Category: HEP Grant

NNMC Regent Branch Attempts Coup

2/27/2015

Left to right: Regents Kevin Powers (Treasurer), Michael Branch, Rosario "Chayo" Garcia (President), Alfred Herrera, Donald Martinez (Secretary).

NNMC Board of Regents Member Michael Branch, whose term expired on December 21, 2015, opened the February 26, 2015 Board of Regents meeting by calling for the resignation of NNMC Board Secretary Donald Martinez, of El Rito, New Mexico.

Regent Donald Martinez was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez for a six year term. Regent Martinez's appointment on the NNMC Board of Regents is through 2020.[i]

The NNMC Study Group and other members of the community have contacted Governor Susana Martinez and Lieutenant Governor John A. Sanchez in support of Regent Donald Martinez. Regent Martinez was raised in El Rito, is a long-time educator and farmer, and previously worked as the HEP Director at the NNMC-El Rito. More details are available below in letter to Governor Martinez.

We urge members of the community to contact Governor Martinez, Lieutenant Governor Sanchez, and NNMC Board President Rosario "Chayo" Garcia to voice support for Regent Donald Martinez.

Governor Susana Martinez
http://www.governor.state.nm.us/Contact_the_Governor.aspx
(505) 476-2200

Lieutenant Governor John A.Sanchez
http://www.ltgov.state.nm.us/Contact_the_Lieutenant_Governor_1.aspx
(505) 476-2250

NNMC Board of Regents President Rosario "Chayo" Garcia
garciachayo@yahoo.com

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[i] See: “Northern Welcomes New Regents,” March 18, 2013. http://nnmc.edu/wordpress/?p=10590

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Crunching the Numbers on President Barcelo's Leadership

1/13/2015

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As those in higher education are aware, one critical role for a college President is fundraising for the college. College Presidents have duties of vision and supervision, certainly, but one of their primary responsibilities is to bring additional funding to the institution. When hired in 2010, President Nancy "Rusty" Barcelo promised her fundraising skills, and even outlined a plan for the Northern Foundation to raise $18 million.

What have the years of Barcelo's leadership wrought? Can President Nancy “Rusty” Barcelo meaningfully demonstrate that she has grown the college, its enrollment, its services to students, its endowment, its academic offerings? Has Barcelo, during her presidency, secured funding for the college? As a matter of empirical fact, the answer to each of these questions is a resounding NO.

In 2014, the NNMC Study Group assembled a core group of accountants and a forensic auditor to conduct a financial analysis of NNMC for the years of Barcelo's presidency: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This analysis is based on public New Mexico State Audits from 2010 to 2013. The originals are available in full for download at http://www.nnmcstudygroup.org/budget.html and at the NM Office of the State Auditor website: "Audit Search" [top right] at http://www.saonm.org/audit_reports.

Our analysis found that the Audited Financial Statements show very clearly: 1) a decline in total revenue, 2) a decline in operating revenue, and 3) deep reductions in the college's net assets. Further, in four years, President Barcelo has turned previous surpluses into deficit.

NNMC's total revenue has been in decline under President Barcelo (beginning 2010). Declining tuition revenue (in spite of more than doubling tuition in three years) and declining revenue from state, local, and other grants and contracts make up for most of the loss of operating revenue. Non-operating revenue has held mostly due to State appropriations. (Click image for larger file.)

Initial surpluses in 2010, 2011, and 2012 resulted in growing Net Assets at the end of each year. However, this was reversed in 2013 and Net Assets were reduced due to the deficit that occurred in that year. (Click image for larger file)

Due to declining operating revenues NNMC’s operating loss [operating revenue less operating expenditure] has grown markedly since 2010. Indeed, NNMC's operating loss has nearly doubled since Barcelo assumed her presidency. (Click image for larger file.)

DECLINE IN REVENUE: Financial analysis shows that NNMC's total revenue has been in decline under President Barcelo (beginning 2010). Though the College sharply raised tuition in 2011, because of the corresponding decline in enrollment, there was a decline in tuition revenue. NNMC’s new President Nancy “Rusty” Barcelo, who was inaugurated fall of 2010, made more than doubling NNMC’s tuition one of her first major actions in power, and NNMC’s enrollment has not recovered since.

