During last week’s meeting of the Navajo County Community College District Governing Board, Registrar Paul Hempsey presented a report on the Full Time Student Equivalency (FTSE) report for 2025. It was noted that enrollment is up at Winslow and Holbrook campuses, with Winslow’s enrollment up from 87.8 last year to 98.6 this year and Holbrook up from 114.27 last year to 161.03 this year. The Show Low and Snowflake campuses showed a decrease, with Show Low down from 503.13 to 442.77 and Snowflake down from 167.40 to 146.97. Internet enrollment increased from 383.13 to 397.83, with the college’s five centers showing slight increases across the board with the exception of Springerville, which was down.
Enrollment for early college FTSE, which is high school students 14 and older in dual enrollment and those in the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology, showed a decline across all campuses and centers except for at the Holbrook campus, which was up from 77.8 to 111.53, Winslow up 41.6 to 53.8, and internet students, up from 115.47 to 147.94. Snowflake dropped from 92.86 to 82.44 and the Show Low campus dropped 307.74 to 257.60.
The total FTSE was up slightly from 1,535.67 in 2024 to 1,540.70 in 2025.
The report also showed that for Fall 2025, White females were the highest number of enrollees at 722, followed by American Indian females at 682, White males at 538, Hispanic females at 306, American Indian males at 295, Hispanic males at 215, Asian females at 23, Asian males at 18, and Black females and males each at nine. Those identified under ‘multiple’’ totaled 45 each for both male and female. The ‘unknown’ category accounted for 202 females and 121 males.
Regarding Fall 2025 attendance, of the 1,994 students enrolled 365 females were enrolled full-time, 293 males were enrolled full time but the vast majority (80%) were enrolled part time with 1,629 females and 953 males.
By age, students 19 and under made up the greatest number of college students (nearly 65%) in 2025, with 1,223 female and 869 male. Next were those in the 30-39 age range with 230 female and 103 male. Those in 20-24 range totaled 184 females and 118 males and 25-29 year olds totaled 114 females and 68 males.
Board member Christine Laughter asked regarding dual enrollment, “What are we doing to increase dual enrollment for our high school students? Why is there such a big gap between White Mountain campus, I mean, look at that, dual enrollment 96.73. And then we have all the way down to 1.8 down in Hopi, and then nothing in Kayenta. I do see Little Colorado at 30.6. I’m just kind of curious as to why there is such a big number, a big gap between, like the White Mountain. What are we doing to look at the other communities because I feel like they’re missing out.”
In response, Executive Vice President for Learning & Student Services Dr. Mike Solomonson stated, “High schools will typically reach out if they have an instructor who could teach a dual enrollment course. But part of that challenge too is that they have to have a master’s degree in the content area and not all high school faculty would have that credential.”
Laughter followed by requesting that more be done to recruit teachers in those areas where there is less dual enrollment, specifically in Kayenta center.
The next report was by Dr. Solomonson regarding summer enrollment for the past two summers when the college has offered free tuition compared to previous years when it was 50% off. The first summer showed an 11% increase in course enrollment in 2024 and a 9% increase in student headcount in 2025. There were a total of 2,796 enrollments and 1,689 students in the summer of 2024 and a total of 3,094 enrollments with 1,847 students in 2025. The information also showed a 26% overall increase in new student enrollment from 2024 to 2025 summer enrollments.
Of the total 1,847 students enrolled in Summer 2025 classes, 837 continued taking courses in Fall 2025. Of the first-time students enrolled in that summer, 131 enrolled in the fall.
Charts showed that in 2022, there was a 12% drop in the total summer enrollment, which dropped another 1% in Summer 2023. In 2024, the summer enrollment jumped to a 60% increase with an 11% increase in Summer 2025.
“I also found it interesting that when we look at the age breakdown, the first summer (2024) our highest group was the 440 49-year-old students who took advantage of being able to take free tuition classes in the summer and then the second summer we had the biggest group was the under 18,” noted Solomonson.
Another presentation was made by Director of Student Services Josh Rogers and Director of Student Engagement Jennifer Brimhall regarding unified advising and the importance of academic advising in order to educate and retain students and the challenges faced by the 3.75 early college advisors who serve 1,813 high school students throughout Navajo and Apache counties.
Vice President Maderia Ellison provided a financial update for July through September. She reported that revenues are down about $1.5 million, in large part due to a delay in property tax funds which are expected to be received next month.
Ellison noted that expenditures are a little bit higher than they were at the same time a year ago. “We have increased some new positions and so that is certainly a reflection in these numbers. In the unrestricted plant assets, the fund is higher in terms of revenues and related expenses compared to last year. The restricted fund is lower compared to where we were a year ago, but that’s largely because last fiscal year we had received a nearly $9 million payment for the grant funding for Kayenta.”
Director Jesse Reeck provided updates on scholarships provided through NPC Friends & Family. The organization gave out two scholarships last month, one to Janelle Henderson and the other to Shyn Clark. She noted another grant that covers the cost to travel to take GED exams. “If the cost to travel to take those exams, because you either have to go to Holbrook or to Show Low to take your GED exams, if that travel cost is a barrier, we have a way to support students with gas cards for that.” She also noted that Salt River Project had provided a $5,000 donation for $500 welding supply scholarships.
In other business, the board:
*Approved the consent agenda.
* Approved the adoption of the fiscal year 2022-23 annual expenditure limitation report, which had been overlooked the previous year. The audited report for the period ending June 30, 2023, shows that NPC exceeded its expenditure limit by $762,762. The district will pay a reduced penalty of $5,000 pursuant to Laws 2022, Ch. 367 instead of using unexpended carry forward revenues to get below the expenditure limitation.
* Approved the adjustment to the fiscal Year 2023 adopted budget to actual expenditures, which is standard practice.
* Approved the adoption the fiscal year 2023-24 annual expenditure limitation report. The audited report for the period ending June 30, 2024. shows that NPC exceeded its expenditure limit by nearly $1.9 million. The district will pay a reduced penalty of $20,000 pursuant to Laws 2023, Ch. 184 Sec 3(3) instead of using unexpended carry forward revenues to get below the expenditure limitation.
* Approved the adjustment to the fiscal year 2024 adopted budget, which is standard practice.
* Discussed options for the NPC procurement procedure for purchases from an auction or surplus site.
* Authorized the acceptance of $532,991 in funding from the Arizona Department of Health Services for the Nurse Education Investment Pilot Program.
* Approved a job order contract with CORE Construction in the amount of $188,838 for the Holbrook Skills Center storefront replacement and exterior painting of the Skills Center, Tawa building and BOB (building out back).
* Tabled possible approval for board members Derek Leslie and Christine Laughter to travel to the Association of Community College Trustees National Legislative summit in Washington, D.C. in February 2026. The estimated expenditure is $3,500 per board member for a total of $7,000. This was due to a need to separate the items for each board member in order to have a quorum for the vote.
* Approved cancelation of the Dec. 16, governing board meeting.
* The board discussed an agricultural science and music education programs and a potential skills center at the Silver Creek Campus in Snowflake, with no action taken.
The board entered into three executive sessions. The first to discuss negotiations for the acquisition/use, sale or lease of real property. The second was regarding the employment, assignment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, disciplining or resignation of a public officer. The third, to discuss negotiations for the acquisitions/use sale or lease of real property. No action was taken on any of these items.
