CCCC trustees extend president’s contract

Extending the contract of president Amber Knoettgen by an additional year was approved by the Cloud County Community College board of trustees during its regular meeting on Tuesday night.
The board of trustees conducted its annual evaluation of Knoettgen last Thursday and then approved the contract extension to June 30, 2026, on Tuesday.
“I think it has been amazing what her (Knoettgen) and her team have accomplished in the last couple of years,” board of trustees president Jesse Pounds said.
Knoettgen, who was vice president for administrative services for more than three years, was appointed the interim president of Cloud County in May 2021.
The board of trustees voted in November 2021 to appoint Knoettgen as the college's ninth president.
Knoettgen had previously had her contract extended to June 30, 2025.
In other action taken during the meeting, the board approved a bid for cyber security services with Security Compliance Associates in the amount of $144,000. The cost of the first year of the contract will be $56,000. The next two years will be $44,000 each.
The payment for the cyber security services will come from tech fees.
Vice president for administrative services Caesar Wood informed the board that the college is expecting to receive $250,000 from the state of Kansas for cyber security and the funds used from tech fees will be replaced.
A bid in the amount of $20,000 from Ferrell Law Firm, LLC to provide one year of law services was approved by the board.
The college has the option to renew the contract with Ferrell Law Firm up to four additional years, including any price escalation clauses.
The board also approved a bid from Dissinger Reed in the amount of $68,500 for basic and $5,866 for catastrophic student athletic insurance coverage for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. That is a decrease in cost of 1.4 percent from the previous year.
Included in the consent agenda approved by the board was the contract renewal recommendations for administrative personnel for 2023-2024.
The other personnel items included in the consent agenda included the hiring of a nursing instructor, a welding instructor, an early childhood education instructor and an assistant basketball coach.
Jeffrey Metzler, Minneapolis, was hired as a nursing instructor. He earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Southwest Baptist University and is working toward a master's of science degree in nursing from Southwest Baptist.
Metzler is currently working as a registered nurse at the Ottawa County Health Center.
Danea Buschkoetter, Beloit, was hired as a welding instructor.
Buschkoetter earned a certificate of welding, an associates of welding engineering technology/technician from North Central Kansas Technical College and a bachelor of science degree in applied technology from Fort Hays State University and has been working as a welding instructor at North Central Kansas Technical College.
Tonja Bisnette, Downs, was hired as an early childhood education instructor. She earned a bachelor of education degree in early childhood and a master's of science degree in educational administration from Fort Hays State University.
Bisnette has been working as an in-person trainer at the Kansas Child Care Training Organization in Manhattan.
Nick Lehnard, who works as a foundation specialist for the Cloud County Community College Foundation and served as a volunteer assistant for the men's basketball program last season, was hired as the assistant coach.
Lehnard received a bachelor of arts degree in business administration, concentration in management and leadership, from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and a master's of athletics leadership from Castleton University. He was the assistant women's basketball coach and director of NAIA compliance and game day operations at St. Ambrose University prior to joining the staff at Cloud County.