BLINN BOARD APPROVES TUITION RATES, NEW TRADES AND APPLIED TECHNOLOGY DEGREE

Josh Blaschke March 20, 2019

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The Blinn Board of Trustees approved new tuition rates and the start of a new Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree at their meeting Tuesday night.

Trustees approved tuition increases of $1 per semester credit hour for in-district, out-of-district, and non-resident tuition, as well as a $3 increase per semester credit hour for general fees.

With the new rates, in-district tuition will be $55 per credit hour, $112 per credit hour for out-of-district, and non-resident tuition for students outside the state will be $272 per credit hour. The new general fee will be $67 per credit hour.

These increases are projected to generate an additional $1.57 million in annual revenue for the college district, which is planning a 5-percent salary increase for all full-time faculty and staff.

Vice Chancellor Richard Cervantes said the College had a great fiscal year last year, and attributed that to school staff. He said this pay raise should help attract and retain talented employees. He also mentioned faculty longevity pay would be $400 a year.

In other items, the board approved a new AAS Degree in Trades and Applied Technology. The College says the degree will align with current workforce demands, industry certifications, and related Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science (BAAS) and Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) awards offered through agreements with four-year colleges and universities.

Blinn-Brenham Theatre Arts Director Brad Nies (center), along with members of Blinn's Theatre Arts Program, is recognized for their production of George Axelrod’s “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" The play earned a Superior rating for the overall production at the 2019 Texas Community College Speech and Theatre Association Play Festival in Mesquite.

The proposed program will be based at the RELLIS Campus, but will be available in Brenham at the A.W. Hodde Jr. Technical Education Center. Through the program, students could pursue degrees in carpentry, construction management, construction safety, facility maintenance, HVAC, and several other concentrations.

Each degree was selected and developed in partnership with local industry, and leads to careers identified on the Workforce Solutions Targeted Occupations Lists.

The program aligns with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 60x30TX Higher Education Plan, which includes four primary goals to achieve by 2030:

at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate or degree;
at least 550,000 students in that year will complete a certificate, associate, bachelor’s, or master’s from an institution of higher education in Texas;
all graduates from Texas public institutions of higher education will have completed programs with identified marketable skills;
and undergraduate student loan debt will not exceed 60 percent of first-year wages for graduates of Texas public institutions.

Vice Chancellor Karen Buck said the program is still in the middle of a “lengthy” approval process, so the program is expected to begin in the fall of 2020.

The board also authorized Blinn to award a construction contract to Ally Roofing Services of Houston, to replace the roof of the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center.

The contract is for $495,116, including a base bid of $478,498 and an alternate of $16,618 for sealant joint replacement. The budget for the project is $540,000, with funds available in the approved repairs and renovations budget. The College expects the roof replacement to begin in May, with completion scheduled for August.

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