LUMBERTON — The Robeson Community College board of trustees took a step back from its regular monthly meeting routine and went star gazing Monday night.

Jennifer Brown and David Gavasci, co-directorss of RCC’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration Project, set up a telescope that the college recently bought with NASA grant money just outside the new Workforce Development Center. Trustees then took turns checking out the stars on the cloudless night.

Gavasci told the board that another telescope will be delivered to the college by the end of March.

Gavasci and Brown told the trustees they will offer astronomy classes and want to start an astronomy club.

“The gist of the grant is to get students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” Gavasci said.

Gavasci and Brown told the trustees they took students to the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Transylvania County on Friday and Saturday.

“We got to operate a $100,000 telescope,” said Peter Hunt, who is getting an associate degree in science. “When I got home, I grabbed my niece and said ‘Let’s go look at the stars.’”

Brown said that the NASA grant has given RCC an opportunity to expand educational and career options for its students.

“Many people know about such programs as Allied Health,” she said. “We want to say, ‘Here’s another opportunity.’”

The $412,244 grant was given to RCC on Sept. 30. The Public Schools of Robeson County received $24,000 of that money to pay for new equipment at the Robeson Planetarium and Science Center, to enroll the planetarium in NASA programs and to offer an online astronomy course. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke received $35,936 to enhance its science and math curriculums.

Gavasci and Brown are also currently working on NASA internships and fellowships for RCC students.

In other business:

— The Culinary Technology Department catered the meeting with gourmet food and desserts.

— Ashley Walters, a nursing student, was recognized for helping Richard Burns, an adjunct professor who taught computer repair courses, after she found him unconscious in the parking lot on Feb. 10. Walters called 911 and performed CPR on Burns until medics arrived. He later died at the hospital, but family members were grateful that they got a chance to say good-bye thanks to Walters’ efforts, according to Eva Meekens, the program director of Nursing.

— The board approved an amendment to the attendance policy for students in developmental study classes. The previous policy stated that students could miss 20 of the 80 instruction hours. Now they can miss no more than 12 hours.

— The board approved bids for the Workforce Development Center parking lot.

— The board learned that the roof is being replaced on Building Four, which houses the library and faculty offices.