H. Martin Lancaster
President, North Carolina Community College System
North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees Newsletter
Winter
2007
Retirement is on my mind these days -- not so much my own, although I am beginning to make plans for a retirement date in the next couple of years. I'm thinking about what retirement means for the North Carolina Community College System as we look toward a future of growing enrollments, exciting new programs, great demand for our services and continuing heavy turn-over at all levels from president to custodian.
Here are some numbers that show why I'm concerned -- the average ages of key people in our system.
- Presidents: 59
- Senior Administrators: 54
- Curriculum Faculty: 48
- Continuing Education Faculty: 50
- Staff: 48
- System Office Staff: 48, with almost 40 percent over 50.
The good news in those numbers is that our leaders, teachers and staff members are mature and experienced. The bad news is that a whole lot of them are already eligible for retirement, and many more are knocking on the door. As I write this in January 2007, several of our colleges are looking for new presidents, and I have no doubt more will be soon. I don't want to hazard a guess as to how many faculty and staff members are preparing their retirement papers, ready to put their feet up or, more likely, embark on second careers. These retirements loom just as we face the certainty that we will need more highly qualified faculty in key areas such as nursing, as we move toward national accreditation for all nursing programs which will require that all faculty have a master's degree.
Across state government, executives are looking at similar numbers and working hard on plans to make sure North Carolina continues to have competent, qualified employees. The state’s workforce development is now the top priority of the Office of State Personnel, and OSP is developing a major data system to link retirement projections and labor supply to identify potential gaps.
We can't wait for them to finish before we do our own succession planning, however. The new Strategic Plan developed by the State Board of Community Colleges calls for the System to "develop and implement a Succession Plan Model that allows colleges and the System Office to identify, prepare for and manage the effects of impending and future retirements. The Succession Plan Model should include strategies for developing the current NCCCS talent pool as well as recruiting from outside the System to expand the pool of qualified candidates."
We need -- and your colleges need -- a clear picture of where the gaps are now and where they will be five, ten and fifteen years down the road. We need competitive salaries to attract the best candidates at every level. We need opportunities for current faculty and staff to earn credentials they must have to move up. We need strong leadership development.
The Consensus Expansion Budget Proposal for 2007-2009 includes several items that address those needs. The top priority is $45.5 million the first year and $90.3 million the second to keep moving toward the national average on salaries for faculty and professional staff. In Allied Health, we are requesting $31.6 million per year for enhancements including salaries, plus additional funds for salary differentials, degree completion and other costs of National League for Nursing accreditation. We also have items for professional development and degree completion for faculty as a whole totaling about $7.4 million.
How can trustees help make sure that succession planning works? First, as always, I ask that you work with us on presenting the expansion budget to decision-makers, particularly in the General Assembly. Second, I urge you to know the numbers for your community college. What's the mix of age, experience and potential? Where are your high-growth areas? What does the workforce in your area look like? And third, I encourage you to support leadership programs for your faculty, staff, students and certainly for trustees. "Support" means encouraging participation in state, regional and national opportunities, and it means providing strong programs on campus. Many of our community colleges do exceptional work with leadership development, and they reap tremendous benefits in loyalty and seamless service. Excellent employees come from many places, of course, and we benefit also from talented people who come into our system from other places and other disciplines. Let's work together to make sure that North Carolina's community colleges attract, grow and keep leaders, faculty and staff of accomplishment and dedication.
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