Northern Oklahoma College Board of Regents heard a presentation from Dr. Nikole Hicks, Nursing Division Chair, regarding the NOC Nursing Accreditation Self Study.
The document was created in advance of an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) visit scheduled for March 8-10 in the Renfro Center at NOC Tonkawa. ACEN is the accrediting body that approves college nursing programs, and enables them to prepare registered nurses. Public comments on the nursing program may be made Wednesday, March 9, at 3 p.m. in the Renfro Center.
The board passed a resolution supporting the current law regarding weapons on campus, in which the president has the discretion to allow individuals to carry weapons on campus when the individual circumstances warrant it. The resolution strongly opposes any changes to state law regarding weapons on college and university campuses in Oklahoma.
Board members also heard a President Dr. Clark Harris regarding the Building a Better NOC Program at Wednesday’s meeting in Tonkawa.
Dr. Harris has been holding meetings on all three campuses providing an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to provide suggestions to build a better college community.
“We have received good feedback from students and employees at these meetings,” Dr. Harris said. “We will take these great ideas and through the Executive Council build a strategy going forward.”
Harris said that at the Tonkawa meeting, he asked faculty and staff that attended NOC or had family members attend NOC to stand up.
“It was amazing, as 90% of the participants stood up,” he said. “It just shows the investment that our faculty and staff have in NOC, as they are NOC. That is something we can build on for the future.”
In administrator updates, Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Rick Edgington reported that enrollment for Spring 2022 is up 5% over Spring 2021. He said the largest jump in enrollment is through the Gateway Program at Oklahoma State University.
Diana Watkins, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, reported on successes for NOC students who are part of a rocket launch program as well as NOC Livestock Judging and Sheep Center students participating in events across the country.
Vice President for Community Relations & Development Sheri Snyder reported the Renfro Lectureship Series featuring singer/song writer Jimmy Webb will be held March 8. She also reported the creation of a quarterly newsletter by the NOC Alumni & Community Relations Office developed through an initiative by the NOC Alumni Advisory Board that will be sent digitally to NOC alums.
Vice President for Enid Jeremy Hise reported that 91 high school students were at NOC Enid participating in the Northern Encounter program on Feb. 16. Northern Encounter provides high school students, parents, and school counselors an opportunity to see what NOC has to offer.
Vice President for Student Affairs Jason Johnson reported that NOC’s COVID-19 cases are tracking similar to state trends. He provided a report that showed that NOC has zero active COVID 19 cases. He added that NOC has had a total of 488 total positive cases for students and employees since the pandemic began and reported that all 488 individuals have recovered.
Other board actions were as follows:
In other business, the board approved the 2022-23 Academic Calendar. The fall semester will begin Monday, Aug. 22 while the spring semester will start Tuesday, Jan. 17.
The regents also approved the financial report and monthly allocations for December and January.
During lunch, the regents heard a program showcase from Social Science Instructor Troy Cochran who leads the Criminal Justice program at NOC.
The next board of regent meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23 at NOC Stillwater in the Brown Conference Room at 1 p.m.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services. NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.