| President’s Report |
| to the |
| State Board of Community Colleges |
| September 15, 2000 |
Since I have spent much of the time since our abbreviated August meeting in Asia with the Governor, I do not have much to report to you except the work of the vice presidents. The trip to Asia was a good one, which we hope will bear rich fruit in new job creation for North Carolina. As you know, the Governor began the trip in Korea, I joined him in Tokyo, traveled with him to Taiwan and Thailand, and after he returned to North Carolina, Secretary Rick Carlisle and I went on to Hanoi, Vietnam, for four days. On this trip, almost all of the calls were to encourage final decisions on industrial recruitments, some of which had been in the works for many months. The Governor understandably is trying to tie up loose ends as his term comes to an end.
I returned from Asia and began immediately on what appears to be a very busy schedule of bond related events from now until November. Fayetteville State University and Fayetteville Technical Community College held a joint kickoff at the new Airborne Museum in downtown Fayetteville, with the University Board of Governors in attendance. They were holding their regular meeting at Fayetteville State that day and the next. It was a very successful kickoff with more than 250 people present, including most of the movers and shakers of Cumberland County.
The next morning I spoke to the Trustee’s Annual Leadership Seminar focusing on the expansion budget request which you have approved today, but also touching on the bond referendum.
While in the Research Triangle Park, I was interviewed by UNC-TV with regard to the digital conversion of that station which will occur with bond funds. That conversion will give us much greater capacity for telecourses.
Earlier this week, President Bill Friday and I taped his weekly show, North Carolina People, for broadcast the last weekend in this month. It was a wide-ranging interview, but also ended with a pitch for the bonds.
On Tuesday, I spoke to the Lumberton Rotary Club, taped a television show for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Public Service Program, and spoke to the Bladen County Committee of 100, all on the bond issue.
On Wednesday, "Education Is Everybody’s Business" sponsored a gubernatorial forum with our participation. Jim Davies, President of the Faculty Association, asked the candidates a question with regard to salaries, equipment funding and workforce development. Following the forum, Dr. Carol Kasworm and I had lunch with Dean Kathryn Moore, the new dean of the School of Education and Psychology at North Carolina State University. As you know, the Department of Adult and Community College Education is in that School.
In the afternoon I met with the NCCBI Education Committee to discuss our budget priorities for the next biennium.
Yesterday morning, Dr. Steve Scott and I spoke with Bill Atkinson, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Hanover Regional Hospital, to discuss a Duke Endowment Grant application which will be filed to bring the community colleges in the southeast together to create more allied health professionals in that region.
Steve has also been active in speaking on behalf of the bonds, having taped a program for four cable stations in the Rocky Mount area and having spoken to the Oriental Rotary Club, the New Bern Chamber of Commerce, and the New Bern Kiwanis Club. He was also part of a panel at the Trustees’ Leadership Conference on the role of community colleges in economic development.
Steve, Kennon Briggs, and President Bill Lewis of Isothermal Community College made excellent presentations to the Education Oversight Committee with regard to the need for significant salary increases for our faculty and staff.
Kennon continues to devote much of his attention and that of his division to the next biennial budget. That division has completed its annual financial statements, begun processing the college budgets for 2000-2001, begun implementing a new coding scheme and constantly responds to numerous inquiries about permissible salary increases for the next year, the bond referendum, and other budget and accounting measures.
Kennon met with the president of the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers, made a site visit to Central Piedmont Community College, worked with Chairman Woody in planning the Board retreat for October, and represented the System at the dedication of a major new facility on the campus of Appalachian State University.
The Economic and Workforce Development Division has developed in partnership with the Biotech Center a quality training series for biopharmaceutical and bioprocessing companies which will be offered at six community colleges and the Biotech Center starting next month. This is turning out to be quite a hit with industry. All slots are completely filled and points to an unmet need which we are now meeting.
Results are in for the first New and Expanding Industry Training performance evaluations. Of forty-eight companies where projects were completed last year, over 90 percent of the companies responding rated colleges as very good or excellent in terms of having met their expectations. It is interesting to note that of the New and Expanding Industry Training projects of the last year, 68 percent were in rural counties. Also, 59 percent were with expanding North Carolina companies, rather than new industries coming to North Carolina for the first time.
