With funding provided by the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR), Barton Community College will be able to launch a Virtual Orientation Project created by Advantage Design Group. Vice President of Student Services Angie Maddy told the BCC Board of Trustees she has wanted this service for years, adding it has the potential to help every student.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the trustees authorized Barton President Dr. Marcus Garstecki to sign a five-year agreement with Advantage Design Group for $176,114. Maddy said the college has an opportunity thanks to KBOR’s student success initiatives for two-year colleges.
The Kansas Legislature approved Student Success Initiatives Distribution - Senate Bill 28 in 2024. It appropriated $17,500,000 to the Board of Regents for the two-year colleges to be used for the development and implementation of initiatives that increase student success.
Board Chairman Mike Johnson said the money is all KBOR line-item funding that can only be used for student success.
Maddy explained the need and how the project will help. According to material provided to the trustees, Barton’s student orientation approach has been homegrown and inconsistent. One feature that will likely continue is the traditional face-to-face, half-day orientation sessions presented right before classes start each Fall semester. However, some students aren’t able to attend, and some information would be helpful to prospective students or to students at other locations who never set foot on the Barton County campus. It also expands the orientation to high-school students.
Students will be able to reference the orientation later if needed. This will allow them to engage with and become familiar with processes, policies and support services.
Advantage Design Group can design, produce and host a video-based orientation. Maddy described the company as the premier vendor in this service area, able to create a program “on par with any college or university in the country.” Other advantages include:
• Engaging and interactive content specific to Barton
• Ability to provide this program to any student regardless of location, modality, student type, etc.
• A video crew from ADG will be on location for top-quality customization with authentic Barton still photography and videos. This will include a “student walking tour” of the campus.
• Students can sign on easily with their MyBarton online portal, which features a mobile-friendly design
• Tracking and reporting
Maddy said the program supports student engagement and belonging, which is another reason it fits the “student success” criteria.
This proposal includes an initial one-year purchase with an additional four-year subscription bundle option.
The trustees were interested in how the college might fund their service after Year 6.
“Right now, it is $6,000 a year,” Maddy said.
“That’s not a lot of money if it’s successful,” Johnson said. “(It could be) dollars well spent for the college.”
Trustee Dale Maneth asked if the project could offset any other costs to the college.
President Garstecki said the KBOR funding for student success projects has offset a lot of college funding.
Maggie Harris, chief communications officer, indicated her department would benefit from the professional interactive tour. The college has a walking tour video but it is dated. “We’ve talked for a year about replacing the walking tour,” she said.
BCC Board of Trustees meeting at a glance
Here’s a quick look at other actions taken at Tuesday’s Barton Community College Board of Trustees meeting.
• The board elected officers, staying with the same officers as last year: chairman Mike Johnson, vice-chairman Gary Burke, secretary John Moshier, with Vice President of Administration Mark Dean as treasurer. Johnson will also serve as the board's representative on the Kansas Community College Association.
• Barton President Dr. Marcus Garstecki reported on the PACE (Personal Assessment of College Environment) Survey, taken by college staff.
• Vice President of Student Services Angie Maddy gave a monitoring report on END 3: Academic Advancement. ENDS are often described as the college’s overarching policy statements. END 3 states: Students desiring academic advancement will be prepared for successful transfer to other colleges and universities. A monitoring report looks at indicators of how well the END is being met.
• Dr. Garstecki shared proposed revisions for the eight END statements, which were approved. Chairman Johnson described the latest revision as minor tweaking.
• New personnel were approved:
- Michael Noer – Director of OSHA Training Institute Education Center and Occupational Safety and Health (Grandview Plaza Campus); contract position
- Miranda Gaudian – Part-time enrollment specialist (Fort Riley Campus)
- Scott Andersen – Digital content specialist (Barton Campus)
- Jesse Schreiner – EMS programming specialist (Barton Campus)
