What happened: The Midland College Board of Trustees met Tuesday, Feb. 17, and approved a $257,244 Canvas software license, a Construction Manager At Risk agreement with McGough Construction for fire suppression work, the Midland County Hazard Mitigation Plan, and a sweeping set of board policy updates tied to last year’s state legislative session.

Key points:

  • Canvas license: Trustees approved a $257,244.18 contract with Instructure to purchase Canvas licenses for the campus, the college’s learning-management software platform used by faculty and students.
  • Fire suppression: Trustees agreed to pursue an agreement for fire suppression work on campus.
  • Hazard mitigation: The board approved the Midland County Hazard Mitigation Plan, presented by Midland County Emergency Management. Adopting the plan keeps the college eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding tied to hazard mitigation work.
  • Local policy updates: Trustees approved an extensive set of revisions to the college’s local policies, covering nearly thirty individual policy sections and tied primarily to bills passed in last year’s 89th Texas Legislature and its second special session.

The updates touch board governance, faculty senate procedures, facilities planning, employee and student expression on college property, technology resources, artificial intelligence policy, registration, student conduct, and community use of college facilities, among others.

  • Racial profiling report: Police Chief Borgstedte presented the department’s annual racial profiling report. The report showed 777 stops over the past year, 99.7 percent of them traffic-related.
  • Performance indicators: A scheduled presentation of the college’s Key Performance Indicators was tabled. The KPI report typically tracks enrollment, retention, and completion outcomes.
  • Kids’ College: Trustees received a division presentation on Kids’ College. The summer program for children ages 6 to 12 reached 86 percent class capacity in June 2025. A parent survey reported 82.8% of families rated the program a 5 out of 5 and 15 percent rated it 4 out of 5. The 2026 program will run June 1 through 25, Mondays through Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m., at $120 to $180 per week.
  • Trustee retirement: Board Chair Steve Kiser announced the retirement of Trustee Larry Lawrence, effective March 5. Lawrence has served on the board since 2009, the longest tenure among the body’s current members.