or about to happen, as the Clovis Community College Board of Trustees convened for the first time in 2020 on Thursday morning.

Members welcomed incoming college President Charles Nwankwo, marked the coming end to Robin Kuykendall’s term as interim president, welcomed a new trustee in Carolyn Spence and parted ways with their auditing firm.

Nwankwo, scheduled to step into the president’s office on Monday, attended the meeting as a spectator. He said he would take a little time shadowing Kuykendall, and was excited to get started.

Kuykendall will stay on with CCC, but it isn’t determined what position she’ll have following her interim presidential term. She previously served the institution as extended learning and division chair for occupational technology.

Trustees covered the following items during the meeting:

• Kuykendall reported on the Opportunity Scholarship making its way through the New Mexico Legislature. She said the scholarship — House Bill 14 and Senate Bill 323 — could help up to 55,000 students in the state who were either recent graduates or returning students (24 or older seeking a two-year degree).

If passed, the scholarship would begin in August for two-year schools and 2021 for four-year schools. Kuykendall said it is being designed as a middle-dollar scholarship, in that it kicks in after private aid and scholarships and before federal aid. An approach as a last-dollar scholarship was jettisoned, Kuykendall said, out of a desire to benefit lower-income students and reduce student debt.

• A largely clean audit of the 2018-19 year was accepted from the Jaramillo Accounting Group, with Scott Eliason joining the meeting via conference call.

Eliason said an audit was done of both the college and its foundation, and there was one finding on enrollment reporting. It has been resolved, he said, and CCC was one of many colleges to have the same finding.

The college will have to find a new auditor next year, due to state rules aimed at avoiding collusion. Eliason said it had been a good partnership.

“We’ve had a few findings, but we’ve taken care of them,” Eliason said. “Some other institutions in the state are not as well off as we are.”

Board Chairman Terry Martin returned the praise, noting, “We’re losing a good auditor; they have been fantastic.”

• Norman Kia, vice president of operations, updated trustees on parking lot and roofing projects. He said the east parking lot was paved and receiving parking blocks, while the south parking lot was complete.

He said a roofing project is on schedule, and the crews did the most difficult areas first over rooms 126, 133 and the snack bar area.

“They have to literally walk tiles to the area,” Kia said. “They couldn’t get their equipment there.”

• Renovations to the presidential residence were ongoing, Kia said, but well within the budget. So far, the pool has been filled in, the poolhouse structure has been removed and the patio has been fixed.

Nwankwo, his wife and two children are occupying the residence, and he noted no major inconveniences under the circumstances. Spence expressed her sympathies, and Martin noted the back yard needed resodding once interior work was complete.

• The trustees voted to name Lora Harlan as board president and Arnold Martinez as board secretary, effective at the conclusion of the meeting. Both assignments passed 4-0. Spence abstained because she didn’t have enough familiarity with board members to form an opinion.

• The next meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. March 4 at CCC Room 512.