Dr. Ralls and his staff have been working with the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technology Association and ExplorNet on an important State Information Technology Workforce Conference to be held later this month. Of course, the focus will be on community college IT training innovations. It would be good if State Board participation could be significant at this important conference. See Scott Ralls if you can attend.
The Human Resource Development Advisory Council met in Kill Devil Hills earlier this month to discuss many issues, including pursuing a name change for the program. Human Resource Development is often confused with the personnel office instead of skills development.
Gayle Harvey and the Small Business Center Network are working closely with the International Trade Division at the NC Department of Commerce to revitalize the Export Outreach Training Program.
A meeting earlier this week was held to discuss ways in which our continuing education program can be enhanced using distance learning technologies.
Scott continues to work closely with the Department of Commerce Task Force looking at how to better serve the needs of existing North Carolina industries.
Dr. Brenda Rogers has potentially good news with regard to our MIS contract. The protesting bidder has withdrawn the protest, though they have left open the door to refile it. The project continues to move forward, with Phil Shepard overseeing implementation in the System Office.
The problems which I have previously reported with the library automation software are being worked out, though they have presented challenges, especially at the beginning of the new academic year.
Bob Blackmun attended an information session on the Army University Access Online program in Washington, DC. We are exploring with technology vendors the possibility of a joint venture to provide online community college degrees for the Army.
Keith Brown in Planning and Research has held four workshops for college staff on the IPEDS system of reporting to the federal government via the Web.
Kent Caruthers of MGT of America is working with Dr. Rogers and her staff on a distance learning funding study. Michelle Leach of Coastal Carolina Community College is developing a method for determining the cost of different types of distance learning as compared to the traditional lecture/discussion method of delivery.
Brenda also did bond speeches to civic clubs while in Western North Carolina.
As always, Dr. Delores Parker and her division are very busy, but even more so with the beginning of a new academic year.
She is pleased to announce that Staff Sergeant James Wendt, a Marine GED graduate at Coastal Carolina, scored the highest GED test score in North Carolina for the past year. He was the top graduate out of 14,525 GED recipients.
Dr. Delane Boyer and Patrick Pittman have begun an initiative with Molly Maid Corporation to provide GED and ESL training for their employees across the state with Durham Technical Community College originating a pilot project for them. Similarly, Linda Ray and Dr. Randy Whitfield have been working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to set up a statewide literacy program for that agency.
Dr. Mary Siedow conducted a two-day Learning Disabilities Training and Dissemination Grant workshop at which five volunteer organization pilot sites described "promising practices" resulting from their participation in the grant. Several staff members attended a meeting in New Orleans of adult educators. Dr. Siedow was a member of a panel on basic skills and Patrick Pittman was a facilitator at a session on performance outcomes.
The division continues to work with the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association to discuss ways to train more nursing assistants.
Ken Farmer and Sharon Thompson have continued to work with the developers of a plan to build a public safety training center for Southeastern North Carolina. Studies are now complete and the General Assembly will be asked to provide additional funding for implementation. The consultant has recommended a site in Brunswick County near Leland, NC, for this new facility.
Dr. Parker and the division continue to make plans for the National Global Education Seminar which we will host in March with funding from the Stanley Foundation. Additional foundation support is being sought to enhance the success of this program.
Dr. Parker, Dr. Rogers, Bob Allen, Elizabeth Isler and Ken Whitehurst have been making presentations on behalf of our System to middle and high school counselors across the state to discuss opportunities for high school students in the areas of Tech Prep, cooperative programs, college transfer, and financial aid. These sessions have gone very well this year.
We all regret the departure of Dr. Janyth Fredrickson to assume the role of Dean of the College at Alamance Community College. Her responsibilities will encompass academic and student services. She has done an outstanding job for two-and-a-half years as our Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Services. We wish her well in her new challenges.
In conclusion, please let me encourage each of you to continue to do something everyday in support of the bond referendum. I encourage you to be proactive in seeking opportunities to speak to civic and other organizations in your community in support of the bonds.
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.