Dr. Tim Hager was appointed to serve as a member of the Three Rivers College Board of Trustees in the place of the late Randy Grassham.
Hager will serve in the position until the next regularly scheduled election in April 2020. The person elected will finish Grassham's unexpired term, which ends in 2024.
"I'm thrilled with the vote of confidence," Hager said following the appointment. "Randy Grassham and I were friends for 25 years so it's an honor to sit in his chair."
Following friendships with Grassham and his father from church and beyond, Hager described his new position as more than a political appointment.
"These were people I liked, respected and were friends with for years," he said.
As a Carter County native, Hager said he would "go to bat" for the area. He also added he has a long history and passion for the institution as an alumni and adjunct professor for 25 years.
"It's an honor to be on the board," he said.
Letters of interest were accepted by the board for the vacant sub-district two position. A committee then interviewed the individuals who submitted letters and made a recommendation to the board, which appointed Hager by a majority vote.
Progress is continuing on the Libla Family Sports Complex as more items have been finished, bringing the project closer to completion.
President Dr. Wesley Payne reported during the meeting Wednesday afternoon paving and lighting are complete. He also added the wood for the flooring had been loaded in and acclimated to the building.
Crews have began to lay the under structure for the wood flooring, which is expected to be completed this week, and the top layer of the floor is scheduled to begin next week, Payne said.
Dille & Traxel Architecture has provided a punch list to the contractor that is being worked through and meetings are taking place on final items.
"We are making progress on the sports complex," Payne said.
Pemiscot County
Property Lease/Purchase
In 2013, a piece of property in Caruthersville, Mo., was donated to the college. At that time, Pemiscot County Initiative Network, Inc. (PIN) was renting the space and have remained in the building as a tenant.
Payne reported PIN approached the college with interest in purchasing the property.
"In the interest of fairness and following Missouri statutes, we put out a request for proposals to advertise," Payne said. "PIN was the winning proposal."
The board then authorized lease purchase documents with the option to purchase to be signed.
Travel Service Bids
The board accepted a bid from Four Winds Travel, LLC for travel services for the TRC athletic teams for the 2018-19 school year.
Four Winds' bid came in at $67,514 for a 56-passenger bus for one year with the option for two, one-year extensions.
Four Winds' bid came in $26,000 lower than the only other bidder for travel services.
According to Chief Financial Officer Charlotte Eubank, the bid was similar to last year's bid and Four Winds is who the college currently uses for athletic travel services.
Financial Update
Eubank also provided the board with the first financial report of the new fiscal year for the college.
Compared to July 2017, Eubank reported operating expenses were a little ahead due to timing and whether entries fell into July or August.
"I think it will even out in future months," she said.
Eubank also reported a good start to the year with tuition and fees revenue as of Aug. 31. She added the August numbers are still preliminary.
With student aid just beginning, Eubank predicted a jump in September once numbers were processed for the fall semester.
For the year to date, Eubank reported the school is at 17 percent of the college's fiscal year.
"We are sitting right on target," she said.
TRC Events
Payne informed the board of the many activities going on around the college with the beginning of a new semester.
A very successful Athletes Day at the Farm was recently held, according to Payne, as part of the character and team building program on the noncompetitive student development side.
Each year, all student athletes volunteer to work on the farm to promote team building. The athletes are then treated to a lunch and enjoy the farm.
"One thing that is exciting about this is we bring a lot of urban kids to the school to participate in athletics," Payne said. "Many have never experienced anything like this."
The students are able to get up close to many farm animals and equipment, something they may not have seen other than in photographs.
"It's a fun day," Payne added. "We are giving them an experience they very likely have never seen before."
The Achieve Program brought in The Lewis Experience, a motivational speaker, for two separate talks with a lot of participation from those at the school.
Center Stage wrapped up their two-weekend run of "The Little Mermaid," their first production of the season.
"This is an extremely complex, very heavily cast show," Payne said. "It's a very hard show to do and my compliments to all that were involved because they did very well. It came off extremely well, was a lot of fun and a big, big success."
The Patrons of the Arts held a season kick-off reception revealing the largest season to date.
One thing unique about this season, Payne said, is the partnership with the Rodgers Theater for the first time for two shows.
Meet the Raiders was held last week with the largest crowd in attendance in a long time, Payne said.
Hager was introduced as the new voice of the Raiders.
"We are off to a great start for the semester," Payne said.
Upcoming at TRC will be the Run 4 the Arts at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.
The run was rescheduled due to weather. All proceeds from the event will fund scholarships for TRC music and art students.
Raider Madness will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Bess Activity Center to mark the first official practice of the athletic season.
The college will be closed Oct. 4 and 5 for Fall Break.
The Championship College Rodeo will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-13 at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo grounds. This event is in partnership with the Sikeston Jaycees.
The next art exhibit, Good Morning Pleasant Dale 365 X 7, by Katherine Endacott will be Sept. 24-Oct. 26 at the Tinnin Gallery. The artist lecture will be held at noon Sept. 24 in the Plaster Lecture Hall.
The Patrons of the Arts opening show will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.
Ray Charles and Company is a tribute show starring Willie Nash. Tickets are available online at trcc.edu/tinnin.
The first music show, Imagine: Connections, will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.
The concert will feature the Southeast Wind Symphony and University Choir from Southeast Missouri State University and is free of charge.
The next TRC Board of Trustees meeting will be at noon Oct. 17 in the board room at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.