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Advisory Council

Advisory Council Minutes Thursday, September 24, 2026

The regular meeting of the NJC Advisory Council was held Thursday, September 24, 2026, in the Hays Student Center Tennant Art Gallery.

 

Members Present: 
Mike Brownell
Jeff Durbin
Jayce Maker
 Members Absent:
Karla Rosas
Felicia Rodriguez

Others Present: President Mike White, Lisa LeFevre, Shawn Rose, David Farrow, Eddie Trenkle, Christina Gesford, Gabe Wiest, Brant Davis, Jason Winter, Leslie Weinsheim, Cole Briggs, Eli Kalous, and Sarah Waite from the Sterling Journal Advocate.

  1. Call meeting to order
    1. Mike Brownell, called the meeting to order at 12:45 pm.
  2. The group participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
  3. Motion to approve agenda of the September 24, 2026 Advisory Council Meeting
    1. The agenda for the September 24, 2026, Advisory Council Meeting. An amendment was made by President White to postpone the election of officers since a quorum of Advisory Council members was not present. Jeff Durbin made the motion to approve the amendment and the agenda, and Jayce Maker seconded the motion. The motion passed.
  4. Motion to approve minutes of the April 16, 2026 Advisory Council Meeting
    1. Jeff Durbin made the motion to approve the minutes, and Jayce Maker seconded the motion. The motion passed.
  5. ACTION ITEM: Election of Advisory Council Officers
    1. Postponed
  6. CELEBRATING SUCCESS
    1. STUDENT SUCCESS
      1. Introduction of Associated Student Government Officers - Brant Davis
        1. 2026-2027 Officer Team
          1. President – Brock Miller
          2. 1st Vice President – TJ Eurich
          3. 2nd Vice President – Eli Kalous
          4. Secretary – Mia Bennett
    2. FACULTY/STAFF SUCCESS
      1. CAD, Solar and Drones – Expansion at the ATC - Jason Winter
        1. Drones
          1. First offering of UAS 2055 (ground school)
          2. Collaborating with Precision Ag
          3. Preparation for FAA part 107
          4. Students gain flight experience with Parrot Anafi drones
          5. Working to create a pathway to a drone certificate
          6. Would like to set up NJC as a FAA testing facility
        2. Solar Lab
          1. ENY 2098
          2. 7 students
          3. First solar class made possible by NSF Grant Award
          4. Integration of Renewable Technologies for a converging workforce
          5. Real world training
            1. Inverter technology
            2. Battery storage
            3. Specialty tools
        3. CAD
          1. First offering of CAD 2464
          2. Utilizing Auto Desk Fusion
          3. Hybrid format
          4. 8 high school students currently enrolled
          5. Would like to branch out to other high schools
  7. ITEMS
    1. Graduate Profile – Leslie Weinsheim
      1. Leslie handed out the 2026 Graduate Profile and went over the highlights of the report. 
        1. Graduate Profile | Northeastern Junior College
  8. PRESIDENT’S REPORT – President Mike White
    1. This week over 200 FFA high school students were on campus.
    2. Enrollment is down by about 1.5% this semester. There were several contributing factors. One includes the beginning of the demographic decline (fewer high school students graduating each year), and we had a few traditionally strong programs that didn’t bring as many students this year. We are actively adjusting our recruiting efforts to keep enrollment strong.   
    3. We expanded our Cosmetology program into the building that was recently vacated by the Sunshine Daycare Program. That building now houses manicures, pedicures, and esthetician skill programs. We hope to soon offer some short certificates in Cosmetology.
    4. We have two staffed career navigator positions now – one for Behavioral Health and one for Career & Tech. 
    5. It was a busy summer with Boys State and Girls State on campus. We had about 130 boys on campus and 100 girls on campus for those camps. The Titan Diesel Camp was also held on campus. NJC is the largest site for this camp with about 40 9th-12th graders registered and on campus. Titan Diesel scholarships these students. They live in the residence halls and spend days doing hands-on training in the ATC.  On the last day they take a field trip to Titan Diesel in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. 
    6. On November 19, a Career Expo will be held on campus with over 70 employers expected to have booths. 
    7. A Paramedic Program graduation was held last Saturday. We graduated six students from this second cohort. The first cohort had nine students. 
    8. Our 2+2 partnerships are going well. The T-Prep Program in collaboration with CU Denver is where student teachers do local internships is strong and we have our first third-year students in the CSU Behavioral Health Degree program. 
    9. Working on our ROI (Return on Investment) calculations for all the colleges. If our ROI drops below a certain rate, we could risk losing federals grants and loans. As of right now, none of our programs are at risk. 
    10. The City of Sterling’s sewer work continues in front of the Event Center. 
    11. The next Advisory Council Meeting scheduled for November will focus on a round-table discussion on AI. Details to follow soon. 
  9. REPORTS
    1. Associated Student Government (ASG) Report – Eli Kalous
      1. Many first week activities were rained out and had to be rescheduled.
      2. The first week events included Glo in the Dark Volleyball, Dodgeball, a Backyard Barbecue, Yard Games, S’mores, and an NJC Fest. 
      3. Weekly student leadership CAB and Senate meetings are underway. 
      4. The annual Trick or Treat Street is set for Thursday, October 29th.
      5. ASG pushed Constitution Day and handed out pocket constitutions.
      6. ASG helps with the ALL IN Campus Voting Challenge which helps to increase student voting rates nationwide.
    2. Faculty Senate Report – Cole Briggs
      1. Held a Faculty Senate meeting during in-service in August. 
      2. Faculty getting ready for the HLC Accreditation visit. The faculty are working on the assessment part. 
      3. Had three great candidates on campus for the Vice President of Academic Affairs. 
      4. The Community Club Fair held on campus at the start of the school year was well put together and attended. 
      5. Working on the new process for faculty evaluations. 
      6. Cole and Gerry Whipple went to an Adams County career fair where there were 8,000 8th graders. 
      7. Cole and Christina Gesford attended the National Western Stock Show for scholarship presentations. 
  10. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
    1. Eddie Trenkle, Athletic Director, reported that the Athletics Cajun Boil will be held Saturday, October 17. This annual event helps pay for scholarships for student athletes.
    2. Christina Gesford, Foundation/Alumni Association Executive Director, reported that the annual Donor Appreciation Breakfast will be held Saturday, September 26. 
  11. Adjournment
    1. The meeting was adjourned at 1:29 pm.
  12. TOUR OF THE WELCOME CENTER

Respectfully Submitted,

Shawn Rose

Recording Secretary