At the Aug. 27 meeting of the Barton Community College Board of Trustees, the board said goodbye to trustee Don Learned, who is moving to Texas. The board then appointed Cole Schwarz to complete Learned’s term.

Board chairman Mike Johnson said the trustees followed the state’s guidelines in seeking applicants for the appointment. Over the 60-day process, the board received applications from three candidates, Schwarz, Will Rains and Douglas Panning.

“All three are very qualified,” Johnson said. He encouraged the other two to run for a seat on the board in the next election.

Trustee Gary Burke agreed. “All three of the candidates are well qualified. Unfortunately, we just get to choose one.”

To make their selection, each trustee was asked to state his choice for the appointment. Johnson’s choice was Panning but all others chose Schwarz. Then there was a motion to appoint him, which passed unanimously.

Schwarz, a resident of Great Bend, has served on the board previously. In 2020, he was appointed to finish the term of trustee Mike Boys, who passed away earlier that year.

This being Learned’s last meeting, he spoke at the end of the meeting. He said he has served on the board for 19 years, going through five elections and serving with four board chairmen. He also praised the “awesome” faculty at Barton.

“It’s been a wonderful time and I thank all of you for your support,” he said. After accepting a plaque, a sweatshirt and another Barton shirt, he said, “I will wear this with pride in Texas.”