NPC Board Continues Fiscally Conservative Budget Practices
The NPC Board of Trustees met for their regular monthly meeting Wednesday. Vice president for administration, Kelli Embry presented the fiscal year 2023 annual budget which the board adopted unanimously.
Embry explained the College uses an integrated process for budget and strategic planning so that budget requests are aligned with the campus’ strategic priorities and high priority objectives. The process focuses on student success, academic quality, workforce preparation and administrative efficiencies. “During the budget process we focus planning for the future while maintaining the fiscally conservative stance that the Board of Trustees expects. This tenet has allowed us to engage in big initiatives like automation and program expansion but also increase our reserves to ensure that we can endure tough times,” said Embry.
The proposed budget includes a $10 increase for tuition and a $5 increase for mandatory fees, bringing in-district tuition and fees to $100 per credit hour and $50 per credit hour respectively. The College has not requested an increase in tuition or fees for the past two years.
“This is a fiscally conservative budget that focuses on the needs of our students, but also provides resources needed for our campus and employees,” said Embry. She noted this year’s budget prioritizes employee engagement and retention; investments in faculty, transfer and four-year degree opportunities; enrollment growth, retention and completion; scholarships; investments in apprenticeship and workforce development initiatives; campus wide technology and automation projects; and health, safety and security. “The budget managers and President’s Cabinet have done a tremendous job looking for opportunities to cut costs while not sacrificing services to our students,” she added.
NPC President, Dr. John Hogan said, "I appreciate the effort and teamwork that goes into planning our annual budget. We never want to increase tuition, but the cost of operations has increased across the board due to our current economy. This will be our first increase since 2019. However, we are in a good position because we follow good fiscal fundamentals that allow us to serve our students efficiently with quality services. Our finances are stable and that is largely due to the conservative oversight of this board."
