FORT SCOTT — While Allen Community College trustees begin the search for a new president, leaders of Fort Scott Community College are facing administrative challenges of their own.
Trustees there placed President Jason Kegler on administrative leave May 20 and appointed Sara Sutton, agriculture instructor, as interim president. Kegler had been president less than a year.
That follows news from last fall, shortly after Kegler took over, that the college was facing a $1 million deficit. Kegler instituted a hiring and spending freeze in January to address the shortfall and build reserves. The college needed to reduce all budgets and limit spending, he said. Board members in March increased student fees.
No reason was given for placing Kegler on leave. Board chairman Bryan Holt said he couldn’t comment on the administrative change. Sutton’s contract is for the 2024-25 school year and no plan to search for a new president has been announced, Holt said.
HOLT did address the college’s financial problems, which he said were caused by a number of factors dating back years. That included such things as over-estimating the number of credit hours students would take in previous semesters, and higher-than-expected costs for multiple construction projects. Among them, in 2022, the college unveiled a $1.6 million remodel of Bailey Hall, the oldest building on campus that shares duties as the student union and student success center. It was completed in 2022 and much of the funding came from a donation.
“It’s a complicated situation,” Holt said. “A lot of things fed into this and we’re trying to come up with a plan to address finances and get on solid funding.”
Kegler and his administrative team organized a series of community conversations between January and April to discuss the financial matter.
“They were well-attended,” Holt said. “People were engaged and asked good questions. The support was there. I can confidently say our community is behind the college and there is a desire to see what the future holds. I feel like everyone from our administration on down is taking steps to do good things for our students.”
The college has seen quite a bit of turnover among employees but that’s “not uncommon this time of year,” Holt said. Of the jobs posted on FSCC’s website are the director of admissions, financial aid assistant director, foundation director, and faculty positions related to agriculture and nursing.
Holt said trustees will know more about the school’s financial footing once they dive into the budget process this summer and review a recent audit.
The college has suspended the men and women’s golf team along with its eSports and flag football programs because of a lack of numbers, but scholarships for the next year will be honored. In September 2023, Kegler suspended the women’s basketball season because of a lack of coaches and players.
“I’d like to focus on the fact that we’ve got a lot of things in the pipeline,” Holt said. “We’ve got a great nursing program and our John Deere technician training program. We’re focused on building some of these bright spots.”
KEGLER formerly served as an admissions counselor and coached women’s basketball at Allen Community College, and worked part-time for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. He and wife Terra and their three children previously lived at Moran.
Before taking the post at Fort Scott in July 2023, Kegler was associate vice president for student life at Pittsburg State University for nine years. He also has served as dean of students at Neosho County Community College and director of student life, and head women’s basketball coach.
Kegler did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
