President’s Report
to the
State Board of Community Colleges
February 17, 2005
Having met by telephone in December and January, it seems like a very long time since we actually met. Welcome back to Raleigh!
It seems that a lot of time has been spent on nursing issues since we last met. I had lunch with Polly Johnson, Executive Director of the NC Board of Nursing, had a meeting of the Task Force on the Nursing Shortage led by the Institute of Medicine, and have had several conversations with various parties about the position taken by the State Board at your December meeting with regard to Medication Aides. One would think that with the number of registered nurses and other allied health professionals we produce each year that we might enjoy a little more respect than we seem to receive. We will continue to work on these issues.
The General Assembly has convened and the House and the Senate have appointed their committees. We have begun our conversations with members of the legislature, but thus far have not had any of our legislation introduced. Alice and I have hosted two of four scheduled dinners in our home for new members. These have gone very well.
The Hispanic Initiative Advisory Board met to review its recommendations.
Several meetings have been held with regard to the transition of the Textile Center to its new format. We seem to be making progress in the transition. Yesterday’s meeting with the Transition Team, chaired by Kennon Briggs, was particularly promising.
I have interviewed several people to fill the vacancies left by Tim Brewer’s departure for Mitchell Community College and Lynda McCulloch’s departure to become the Associate Director of the Hunt Institute in Chapel Hill. Thank you for approving Richard Sullins for one of those positions.
Following a preliminary meeting with Secretary George Sweat of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, an Interagency Committee has been created between North Carolina Community Colleges and that Department to seek ways in which we might serve its training needs for staff and work more closely in providing instruction for young people who are a part of the juvenile justice system.
President Molly Broad and I have conducted two meetings on our "Listening Tour" as a part of the study mandated by the General Assembly. We were directed to look at ways in which higher education can play a more significant role in economic development and to determine the programs and facilities needed for those efforts. We have met in Greensboro and Greenville and will be holding our Hickory meeting in early March. That study is ongoing and a number of your staff are involved in assisting with various aspects of the study.
Willa Dickens and I met with Billy Ray Hall with regard to the Interagency Dislocated Worker Initiative that they have led. This effort has recognized the important role that we play and focuses on ways that we can enhance services for the dislocated worker across agency lines.
The Advisory Board for the Duke Energy Foundation grants met this week. Grants were recommended for two of our colleges and will be announced shortly.
Dwight Allen, Chairman of the NC Community Colleges Foundation, and I met this week to discuss the agenda for our annual Board meeting.
Dr. Mike Kocurek, head of the Department of Wood and Paper Sciences at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and I met this week to discuss the serious concern which has developed as a result of a survey circulated by his Department with regard to a potential wood products associate degree to be offered by NCSU. I am happy to report that all matters have been clarified with regard to the survey and no effort will be made by NCSU to offer the associate degree. Fortunately, closer cooperation and collaboration between our colleges and this Department will result from this flap.
A number of your staff have participated in the NC Citizens for Business and Industry Legislative Seminar and Reception and the Emerging Issues Forum at North Carolina State University. As always, very positive remarks were made about community colleges and their roles in support of business and industry and allied health careers. The Emerging Issues Forum, which several of us attended, focused on the entire healthcare crisis in North Carolina.
Many trustees, presidents, and I participated in the annual Legislative Seminar co-hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees in Washington earlier this week. I was able to meet with several Members of Congress and several staff members of Congressmen who were not in Washington. We met as a group with Senator Burr. We are very concerned about the President’s budget as it affects literacy/basic skills programs and technical and vocation programs. Those concerns were expressed.
Last night a number of presidents and I met with the Legislative Black Caucus to discuss our legislative agenda. It was a very successful event.
Fred Williams, Board Chairman James Woody, Board member Dr. Stuart Fountain and others are in Thailand providing trustee training for the initial Boards of Trustees for the new community colleges created under an initiative we have worked on for four year. The training was funded by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development.
Fred Williams participated in the Forsyth Technical Community College retreat at which their strategic plan was developed for the next three years.
