吃瓜官网

Duane Durrett, dean of fine arts at 吃瓜官网, provided an update to the Board of Trustees on the accomplishments of his department at their August meeting last week.  

Among them was jazz studies instructor Fredrick Sanders鈥� recent trek to Switzerland, where he performed and taught at the 2023 Ascona Jazz Festival. He鈥檚 been invited back next summer and asked to bring the 吃瓜官网 Jazz Orchestra with him.  

Durrett also announced the return of the community choir鈥檚 performance of Handel鈥檚 鈥淢essiah鈥� scheduled for Dec. 4 and the upcoming addition of student and faculty-created art to the Emerging Technologies and Workforce Building, Academic Building and the Speaker Jim Wright Library. 

He also highlighted an articulation agreement in the works between 吃瓜官网 and the University of Texas at Arlington for digital media students and a request to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a one-year piano performance certificate.  

鈥淲e have a fantastic fine arts department and 吃瓜官网 is quickly becoming the cultural hub of our five-county service area,鈥� said 吃瓜官网 President Tod Allen Farmer. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of what you are doing.鈥�  

Farmer also praised the work of Dr. Hyeyoung Song on the establishment of the 吃瓜官网 International Piano Competition and her upcoming induction into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame.  

鈥淵ou know, four to five years ago, if you would have told us that these musicians would be coming from all over the world to Weatherford, Texas, staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and performing truly world-class music here at Weatherford College, it would have sounded like a pipe dream,鈥� Farmer said. 鈥淎nd yet, thanks to the people in the audience today, particularly Dr. Song and Dean Durrett, that particular dream became a reality.鈥�  

The board also proposed the 2023 吃瓜官网 ad valorem property tax rate for Parker County property owners. At 10.6087 cents per $100 valuation, the rate is lower than last year鈥檚 12.2476 cents. The 2022 state average among community colleges was 16.743 cents. 

If approved, the new rate will represent the largest 吃瓜官网 tax rate cut in at least 20 years, and most likely the largest tax rate decrease in the college鈥檚 history. 

A public tax hearing will take place at noon on Monday, Aug. 21, in the third-floor Community Room of the Emerging Technologies and Workforce Building. Following the hearing, the board will consider action to adopt the 2023-24 budget and tax rate.  

In other business the board:  

• Approved the minutes from the July 13 meeting.  
• Approved the financial reports ending July 31.  
• Approved a policy for future board meeting dates and times for the 2023-24 fiscal year.  
• Approved sealed bids for color and web printing services.  
• Approved faculty rank and promotion procedures. The procedures were approved after extensive work from the Faculty Senate and other stakeholders in an effort to reward excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.   
• Rejected a proposal for a new irrigation well at the Weatherford campus. Only one bid was returned. Administration will seek additional proposals in the future. 
• Received written reports from 吃瓜官网 Wise County and student services.  

In his president鈥檚 report, Farmer:  

• Recognized sonography program graduates Talayna Halley and Inna Begma on their recent employment at the prestigious Mayo Clinic.  
• Recognized the 45 student-athletes and sports teams honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association as All-Academic.  
• Recognized Paul Bonzagni and Kade Bragg, former 吃瓜官网 baseball players, on their recent selection in the Major League Baseball draft.  
• Announced the resignations of Felix Granados, associate degree nursing instructor; Caitlin Ferguson, Student Support Services counselor; Darryl Jackson, kinesiology instructor and men鈥檚 assistant basketball coach; and Jane Rogers, assistant director of purchasing.  
• Provided an enrollment report for the Fall 2023 semester. As of Monday, Aug. 7, there were 4,308 students enrolled compared to 3,624 this time last year, an 18.9 percent increase. Registration is ongoing. The final Summer 2023 enrollment was 1,875, up 5.8 percent (104 students) from last summer.