BLINN BOARD TO CONSIDER CLOSING SEALY CAMPUS
Blinn College's campus in Sealy may be closing.
On Tuesday, the Blinn Board of Trustees will debate whether to close the Sealy location, terminate the lease of the current facility and negotiate agreements to partner with Sealy ISD and offer in-person courses at Sealy ISD facilities.
According to preliminary enrollment numbers given to trustees at their September meeting, there are 43 students enrolled at the Sealy Campus this fall semester. That total is up slightly from 38 in 2021, but enrollment at the campus has steadily dropped over the past ten years, peaking at 186 students in 2011.
The Sealy Campus is located in a retail center off of I-10. The lease for the facility began in August 2004 and ends in August 2023.
As discussed in a board workshop this past Tuesday, there are two full-time and three part-time faculty members working at the campus this fall, as well as two full-time staff members. Thirteen sections of in-person academic courses are being offered. The unaudited 2021 and 2022 fiscal years showed the campus operated at a $142,000 and $113,000 loss to the College, respectively.
Closing the campus would require approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Closure refers to the date when new students would no longer be admitted. The closed campus would remain in operation until a teach-out plan is completed.
The discussion on the future of the Sealy Campus comes as Blinn evaluates the possibility of adding a campus in the Waller County area by either buying or leasing property or partnering with a local school district or other organization.
In the only other action item on the agenda, trustees will consider authorizing administrators to negotiate and execute a contract for engineering services and seek competitive sealed proposals to expand Parking Lot K on the Brenham Campus. They will also hear several reports, including one on redistricting of the Board of Trustees precincts.
The board will meet Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the third floor board room of the Brenham Campus Administration Building.