MCC president gets four-year extension

The Mesalands Community College board of trustees last week unanimously approved a four-year extension for the college's president.

The action came after a closed executive session of more than two hours to discuss personnel matters during the board's regular Jan. 17 meeting.

Gregg Busch's contract now will expire in 2028.

"Congratulations, Dr. Busch," board Chairman Jim Streetman said after the motion for the extension passed.

"Thank you, Mr. Chair," Busch replied.

Joshua McVey, the college's chief communications and enrollment manager, said Thursday he wasn't able to get information on Busch's current salary. He said Busch's pay increased because of recent state education mandates, but his new salary still is due to be negotiated.

"The details will be worked out, I have been told," McVey wrote. "Dr. Busch has not yet signed a new contract."

Busch, a West Virginia native who previously lived in Arizona as the founder and executive senior consultant of an education consulting firm, assumed his duties as Mesalands president on May 1, 2021, for $170,000 a year amid a three-year deal.

During his tenure, Busch added student services such as emergency funding, mental health services, a food pantry and the development of a childcare facility to provide training and certification in early childhood development. He also was named one of the nation's top 50 pacesetters and forward-thinking CEOs by the Alliance for Innovation & Transformation.

Busch replaced previous president John Groesbeck, who was placed on indefinite paid administrative leave in March 2020 for undisclosed reasons and fired the next month after less than two years on the job.

Groesbeck filed a whistleblower and retaliation complaint against the college, which later was settled for an undisclosed amount.

In other action:

- Busch said the college on Jan. 16 received a letter from the Higher Learning Commission, stating Mesalands' forthcoming nursing program had been officially accredited. The commission's accreditation had been expected for several months.

Busch credited the work of director of nursing Shannon Fries and chief of institutional research, effectiveness and accreditation Denise Hackett for their work with the HLC.

The college plans to begin offering pre-nursing courses in fall 2023 and nursing courses in spring 2024, with an emphasis in rural medicine.

- Busch said Perkins Act grant fund officials had sent a review team to campus and gave Mesalands "glowing comments." During a statewide training session last week, he said they pointed to the college as "a model" for career and technical education.

"It makes my heart very, very happy ... if you want things done right, you look to Mesalands," he said.

The college is in line to receive Perkins grants for the first time in nine years. The Perkins Act was authorized in 1984 to expand and modernize federal support for vocational and technical education at the secondary and postsecondary level.

- Chief information officer Jason Nemrow said it will use the RiskSense platform to assess the college's cybersecurity and comply with federal regulations coming to higher education.

Nemrow said he was optimistic the upgrades wouldn't have to use Mesalands money, as the state's Higher Education Department is set to provide funds for that.

- The college's chief financial officer, Blanca Pauliukevicius, said she was reconstructing payroll data so she could get a better sense of Mesalands' liabilities.

Pauliukevicius stated in her monthly written report the data was missing due to "faulty or improper implementation."

"The Business office team is working as hard as possible to update the finances but more staff is needed and more funding is required," she wrote.

She also said during the meeting she was consulting with the Higher Education Department on how to invest an endowment recently awarded to the nursing program.

- When asked by board member Tom Sidwell about the college's enrollment, McVey said numbers are "above expectations," thanks in part to more prison inmates enrolling in classes. He also said dual enrollment classes also were about to begin.

Commenting about the start of the spring semester this month, chief academic officer Joel Kiser said: "It great to see the classrooms full ... for the first time in a long time."

Busch also said that Mesalands was seeing more dual enrollment in Union County due to the college's future partnership to establish the Union County Learning Center in Clayton.

- Athletic director Paul Moss stated in his monthly report the college was looking to add men's and women's basketball and woman's volleyball that will require a partnership with Tucumcari Public Schools to use its high-school gymnasium.

Moss also listed track and field, soccer and softball as "potential" additions to Mesalands' sports offerings.

- Busch introduced five new employees: Jessie Davis, adjunct in cybersecurity; Juan Carlos Medina, coordinator for academic achievement; Aaron Cash, IT coordinator; Simon Chavez, professor of behavior science; and Mark Martinez, chief of campus operations and procurement. Martinez previously was a city manager and assistant city manager for Tucumcari.