President’s Report
to the
State Board of Community Colleges
January 18, 2002
It has been a long time since we last met and much has happened, most of it good, but some of it bad.
At our Day of Recognition following the last Board meeting, I presented the Presidential Leadership Award to Daryl Mitchell in recognition of his outstanding service on the Board, his service as president of the NC Comprehensive Community College Student Government and the incredible leadership he provided of students in support of the passage of the Higher Education Facilities Bonds. On that occasion, he looked like the picture of health. As you know, he has now been diagnosed with cancer of the lung, pancreas, and colon. I know that you will join with me in frequent and fervent prayer for the success of his treatment. Gifts to the Durham Technical Community College Foundation may be made to help with his medical expenses. Details will be provided to you later.
Certainly Peggy Beach and her committee deserve our thanks and commendation for the excellent Day of Recognition.
I trust that we all had wonderful holiday celebrations with our families and friends and returned to work in the new year refreshed from a lighter schedule during the holiday season.
In late November, the JobReady Council met for the final time. This program, which had excellent support across the state in involving community colleges and the business and industry community in providing meaningful experiences for young people to prepare them for the world of work, ended when the federal funding ran out. A number of very active local organizations will continue to operate, but without federal assistance.
Year-end has been a particularly busy time for the Foundation as we have attempted to wrap up a number of solicitations that we have been working on for sometime. A public announcement will be coming soon with regard to our largest contribution to date as well as a number of smaller contributions. With this very large contribution, we are very near the $5 million mark. I sincerely appreciate the very active support of Tommy Norman and Dub Dickson in setting up visits and in most cases, accompanying me to those visits. Joanne Steiner has obtained a contribution from her company. I would encourage other Board members to take a similarly active role in our wrapping up this endowment campaign.
Alice and I hosted at dinner Dr. Mike Ward, President Molly Broad, Dr. Hope Williams, and appropriate staff from public schools, the University System, and private colleges and universities. Over an extended dinner, we had very fruitful discussions with regard to weighted grades for college-level courses offered in high schools and with regard to teacher preparation.
Dr. Scott Ralls and his staff continue to work on an active partnership with the North Carolina Electronic and Information Technology Association to enhance our IT programs. Molly Broad, myself and others, spoke to that group at their annual meeting in Pinehurst.
Molly Broad, Hope Williams and I spoke to Leadership North Carolina in Winston-Salem. I am pleased that several community college leaders are included in this leadership development program, including Dr. Delores Parker. We had an excellent discussion of higher education issues.
Many North Carolina community college leaders and I participated in the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools annual meeting in New Orleans. We are pleased to report that all of our colleges did very well this year in their reaccreditation efforts. Robeson Community College had its probation lifted.
Your Chairman joined our current staff and a number of retired staff at our annual holiday party.
Dr. Ed Boone, retired professor from North Carolina State University and trustee at Louisburg College, and I met with Dr. Rosemary Gillett-Karam, president of that college. Also in attendance were Dr. Parker and several of her staff. Since this is the only remaining private junior college in North Carolina, we are eager to see them succeed and to assist them in any way that we can.
I was invited to Washington along with four other community college leaders from across the nation to brief the Secretary of Labor, Dr. Elaine Chao, on workforce development programs and the role of community colleges in providing that training. Unfortunately, this meeting occurred at the very end of last year’s Congress and Secretary Chao was called to the White House just before our meeting to deal with the economic stimulus package. However, we were able to brief her senior leadership. Because the U.S. Department of Education focuses little of its attention or resources on community college programs, it is our hope that the Department of Labor can provide us further assistance as we do our important work.
George Little and I hosted a meeting of Washington and North Carolina leaders interested in a community college role in teacher preparation. Included in that meeting was a representative of the Association of Colleges of Education and the Association of Community College Trustees, all from Washington. We sincerely hope that out of this will come a major national initiative modeled on our degree completion programs now underway across the state.
Dr. Parker, other members of her staff, and I met with Dean Marilyn Sheerer and East Carolina University leadership as we explore ways to involve that excellent School of Education in degree completion for teachers in Eastern North Carolina. In December, Dr. Steve Scott attended a meeting of the East Carolina University Board of Trustees at which Partnership East was announced and the first agreement signed with Craven Community College. The initial focus will be on teacher preparation, but this partnership will ultimately provide degree completion opportunities for people throughout Eastern North Carolina on community college campuses.
Kennon Briggs, Phil Albano and I made a presentation to Dr. Ruth Shaw and Mr. Mac Everett, the two members of the Facilities Bond Oversight Committee who are assigned to give specific oversight to community college programs. We are very pleased with the assignment of these two individuals, since both of them have significant knowledge of and commitment to the community college mission.
Earlier this week, I spoke in Rocky Mount to an Eastern North Carolina workforce summit and in Haywood County to a health careers workforce development summit.
Our System was honored to have Dr. Steve Scott invited to make a presentation to the Alabama Community College Presidents’ Association on workforce development. More than 100 people attended this meeting which explored expansion of what colleges in Alabama do in workforce development through non-credit courses.
Kennon Briggs and his staff continue the process of developing consensus on our budget request for 2002. This involves an incredible amount of work with trustees, presidents, faculty, and other members of the community college family. Likewise, in developing our request for equipment, a major equipment survey has recently been completed and the data is now being analyzed. A similar survey is underway as directed by you with regard to whether we should approve additional fees and if so, for what purpose and in what amounts.
Dr. Saundra Williams reports that our college information system project continues to unfold. The first payroll processing is occurring this week as a part of the new human resources system. In addition, the sixteen colleges that will begin implementation of the system in July are installing their new equipment and continuing the training of their personnel.
The wireless communications project, which is staffed by Parks Todd and Bob Blackmun, continues to work with holders of these licenses and our attorney as we continue completing the necessary contracts to make this system work.
The Program Audit Services Section has begun a series of regional meetings to better educate personnel in the field on how to report hours earned to the System Office. The reception has been excellent.
Dr. Delores Parker and leaders of our Community College System and North Carolina State University are hard at work in developing the Associate of Engineering degree proposal. Hilda Pinnix Ragland and Sandra Hayes recently participated in a teleconference on this issue. Though many steps must be taken before this degree is first offered, we are pleased with the progress of the work.
Fayetteville Technical Community College hosted the North Carolina Early Childhood Distance Learning Conference. More than a 150 early childhood professionals and distance learning coordinators from 49 of our colleges participated in an excellent conference. I was pleased to be invited to make the keynote address. The conference was made possible through grant funds made available by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and the Division of Child Development of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Since the last Board meeting there has been a great deal of activity in our Biotechnology Workforce Training Partnership. A meeting of the partnership was held on November 29 at which point it was decided to more formally structure the existing Biotechnology Education Industry Advisory Committee with the key focus on the Biotech Center/ Community College Training. Joanne Steiner of the State Board has agreed to assume the Chairmanship of the Advisory Committee. The System and the Biotechnology Center sponsored a very successful rollout and train-the-trainer session for the BioWork training program the week of December 11 at the Biotech Center and at Vance Granville Community College. Recently The News & Observer article on the program pilot at Vance Granville was picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle, and has generated inquiries from around the country.
Scott Ralls, Chuck Barham, and Peggy Graham have been working closely with the Regional Fire and Rescue Safety Coordinators to explore opportunities for enhancing fire and rescue training. A very productive meeting was held between Paul Miller, Executive Director of the North Carolina Firefighters’ Association and President Lancaster. Other efforts are underway within Dr. Ralls’ division.
The staff and I thank you for your wonderful leadership and support in the past year and solicit your continued hard work with us in the new year.
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.