President’s Report
to the
State Board of Community Colleges
November 21, 2003
Usually in the fall, after the legislature goes home, things calm down. That has not been the case this year!
One of the most exciting things that has happened in the last month was the meeting of the Rural Center Board, at which time a major rural small business entrepreneurial development initiative was announced. While this will increase the work of our Small Business Center directors, it should have a significant impact on small business entrepreneurial and economic development in rural North Carolina. As a part of the Rural Center Board meeting, the Joint Select Committee on Economic Growth and Development also met. I was able to make a presentation to that Committee about the role of community colleges in economic development and our proposals for legislative action that will support and enhance our efforts. Two weeks later, Dr. Larry Keen and Dr. Scott Ralls made further presentations on the same subject. We believe that there is a good possibility for positive recommendations coming from this Committee that will more adequately fund our Small Business Centers, will provide permanent funding for Focused Industrial Training, will provide more adequate funding for New and Expanding Industry Training and will give us additional flexibility in how we use funds appropriated to us by the General Assembly. Dr. Keen and Gayle Harvey will be coordinating the entrepreneurial initiatives, focusing on displaced workers at thirteen of our colleges. Economic development efforts continue to be aggressively pursued, with more than a thousand new jobs announced in the last month.
The presidents held their fall meeting in Asheboro, hosted by Randolph Community College. This is a meeting to which all presidents come. Their discussions were substantive and important as we developed consensus on our legislative program for next year.
Elizabeth Isler and I continue to work on the Nursing Shortage Task Force, having two meetings during this month. We continue to struggle with a condescending attitude on the part of many nursing interest groups representing nurses at the Bachelor of Science, masters and higher levels, and an outright hostile attitude by others. However, we believe that out of this study will come positive recommendations that will enhance our nursing programs and their funding.
I was pleased to be able to speak to the Instructional Administrators’ fall conference in Asheville. I shared with them my very positive reflections on our performance evaluations and the success of using this accountability tool to demonstrate the quality of our programs and to identify where improvements are needed.
I spoke at the Trustees Leadership Seminar, focusing my remarks on our Biotechnology Initiative. I also spoke to the West Raleigh Rotary on our Biotechnology Initiative.
Once again your ever-generous staff in the System Office has completed the Combined Campaign topping $18,000 in contributions.
In my continuing efforts to support the development of a community college system in Thailand, I made another trip to that country using US Embassy funding. We made an assessment of where we are at this point and tried to determine the next steps for this initiative. We visited two of the young community colleges and were very impressed with the manner in which this country has so quickly embraced the community college philosophy. They are implementing a system very much like North Carolina’s and I believe that they will make a real difference in the workforce preparation of the citizens of that country.
On Veterans Day I participated in the dedication of the new Havelock campus of Craven Community College. It was exciting to be on this new campus and to anticipate the positive impact it will have on retaining a strong Marine Corps/Navy presence in Craven County. I was also pleased to hear glowing comments about the fine job Scott Ralls is doing as president.
I participated, along with Dr. Larry Keen, in the Economic Development Board meeting in Fayetteville and participated in the Military Summit sponsored by the Governor and the Board. Hundreds showed up to learn more about the impact of the military on our economy and to discuss ways in which we can more fully support the military as we head into another round of base closures.
Dr. Delores Parker and I participated in events surrounding the annual meeting of the Hugh Shelton Leadership Development Board, on which I sit.
I presented to a State Board of Education committee the community college perspective on lateral entry of teachers and the initiative that was begun earlier this year at Central Piedmont Community College and at Sandhills Community College.
Earlier this week I attended a Leadership Summit of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in Washington, DC. As you know, I serve as Chairman of the Council of State Directors. Also participating were Dr. Darryl McGraw representing the Information Technology Council and Dr. Johnnie Simpson representing the Council of Chief Academic Officers. The AACC will undertake a major professional development initiative to develop the next generation of community college leaders. This will respond to the expected massive retirements in leadership ranks in the next three to five years. While there, I also made calls on a number of congressional offices with regard to AACC’s legislative agenda with regard to the reauthorization of the Perkins Act and the Higher Education Act. Yesterday morning I participated in a very minor way in the Hunt Institute’s Legislative Summit on Education.
Fred Williams attended the Board of Trustees meeting of the North Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology while I was in Thailand. We believe that its Board is beginning to grapple with the issues facing them and will take appropriate action when the audits are finished.
Fred and Dr. Parker represented our System Office at a welcoming reception for Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, the new Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Your Chairman and Mr. Williams represented our System at Forsyth Technical Community College where President George Bush spoke with students, instructors and others with regard to our training and workforce initiatives.
Kennon Briggs and Dr. Saundra Williams continue to do an excellent job of directing their staff in the implementation of the CIS Project. They held a very fruitful meeting with the State Auditor, the State Controller, and the State Budget Director. With the expert assistance of Herbert Watkins, a meeting was held with our contractors to iron out the contract extension, a matter that will be discussed with you at your December 11 meeting.
Kennon had as busy a travel schedule this month as I did, speaking to the Continuing Education Deans, the Presidents Association, the NCACC Business Officers, the Association of Community College Trustees, the Governmental Operations Committee of the General Assembly, and the Departmental Chairs Institute at Guilford Technical Community College.
Alice Smith has worked on a number of grants during the month, including those to fund the Pillowtex Initiative, Workforce Investment Act funds for Small Business Centers, and the Homeland Security Initiative.
We are pleased that the Governmental Operations Committee has approved the first six positions in our Biotechnology Office, which will be funded by the Golden LEAF.
Dr. Parker’s division held an orientation session for new Academic and Student Services employees.
Dr. Bill Randall and Dr. Darryl McGraw are completing the first draft of the System Office long-term plan for Distance Learning.
We are pleased to announce that the Transfer Advisory Committee has met and ironed out problems with regard to the Associate in Science degree that will obviate the need for an Associate of Science in Engineering degree.
A College Tech Prep Leadership Steering Committee met earlier this month to begin reworking the Articulation Agreement with high schools on Tech Prep.
Dr. Parker, Ken Whitehurst, and Carolyn Snell attended the North Carolina State Chapter of the National Council on Black American Affairs in Fayetteville.
Last week we hosted fourteen academic professionals from Mongolia who were visiting North Carolina as a guest of the University System.
As we approach Thanksgiving next week and reflect on those things for which we are thankful, I include at the top of my list the opportunity to work with such a fine State Board and such a fine staff.
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.