President’s Report
To the
State Board of Community Colleges
March 17, 2006
This is our short month, but a very busy one, starting with my lecturing at the AACC Future Leader Institute in Savannah, Georgia, on the Monday following our last meeting.
Later that week, UNC President Erskine Bowles and I met with Alceste Pappas to receive an update on the Pappas Report, as called for by House Bill 1264, and to refocus her work.
Erskine and I also participated with a large cast in the groundbreaking of the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis which will focus research efforts on food and nutrition. We are pleased that community colleges will have an important role to play in training the support personnel for this facility. That effort will be led by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
Prior to leaving for Europe I also had meetings with Gordon Smith on global competitiveness and with Hawley Truax on workforce issues, in particular stand-alone JobLinks.
I first went to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where I have been working with education leaders as they restructure their higher education programs to be more workforce-development focused. I spoke at a Skills Conference with more than 350 in attendance, including more than 200 from business and industry. There is great interest in a new look for higher education in Northern Ireland. Following that Conference, I met with a number of government Ministers and visited on college campuses.
From there I went to Denmark where I spent two days exploring technical education in that country. Their publicly supported technical education is more programmatically focused than ours, with colleges specifically offering programs in business, health careers, technical programs, etc. In both Denmark and Northern Ireland, there continues to be significant interest in exchange of faculty and students. Though there might be some intimidation in going to Denmark because of language challenges, that should not be a concern since many of their programs are offered in English and everyone I met in the country spoke flawless English. On Saturday, Secretary Jim Fain and a delegation from North Carolina descended on Denmark to begin the annual economic development mission. This year’s visit to Europe focused on biotechnology industry. On Sunday night, Ambassador Jim Cain from North Carolina entertained us at the Ambassador’s Residence following an Embassy staff briefing on a number of issues affecting our bilateral interest, including the recent flap over the cartoon which inflamed Muslims around the world.
Following visits with several potential biotechnology firms and Novozymes, the company where Joanne Steiner was a senior executive, we left for Amsterdam for similar calls.
When the delegation moved on to Germany, I came home, having been gone for ten days already.
The only bad thing about being in Europe during this time was that I missed being present for the dedication of the Fred G. Williams, Jr. Student Center at Robeson Community College. I was present by video, but really missed being with Fred and Eliza on their important and momentous day. Chairperson Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, Dr. Lynwood Powell, and Dr. Stuart Fountain attended the ceremony representing the State Board. I know that you join me in congratulating him on having a building named in honor of his outstanding service to the college.
Following my return from Europe, I met with Senator John Snow about IT issues in the mountains, with Harry Payne about JobLink, with David McCoy and Dan Gerlach (along with Kennon Briggs) on our budget, and with the Coordinating Council of our biotechnology initiative at the Wake Technical Community College Interim Capstone Center.
This week I met again with President Bowles and Leroy Lail, a member of the Board of Governors, to discuss the future of a regional higher education center in Hickory. There are many issues to be resolved, since Catawba Valley Community College already has a similar center in operation and similar centers are under development at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute and Western Piedmont Community College.
The North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry’s annual meeting for the first time in memory was held this week in Durham since the Raleigh Civic Center has been torn down in anticipation of the new Civic Center.
The CIS Project continues to move forward with the 18 colleges in Phase 2B continuing their conversion of student data files and beginning to use that data. Training classes for Phase 2C financial aid officers has begun.
Ruth Bryan represented our System Office at the SIRSI SuperConference in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Education Cabinet endorsed the E-Learning Commission Phase 2 Report on February 16.
Dr. Saundra Williams presented at the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Conference for Women in Leadership.
The North Carolina Adult Educators Association held its annual conference in Atlantic Beach with more than 370 attendees. State Board member Jimmy Ford and Fred Williams made presentations, with much staff support from Dr. Larry Keen’s division.
Earlier this week the BioNetwork hosted its first annual BioForum at Central Carolina Community College. This provided opportunities for community college faculty, BioNetwork staff, industry executives, economic developers, and various partners to meet, share ideas, and attend workshops in this important field. You may have seen the Boston Globe editorial which touted North Carolina’s response to workforce development in biotechnology as being a model for the country.
We are beginning to use the Customized Industry Training Program to assist communities retain companies which are making large capital investments and which are needing to retrain their employees.
Sharon Rosado and her team have prepared the Historically Underutilized Business quarterly report, updated the Higher Education Bond Cash Flow Model, completed the work on the Fixed Asset Report, and begun preliminary work for the quarterly Bond Oversight Committee meeting. The State Treasurer has sold $420 million of our $600 million total and we have asked that the balance be sold immediately.
Kim Van Metre has spent the last month working on the training for Windstar, the software which will monitor non-resident alien attendance for our colleges. She has also been working on the wireless licenses issue and the annual SREB annual financial data. Ours was the first System to complete its report this year.
Kennon Briggs and his staff have completed our budget request for the short session, and as I stated, he and I have met with State Budget officials on this request. Kennon has also been working with the University System and public school leaders as we try to shorten the period of separation before a retired community college employee can return to work and as we work toward reciprocal tuition waiver between our Systems for our faculties and staff.
Dr. Delores Parker and various members of her staff have been very active in testifying before various legislative committees since our last meeting, including on topics such as global education, shortages in the healthcare workforce, the availability and use of distance learning in educating healthcare workers, and the continuing issue of medication aides.
Dr. Edith Lang has been promoted to the position of Program Director with a broad range of issues added to her portfolio.
The North Carolina Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association held its Spring Conference last weekend at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel with Yvonne Goodman, Associate Vice President for Student Services from Wayne Community College and this year’s System-wide Staff Person of the Year, as the keynote speaker.
Ken Whitehurst spoke in Wayne County with regard to global education opportunities in community colleges.
Fred Williams attended for our System a conference on the “Flight of the Creative Class” sponsored by SAS Institute and the College of Education at North Carolina State University. The conference focused on how our country can maintain its creative edge.
Fred also attended the dedication of the George W. Little Hall at Sandhills Community College for our System during my absence in Europe. Also included in the Hall will be the Peggy Kirk Bell Culinary Arts Center and the Wellard Technology Center.
Our Chair, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, and Fred attended the dedicatory ceremonies for the Technology and Student Services Building at Forsyth Technical Community College. Chairperson Pinnix-Ragland spoke at the dedication and also spoke at the American Association of Women in Community Colleges meeting at Atlantic Beach.
The tempo is already picking up as we head towards the short session. Your continued strong advocacy with members of the legislature is critical to our success.
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Friday, March 17, 2006 05:11:04 PM
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