During the July 19 regular board meeting, Coastal Bend College Board of Trustees discussed the 2012-2013 budget, Standard and Poor’s rating report of Coastal Bend College and grant awards/contracts for the 2012-2013 year.

The Board reviewed the proposed 2012-2013 budget. Dr. Beatriz Espinoza, Coastal Bend College President, stated that no faculty or staff would be losing their jobs during the upcoming year. Instead, the college will cut costs by combining classes and reducing part-time employee hours. Although the college may combine class sections, classes will still remain small and provide plenty of one-on-one student interaction, Espinoza said during the meeting.

Espinoza reported that the college received the George West Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Member of the Year award due to the college’s dedication to the Eagle Ford Shale. The college will continue to provide classes and continuing education courses to help meet the needs of the industry.

Standard and Poor’s Rating Services issued their rating of Coastal Bend College. The college received a rating of “stable” due to its high student loan default rate, large out-of-district student population, and enrollment fluctuation in recent years. The Board asked Velma Elizalde, Dean of Student Services, to assess how the student loan default rate can be decreased through advising and counseling sessions for students who wish to obtain loans. Currently all students are required to attend an in-person counseling session before being awarded a student loan, but the sessions may be modified if needed, Elizalde said. Furthermore, Texas Guaranteed (TG) has been providing default management services to the college since late 2011, and their services will help the college lower its default rate.

Ruth Cude, Dean of Administrative Services, reported that the walking trail at the Beeville campus is completed, but there are some issues with the wood not curing properly at certain exercise stations along the trail. Since they are under warranty, these issues will be resolved. Also, two outdoor message centers will be installed that will have information about college events that are available to the community and users of the walking trail.

Coastal Bend College is the recipient of various grants awards/contract for the 2012- 2013 year:

U.S. Department of Education: Cooperative Title V “Celebrando Educacion”, Del Mar College and Coastal Bend College U.S. Department of Education: Talent Search Program

These grants/contracts will help serve a diverse student population at CBC, and puts higher education and success within reach for more students.