Hutchinson Community College will kick off the 2026 football season with a pregame tailgate and free concert featuring former Blue Dragon baseball player and coach Scott Wolverton on Thursday, Aug. 20.

Wolverton will perform live from 5 to 6:30 p.m. during the pregame tailgate. Admission to the concert is free, giving Blue Dragon fans an opportunity to enjoy an evening of live music before cheering on the Blue Dragon football team.

Food will be available for purchase during the tailgate.

Following the concert, fans can head to the stadium for the Blue Dragons' 7 p.m. football kickoff vs. Cisco College.

Wolverton is a familiar face to the Blue Dragon community, having played baseball for Hutchinson Community College before returning to coach with the program. He now performs as a musician and songwriter.

“We’re excited to welcome Scott back to campus and have him be part of the Blue Dragon football season opener,” said Athletic Director Josh Gooch. “It’s a great opportunity to bring our community together for some live music, good food and Blue Dragon football.”

The tailgate and concert will take place prior to the football game on Thursday, Aug. 20. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, enjoy the concert and stay for kickoff at 7 p.m.

For more information on Blue Dragon athletics, visit bluedragonsports.com.

For more information about Scott Wolverton’s music, visit scottwolvertonmusic.com.

Hutchinson Community College has earned a ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the regional accrediting organization responsible for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of higher education institutions.

The ten-year reaffirmation represents a significant achievement and reflects the College’s ongoing commitment to academic quality, student success, institutional effectiveness, continuous improvement and community outreach. The comprehensive accreditation process included an extensive evaluation of the College’s operations, academic programs, student services, governance and resources.

HutchCC President Dr. Tricia Paramore said the reaffirmation is a testament to the dedication of faculty, staff and administrators who work each day to provide students with a high-quality education and the support they need to succeed.

“Earning a ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation is a tremendous accomplishment and a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff. It demonstrates our commitment to providing students with a high-quality education while continually looking for ways to improve and better serve our students and communities.”

For more information on Hutchinson Community College, visit www.hutchcc.edu.

With less than one week remaining before Hutchinson Community College begins its transition to the new J1 by Jenzabar student information system, students and community members are encouraged to complete any time-sensitive business before the July 7 start of the College's temporary "go dark" period.

From July 7 through July 31, several online student services will be temporarily unavailable or have limited functionality while data is migrated to the new system.

Services affected during the transition may include:

• Online registration and enrollment
• Student account access
• Financial aid information
• Online payment processing
• Transcript and records requests
• Degree audit and advising tools
• Portions of the College website connected to student systems

Although some online services will be temporarily unavailable, students and the public can still receive assistance from all Hutchinson Community College offices. Faculty and staff will continue assisting current and prospective students, parents, and community members throughout the transition.

"We're entering the final phase of implementing a system that will better serve our students for years to come," said HutchCC President Dr. Tricia Paramore. "We encourage students to take care of any registration, financial aid, or billing needs before July 7, and we appreciate everyone's patience as we complete this important upgrade."

The new J1 system represents a significant investment in technology that will enhance the student experience and improve services across the College. Following the transition, students will access the new DragonZone portal, with additional features and enhancements rolling out over the coming months.

Additional updates and transition information are available at www.hutchcc.edu/J1-project.

The Hutchinson Community College Board of Trustees held its final meeting of the fiscal year Thursday evening.

The Board conducted several items of routine business including approval of the final bills to be paid for the 2025-26 fiscal year. In addition, the Board approved its insurance premium renewal for the coming year.

The next meeting of the board will be on Thursday, July 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the Richard E. Smith Science Center.  The public is invited to attend.

For more information on Hutchinson Community College, visit the college website at www.hutchcc.edu.