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May 27, 2026

The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Board of Trustees met in a regular session on May 27, 2026, beginning at 3:30 PM. Trustees present were Mike Bush, Jim Hale, Rhonda Harrington, Bev Joe, Joel Newburn, Lance Porter, Forrest Spicher, and Raymond Wright.

Staff, faculty members, and guests present were Chuck Argo, Dr. Hope Bratton, Sarah Day, Wade Derden, Jessica Ellis, Kelli Embry, Kathy Flournoy, Deputy Ricky Garrett, Leane Hardin, Nicole Herndon, Brad Hopper, Colbie Jones, Brian Kroening, Ginger Ladehoff, Hannah Lammers, Mary Lopez, Teresa Lopez, Mark McCorkle, Rose Milnes, Mark Oliver, Scott Post, Emily Pyland, Bill Ritter, Stephanie Rizzo, Darla Thurber, Russ Thomas, Gary Troutman, John Tucker, Tim Ward, Megan Wheeler, and Jeremy Winzer.

The media was notified of the meeting. Brandon Smith with the Sentinel Record was in attendance.

Chair Jim Hale opened the meeting with a welcome at 3:30 PM.

Sarah Day took roll call. A quorum was present.

Trustee Bev Joe provided the invocation.

Sarah Day introduced Makerspace Coordinator Mark McCorkle and NPC Continuing Education Specialist Ginger Ladehoff. McCorkle and Ladehoff provided the Student Spotlight, giving information regarding the 2026 Makerspace Summer Camps.

Items for Action

1. Trustee Bush motioned to approve the April 22, 2026, Executive Officers Special Session meeting minutes as presented. Trustee Spicher seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
2. Trustee Joe motioned to approve the April 29, 2026, Executive Session minutes as presented. Trustee Wright seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
3. Trustee Bush motioned to approve the April 29, 2026, regular meeting minutes as presented. Trustee Spicher seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
4. Trustee Spicher motioned to approve the April 2026 financial statements as presented by Megan Wheeler, NPC Controller, during the Finance Committee Meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
5. Trustee Wright motioned to approve the May Personnel Ratifications as presented by Kathy Flournoy, NPC Director of Human Resources. Trustee Joe seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
   • Trustee Harrington motioned to approve the Addendum to the Ratification of Personnel Actions as presented by Kathy Flournoy. Trustee Porter seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
6. Trustee Wright motioned to approve the renewal of the President’s contract as presented by Chair Hale. Trustee Spicher seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
7. Trustee Bush motioned to approve Resolution 2026-B FY27 Annual Budget as presented by VP Kelli Embry. Trustee Porter seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
8. Trustee Harrington motioned to approve amended NPC Policy 4.120 as presented by VP Kelli Embry. Trustee Bush seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
9. Trustee Bush motioned to approve amended NPC Policy 5.140 as presented by VP Dr. Chuck Argo. Trustee Porter seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

Items for Report

1. Trustee Wright asked Brad Hopper, NPC Associate Vice President of Campus Operations, to provide the Building and Campus Development report. Mr. Hopper gave an update on the Welding facility and the projects that the Maintenance crew is working on currently. Hopper also stated that there is an ongoing search for both a housing custodian and a maintenance position.
2. NPC Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Chuck Argo, provided a report on the recent NPC 2026 graduation. Dr. Argo shared that the College continues to improve student outcomes, noting that the Class of 2026 represents the largest graduating class in NPC history and earned the highest number of degrees and certificates ever awarded by the College. Dr. Argo presented a PowerPoint highlighting graduation statistics. In conjunction with the graduation report, NPC Apprenticeship Coordinator Hannah Lammers provided a report on the recently graduated apprenticeship students.
3. President’s Report – President Derden expressed gratitude for the efforts of the campus community during a busy conclusion to the spring semester, including graduation, health science and nursing pinning ceremonies, the Honors Graduate Banquet, and Recognition Day. He recognized the 2026 Outstanding Faculty member, Jason Armitage; Outstanding Staff member, Tylor Clark; and Outstanding Alumnus, Jason Kuhn. President Derden thanked the Board for its consideration of the annual budget and acknowledged the work of the finance team and department leaders in developing a budget that reflects the College’s commitment to responsibly stewarding resources. President Derden also commended Dr. Argo and the instructional team for their contributions to student success. He noted that the Class of 2026 is the largest graduating class in NPC history and earned the highest number of degrees and certificates awarded since he started tracking the data in 2012. He congratulated the entire campus community on this significant achievement. President Derden provided an update on the status of displaying the 10 Commandments around campus when asked for this information by Trustee Wright.
4. New Business – Chair Hale had no new business to report.

Chair Hale asked for further comment from the trustees.

• Trustee Porter congratulated NPC staff and faculty on a successful academic year.
• Trustee Wright expressed the same congratulations to NPC administration, staff and faculty.
• Chair Hale expressed his excitement for the future of NPC with the updates to programs and staffing, and changes to the physical landscape.

The meeting adjourned at 4:20 PM.

Jim Hale, Chair
Raymond Wright, Secretary/Treasurer