President’s Report
to the
State Board of Community Colleges
March 16, 2007
My portion of this monthly report may be a little shorter than usual since immediately following the last State Board meeting my family and I took a week-long vacation in Colorado. The kids skied and Alice and I babysat! We all had a wonderful time.
Between your meeting and our departure for Colorado, I served on an interview panel all day Saturday interviewing applicants for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows. I did this because of our commitment to supporting teacher preparation in North Carolina, but also because I enjoy the opportunity to interact with some of our brightest young people who are committed to teaching as a career.
I returned from Colorado by way of Washington, DC, where I met UNC President Erskine Bowles, NC Independent Colleges and Universities President Hope Williams, and Duke University President Dick Brodhead for meetings with Members of Congress with regard to higher education issues. To our knowledge, this is the first time that public and private, two- and four-year higher education ever went to Washington together to lobby for higher education.
I returned from Washington to participate in the inauguration of Dr. Garrett Hinshaw, the new president of Catawba Valley Community College. A week later I participated in the inauguration of Dr. Robert Shackleford, the new president of Randolph Community College. Both events were joyful and impressive occasions. These new presidents are future stars in our System!
In between those two installations, several staff and faculty from some of our colleges and I attended the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs annual meeting in New Orleans. Dr. Peggy Teague, Dr. Wanda Wyont of Gaston College, and Sharon Davis of Forsyth Technical Community College presented a workshop on our Early Childhood Education Programs, and Dr. Teague offered a session on Lateral Entry in North Carolina with the assistance of . Diann Back from Central Piedmont Community College. I had not been to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, so I was very interested to see the recovery. I was able to spend a few hours when I arrived and before the meeting convened with former colleagues in the US Army Corps of Engineers. Though unjustified criticism continues to be leveled at the Corps, I was really impressed with the briefings I received on all that has been accomplished since Katrina and to hear about the challenges yet to be faced.
The Legislative Strategy Group met last week prior to my testimony before the Joint Education Appropriations Committee. It was certainly clear to all of us that our work is cut out for us, even with a good starting point with the Governor’s budget. From all appearances, the testimony was well received, though the time was limited for questions. I have since had several private conversations with Members who were present for the testimony who were positive in their comments.
Alice and I have begun our legislative dinners for New Members of the General Assembly. They are going well.
As you know, Clyde Higgs, who formerly worked for me, is now head of the venture capital fund that Mr. Murdock has set up to attract investment in the Kannapolis Research Campus. Clyde was here last week and we had an opportunity to discuss his new role and the important role that our community colleges will be playing in the development of the Campus.
I have met with Norma Mills who will be heading up the “University of North Carolina Tomorrow” effort for Erskine Bowles. This is an intensive study of the role of the University and the strategic plan for achieving those goals. Public meetings will be held in every region of the state with input from every conceivable stakeholder. President Bowles and Norma are eager to have community college participation and have asked for formal representation on their Advisory Board for this effort. Norma and I had an excellent discussion of this initiative and how we might participate.
Dr. Leo Lambert, President of Elon College, and Dr. Lisa Keyne, the Director of North Carolina Campus Compact, met with me last week to discuss the Compact and how community colleges could become involved. More than 25 four-year institutions and one community college are currently engaged in this effort to encourage college students to become involved in community service and service learning. They are meeting with President Erskine Bowles, President Hope Williams, and others in an effort to expand this effort and to perhaps plan a student community service summit for next year.
I did an hour long interview with Don Curtis of the State Government Radio Network and a half hour interview with Bruce Ferrell of the Tar Heel Network, talking about a number of community college issues, but focusing on the legislative session.
Along with a host of others, I participated in the Founders Day Dinner at North Carolina State University at which the Watauga Medal, its highest honor, was presented to Governor Bob Scott. It was good to see Bob and Jessie Rae, and their many friends. It was a wonderful evening and a well deserved honor.
Last Friday night I participated in a dinner honoring our first GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Teacher Preparation Scholarship recipients. These are our students who are benefiting from scholarships provided by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. What impressive stories they told!
On Monday of this week, the Executive Committee of the NC Association of Community College Presidents met in conjunction with the NC Association of Community College Trustees meeting in the Research Triangle Park. Both meetings were well attended with important agenda items to be discussed.
Your vice presidents met with me earlier this week to discuss renovation plans for this building, to make it safer, healthier, and more functional. We are pleased that Kennon Briggs was able to finagle funds to plan and begin this important project.
The Colleges of Further Education in Northern Ireland have recently gone through a dramatic reorganization, reducing their number from sixteen to six. No campus was closed, but all of the Colleges now have multiple campuses. Because of their great admiration for our System, the new presidents came to North Carolina earlier this week to look at the role of our colleges in economic development. Accompanying them were representatives of Invest Northern Ireland, their economic development agency, and the University of Ulster.
