TVCC moves forward with master planning

Renovations to TVCC-Palestine campus included on list of needs

Staff Reports

ATHENS — Trinity Valley Community College is one step closer to deciding what to build first.

Over the past several months, officials at the college have been discussing TVCC’s future building needs and the best way to meet those needs. After doing an internal study, the board agreed last week to take the next step and bring in a professional.

Earlier this year, TVCC President Glendon Forgey began taking steps to develop a new master plan for the college. The purpose of a master plan is to identify and prioritize future construction needs.

The process began in September, when the college hosted a town hall meeting to discuss TVCC’s needs. Following that meeting, the board of trustees challenged college employees to prioritize the needs of the college and determine exactly why each structure was needed.

Recently, the board was presented with the results of that study, which was developed by a committee of employees from all areas and campuses at TVCC.

“You (employees) are the best planners we could have. You have definitely done the research,” said Trustee David Monk.

The study identified nine construction projects the college needs to complete in the coming years (listed in order as prioritized by the committee):

• A new Health Science Center building in Kaufman;

• New residential hall on the Athens campus;

• Renovations to TVCC-Palestine to bring the campus into compliance with modern building codes;

• New fine arts complex on the Athens campus;

• Renovation of existing residential halls on the Athens campus;

• Additional general academic building on the Athens campus;

• Special events center (gymnasium and general meeting facility) on the Athens campus;

• Construction of administrative offices for TVCC’s program at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison in Tennessee Colony; and,

• Renovation of the Liberal Arts Building on the Athens campus.

Now that the priorities have been identified, the board agreed to move forward with hiring a professional planning firm to help the college develop a formal master plan. That plan will help guide the college’s construction efforts for the next several years.

TVCC officials hope to interview potential planning firms in the next few months, said Forgey, and present those firms to the board early next year.

Also at last week’s meeting, the board voted to rename the Technical Building. The building, which has been closed since 2005, is being renovated and will be used for classes once again beginning in 2009. But, said Forgey, the name of the Technical Building is just too similar to the neighboring Baugh Technology Center.

To avoid confusion, the Technical Building is being renamed the General Studies Center.

The board also voted last week to line up the class schedules at several TVCC campuses.

Currently, the campuses at Palestine and Terrell operate on a class schedule that offers classes on Monday and Wednesday; Tuesday and Thursday; Friday; and once a week at night.

Athens, however, operates on a different schedule – offering classes which are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Tuesday and Thursday; and once a week at night.

TVCC officials told the board that having the different class schedules is very inconvenient when scheduling classes, and so the board agreed to put Athens on the same class schedule as the Palestine and Terrell campuses.

Since the Kaufman campus is nursing courses only, those classes operate on a time schedule independent from the other campuses.

One advantage of putting the Athens, Palestine and Terrell campuses on the same schedule, said Vice President of Academic Education Jerry King, is that TVCC will be able to offer a greater number of classes in Palestine and Terrell.

Under the current schedules, said King, if six students on the Palestine campus would like to take Spanish, that is not enough students to make an entire class and so those students must drive to Athens to take the course. With all campuses on the same schedule, the class can be offered by video at Palestine and Terrell at the same time it is offered in Athens. That basically allows a professor to teach a class at all three campuses at the same time, said King.

“That to me is the great advantage,” said King.

Making the move, said Forgey, will also allow students greater flexibility because those who work full-time can potentially take a full classload just by coming to TVCC for those classes which are offered on Friday only.

The shift will be implemented on a trial basis for the 2009-2010 school year. If after one year, there are conflicts with the scheduling, say TVCC officials, the Athens campus may go back to the current class schedule.

In addition at last week’s meeting, the board:

• Approved the hiring of Jennifer Robertson as the director of human resources;

• Approved a calendar for the annexation of Forney ISD, which is scheduled to go before voters in May 2009;

• Approved the reinstatement of the director of development and alumni relations position; and,

• Approved an extension of Forgey’s contract. Forgey began working at TVCC in January 2008 and was hired on a one-year contract. His contract was extended until August, which places him on the same contract rotation as the rest of the TVCC workforce.