TC taps George Moore to fill Place 7 trustee term

The Texarkana College board of trustees has appointed George Moore to serve in the at-large Place 7 trustee position, vacated in April by Terry Taylor.

Moore will serve until Dec. 31, 2018, with the position up for election in November 2018. The electee would then serve Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2020. Moore, who has 46 years of experience in education, currently serves as the assistant superintendent for alternative education at Texarkana Independent School Distinct. Following Monday’s appointment, he said he’s looking to help TC’s students become life-long

MOORE learners.

“I always believe in being a servant, and I don’t come on the board with any hidden agendas. I’m here only for the community and see what I can do as a board member to help improve the college,” he said.

He added that he was looking forward to learning more about how the board works to improve educational opportunities for its students.

“Learning. Any good administrator knows that the first few months you just sit back and see who you’re working with and what you can learn,” he said.

In other business, the board announced revisions to the 2016-18 Strategic Plan, which removes the plan to annex the school’s service portion of Cass County, a measure which did not gain voter approval in the Nov. 2016 election.

“It really made our plan kind of out of date for the next 14 months, as we have a lot of work to do, so this gave us a chance to do a midway review and tweak a few things,” TC President James Henry Russell said.

The revised plan adds a full implementation of the Quality Enhancement Plan Connect: Start Smart—Finish Strong, which provides students with an in-depth first year experience, a designated faculty advisor and access to a structured pathway tool to better guide them through higher education.

“That’s really the major addition, in my opinion, to this change,” Russell said. TC also offers a certificate to students who have completed the core curriculum, which includes the credits students need to attend a four-year university. This is also included in the revised plan, something Russell said will help students improve their lives.

“We know if we can get the core curriculum completed, that’s a great indicator that students are going to keep moving on and being successful,” he said.

An additional emphasis will also be placed on classroom instruction, with upgraded classroom equipment also included in the plan.

Russell said all the revisions align with the state’s Higher Education strategic plan, 60x30TX, which has a goal of 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 to hold a higher-education credential by the year 2030.

During Monday’s meeting, trustees also elected Ken Reese to serve on the City of Texarkana’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board of directors for a two-year term. He will replace Trustee Jane Daines on the board.