From the NNMC Fact Book (available at http://www.nnmcstudygroup.org/records.html) we note that the massive drop in enrollment (both full-time equivalent and headcount) is directly tied to Barcelo’s 2011 raising of tuition by over 50%—a move that gained the attention of the United States Department of Education. [i] By way of comparison, the year before Barcelo's decision to more than double tuition, NNMC’s enrollment trend was an increase of 18%. [ii] In 2013, NNMC had the lowest headcount of any New Mexico 4-year institution and enrollment continues to drop.[iii]

In addition, most of NNMC’s loss of operating revenue derives from the Administration’s inability to sustain state, local, and other grants and contracts. Sadly, our analysis for 2014 will show even greater grant losses. In 2014, NNMC lost its 40-year old Federal “High School Equivalency Program” (HEP) Grant, the first ever was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education in 1972. This grant was worth approximately $500,000 per year.[iv] Another key grant loss resulted when State Higher Education Department and the U.S. Department of Education Inspector General found that the NNMC Administration had improperly supplanted general operational funds with grant money in 2013. The Federal Department of Education required NNMC to provide reimbursement for unauthorized use of funds.[v] These were not the only losses of grant revenue in 2013 and 2014, but rather, well-documented examples supported by media accounts and direct information from granting agencies.

Indeed, under the leadership of Barcelo, NNMC Administrators have initiated a practice of “borrowing” hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Northern Foundation to cover basic operating expenses.[vi] Although the Northern Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit corporation, whose mission is to raise funds to support student scholarships, NNMC has dipped into the Northern Foundation to cover its institutional expenses.[vii] In July 2014, NNMC even “forgot” to repay the Northern Foundation $125,000 until the issue was under investigation by reporter Ralph Chapoco of The Rio Grande Sun. The relatively lenient terms of the loan—no interest charged on the principal, no collateral assigned to the loan to ensure repayment, and no late fees for failure to repay on time—may have been gained through VP of Advancement Ricky Serna’s relationship to the Northern Foundation’s Treasurer, Liddie Martinez. She is Serna’s aunt. In addition, NNMC President Barcelo is a voting member of the Northern Foundation. The issue of loans from the Foundation to the college was further compounded by the sudden and unexplained resignation of Gabrielle Amster, the Director of the Northern Foundation, in July 2014.[viii]

Fiscal analysis of Barcelo’s tenure clearly shows the downward spiral of NNMC’s total revenue, operating revenue, and net assets. In a paid advertisement in May 2014, President Barcelo wrote: “I understand that some are questioning the stability of the institution. Given recent publicity, I can understand how one might raise such questions, but I also recognize that much of the concern has been based on inaccurate information and misunderstanding … Sadly, misinformation and attacks obstruct opportunities to have civil conversations to address these important issues. This ultimately harms our community relationships and our ability to serve students.”[ix]

In that paid advertisement, President Barcelo avoided any discussion of real numbers, including the NM State Audit Reports from 2010 to 2013. President Nancy "Rusty" Barcelo instead attacked community leaders, concerned students, and committed members of NNMC’s faculty and staff as launching unfounded "attacks" and spreading “misinformation” and “inaccurate information.” We have therefore provided accurate fiscal information on President Barcelo’s tenure that supports the concerns that the community has been raising since Barcelo’s arrival.

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[i] “Ed Dept calls out colleges that hiked tuition by 50 percent,” 30 June, 2011. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/ed-dept-calls-colleges-hiked-tuition-50-percent-183248263.html For more media coverage of the tuition hike, see: http://nnmcstudygroup.weebly.com/news.html —scroll to bottom

[ii] NNMC 2010 Fact Book, p. 7 http://205.166.231.30/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/NNMC-Fact-Book-2010.pdf Also full text of NNMC 2010 Fact Book below.

[iii] See New Mexico Higher Education Department’s “enrollment data for 2013: http://www.hed.state.nm.us/uploads/files/Data%20Research/Enrollment/Fall%20Enrollment%202013%20updated.pdf

[iv] See full story on NNMC’s loss of the federal HEP Grant in 2014 at: http://www.nnmcstudygroup.org/blog/nnmc-to-lose-million-dollar-federal-grant-after-40-continuous-years

[v] See “NNMC Regents Deny Retaliation,” Albuquerque Journal 4 May, 2014. http://www.abqjournal.com/393168/news/nnmc-regents-deny-retaliation.html [vi] See “Northern New Mexico College ‘Forgot’ to Pay Loan to Foundation,” originally published by The Rio Grande Sun, 28 August, 2014, reprinted by The Northern Issue at: http://thenorthernissue.org/2014/09/06/northern-new-mexico-college-forgot-to-pay-loan-to-foundation/

[vii] For more on the Northern Foundation, 501c3, see: http://nnmc.edu/wordpress/?page_id=4479

[viii] See “The Faces of Those We Have Lost” at http://www.nnmcstudygroup.org/blog/faces-of-those-we-have-lost

