Southwestern’s board of directors holds August 2026 meeting

Creston- The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., in the college's Administration Center, for their regular board meeting.

Wayne Pantini, SWCC vice president of economic development, presented the college's Five-Year Facilities Maintenance Plan to the board. Pantini said SWCC administration reviews the plan annually to identify and prioritize building maintenance and facility needs. Pantini said upcoming projects for the next few years will include repairs to the roof of the Student Center, starting next summer; Phase 3 of the video camera and access controls project; and additional improvements for wayfinding signage across campus. Pantini explained projects may be bumped back depending on budget, but said it is helpful for college administrators to have a plan moving forward.

Pantini talked about recent improvements on campus, including painting in the residence halls, completion of the main entrance project, and Phase 2 of the video camera and access controls project.

In personnel, the board approved Michael Hall as the instructor for the Mount Ayr automotive repair technology program, and Roger Looker as the instructor for the Red Oak carpentry program.

The board accepted the resignations of Amy Johnson-Oxenford, English instructor, and Jay Carter, assistant men's basketball coach.

The board approved two coaching positions: Abraham Hardimon, assistant baseball coach, and Trey Johnson, assistant men's basketball coach.

Pantini gave a short report on the college's 260F program, the Iowa Jobs Training program that partners SWCC with manufacturers in the region to provide training to employees. The program is funded through the state legislature, and the college receives an annual allocation of approximately $107,000. According to Pantini, during the past two years, 13 projects were completed, and 196 employees in Southwestern's region were trained through the 260F program. Pantini said he is currently working with three companies in Southwestern's region.
Pantini then gave construction updates. He said the main entrance project is complete, and he will be working with Shive Hattery on the landscaping plan; Phase 2 of the video security and access control project, which included installation of security cameras, is complete; and employee IDs/access cards are now being implemented. As of August 24, the first day of classes, all employees will be required to wear their badges while working.

Doug Greene, SWCC distance education director, reported on Southwestern's online programming. Greene said for the fall 2026 semester, approximately 350 courses are available to students; approximately two-thirds of SWCC's student body is taking at least one online class; and 30 percent of the college's students are taking online courses only. He said all SWCC students receive 15 hours of free online tutoring through Brainfuse. Greene said SWCC has an online course pass rate between 91 and 93 percent each semester, and this ranks SWCC as one of the highest pass rates in the state and possibly the nation.

Sue Stearns of Woodburn, SWCC board member and Community Colleges for Iowa representative, said the group has meetings coming up in September. She will report on these meetings following those sessions.

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