During the May 24 regular board meeting, Coastal Bend College board of trustees reviewed the college’s upcoming academic year by discussing the proposed fiscal year 2013 budget, a new workforce program, and methods to increase enrollment.

Incumbents Carroll Wayne Lohse, trustee, Place 6 and Laura Fischer, trustee, Place 7 took the oath of office for another term on the board. Furthermore, the trustees approved that Paul Jaure serve as president, Carroll Lohse as vice president and Louise Hall as secretary for the next term.

CBC will submit an application to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a new culinary arts workforce continuing education program at the Bureau of Prisons in Bastrop. The program would be funded by the federal government, and the search for a culinary arts instructor is currently underway.

Out-of-district TRiO students will not have to pay tuition while participating in summer grant programs during the 2012 year due to the board’s approval of a dual credit tuition waiver. Dr. Goodson, interim CBC president, said that the broader community benefits by exposing students to higher education in such programs.

Ruth Cude, dean of administrative services, gave updates on the FY 2013 proposed budget. Final state appropriations have not come in yet, but preliminary figures show a decrease of more than $26,000 in funding for the college. Cude hopes that an increase in Bee County tax revenues will help the budget. The budget will be formally adopted in June or July after further board review.

Cude also reported the walking trail is almost fully completed. Minor repairs will be made in areas along the trail to ensure a safe walking trail for all the community to enjoy.

Mark Secord, Project OASIS assistant grant director, presented a six-month progress report to the board. Project OASIS is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) grant focusing on increasing the number of Hispanics and low income students obtaining degrees in STEM fields. On the Beeville campus, two science labs are currently undergoing renovations. After the renovations are completed in August 2012, the labs will hold about 20-24 students each and be equipped with tools to help students succeed in the classroom. Also, Project OASIS has science learning skill specialists and science case managers to provide support services to science students.

The Every-Other-Weekend-College (EOWC) program will begin in fall 2012 at the Beeville and Alice campuses and is a part of Project OASIS. More information about EOWC can be obtained by contacting Danny Garcia, EOWC coordinator, at 354-2570.