President’s Report
to the
State Board of Community Colleges
May 16, 2003
Tomorrow marks the 40th Anniversary of the ratification of the legislation which created our Community College System. We will celebrate that 40th Anniversary with a dinner at the Mad Boar Restaurant in Wallace, NC, on July 11, 2003. On that occasion, we will honor Dr. W. Dallas Herring for his role in the creation and early nurturing of our System by announcing the funding of the Dr. W. Dallas Herring Leadership Development Institute and introducing the first five W. Dallas Herring Fellows. We also anticipate announcing that we have reached our $5 million Foundation fund raising goal. We have a number of solicitations outstanding which should push us over the top. A few solicitations will be pursued into the fall because of decision timetables that require board action after our celebration. We hope every single one of you can be with us on this special occasion.
The Legislature continues to claim much of the attention of myself and many of your staff members. The good news is that it is moving along at a record pace with the full expectation of having a budget in place, perhaps as early as the first week in June. With declining revenues we can expect for you to have to deal with significant discretionary cuts which you will determine when we meet in June or July.
Also, since the last meeting, I have spent a week in Europe with officials from the NC Department of Commerce, business and industry, and local economic developers in an effort to attract European companies to locate in North Carolina and create jobs here. The focus of our trip was on bio-manufacturing, visiting more than 30 companies along the Rhine River in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. In addition to calling on those companies, three biomanufacturing/biotechnology seminars were conducted, one each in Aachen, Germany, Strasbourg, France, and Basel, Switzerland. We were very positively received at each company headquarters and at the seminars. I am optimistic that several of the companies will make decisions to either expand existing operations in North Carolina or bring new plants to this state. Creating jobs is the focus!
Susan Seymour, Dr. Parker, Dr. Larry Keen, and myself continue to spend many hours working collaboratively with industry and university leaders in putting together our approach to biomanufacturing. I reported to you on that effort earlier today.
Dr. Larry Keen, his staff and I have participated in many economic developmental meetings here in North Carolina. The tempo of recruitment seems to be accelerating, a good sign for sure that our economy may be turning around.
On behalf of this Board and the System Office, I attended the funeral of our former colleague and special friend, E. B. Hale. It was a beautiful and well-attended service. Dr. Kathy Johnson was among those who delivered moving eulogies.
Elizabeth Isler and I continue to work with a task force on the nursing shortage in North Carolina. Of course, community colleges are seen as a significant contributor to addressing this problem.
Some of you participated in our Academic Excellence Luncheon held at the North Raleigh Hilton. Unfortunately, the exigencies of the legislative session reduced the number of legislative participants, but an excellent program was enjoyed by all and many outstanding students from across the System were honored. This is one of the highlights of the year for all of us.
As a part of the spring meeting of the North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents, Alice and I entertained them and their spouses in our home. Everyone appeared to have a very good time.
At the conclusion of the Presidents’ meeting, several culinary programs met with officials from the restaurant industry interested in our adding to our curriculum offerings a barbecue specialty. Of course, we ate at a barbecue restaurant.
Just a few days later, it was barbecue again as a number of community college partners (presidents, trustees, faculty, academic administrators, etc.) hosted a legislative barbecue luncheon under a big tent on the legislative grounds. We had such great participation that the barbecue ran out!
A number of colleges have given demonstrations of programs on their campuses since we last met, including Pamlico’s electroneurodiagnostic curriculum and Mayland’s horticulture curriculum.
The annual scholarship luncheon sponsored by Sprint was held in Greenville at which scholarship funds were presented that will be distributed to students at colleges served by Sprint across the state. This is an annual gift for many years of approximately $50,000.
Earlier this week the Education Cabinet met on a broad range of issues of mutual concern from budgets to the teacher/instructor/professor shortage that all levels of education face in the future.
Governor Easley convened a meeting of leaders from the motor sports industry in North Carolina, the Department of Commerce, the University System, and us to explore ways that we can be more supportive to this large, indigenous industry in North Carolina.
Dr. Saundra Williams and Kennon Briggs continue, along with their staff, to devote untold hours to the further implementation of our College Information System. A less than positive news article has spurred many questions, but let me assure you that we are well on the way to addressing the problems which exist and to a final implementation of this system. There will continue to be bumps along the road, but that was to be expected on such a major initiative and one that had never been undertaking anywhere else in the country.
Kennon Briggs reports that expenditures of funds approved in the Higher Education Bond Referendum have accelerated significantly in recent weeks. Of course, we knew that it would take some time for colleges to buy the land, hire the architects, and get to the point of construction.
We are very proud that Dr. Larry Gracie has been elected to the Executive Board of the National Council for Research and Planning as the Southern Regional Director.
Dr. Soyoung Yim in Planning, Research and Evaluation has been selected as a Fellow for the 2003 Summer Data Policy Institute in Potomac, Maryland. We congratulate her on this honor and we will benefit from her participation.
In our further efforts to place greater emphasis on distance education, we are pleased to announce the recruitment of Dr. Darryl McGraw back to our System from North Carolina State University in the new position of Associate Vice President for Instructional Development and Technology. Darryl was formerly the chief technology staff person at Johnston Community College.
A task force appointed by Dr. Parker and Senior Vice President Gretchen Bataille of the UNC System has completed its work in looking at issues of common interest in the two systems. These issues include increasing the transfer of students in teacher preparation, working together to provide e-learning opportunities, the development of articulation agreements for applied science programs, and the establishment of faculty committees in both systems to insure full implementation of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement.
At the Focus 2003 conference held in Madison, Wisconsin, North Carolina was one of seven states recognized for "providing leadership at the highest level in building America’s future through continued support of National Skill Standards."
The Economic and Workforce Development Division has submitted a preliminary proposal to the National Science Foundation to establish a statewide resource center and biomanufacturing network to fulfill our obligation to this burgeoning industry.
By the time we have our abbreviated meeting in June, I hope that the General Assembly will have completed its budget work and perhaps, have even adjourned for the year. Wouldn’t that be good news! Please keep up your contacts with your legislative friends.
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.