Mr. Williams, your other vice presidents, and I participated in the community college presidents’ Winter Conference at Carteret Community College. Important presentations were made on the Higher Education Study, the Funding Formula Study, and the High Cost Programs Study. Much time was spent on budget and non-budget legislative issues.
Dr. Randy Whitfield and her staff hosted Mr. Charles Talbert and Rebecca Moak from the US Department of Education who were here last week for the review of our basic skills program. This was a very successful visit.
Dr. Whitfield, Jonathan McDougald, and Lou Ann Parker attended a national seminar on changes to the national reporting system for basic skills.
The NC Association of Community College Presidents has announced a new leadership award for students which will be named for Governor Robert W. Scott. Each college will be invited to nominate one student leader and a winner will be named from six regional finalists. The winner will receive a plaque and $500 and each of the finalists will receive a plaque and $100. In light of this very fine award, I will not continue to give similar award on our Day of Recognition.
Karen Yerby coordinated the Student Learning Outcomes Workshop for Student Development Services representatives from across the System. A follow-up workshop will be held in March.
The E-Learning Subcommittee of the UNC/NCCCS Task Force met and identified 22 bachelor degree programs delivered via distance learning that will allow community college students to complete four-year degrees at a distance. Since some of our two-year degrees are also available via distance, many students will be able to obtain a four-year degree without ever leaving their homes. Further discussions will take place to make this collaboration operate more smoothly and more seamlessly.
Dr. Delores Parker, Keith Brown, and Dr. Dennis King, of Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College, represented our System at the Achieving the Dream Strategy Institute in Tampa, Florida. Keith and I represented the System at an Achieving the Dream meeting last weekend held in conjunction with the Legislative Seminar in Washington.
Kennon Briggs and Larry Morgan have met with the Executive Committee of the Association of Community College Business Officers to plan their spring conference. We were pleased that the business officers endorsed our expansion budget request and made specific reference to supporting the System Office increases.
Larry Morgan spoke at the Departmental Chairs Institute hosted at Caldwell Community College by the Department of Adult and Community College Education of NC State University.
Kim Van Metre has worked with the Office of State Controller and the 58 colleges on the implementation of the Windstar program designed to identify and appropriately process non-resident aliens. Kim is also assisting the colleges with the "Positive Pay" program of the Office of State Treasurer, which is designed to eliminate fraud and abuse in the state’s disbursing system.
Dr. Saundra Williams reports that Phase 2C colleges have completed their work to implement the CIS human resources modules. All 58 colleges are now running both the CIS financial and human resources systems, a significant milestone to celebrate. The Phase 2A colleges are implementing the student system and should be able to register students next summer using the new software.
At the winter meeting of the Presidents’ Association, they unanimously approved a proposal presented by the Divisions of Administration and Business and Finance to consolidate the Information Technology Services data and the North Carolina Information Highway services into one fund. This consolidation will permit the colleges to expand broadband service on an as needed basis and to increase their bandwidth in affordable increments without additional funding.
Dr. Williams, Mr. Kennon Briggs, and their staffs attended the Business Impact Analysis and Business Continuity Planning Process Workshop offered by ITS. Dr. Williams and Mr. Briggs will lead the System Office team in this effort.
All BioNetwork Centers are now operational and fully staffed with professionals who exhibit world-class industry and educational credentials. The round three Innovation and Equipment funding recommendations were submitted to you for your consideration. The media campaign for our BioNetwork programs is about to be rolled out. We are very proud of the way in which our portion of the Biomanufacturing Pharmaceutical Training Consortium continues to move forward.
A number of organizations across the state are now officially working on the creation of the "North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate" that will be a significant boost to economic development efforts in North Carolina.
Dr. Larry Keen and his staff continue meetings at a furious pace to meet the training needs of existing industry and to prepare plans for industries being recruited. We are using every program at their disposal, including Occupational Continuing Education, New and Expanding Industry, Focused Industrial Training, and our Small Business Center Network.
Your entire staff will be focusing much of its energy and attention on the legislative process for the next five months. Once again we solicit your participation in this effort. We hope that you will use every opportunity available to you to discuss our priorities with members of the General Assembly.
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