President's Report
to the
State Board of Community Colleges
Mayland Community College
Spruce Pine, North Carolina
October 19, 2001
It sounds like a broken record, but the Legislature still has not gone home. At least, with the passage of a budget, our issues are not on the front burner. The only thing we have pending is consideration of modifications in language already passed with regard to Trustee travel and nine-month contracts. On behalf of our colleges, we have been working on changes in the law with regard to construction contracts to give them more flexibility in how they will utilize the bond money.
We had a successful Employee Appreciation Day during the week following our last meeting. I am happy to announce that Dr. De Boyer received the Professional Staff Person of the Year Award and Cindy Pannill received the Staff Person of the Year Award. As always, the vice presidents and I treated the staff to a pig picking at Pullen Park following the program. Ricky Tart and his crew did a magnificent job with the pig, again.
Because of the strong support the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry gives to all of our initiatives, I try to attend several of their regional meetings each year. This year in addition to the kickoff luncheon in Raleigh, which I reported on last month, I attended regional meetings in New Bern and Goldsboro.
International interest in the North Carolina Community College System continues to be high. Several staff and I met with visitors from Denmark and anticipate an ongoing relationship between our System and similar colleges in that country with regard to our allied health and teacher preparation programs. Dr. Steve Scott and staff members entertained a delegation from Russia with regard to their interest in our programs.
Senior staff and I met with State Auditor Ralph Campbell with regard to changes in the audit schedule.
It was my honor to introduce Lech Walesa of Poland when he spoke at Brunswick Community College on October 1. Brunswick Community College hosted President Walesa, but other colleges in the southeast were co-hosts. It was a great honor to have him speak to more than 1,000 people on one of our campuses.
During the month I have spoken to the Greenville Golden K and the Hendersonville Rotary Club. While in Greenville, I had lunch with Chancellor Bill Muse, the new chancellor at East Carolina University. I also met with Dean John Stamm of the School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill with regard to ongoing issues of dental hygiene training and our relationship with the North Carolina Dental Society. It was a very positive meeting.
I met with the Transfer Advisory Committee members who represent community colleges with regard to my ongoing concern about the implementation of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement and transfer issues.
Former Speaker of the House, Joe Mavretic, and I met with regard to our teacher preparation initiatives. As always, Joe loves to share his creative ideas and was interested in our own initiatives. Many of you have watched Joe on N.C. Spin, a political talk show on television that takes on interesting and controversial issues.
Nolo Martinez met with senior staff and myself with regard to a Latino Initiative that we will seek funding for from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Nolo is the Governor's Latino Advisor.
Several Foundation calls have been made in the past month, including one since we have been in the mountains. We continue to plod towards the finish line and would sincerely appreciate any appointments any of you can make for us with potential donors. Your accompanying us on the visits would enhance our chances of successful visit.
Last week, Alice and I were in San Diego for the Trustee's meeting at which George Little was installed as National President. We were all very proud of him. As you can imagine, limitations on travel funding and concern about the safety of travel significantly reduced the number of North Carolina Trustees in attendance. The sessions were all very good and special compliments were received for the panel on which I participated sharing the good news of the Appalachian Learning Alliance and in particular, its success in teacher preparation.
Many of your staff and many from the field have been volunteering to work at the North Carolina State Fair as we have shared the responsibilities for a biotechnology tent. There has been significant interest in our biotechnology programs shown by attendees.
Dr. Steve Scott met with representatives of the Department of Commerce to discuss their 21st Century Strategic Planning Process and community college involvement. Commerce has selected 20 distressed counties to assist in strategic planning and economic development.
Dr. Scott, Dr. Scott Ralls and other System Office staff met with our counterparts at the Department of Labor to discuss the smooth transfer of the eight positions in the Training Initiatives section to our agency.
Dr. Delores Parker's staff hosted a follow-up Early Childhood Stakeholders meeting that was held Tuesday, October 9, 2001, at the System Office. The constituents named the committee the North Carolina Community College Early Childhood Advisory Committee and decided to hold quarterly meetings. The purpose of the committee is to bring local community college early childhood instructors, agencies and advocates together will examine issues related to curriculum development and/or improvement and to address other advocacy needs relevant to early childhood.
Our Global Education Follow-Up Conference will be held next week, October 23-24, 2001, on the campus of Nash Community College. Our featured speaker is our own Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue. She will highlight the effects of globalization on Education in North Carolina. Dr. Edward Gordon, a national speaker, will discuss how the globalization of business and the rapid advance of technology have outstripped our supply of skilled workers. He will give measures for developing policies and programs for producing more competitive workers.
The staff in the Division of Business and Finance prepared final budget information for FY 2001-02, assisted the President and Finance Committee Chair in developing an economic forecast, and participated in a called Committee meeting on October 4, 2001.
Kennon Briggs' staff held 2 regional Business Officers' meetings, which were extremely well attended, in order to disseminate budget information.
Kennon and his staff revised the System Office HUB plan, and collected from the 58 colleges their approved plans.
The staff assisted the President in developing models to deal with the State's revenue shortfall, and met with OSBM officials on October 15, 2001.
The Administration Division has been very busy during the past month, including preparing the strategic planning presentation that Keith Brown presented to you on Wednesday and Glynda Lawrence's update on Program Audit Services. Keith has also worked with college planners to develop a model for technology planning that will be presented to the Presidents Association next week.
The Information Systems for the Future project continues to move forward, including the contract for implementing two additional systems for the Data Warehouse that the Finance and Capital Needs Committee has brought to the Board. Also progressing are important meetings with the colleges that are participating in Phase 1 and Phase 2A of the college information system at the IIPS meeting last week and the President's Association next week.
Peggy Graham and Scott Ralls worked closely with the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technology Association and ExploreNet to support Knowledge Nova: Learning at the Speed of Light, the statewide IT workforce conference in Charlotte on October 10. The conference featured industry, community college, and public school presenters, as well as a keynote address by Board Member, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.
Barbara Boyce coordinated the very successful HRD Directors Forum in Durham at the end of September, and helped host the first meeting of the HRD/JobLink Advisory Committee named to make legislatively required policy recommendations to the State Board requiring the reorganization of the Human Resources Development Program.
Scott Ralls has been collaborating closely with Gordon Myers and representatives of NCCBI and the North Carolina Partnership for Economic Development on a series of regional forums, and a Statewide summit that will produce policy recommendations to the General Assembly on the enhancing workforce development.
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.