BLINN BOARD MOVES TO RE-CREATE FACULTY SENATE, HEARS REPORT ON INCREASE IN FALL ENROLLMENT

  

The Blinn Board of Trustees on Tuesday adopted a resolution authorizing the re-establishment of a faculty senate under new state law.

Faculty senates advise college administrators on issues regarding the general welfare of their respective institutions of higher education.  Executive Vice Chancellor Leighton Schubert explained that under Senate Bill 37 from the 89^th Texas Legislature, all previous faculty senates were abolished as of September 1^st, and the governing board was given the authority to create faculty senates under new parameters.

The law requires adequate representation of each college division on the faculty senate, is limited to full-time faculty members and limits the number of serving members to 60.  Members are either elected at large by full-time faculty or appointed by the chancellor, with an equal number of elected and appointed positions, and the chancellor is responsible for appointing the officer positions. 

Blinn Chancellor Dr. Mary Hensley thanked all of the previous faculty senate representatives for their service and said Blinn is “looking forward to exciting partnerships ahead.”

Also on Tuesday, the board received preliminary fall 2025 enrollment and housing reports.  Vice Chancellor for Student Services Dr. Becky McBride said the preliminary enrollment figures districtwide, as of September 5^th, listed 18,109 students, up 2.06 percent from the 17,744 students in fall 2024. 

Enrollment includes 4,665 students on the Bryan Campus, down 8.64 percent from last fall; 4,349 students at RELLIS, up 0.49 percent; 3,664 distance education students, up 2 percent; 3,002 high school dual credit students, up 17.73 percent; 2,237 Brenham Campus students, up 13.73 percent; 41 students on the Schulenburg Campus, down 42.25 percent; 24 Sealy Campus students, down 29.41 percent; and two students on the Waller Campus, down from three last fall. 

For the Waller Campus numbers, Dr. McBride noted that there are currently 307 dual credit students in Waller, and many students who would be classified as Waller Campus fall under distance education.  The College offers evening classes at Waller ISD’s W.C. Schultz Junior High School. 

On the housing side for the Brenham Campus, Dr. McBride reported a 96 percent occupancy rate, with 1,692 of 1,760 available beds leased.  She said those numbers are up from an 82 percent occupancy rate in fall 2024, are the College’s highest housing tallies since fall 2019, and are only 73 students less than the record housing enrollment in fall 2018.