By L. Parsons The Navajo County Community College District Governing Board met telephonically last week. In that meeting, it was agreed upon unanimously that in the best interest of students and staff that the college close its campuses and centers beginning last Monday, March 30. The board also made the decision to cancel commencement exercises, “All NPC spring semester completer events, including spring commencement, are canceled. We will provide more information about alternatives to traditional mass-gathering completer events in upcoming messages,” said a subsequent press release. Classes at NPC have been postponed until April 5, according to the board, at which point they will resume in an online format. NPC Friends and Family Director Betsy Ann Wilson informed the governing board that the scholarship providing non-profit is shifting its focus to concentrate on the college’s most vulnerable students. “Some of our students are now out of a job because of this situation or just cannot afford to continue their education. We have seen that when a student has to leave college for unforeseen emergencies like this, they don’t usually come back. We are offering $250 per semester scholarships to some of our students that are struggling.” To apply for the emergency scholarship, or other information, visit www.npcfriendsandfamily.org. In light of the uncertainty surrounding the campus closures due to COVID-19, the governing board voted to table three purchase requests. Those requests were for life-cycle replacements. The governing board also took action on a previously discussed tuition increase. It was approved to begin an increase in per credit hour tuition by $2 a year for the next three years. This will move the current tuition rate from $77 per credit hour to $79. The purpose is to increase college revenue in response to the impending closure of the Cholla Power Plant in Joseph City and the loss of property taxes due to that closure. Vice President of Administrative Services Maderia Ellison explained that the college should gain nearly $60,000 with the increase, “However,” she said, “with the decrease in enrollment, we are more realistically looking at about $30,000 in revenue.” The April 14 agenda will also contain a discussion and possible action item regarding a 50 percent decrease in tuition for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters because of the affect the outbreak of COVID-19 has had on enrollment and student employment. In other business, the governing board: * Heard a financial report from Ellison. She informed the board that the college remains in good standing with 58 percent of the fiscal year passed and 49 percent of the budget spent. * Reviewed and approved policies 1500-1595 pertaining to employee evaluation and contract agreements. * Added Holbrook and Sanders school districts to the cost sharing consortium to continue the TALON program. * Entered an intergovernmental agreement with Hopi Junior/Senior High School for dual enrollment courses for the 2020-21 school year. * Approved the elimination of the position of Coordinator of Administrative System Support and Programs and created the position of Database Administrator in its place. * Heard a presentation by Vice President of Student Services Dr. Jessica Clark on plans to continue to foster relationships with area high schools. The next meeting of the Navajo County Community College District Governing Board will be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14, in the Tiponi Community Center, located at 2251 E. Navajo Blvd. unless otherwise noted.