Board Appointment - Emporia State University. President Hush has submitted Dr. Jerry Spotswood, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, as the ESU appointment to the Board. Dr. Spotswood plans to join the Board with either the January or February meeting. Jerry and I visited about the appointment, and he is excited to meet with the College's Executive leadership and begin serving on the Board.

Legislative updates. The Kansas Technical College (KTC) Presidents have prepared these items to present to legislators for the January 2024 session: 1) the continuation of the base operating grant; 2) the continuation of funding to support cybersecurity infrastructure needs and apprenticeships/business engagement initiatives; 3) the continuation of SB 155 Excel in CTE funding; and 4) maintaining or increasing capital outlay funds. Additionally, discussions related to adding the 2-year sector to the State's deferred maintenance funds are underway.

Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence - Top 150 2025. The College submitted application materials for the $1 million Aspen Prize. In October, FHTC was recognized by Aspen as one of the Top 150 2-year colleges among approximately 1,000 in the nation.

Strategic Area 1: Student Success

Four Industrial Engineering Technology students were recognized by Michelin as Tech Scholars at a signing ceremony in the Trusler Foundation Conference Center November 29 at 3 p.m. Pictures forthcoming.
Three Licensed Practical Nursing students were recognized with scholarships to Newman Regional Health in a signing ceremony November 29 at 10 a.m. One of the students graduates in December and has accepted employment with Newman.
The LPN pinning ceremony is scheduled Friday, December 15, at 4 p.m. in the Trusler Foundation Conference Center.
The Foundation is excited to announce a first-time gift from the Gene Haas Foundation of $10,000 to be used for student scholarships and Skills USA competitions in the Computerized Machine Tool Engineering program.

Strategic Area 2: Employee Development and Support

The co-chairs for the Vision Plan 2030 were selected to present at HLC on the Vision Plan and its process at the national conference in April 2024.
Open enrollment recently concluded, and this adjustment allowed the College to align health, dental, and vision insurance premium year to match the deductible year. Premiums and deductible years now coincide with a January through December time frame. Premium rates will remain the same through December 2024.
Holiday College party was Thursday, December 7, from 4-7 p.m. in the Trusler Foundation Conference Center.
The Wellness Group hosted several events in November, from pickle ball to yoga to happy hour at Casa Ramos.
Nancy Thompson and Amy Rhoads participated in HR processes and training in Kansas City.
The College is closed December 25-January 3 for winter break.

Strategic Area 3: Optimized Programs and Facilities

The College staff participated in assessment training with Denise Gilligan Monday, November 20, to review institutional student support services, operational needs, and departmental improvements.
Josh Loyd, Ben Moore, engineers, and FHTC staff walked the facilities to review and assess facility conditions for inclusion in a report due in December.

Strategic Area 4: Dynamic Partnerships

The College continues to celebrate and foster dynamic relationships, and the signing ceremonies with both Newman Regional Health and Michelin support this commitment to our partners.
Lisa Kirmer, Kim Dhority, and Caron Daugherty met with USD 454 Burlingame leadership and Allen Community College leadership to explore and discuss partnership potential in Burlingame and Osage County.
Corey Spikes with Economic Partnerships has organized and scheduled several customized training opportunities with Orbis in Osage County.
The College participated in the Chamber's "Gnome for the Holidays" Christmas parade Tuesday, November 28. Departments created wreaths to line the trailer, which had Rowdy the SnowWrangler tree and the FHTC letters in red and green lights in the bed of the trailer.
The Foundation will continue to foster the relationship with new donor, Gene Haas Foundation. They gave $10,000 to be used for student scholarships and Skills USA competitions in the Computerized Machine Tool Engineering program.

FHTC Board of Trustees

Meeting Information