[ix] See “A Look at NNMC Changes” by Nancy “Rusty” Barcelo 9 May 2014, Journal North http://www.abqjournal.com/396897/north/a-look-at-nnmc-changes.html

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Secret meeting Blames students and governor

8/18/2014

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On April 26, 0214, the NNMC Board of Regents voted to uphold the recommendations of NNMC President Nancy “Rusty” Barceló and her Executive Team, cutting the college’s Career Tech programs that included Automotive, Construction Trades and Radiologic Technology programs. These cuts also meant removing several tenured and tenure-track professors, instruction and program staff. Hundreds of members of NNMC and the larger public called, wrote, emailed and attended NNMC Board meetings in an effort to convince the Board that the budget that increased Administrative spending and salaries while cutting student services and instruction would have a lasting negative impact.

After the Board voted for all cuts recommended by Barceló and her Executive Team, Chair of the NNMC Board of Regents Rosario “Chayo” Garcia ended the April 26th meeting in tears, voice wavering. After collecting herself Garcia concluded, “I love this college; I love this community. And I’m afraid what’s happened the last few days will start an avalanche we’re not going to be able to control.”[i]

Chair Garcia was prescient—since the vote, Northern has seen several lawsuits filed by former employees, has lost a multimillion dollar federal grant, has been found in violation of a separate federal grant, has been investigated by the American Association of University Professors, has seen a rash of faculty resignations, has aggregated over 750 signatures in a petition against its 2014-2015 proposed budget, has short-paid its adjunct faculty after being unable to meet its basic operating expenses at the end of the fiscal year, and has lost attempts at a bond measure to build a no-bid $13-16 million dorm.

The out of control avalanche predicted by Chair Garcia is also seen in Northern’s fall enrollment, which shows an unprecedented and massive decline. NNMC’s Registrar Kathleen Sena reports fall enrollment as low as 400 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. This is over a two-thirds loss in FTE students since 2011 when FTE enrollment was at 1,254.[ii]

This month, Vice President of Institutional Advancement Ricky Serna took the extraordinary measure of over-riding the College’s financial disenrollment deadline (the date by which students are dropped for non-payment). Serna directed financial aid and admissions officers to ignore the disenrollment deadline for hundreds of students though they had not paid tuition and/or fees or otherwise made payment arrangements. Serna’s attempt to keep enrollment numbers up is telling of the desperation NNMC Administrators are feeling. Indeed, at the August 14th “Board Retreat,” Provost Pedro Martinez plainly stated, “We have to increase enrollment. No matter what.” VP of Advancement Serna echoed those remarks explaining, “We need more students to enroll period. We need to double the size of the institution.”[iii] Regent Powers disagreed with President Barceló, who was determined to argue that the enrollment decline was simply part of a statewide trend. “We stand out in the crowd,” corrected Regent Powers, “Our enrollment declines are very dramatic.”

President Barceló and the Board met for over three hours discussing the increasingly empty campus. Although Chair Garcia and Board Member Herrera made the case for the very Career Tech programs they cut just months ago, Board Member Branch reaffirmed his belief that the program and faculty cuts were wise. He explained that after asking for (and getting) hundreds of millions of dollars from the New Mexico Legislature to build state-of-the-art Automotive facilities, the efforts and money were ultimately worthless, “Do you need an AA to work at Jiffy Lube?” asked Branch.

Regarding low registration numbers, Regent Powers (whose son is enrolled at NMSU) and Provost Martinez (whose son is enrolled at Santa Fe Community College) both complained about the lack of sophistication of NNMC students. Pointing to late enrollment, Martinez complained, “Procrastination is part of the culture itself.” He also explained that retention rates were low because, “We get students who can’t do fractions. We have a large population of students… with certain deficits.” Chair Garcia agreed with Martinez adding, “They’re not mature enough.”

As watchers of Northern expect, in the meeting as with most, all roads lead to the issue of dorms. Regent Powers made a connection between declining enrollment and the lack of dorms at the Española campus. (The college has dorm facilities at the El Rito Campus, which have been more than adequate for for-profit summer conferences and the like). President Barceló’s Administration and the NNMC Board have tried for several years to push through a plan for a no-bid dorm project, which was most recently ignored by the New Mexico Board of Finance. (The Board of Finance found NNMC's proposal so lacking it did not bring funding NNMC’s dorm proposal up for vote).[iv]

Powers asked of the lack of Española campus dorms, “How much is it impacting enrollment?” The answers by NNMC Administrators were shockingly disparaging of both the Española Valley and NNMC students—perhaps because members of the public were not present. The assembled leaders of the college argued that for NNMC to survive it needed to move beyond the local community, recruiting from outside the Valley and out of state. They argued that outside-influence was critical to the success of local students.

