President Owen, Chairman Wilkerson, Piedmont faculty and staff, thank you for this opportunity to share some thoughts with you. I bring you greetings from your North Carolina Community College System Office.

    It is always a pleasure to be on a campus at the start of a new academic year. It is an exceptional pleasure to join you as you begin to celebrate your 30th anniversary.

    Piedmont Community College is an excellent example of true success in the North Carolina Community College System. Since those early days in 1970 when the first 400 students were admitted to attend what was then Person County Technical Institute, PCC has grown in prominence and significance in its service area.

    Enrollment has thrived, last year serving more than 7000 students. You aare one of the fast growing colleges in our System. Companies have benefited from the training provided to their employees. Students have found what they sought – a good education and a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

    Looking at your Mission Statement, I can understand why you have been so successful. It states, "A major purpose of the College is to serve as a catalyst for economic development in the primary service area of Person and Caswell Counties."

    In the past few years several companies in the region have benefited from the world-class training of the North Carolina Community College System that is nationally praised as the best in the country. New and Expanded Industry training provided by PCC enabled Eaton Corporation, Fleetwood Homes, GKN Automotive and CTI Technologies to grow, thereby increasing their contributions to the economic base of the counties.

    The Small Business Incubator in downtown Roxboro, which also houses PCC’s Small Business Center, is another indicator of the important role the college plays in the life of the community. The tireless work done at the SBC – the counseling, seminars and referrals have enabled future entrepreneurs to establish a firm foundation for their business.

    Your mission also states, "The College maintains an open door policy, encourages diversity and believes that all persons should be informed, educated and able to participate in all aspects of a productive life. All persons should have equal access to a high quality education with will enable them to achieve their potential." This is the true essence of community colleges. Equal access for all.

    There is such an air of expectation and promise of great things to come at the start of a new year. Now, I know that classes have not officially started, and I’m turning the tables a bit, but I’d like to give you the first pop quiz of the semester.

    What do you think fashion designer Calvin Klein, shuttle pilot astronaut Eileen Collins, Super Bowl Champion coach Dick Vermeil, visionary Walt Disney, actor Clint Eastwood and business and political leader H. Ross Perot all have in common? If you said they all went to a community college, you get an "A."

    These distinguished alumni who are now household names attended a community college. Some attended because they did not know what they wanted to do with their lives and believed that a community college would help them decide. Perhaps others attended because they had limited financial means. And still others went because they needed a couple of years to brush up on their educational skills.

    In every case, it can be said that community colleges helped these outstanding individuals reach their potential. The fact of the matter is that among the list of community college alumni are Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners, astronauts, actors, writers, members of Congress and many others with equally impressive positions in society.

    And here you are today at the start of this semester, poised to offer the same opportunities that those individuals received when they began. I am confident that PCC is ready and able to help your students achieve success.

    I commend you President Owen, as well as your faculty and staff, for the decision to place an emphasis on technology. While I am sure you will admit there is more to do and adequate funding will help make it possible, much has been accomplished.

    The Industrial Laboratory Technology that begins this fall and your Digital Effects and Animation Technology Program in the spring will enable the graduates of those programs to enter workforce with true 21^st Century training.

    You just heard a report on Learning Assistance and Distance Learning efforts at PCC. The fact that there has been such a tremendous growth in Distance Learning enrollment – you are among the top in enrollment, in spite of being one of the smaller colleges - is an indication that this college truly has no boundaries.

    We are extremely pleased to see that PCC is taking advantage of the courses provided through the Virtual Learning Community, and you will offer your first Internet-based courses this semester.

    And as you prepare to undergo your SACS review, I am confident that the work that must take place will proceed effectively and efficiently, leading to full reaffirmation of accreditation for 2002.

    This community college and the rest of the members of the North Carolina Community College System represent a somewhat undervalued institution in this state. We are that hidden treasure. Now is the time we must tell the community college story. There is no place in this state, this country or I would dare say anywhere else in the world where you will find democracy in higher education better applied than at our community colleges.

    You have spent the past few days recognizing some of the PCC successes of the past and building on the promise of the future. I’d like to share some of the successes we have had in Raleigh that will help you achieve those goals.

    Of course when the General Assembly convened this summer we had a laundry list of requests in front of them, each critical to the continued growth and progress of our colleges. We were not very optimistic about our chance for success, especially given the tremendous triumph we had just experienced in the long session and the because of the dismal financial picture that was painted. Hurricane Floyd had devastated the eastern counties and there were other priorities that seemed destined to take any possibility of attention from us.

    However, when the session adjourned we had much to celebrate. This success was due in large part because of the combined effort of the business community, our State Board, the System Office, our Presidents and local trustees, the Faculty Association and others who worked tirelessly to help us make our case.

    We were heard.

    One major success of the session is Summer Term Funding. It is true the $7.1 million appropriated by the General Assembly represents only a sixth of the actual expense of running summer terms at our colleges. However, this money will go a long way to ease some of the financial stress that has existed for college presidents who had to finance the summer by pulling funds from other sources. This money will enable faculty to teach for longer periods, it will provide for additional faculty and staff salary increases, and of course it will create additional learning opportunities in the summer. This means students will be able to attain their educational goals more quickly and there will be more offerings for developmental students. But most importantly, it is the first step towards full funding which will have dramatic impact on salaries and capabilities.

