Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Mesalands Community College faculty member and administrators shared reports about the college’s goal to launch a registered nursing program during the board of trustees’ regular meeting Dec. 10.
Shannon Sommers, with the college’s allied health program, said future RN associate’s degrees earned at Mesalands would be transferable to bachelor’s programs. She said the New Mexico Board of Nursing approved the college’s feasibility study for the RN course and next will examine at the Mesalands proposal itself.
Sommers said prospects for a nursing program look “very positive,” and it would be “beneficial for our community.”
Sommers, who runs the college’s phlebotomy and nurse’s aide programs, said many who’ve completed training in those fields work in Tucumcari.
Natalie Gillard, vice president of academic affairs, praised Sommers for being “tireless” and “very accommodating with students.” Gillard also is shepherding the RN nursing plan through the application process.
Mesalands hopes to offer RN courses by fall 2021.
Mesalands recently leased a facility in Clayton for only the cost of insurance and utilities to offer nurse’s aide courses there.
During a short report about the upcoming New Mexico Legislature session, college President John Groesbeck said a building simulation room for nursing students would be among its the capital-outlay requests.
The simulator would include a pharmaceutical closet, linen bins and hospital diagnostic equipment. Students would be videotaped so instructors can critique their performances, he said.
Groesbeck said other capital-outlay requests would be for the college’s integrated renewable energy program and baseline funding for future athletic programs.
In other business:
• Gillard said the college anticipates a spring launch of an addiction-counseling program. She said the college would meet with its officials and corrections officers in early January to share the plan.
• The board approved an unrestricted budget adjustment request from Amanda Hammer, vice president of administrative affairs. The approved 2020 budget of $13.06 million was reduced to $12.73 million. The college’s initial ending balance was budgeted at $1.31 million; the revised balance was $689,040. Hammer said about half of the revisions were required by a soon-to-come master plan to increase “institutional support expenses.” “Move monies between instruction and general divisions to realign staff and new faculty” per Higher Learning Commission recommendations were among the reasons for the revisions.
• In her monthly finance report, Hammer said the college was nearly $100,000 short this month but anticipated a boost in revenue with new student registrations for the spring semester and the arrival of property-tax payments in January.
• The board approved a reaffirmation of the college’s mission statement. Groesbeck urged the action because the strategic plan, now in its sixth draft and projected to be finished by Feb. 1. Groesbeck said the statement might be altered later to reflect the college’s goal of “fully online capabilities” for coursework.
• The board spent 20 minutes in executive session to discuss litigation, real estate or personnel matters. It took no action when open session resumed.
• Board members Jimmy Sandoval and Craig Currell were sworn into office. Both were incumbents who were unopposed for re-election.