Sealy Campus Advisory Committee Meeting
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: Classroom 112, Main Building, 3701 Outlet Center Drive, Blinn-Sealy Campus
Meeting Minutes
The Sealy Campus Advisory Committee met on October 8, 2025, in Classroom 112, located in the Main Building at 3701 Outlet Center Drive, Blinn-Sealy Campus.
Committee Members Present
- Mr. Bill Atkinson
- Mr. Rick Kershner
- Ms. Laura Osborne
- Dr. Megan Pape
Committee Members Absent
- Ms. Kimbra Hill
- Mr. Bryan McCauley
Blinn College Representatives
- Dr. Mary Hensley
- Mr. Leighton Schubert
- Ms. Lisa Caton
The meeting was called to order by Lisa Caton at 12:17 p.m.
Welcome and Introductions
Lisa Caton welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked attendees to introduce themselves. She welcomed new members Laura Osborne, CTE Director at Sealy High School and Dr. Megan Pape, the new Royal ISD Superintendent.
Election of Officers
After introductions, Lisa Caton presented the need to elect new officers for the upcoming year. After some discussion Rick Kershner agreed to serve as Chair, Bill Atkinson agreed to serve as Vice Chair and Kimbra Hill will continue as Secretary.
Approval of Minutes
After a proper motion from Bill Atkinson, seconded by Laura Osborne, the Committee unanimously approved the minutes of the April 10, 2025 Advisory Committee meeting.
Enrollment Update
Mr. Leighton Schubert, Executive Vice Chancellor, presented enrollment numbers to the committee including on-campus, online and dual credit students in the Sealy area. He explained that these were preliminary numbers due to the second 8-week enrollment numbers not included in the calculations.
The numbers show a steady decline in enrollment on the Sealy Campus, an increase in the dual credit enrollment and students from the Sealy area enrolled in online courses is down just slightly. Mr. Schubert explained how online and dual credit numbers are counted in the total enrollment numbers for the Sealy Campus.
Legislative Update
Mr. Leighton Schubert provided an update on the recent activities during the recent legislative session. He explained how Blinn College is an enrollment dependent institution since 70% of the funding comes from tuition. He discussed the transition from contact hour funding to outcomes funding enacted by the legislature in the last session.
In order for the Community College to qualify for funding students must earn 15 hours dual credit while in high school or earn 15 hours at Blinn prior to transferring to a 4-year institution or they must earn a high demand certification with the funding depending on the demand of the certification as determined by the Texas Workforce Commission and local Workforce Boards.
This new outcome funding led to the legislature overspending by 96 million dollars, so the Texas Coordinating Board had to enact new rules.
- One course transfer rule - if a student took just one course at a college or university prior to enrolling at Blinn, that student will not count for Blinn. This will result in a 30% hit for Blinn.
- Students can only earn 1 credential of value per year, and credits cannot be reused for multiple certificates.
- Governor Abbott put a freeze on all college tuition for 2 years. As stated earlier - tuition accounts for 70% of Blinn's budget each year.
Dr. Hensley then took the time to explain the importance of increasing dual credit enrollment as well as enrollment on the Sealy Campus. She commented that the Board looks at the numbers every year and how they will affect the budget. The desire is to keep the campus open, but they do have to look closely at the numbers each year.
City of Sealy Update
Mr. Bill Atkinson, Sealy Economic Development Executive Director, presented the committee with updates regarding community, retail trade & housing growth projections through 2030. Projections show a growth of almost 13,000 new residents in the next decade. Dr. Hensley thanked Mr. Atkinson for the information, stating that it contained interesting and useful data.
With no other business, Bill Atkinson made the motion to adjourn, Laura Osborne seconded and the meeting was adjourned at 1:07 p.m. by Rick Kershner.