The Navajo County Community College District Governing Board heard a presentation by Vice President for Student Service Mark Vest Tuesday on the Strategic Planning & Accreditation Committee’s strategic priorities for Northland Pioneer College.

According to Vest, the plan being considered focuses on two specific goals listed on a one-page document versus the 25-page strategic plan from previous years. “The overall goal is to simplify; in previous years we were too ambitious with too many objectives,” explained Vest.

The focus moving forward would be on the two issues of removing student barriers, and providing technical support for the college and community.

The committee concluded that the most significant student barriers include transportation concerns that could prevent students from attending class, and childcare issues for both students and employees.

“We are considering what options are available for students, perhaps through public transportation,” Vest noted. “With childcare we will be looking to determine if this is something we can incorporate as part of our child development program or if an outside vendor would be the best option to meet this need.”

Another barrier facing students is the costs associated with attending college. This concern is already being addressed by NPC with the implementation of more scholarships and lower summer tuition costs, with further scholarship opportunities to be considered as part of the plan.

The committee would also like to seek input from students and the community when it comes to scheduling courses and the potential for adding new programs.

Regarding the issue of technical support, the suggested plan is to provide more training for faculty and staff to reduce the workload of Information Services and increase the use of technology. Improvements would also be made to the college’s public website and the MyNPC student access website to make it easier to use and maneuver through.

Board members stated their pleasure with the presentation and will review it further for possible approval at their October meeting.

Vice President for Administrative Services Blaine Hatch reported that a recent independent financial audit of the Northern Arizona Training Center in Taylor completed by Nordstrom & Associates PC was very positive, and there has been a 50 percent increase in law enforcement membership fees over the past year.

Another separate financial audit by Brian Richards CPA of NPC Friends and Family, Inc. also had a favorable outcome with an improvement in assets.

It was also noted that Vice President Hatch would be retiring from his position as of Oct. 30 after 15 years of service at the college.

In discussing his decision after the meeting, Hatch stated that he hadn’t planned to retire for another five years, but that he had received a unique job offer. “I will be working as the temple recorder at the LDS Temple in Snowflake. It’s a rare opportunity, since the smaller temples usually don’t have a recorder. It’s really a dream come true and I couldn’t pass it up,” he said, adding that the duties will be similar to the ones he has at the college.

NPC President Jeanne Swarthout stated that a job posting for Hatch’s position would be made today (Sept. 18).

In other business, the board approved dual enrollment agreements between the college district and both the Winslow Unified School District and the Northern Arizona Technological Institute of Vocational Education.

The board also approved the budget development calendar for the next fiscal year.