WC board finalizes agreement to acquire Kingsley facility

Crystal Woerly
Weatherford College

Thanks to a donation from Nan Kingsley, Weatherford College will soon have a state-of-the-art audio engineering facility.

In their regular monthly meeting Thursday, June 11, the WC Board of Trustees finalized an agreement to acquire Bluestem Studios located just south of the Alkek Fine Arts Center on the Weatherford campus. The facility will be named the Nan and Bob Kingsley Building.

“We are extremely appreciative of the generosity of Nan and Bob Kingsley,” said WC President Dr. Tod Allen Farmer. “Their gift will benefit countless students for generations to come, all while honoring the memory and hall-of-fame career of Bob Kingsley.”

The board agreed to a donation/purchase agreement whereby a majority of the building will be donated by the Kingsley estate with a portion purchased by WC.

Bob Kingsley was the long-time host of the nationally syndicated American Country Countdown and Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 programs, which were produced in Bluestem Studios. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He passed away in October at the age of 80.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the minutes of the May 14 meeting.
• Approved the financial reports ending May 31.
• Approved the quarterly investment report.
• Received a report on the 2020-21 budget. The budget totals $63.04 million, a decrease of $306,480 over the 2019-20 amended budget due to CARES Act grant funds.
• Received a Guided Pathways update which included information on CARES Act funding. As of June 3, CARES Act funds have helped 402 WC students with a total of $267,231 distributed in funding and $1,600 distributed in the form of technology. Additionally, $75,000 is earmarked for the purchase of laptops for student use. WC will continue to distribute CARES Act funds to students in need over the next several months.
• Received a demand study update including highlights from the spring evaluation of courses and instructors. Students reported the spring course were more difficult and demanding but also reported a greater satisfaction with courses.
• Received a vet tech program update. As of June 2, the program has received 17 completed applications with eight more in process.

In his President’s Report, Dr. Farmer:

• Recognized Fredrick Sanders as the new director of jazz studies.
• Recognized Anna Nichols, Adam Finley, and all members of the Commencement Committee for their work on the June 20 Commencement ceremony planned for Kangaroo Stadium.
• Announced the resignation of Early Dromgoole, a transportation service instructor.
• Announced the retirement of Maxine Hanks, director of financial services; Marilyn St. Clair, technology services instructor, and John Wyatt, computer/AV technician.
• Provided an enrollment update on Summer I that showed a year-to-date decrease of 14 students with a total of 1,292 students enrolled and an increase of 5.48 percent in contact hours. Summer II registration is ongoing and currently shows a record enrollment with 870 students, a year-to-date increase of 85 students.