“We have students who are sheltered by the valley. We’re not diverse... we’re homogenous,” noted VP of Advancement Serna. Board member Branch added that without dorms filled with out-of staters, there is no student life, just locals who "Go from class to car... Who do I meet? We know each other anyway.” Branch, a resident of Santa Fe, added it is unwise to recruit students into Española without dorms to separate them from the local community because of “certain social problems.” Provost Martinez further explained NNMC needs out-of staters to edify local students, “Our students are very provincial. Some of our students have never been out of the county.”

Agreeing with these assessments, Regent Powers declared, “We have to be sure this student housing thing gets placed high up in the priority list.” Regent Powers, appointed by Republican Governor Susana Martinez, attacked the New Mexico Board of Finance for not allowing NNMC a bond to fund the dorm project. Governor Martinez sits on the Board of Finance and was critical of the NNMC dorm plan at the July Board of Finance meeting.[v] Regent Branch asserted of Legislators who have refused to approve the no-bid dorm project, “We haven’t been treated properly on this.” Amplifying Branch’s comment, Powers stated, “There’s injustice here. We need to try to expose it.” The NNMC Study Group wonders how Governor Martinez might respond to charges of injustice by her Republican appointee, Mr. Powers, not to mention the absolute silence of Republican Chair Chayo Garcia when these charges were made by Regent Powers.

President Barceló and the members of the NNMC Board (with the exception of Board member Donald Martinez, who did not attend the “Board Retreat”) have exhibited continued intransigence even with unprecedented low enrollment numbers that threaten the survival of the college. The “Board Retreat” neglected to acknowledge the assembled leaders’ role in the college’s decline and instead blamed and insulted the students of the Valley, Legislators, the New Mexico Board of Finance, and Governor Martinez. President Nancy "Rusty" Barceló and the members of the NNMC Board are running out of students to insult and critics to blame. As Chair Garcia predicted, Northern is now being crushed by the avalanche Barceló and the Board initiated.

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[i] “NNMC Regents Approve Budget,” T.S. Last, Albuquerque Journal (27 April 2014). Available http://www.abqjournal.com/390393/news/nnmc-regents-approve-budget.html

[ii] “Northern Struggles with Retention, Enrollment Numbers,” Ralph Chapoco, The Rio Grande Sun (14 August 2014). Available http://www.riograndesun.com/articles/2014/08/14/news/education/doc53ebbb9fe442e550185678.txt

[iii] Audio of full “Board Retreat” available from below. The Board met as a quorum but did not give notice of their 4:00 to 7:45pm meeting as a public meeting, nor did they post the agenda of the meeting as required by the Open Meetings Act. The Board has not released the draft minutes of this meeting within 10 days as required by the Open Meetings Act.

[iv] See more at “NNMC Dorms: Indefinite Hold.” Available http://www.nnmcstudygroup.org/blog/nnmc-dorms-indefinite-hold

[v] The full New Mexico Board of Finance Meeting can be accessed http://governor-nm.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1557 (Northern New Mexico College’s presentation is the last of the day and begins at 5:37 and continues until the meeting adjourns at 6:21.)

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nnmc to lose million dollar federal grant after forty continuous years of grant renewals

6/17/2014

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The year was 1972, Don McLean’s “American Pie” was hot on the charts along with Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and The Godfather was on its way to becoming the year’s highest grossing film. El Grito del Norte, co-founded by activist Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez and attorney Beverly Axelrod was still in production in Española, New Mexico, and El Parasol was a new kid on the restaurant block. 1972 was also the year that Northern New Mexico Community College was awarded the first “High School Equivalency Program” (HEP) Grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education. NNMCC’s High School Equivalency Program—the first funded in the state of New Mexico and the oldest in the nation—is now confirmed as non-renewed after being renewed every five years since 1972.

The Northern New Mexico College Study Group has been informed that NNMC lost its HEP Grant after two disastrous years under the leadership of Vice President of Advancement Ricky Serna. This grant, worth approximately $500,000 per year was taken over by Serna in 2011 after he removed HEP Director Donald Martinez.

Serna disturbed the grant in two critical ways that led to its non-renewal after 40 years of serving students in our community: 1) Serna moved the HEP programs and instruction from the El Rito campus to Española without authorization; 2) Serna then combined the High School Equivalency Program with another at the Española campus—Adult Basic Education (ABE). The ABE program, funded by the state of New Mexico and federal government under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, has significantly different measures and expected outcomes. It is a wholly separate program from HEP, which is specifically for seasonal and migrant farm workers and awards stipends to students to move them toward a GED in a finite amount of time.[i] Serna combined the programs’ instruction and instructors, and allegedly “double-dipped” by reporting the total number of students served by the combined HEP and ABE classrooms to each program separately. In 2013, Serna was reprimanded for this move and was told he was required to separate the programs. But alas, the damage had been done.