    Many of our colleges, like PCC, have experienced healthy enrollment increases. The General Assembly provided $22 million to make enrollment adjustments. Part of this money will also help with problems experienced by those colleges affected by Hurricane Floyd.

    The legislature recognized the need to provide additional funding for occupational continuing education. The $3 million provided in the budget will help us take a leap toward parity between curriculum and continuing education funding.

    We are constantly trying to bring the salaries our wonderful and dedicated faculty more in line with the national and regional average. The State Board adopted salary guidelines that encourage colleges to provide larger continuing salary increases from new funds appropriated by the General Assembly. Also, the 4.2% salary increase for faculty and staff, along with the $500 bonus payment to all faculty and staff in the October pay period will bring us even closer to that goal. Additionally, summer funding will help in this endeavor.

    I am sure you are well aware that the General Assembly raised tuition 75 cents per credit hour for in-state students. The maximum number of semester hours for which tuition is charged for in-state and out-of-state students was increased from 14 to 16. In spite of this increase, a community college education is the best bargain around. For many of students Pell Grants, Community College Scholarships (also provided by the General Assembly) and tax credits make tuition a zero cost item.

    House Bill 275, another benefit begun in the 99 session, will provide $48 million for industrial training. The largest portion, $38 will fund equipment, technology and management information; $3 million will provide funds for regional and cooperative initiatives; new and expanding industry receives $5.5 million and $2 million goes to Focused Industry Training. This money will enable our colleges to better meet the mission of enhancing economic development across the state.

    Of course the Bond Referendum is the ultimate success of the session, but it also leaves us with a formidable task. On November 7 you will have the opportunity to make history. You can cast your vote for the largest bond issue on behalf of higher education in the state’s history. This referendum will provide $3.1 billion in funds for community colleges and public universities in the state. It specifically provides $600 million for community colleges to repair, renovate and build facilities on our campuses.

    The community college student is in the best place to move this bond issue forward. We are part of every community, and we know the people. We know the value of our institutions to our communities; we see it every day. We must work to get that message across to others. We need for our students to help spread the message.

    As you prepare to cast your vote in November, I hope you will take every opportunity to make sure your family, your church, your friends, your co-workers, that every person of voting age you know is registered to vote and understands the importance of this funding. I am confident that if we spread our message effectively, the voters will respond positively.

    This situation we face this November is unprecedented in our fiscal history. This $600 million represents more money provided by the state for capital improvements than in all previous years combined. We cannot afford to pass up this remarkable opportunity.

    Piedmont Community College will receive $ 4.9 million for repairs, renovation and new construction. The important thing you must impress on those who have yet to understand the importance of this funding is that repair and renovation money requires no match and only $1.9 million in matching funds will be required to draw down the full $4.9 million.

    Let me take this point statewide. While our community colleges will receive $600 million in funds from the bonds, only about $113 million is required in matching funds from the counties. Low-wealth counties have no matching requirement and counties across the state that have been very supportive in the past will have the opportunity to capitalize on their generosity.

    Upgrading every community college facility and university campus will help North Carolinians get the education, training and retraining they need to get and keep good jobs in the 21^st Century.

    Passing the bonds will help maintain our strong economy. Good jobs in all regions of North Carolina will mean providing a well-trained and well-educated workforce, and providing training facilities for specific industries.

    Community colleges and universities are already having difficulty keeping pace with student demands. Community colleges have long waiting lists for classes, especially those in high-demand fields like computers or nursing. Perhaps there is a class you hoped to offer this semester but could not because there was no place available to hold the class.

    North Carolina’s community colleges have as its mission opening the doors to opportunity. Without this funding, those doors will begin to close.

    Similar problems exist for the University of North Carolina. Some universities are being forced to cap admissions due to lack of space. Students who have the potential to succeed are denied a chance to enroll. Classrooms, science and technology labs and some dorms are inadequate and the $2.5 billion for the University is desperately needed.

    Enrollment is climbing at our institutions. By the end of the next decade, another 100,000 students are expected to enroll in our universities and community colleges.

    Here at Piedmont you are in the midst of impressive growth. Just this past year the FTE curriculum enrollment increased 10%. Summer 99 to summer 2000 curriculum head count increased 44%, from 424 to 611. This money will help us ensure that we will be able to admit and ready to serve those new students

    I realize there are questions about the effects of these bonds. Understandably there are concerns about the indebtedness the bonds will generate and about the way the money will be managed.

    State Treasurer Harlan Boyles says the state will not have to raise state taxes to pay off the bonds. He says North Carolina has one of the nation’s lowest debt loads, and can afford the bonds. In fact, he points out that repaying the bonds will take just 1% of the state’s budget.

    Keep in mind that a strong economy will keep our budget strong. The education and training provided by our universities and community colleges will provide our citizens with the ability to maintain that strong economy and provide higher income from which taxes will be paid to repay the bonds.

    You already know how valuable bond funding can be to this college. The 1993 bonds provided the funding for important additions to both the Person County and Caswell County Campuses. The money from the 2000 bonds will mean much more to both campuses. Renovation and repair money will assist the Person County campus in roof replacement, HVAC upgrades and relocating functions due to changing academic needs. 

    Of course I can’t guarantee that this bond issue will solve all the challenges of growth. But I can assure you that it will put your community colleges and your University in the best shape ever to address the challenges of this exciting new century and to continue providing the education and training needed across the state.