Frank Phillips College – With Plainsmen Pride
Jackie Brand, Frank Phillips College Vice President of Administration and CFO, concludes many of her emails with the phrase “With Plainsmen Pride.” As Frank Phillips College concludes its 75th year of operation, the college has many accomplishments for which it can be proud.
College enrollment again set record highs as the number of students enrolled exceeded 1,700 for the first time in its history, peaking at 1,754 students last fall. This two-year change of 10.8% was one of the highest percentage increases in enrollment in the state. Spring enrollment also set a record with 1,668 students, a 7.8% increase over the previous year and exceeding the state average of 5.2%
One of the biggest areas of enrollment is the exceptional welding program at FPC. The program has grown so much that the college constructed a new addition to the Borger welding building to accommodate the increase in enrollment. This addition was funded through the Pete and Wanda Gilvin Fund and the Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation both through the Amarillo Area Foundation, and the Borger EDC.
Another area of growth is in diesel mechanics. This new program is rapidly growing and due to the generous contribution of Gene and Louise Rahll, a new workforce building focusing on diesel mechanics has broken ground at the Dalhart – Rahll Campus and is expected to be completed for the fall 2025 semester. This new facility will be a great addition to the community of Dalhart and for all FPC students.
The college was proud to participate in the new Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program created by HB 8. This program was supported by all Texas community colleges, Senator Kevin Sparks, and Representative Four Price. The new legislation changes Texas community college funding from enrollment-based funding to performance-based funding. Due to the outstanding performance of Frank Phillips College, the college received the highest percentage of funding increase of any Texas community college. This high level of performance would not have been possible without the excellent faculty and staff of FPC. The additional funding from the state allowed the college to reduce tuition for dual credit students and to freeze tuition and fees for all other students for FY23-24 and for FY24-25.
There were many disasters in the last 12 months including the Perryton tornado and the terrible, historic fires in the Texas panhandle. The Perryton campus was used as a command center for recovery efforts and the Borger campus cafeteria provided meals through the Red Cross to first responders involved in firefighting. The college was privileged to offer its facilities and services to panhandle communities affected by these disasters.
The college academic year ended with the largest graduation class in history with 348 students receiving a degree or certificate. The college was honored to have Senator Kevin Sparks deliver the commencement for the 75th anniversary.
Mentioned above are just a few of the achievements for which Frank Phillips College can be proud. Our 75th year was a great year of celebration and as the college looks forward to its bright future, be assured that everything the college does is for our students, our communities and……with Plainsmen Pride.
