News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Kristen Wisniewski, Quick Start Grant director, presented on the Quick Start project at the Alpena Community College Board of Trustees regular meeting Wednesday night.

ALPENA — The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees discussed the general fund budget for Fiscal Year 2026 at its regular meeting Wednesday night.

The college is projected to obtain 40.92% of its general funding from tuition/fees, 38.72% from state aid, 19.32% from property taxes, 0.16% from federal funding, 0.22% from interest, and 0.65% from other sources.

In the past, funding from the state and tuition/fees have hovered around 40% for each.

In the budget report, Vice President for Administration and Finance Nick Brege said that they expect an increase of $489,000 for expenditures on salary steps.

Fringe benefit expenditures are expected to increase by $47,000.

Tuition waivers are expected to increase by $30,000 to support the growing athletics program.

A $90,000 transfer to the maintenance and replacement fund is expected to support spending on capital projects in Fiscal Year 2026.

The college is expecting a 1% decrease in enrollment. Trustee Joe Gentry asked whether the additional sports teams would increase enrollment, but President Don MacMaster said that he thinks the decline in enrollment in K-12 would counteract that.

They are also expecting an increase of 3.5% for CDL truck repair expenses and a supplies increase of $36,000 for new nursing materials with more content.

Grants like the FIPSE grant are helping handle nursing costs.

Macmaster said they are looking to get an earmark from the state for new housing units. Otherwise, the new housing units will be funded from the auxiliary fund, which will be discussed at the next meeting.

Brege laid out the budget for capital projects over the next five years, including upgrades to the Donnelly Natural Resources Center. The expected total for the projects is $5,816,400.

The projected general fund budget will total $17,891,527, an increase of 5.1% from the Fiscal Year 2025 budget of $17,029,312.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

— ACC graduate Jake Giesige won the overall individual award for all events at the 2025 Lineman Rodeo hosted at ACC on April 25. Paul Gamage, utility technology faculty, thanked the people responsible for putting the rodeo together.

— The head softball and baseball coaches, Drew Ornelas and Rob Enslen, respectively, reported on their successful seasons this school year.

— Kristen Wisniewski, Quick Start Grant director, presented on the launch of the Quick Start Project that assessed and addressed institutional barriers impacting students’ academic journeys. The project revealed that students face a range of persistent barriers, including financial hardship, housing and food insecurities, transportation challenges, and mental health concerns. Wisniewski has been working to foster student engagement in events and services that provide support for students facing barriers.

— The Board of Trustees approved the purchase of two Dell PowerEdge R740 servers and technical support from CXtec of Syracuse, New York, for a cost not to exceed $15,872.

The current computer server equipment consists of products from several manufacturers and provides limited resources. Based on this assessment, administrators created a plan to consolidate and normalize the computer servers used at ACC so as to provide a solid foundation for serving resources.

— College officials have identified the need for a medication cart workstation to be used for the instruction of nursing students at the Oscoda Campus. This equipment will provide a dynamic and hands-on learning experience that bridges theory and practice, preparing the students for real-world healthcare environments. This equipment will better equip the Oscoda Campus to provide enhanced learning experiences that support essential nursing clinical and procedural training.

The board voted to purchase one medication cart workstation, including installation and training, shipping and handling, technology management plan, MedSkills software, wristband printer with 300 labels, and a barcode printer with 350 labels for a total of not to exceed $38,674.00. This purchase will be 100% funded by the ACC FIPSE Oscoda Campus Improvement Project Grant.

— ACC traditionally incentivizes student-athletes with tuition waivers. The current Board Policy 5011, Tuition Waiver for Campus Activity Program Policy, sets the total amount of tuition waivers at 780 contact hours per year. With the addition of three new sports teams, the policy will be changed to 1,000 contact hours per year. The board approved the change to the policy

— Glenn Campbell was hired as the Women’s Soccer Head Coach, effective May 1.