The NC Citizens for Business and Industry annual meeting was earlier this week, once again meeting at the Convention Center in Durham in the absence of a Convention Center in Raleigh. The format was very different this year and was missing a number of elements that have become traditional.
The NC Council for Officers of Resource Development held its annual meeting in Atlantic Beach, February 28 – March 2, with 80 members in attendance. Significant System Office staff participation was involved. I was pleased that a focus on the funding of global education programs was an emphasis of the meeting.
At the same time the Basic Skills/Compensatory Education Program Coordinators Conference was held in Clemmons. The North Carolina Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) held their conference in Winston-Salem, again with significant System Office staff support and participation. This conference involved participants from 4-year colleges as well.
The College Tech Prep Conference was held last week in Greensboro. The Grimsley-James-Stogner College Tech Prep Awards were presented. These awards were named in honor of the visionaries who implemented Tech Prep in North Carolina. Of course, “Grimsley” was former Richmond Community College President, Joe Grimsley. Eight community colleges and their Tech Prep program partners were recognized for their efforts in either publicizing their programs, working cooperatively, or for the overall excellence of their programs.
We are pleased that the NC Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association recently renamed the award which they give to the advisor who has been of greatest assistance to them during the previous year in honor of Karen Yerby. Hereafter, what has previously been known as the Advisor’s Award will be known as the Karen Yerby Award. They met in the Triangle last weekend with around 400 in attendance.
The Transfer Advisory Committee, with representatives from our System and the University System, has begun meeting on a Middle Grades Education pre-major articulation. Dr. Teague will coordinate this effort.
The Phase 2C colleges continue to make good progress in the final implementation phase of CIS. We remain on course for completing full implementation by the summer. The Release 18 migration also continues to move forward.
As we transition to a system-managed CIS, we are replacing contractor personnel with System Office employees with a significant number of new hirings having taken place in the last month.
It seems that February is the month for conferences. Dr. Saundra Williams, Keith Brown and other staff participated in the Community College Planning and Research Organization Conference in late February.
Cindy Pannill has organized seven Ethics Training Workshops via the State Video Conferencing Network which were beamed to 28 sites across the state. We assisted with other video conferencing of this training. This has resulted in the ten largest number of participating video conferencing sites of all sessions ever supported by ITS since the network was created in 1994.
As you can imagine, Kennon Briggs and his division have been swamped with the whole budget process now underway in the General Assembly. This will not let up until the fall!
Alice Smith and Jane Phillips continue to provide excellent leadership in the implementation of the new “BEACON” Payroll and Human Resources systems now being developed by the State Controller’s Office.
While Saundra Williams is absorbing new employees coming on board to manage CIS, Kennon has been dealing with four retirements and the integration of these new employees into his organization.
Sharon Rosado presented the quarterly “Bond Oversight Committee Report” where she helped secure the Committee’s endorsement for our request for advance planning funds for our colleges.
East and central regional meetings of the Association of Community College Business Officers were held with significant staff support from the Division of Business and Finance.
The BioNetwork staff completed its Strategic Plan for 2007-2010 and will present it to the April Presidents Association meeting. I am happy to announce that Phil Sheridan has joined us from the NC Department of Commerce as our new Biotechnology Industry Liaison. Phil was the biotech industry recruiter at the NC Department of Commerce and is a valuable and important addition to our staff.
The Career Readiness Certificate continues to be very popular with colleges and their industries. To accommodate the demand, training sessions have been held at McDowell Technical Community College, the Raleigh Training Center and Craven Community College.
Dr. Larry Keen joined President Erskine Bowles, State Superintendent June Atkinson, and President Hope Williams in a presentation at the NC Rural Center’s Entrepreneurship Summit while I was on vacation. It was clear from this Summit that collaboration and improvement of entrepreneurial training and education are high on the priority lists of each of our education sectors.
Dr. Keen, his staff, and Fred Williams participated in the Economic and Workforce Development Orientation which involve 90 staff from many of our colleges.
Joanne Steiner and Fred Williams participated in President George W. Bush’s visit to Novozymes in Franklinton. Three hundred and fifty company employees had an opportunity to visit with the President and to demonstrate this company’s commitment to alternative energy sources.
Fred and former employee Bill Cole are working on the System-wide Continuity of Operations Plan which will be activated in the case of a disaster or other emergencies.
Let me urge you again to become personally involved in advocating for our legislative priorities.
Last modified:
Friday, March 16, 2007 03:29:51 PM
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.