WC financial aid team reports record FAFSA application numbers 

Bailey Brock, director of financial aid, presented data showing a significant surge in applications, grants, and scholarships.  

For the prior two academic years, the WC financial aid office received between 7,400 and 7,900 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications each year. As of the beginning of October, their office has received nearly 11,000 applications for the 2025-26 academic year with more expected.  

“Our staff has been absolutely paramount in processing financial aid and assisting students,” Brock said. “Each of them serves our students with genuine care, empathy, and professionalism. Financial aid can be a confusing process for students and, truthfully, for anyone outside of the financial world.”  

Brock emphasized that the primary mission of the financial aid office is to remove financial barriers, prioritizing need-based assistance to ensure student enrollment and completion.  

As of Oct. 6, WC has awarded a total of $23 million in federal student aid for the 2025-26 academic year. Of this total, 68% are need-based grants, with the remaining 32% allocated as federal student loans.  

“This reflects our ongoing commitment to prioritizing need-based funding wherever possible, ensuring that students who face the greatest financial barriers have access to higher education,” Brock said. “Financial aid isn't just about numbers. It's about opportunity. Every grant, loan and scholarship represents a story, a dream that's now within reach.”  

She also touched on the importance of compliance and future priorities, including expanded digital and in-person outreach with area high schools to encourage earlier FAFSA completion, professional development for staff, and remaining anchored in the mission to empower students by delivering appropriate financial resources and support.  

“Compliance is not just about rules,” she said. “It's about integrity. It's how we protect our students, safeguard the college, and uphold the trust placed in us by the community. When we do this, well, everyone benefits.”  

In other business the board:  

• Approved the minutes of the Sept. 11 board meeting.  
• Approved the chief executive office reports as required by the state.  
• Approved the comprehensive review of WC’s general education curriculum.  
• Approved the five-year cycle program review approval.  
• Received written reports from WC Wise County, academics and a student services update.  
• Received a written access and affordability report.  
• Rejected a proposal from D&F Custom Exteriors for the purchase of 7.16 acres of vacant land located on the southeast corner of Hwy 180 and Ric Williamson Hwy.  
• Authorized President Tod Allen Farmer to negotiate with Woodmont Land Company on the sale of 5.063 acres of vacant land on West BB Fielder Road in the amount of $1.62 million. 

In his report, President Tod Allen Farmer:  

• Congratulated the WC volleyball team on its 31-match conference winning streak and on moving up to the No. 2 spot in the national rankings.  
• Announced a 62% increase in contributions to the WC Foundation in the 2025 fiscal year.  
• Announced the Gold Parking Lot is now open for business. The covered spaces provide shade and weather protection for vehicles, and the solar panels are anticipated to reduce campus utility costs by thousands of dollars.