Serna was well-aware of his misrepresentation to the granting agencies and this would most certainly not have been done under the leadership of HEP Director Donald Martinez. Director Martinez upheld the long history of HEP’s success and responsibility and in doing so committed the program to continuing to serve those in our community who sought to achieve their goal of attaining a GED. Many of our HEP students continued into NNMC's College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and achieved Certificate, Associate’s and Bachelor’s at NNMC. HEP and CAMP not only benefited students, it was a clear component of NNMC's recruitment and retention, both of which should be critical concern to our Administration as we have reported lost between 45 and 57% of our student population since 2011. The newsletters from our then robust HEP program under Director Martinez attest to the program's successes and continued potential: http://ged.nnmc.edu/sites/default/files/u236/HEPNEWSLETTER.pdf and http://ged.nnmc.edu/sites/default/files/u3/HEP%20summer%20newsletter.pdf

Because of Serna and the Administration’s willful mismanagement, for the first time in 40 years, NNMC will not be re-awarded its High School Equivalency Program (HEP) Grant.

How many in our north-central New Mexico community will lose the opportunity to earn a GED because of NNMC’s Administration? NNMC’s reports show that the HEP Program serves at least 100 students per year, with a goal of an 80% success rate.[ii] These working-class, largely Chicana/o and Native students, receive tuition, books, counseling, a weekly meal and travel stipend, and the cost of GED testing--all to reward and encourage their efforts at gaining a GED. NNMC’s HEP was once a shining beacon in the Española School District, where the most recent graduation rate was a discouraging and dismal 45%.[iii] Our district, which trails far behind our state’s already low average graduation rate of 72%, has long been served by NNMC's HEP. In fact, Northern New Mexico College had only one of two HEP programs in the state (along with UNM’s Main campus in Albuquerque).

After forty years of successful program renewals, under this Administration, our community has lost the HEP Grant. And in doing so, it has extinguished another avenue of hope and promise in our community. In 2011, President Nancy "Rusty" Barceló delivered a lofty “Executive Proclamation” to celebrate HEP’s 40th Anniversary (pictured above).[iv] Then Barceló and her Administration stripped the program of its Director Donald Martinez, who was gracious in his goodbye though it was clear he had no desire to leave the program he had carefully nurtured.[v]

Once NNMC proudly proclaimed, “As part of a region steeped in a tradition of agriculture, Northern New Mexico College is proud to offer migrant and seasonal farm workers support and resources to earn their General Education Diplomas.”[vi] But again NNMC’s Administration has turned its back on our community and gutted a critical resource. The hubris of Serna, Barceló and company again results in a loss of instruction, services, and Federal grant money that this Valley and north-central New Mexico so desperately need.

The non-renewal of NNMC’s HEP Grant leaves the closest High School Equivalency Program approximately 90 miles away, or an hour and a half drive—if, as a GED hopeful you happen to have the daily gas money.[vii] Again the malpractice of a handful of NNMC Administrators has crushing consequences for our community. In addition, the loss of the HEP Grant will mean that four committed, full-time instructors will lose their jobs as will a critical part-time instructor who has taught computer literacy at NNMC for almost 15 years.

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[i] See HEP federal guidelines: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/hep/index.html

[ii] See the report to the NNMC Board of Regents for 2012, p. 5-6: http://site.nnmc.edu/sites/default/files/u3/BORDec072012.pdf and the HEP Annual Profile: http://results.ed.gov/sites/results.ed.gov/files/Northern_New_Mexico_College.pdf

[iii] http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/53857

[iv] See the HEP Newsletter: http://ged.nnmc.edu/sites/default/files/u3/SpandSumHEPNEWSLETTER.pdf

[v] See HEP Newsletter, “Farewell Hasta Luego,” p. 5 http://ged.nnmc.edu/sites/default/files/u3/SpandSumHEPNEWSLETTER.pdf

[vi] NNMC HEP webpage: http://ged.nnmc.edu/page/high-school-equivalency-program

[vii] For national locations of the HEP Grant Programs see: http://www.hepcamp.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=37#NM

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NNMC Regent Branch Attempts Coup

Send Comments and Concerns to Media

Crunching the Numbers on President Barcelo's Leadership

Secret meeting Blames students and governor

nnmc to lose million dollar federal grant after forty continuous years of grant renewals

New Mexico Legislature on SB-603 NNMC Name Change Bill

Feb NNMC Regents Agenda

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