WC NEWS

The Weatherford College Board of Trustees took the next step toward transforming the Weatherford campus landscape during their meeting on Thursday, approving the guaranteed maximum price for Phase I of the new Student Union Building.  

The board set the price for Phase I at $10.7 million. This initial phase, expected to take three to four months, includes civil work for the site and the creation of additional student overflow parking.  

Phase II, which will include the construction of the building itself, is scheduled to begin immediately following the completion of Phase I to ensure a seamless construction process. The entire project is estimated to take approximately two years to complete.  

The new student union will be a five-story, 108,000-square-foot facility valued at approximately $100 million. President Tod Allen Farmer emphasized the college's commitment to fiscal responsibility in funding the project without burdening local taxpayers.  

“I’m proud to say we are not spending one penny of taxpayer money on this beautiful new structure that will transform this noble institution,” Farmer said. “It is being funded with a tuition revenue bond, which basically uses future student tuition and fees as collateral for the bonds that are issued.”  

Farmer noted that this funding method mirrors the successful strategy used for other recent additions, such as the Emerging Technologies and Workforce Building and Durant Hall.  

“That’s how over the last eight years our tax rate has actually decreased at the time that we have added tens of millions of dollars of facilities to this beautiful campus,” Farmer said. “We are very proud we are able to do that and still provide our community with tax relief.”  

Foundation Reports Record Growth  

Brent Baker, executive director of the Weatherford College Foundation, presented an annual update highlighting a year of significant growth in donor support.  

For the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, the foundation received $818,670 in donations, marking a 62 percent increase year-over-year.  

“We had a tremendous year,” Baker told the board. “Our donors really stepped up to the plate this last year.”  

Total net assets for the foundation reached $13.8 million at the close of the fiscal year, representing a 65.4 percent increase over the past decade. Baker noted that as of December, that figure had climbed closer to $14.2 million.  

This financial growth translates directly to student support. The foundation awarded $353,894 in scholarships to WC students during the 2024-25 academic year, contributing to a total of $2 million awarded in the past five years.  

“When I see these numbers, I think of the people,” Baker said. “These are lives being changed every day at this institution.”  

Baker also highlighted the success of the Bob Glenn Endowment Program, which now houses more than 200 scholarship endowment funds. He distinguished between endowed scholarships, which are invested to exist in perpetuity, and direct scholarships, which are funds given for immediate distribution.  

The foundation is also expanding its focus on planned giving, having launched a new committee and website (wc.planmygift.org) to assist donors who wish to include Weatherford College in their wills or estate plans.  

In other business, the board:  

• Approved the minutes from the Dec. 11 board meeting.  
• Approved the financial reports ending Nov. 30.  
• Approved the quarterly investment report.  
• Approved TASB police update No. 50.  
• Approved an adjunct pay increase for fiscal year 2026-27.  
• Approved a declaration of half marathon, indoor and outdoor track and field for the 2026-27 year.
• Received written reports from WC Wise County, academics and student services.  
• Following executive session, the board authorized President Farmer to negotiate the purchase of properties adjoining the Weatherford College campus pending the formal approval of the WC Board of Trustees.  

In his President’s Report, Farmer:  

• Congratulated Lori Bord, Debbie Alexander, Dr. Leslie Hancock and Grant Mills on their recent faculty and staff awards.  
• Congratulated Dr. Shanon Ydoyaga and Dr. Michael Saylor on their work securing an $800,000 Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education Grant.  
• Announced WC’s recording-breaking Coyote athletic year with volleyball players Beline Thibaut and Weronika Urbanska being named NJCAA All-Americans, bringing the total All-Americans for the calendar year to a record seven.  
• Announced the resignation of Associate Degree Nursing instructor Charee Null.  
• Provided an enrollment report for the Spring 2026 semester. As of Monday, Jan. 12, enrollment was 6,613 students compared with 5,595 students this time last year—an 18 percent increase.