Students leaders meet with Dr. Lott

Student leaders from all three main campuses spoke with Dr. Lott on April 5 at the annual Tri-Campus Spring Leadership Seminar on the Perk Campus.

Gulf Coast student leaders from all three main campuses got a chance to speak candidly to President Willis Lott when they gathered April 5 for their annual Tri-Campus Spring Leadership Seminar on the Perk Campus.

Student Council members and those serving on the student recruitment team, Reflections, participated in an open forum with Dr. Lott to discuss current issues at the college. Students submitted anonymous question-and-comment cards to Dr. Lott and then took part in a dialogue about those topics.

The group of student leaders discussed a variety of student life topics and also raised some common concerns. President Lott fielded questions about class attendance, parking, athletics, campus master plans, dorm cleanliness and food services. He also talked with students about the possibility of a tuition increase. Lott explained that four years of budget cuts had resulted in no salary increases for employees of the college, and asked if students could manage a tuition increase. Their response: Gulf Coast is still the most affordable higher education choice and the instructors were among its greatest strengths.

Students were also asked to list other strengths of the college. Among the areas mentioned in the comment cards were the positive relationships between the faculty/staff and students of the college, as well as its affordability, smaller class size, services in the Learning Lab, scholarship opportunities and Web Services.

Students heard from Colleen Hartfield, vice president for Institutional Relations, about Gulf Coast’s Strategic Plan and Initiatives. The seminar gave students an opportunity to give feedback as the college prepares to implement the Strategic Plan 2010.

Afterward, the student leadership groups and their sponsors joined other administrators and Dr. Lott for a spring cookout at Liaison, the president’s home.