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A report on
consolidating two community colleges in the North Country is now in
its second draft form and may be released publicly in a matter of
days.
“The final version
may be available at the end of this week,” North Country Community
College interim President Fred Smith told trustees on Tuesday.
The study, being
conducted by the Rockefeller Institute of Government was announced
by state Sen. Betty Little this spring. The consultants have
interviewed administrators from North Country and the
Plattsburgh-based Clinton Community College to examine the
feasibility of merging the two schools.
Sen. Little said the
consolidation wouldn’t necessarily mean any radical changes for
either college but is rather an attempt to streamline operations to
save money.
“You know in a time
when you’re both looking for presidents – I mean, they’re both
spending about $50,000 each to find a new president – you have to
say one college has three campuses and the other college has one,
could you have one college with four campuses and just maybe improve
on the curriculum and what’s offered throughout the North Country.”
A confidential
version of the draft report was distributed to North Country
trustees on Tuesday. Administrators and trustees said little at the
meeting of the report’s substance.
In other news,
administrators say they are optimistic that the college’s two
sponsors – Essex and Franklin counties – would likely approve the
$45,000 increase for each county’s contribution next year to the
college’s $12.7 million budget. Each county would contribute a
total $2.8 million.
“It appears it will
not be a problem,” Smith said.
The college has also
received permission from a key state university committee to
increase its tuition next year.
In-state students
will see an increase by $150 while out-of-state students will be
charged $250 more. Final approval will not be secured until SUNY
approves the college’s entire budget in September, said Bill Chapin,
vice president of fiscal operations.
The college is also
reporting a bump in applications and enrollment. Ed Trathen, vice
president for enrollment and student services, said applications
were up about 3 percent this fall compared to the same time last
year.
Total enrollment is
projected so far to be 948 students this fall, compared to 900 this
time last year, he said.
College Trustee Tom
Michael also took issue with the fact that the president’s report
was marked confidential. He said matters that are eligible for
closed sessions – such as litigation and personnel matters – should
be separated from the report and dealt with separately, rather than
withholding the entire report from the public.
“Personally, I don’t
think the president’s report can be withheld,” Michael said.
WNBZ has since filed
a Freedom of Information Law request with the college to obtain the
report in full. Under the law, the school has five days to formally
respond.
-Jacob Resneck,
7-15-08
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