Early last week, ENC’s Board of Trustees met to discuss various issues concerning the state of the college and modes of improvement.

Vice President of Student Development and Retention Jeff Kirksey gave a brief overview of the topics covered, with emphasis given to the issues of enrollment and retention.

The rates of enrollment and student retention are less than average this year, and the board discussed strategies to reverse this decline. The largest declines in retention came from male transfer students and student-athletes.

The board also discussed the performance of the retention response team, which operates on an individualized level; this group is designed to help students navigate the issues that may result in their departure from the college. On a larger scale, the retention committee deals with institutional practices that may need to be changed or altered in some ways. A new exit interview process has been implemented to gather information about why students leave ENC, and those interviewed are asked about what was negative and positive about their experience.

The board also discussed updating the campus emergency response plans—the updated version should be released sometime in November.

In addition, the trustees discussed how the Nease Library lighting renovations that took place over the summer have substantially decreased the output of energy from the library.

Finally, the board was updated about the transitions in the leadership of the Admissions Department and the new data management system. The six new members of the board were also provided with orientation in regard to their new roles and responsibilities.