Regents hear of Fine Arts Building donors, Plainview addition, president's contract

Jacob Tucker, associate editor

 

Donations for the expansion of the Fine Arts Building, additions to the Plainview Center, and the extension of the president’s contract were among the items of discussion during the November meeting of the South Plains College Board of Regents.

In a report presented by Stephen John, vice president for institutional advancement, the Regents were informed that more than $1 million has been donated for the expansion of the Fine Arts Building.

“This will help fund the project, which is costing the college $2.7 million,” said John.

The donations came from three donors, the CH Foundation, the Helen Jones Foundation, and Elroy and Vickie Wisian.

The CH Foundation and the Helen Jones Foundation have been partnered with the college for about six years, according to John. 

“We are very pleased that they partnered with us to help the students,” said John.

The CH Foundation was established by Christine DeVitt, a local rancher, businesswoman and philanthropist.  She realized the importance of education and youth development, among other topics.  This foundation has also provided funding for two scholarships that benefit non-traditional students and first-generation college students.

The Helen Jones Foundation was established by DeVitt’s sister, Helen DeVitt Jones.  She was a teacher and supported the fine arts in the area.  There are four endowed scholarship programs that are funded through this foundation.

Both of these groups donated $500,000 a piece toward the completion of the building.

“This shows that they believe in what we do here and the service that we provide our students,” said John.

The Wisians donated $100,000 to the Fine Arts fund.  Vickie Wisian is a former SPC student, and she was involved in the Fine Arts program.  Wisian was a student of the late Harley Bulls, music professor and former chairperson of the Fine Arts Department.  She also toured in an ensemble group around the South Plains.

John’s office has also developed a campaign to receive additional funds. 

“We really would like to identify more people to help in getting this project funded,” said John.

The Board also discussed the possible plans for expansion of the Plainview Center.  Dr. Kelvin Sharp, president of SPC, presented the idea of expanding the center during the October Board meeting.  He presented the possible floor plan from BGR Architects to the Regents this month.

“Right now we are maxed out on space, and this will finish the building in its entirety,” said Dr. Sharp.

According to Dr. Sharp, students who are attending science classes in Plainview have to attend their labs in the science labs at the high school.

“The plans call for two science labs, 12 additional classrooms, and 10 offices,” said Dr. Sharp.

Coda Stephenson, representative from BGR, told the Board how much space was going to be used during construction and the projected cost.

“It will be about the same size as the first phase, which was about 20,000 square feet,” said Stephenson.  “The estimated cost for the entire project is about $2 million.”

When the building is fully completed, it will be able to provide service for 600 to 700 students.

November also is the time of Dr. Sharp’s annual evaluation from the members of the Board.

“A few weeks ago, I sent out surveys to all of the Board members that had different questions on it that evaluated the efforts of Dr. Sharp,” said Mike Box, chairman of the SPC Board of Regents.

The Regents were then instructed to complete the questions and write down any additional comments that they had on Sharp’s effort.

The survey has a ranking system from zero to five, and Sharp scored a 4.8, which is exceptionally high, according to Box.

“We appreciate all of the hard work that Dr. Sharp has done during his two years as president,” said William Clements, regent.

The Regents felt so strongly about Sharp’s exceptional marks that they decided to give him a pay raise.

“ Dr. Sharp gets many great compliments from the community, as well as ones from his colleagues,” said Bobby Neal, regent.

Dr. Sharp expressed his gratitude to the Board and said he is continuing to look forward to the future.

“I’ve learned a lot the past two years, and I have a great group of people that I work with,” said Dr. Sharp.  “The college has come a long way these years, and I thank you for allowing me to be in this position.”

In other action, the Board heard the annual tax audit, met and congratulated the SPC National Champion women’s Cross Country team, and heard the evaluation of the college’s recruiting efforts.