The Cowley College Board of Trustees has voted to reinstate the soccer programs.
Our news partners KWME report that the board voted Monday night to reinstate the program following public outcry. This was the first public meeting by the board since the program was dropped last month.
The outcry from the public led to the resignation of the college president. Around 100 people attended Monday night’s meeting.
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The Cowley College soccer program will likely be a hot topic at tonight’s Board of Trustee meeting.
This is the first public meeting that the board’s had since the program’s been cut and the president resigned from the school.
College leaders tell us that the soccer program was cut due to budget problems. Spokesman Rama Peroo says men’s and women’s soccer costs about $185,000 — that’s not including scholarships.
KANSAS ENROLLMENT STRUGGLES
According to a March 2014 report from the Kansas Association of Community College Business Officers, Cowley is among several colleges struggling with enrollment.
The school saw a drop in enrollment from the 2012-13 school year by about 200 hours from the year before. Enrollment is down by 9,500 from what the college had seven years ago.
Kansas community colleges saw a decrease of more than 34,000 credit hours from the 2012-13 school year to the year prior. Of the 19 schools in the report, six saw an increase in enrollment; the schools include Barton County, Garden City, Hutchinson, Labette, Neosho and Seward County.
A LOOK AT FINANCES
Cowley College struggled financially in the 2011-12 academic year.
The school spent about $320,000 more than its revenue. However, the debt was absorbed by $8 million in unencumbered cash from the year before.
In contrast, the 2012-13 academic year was an improvement. The school was $976,000 ahead of its budget.
Based on the report, the school would have more than $9 million in unencumbered cash.
BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING
The Board of Trustee meeting is set for 6:45 p.m. at the McAtee Dining Center at Cowley. The meeting is open to the public.