RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2008
CONTACT: Audrey Bailey, (919) 807- 60963
State Board gives final approval to 2008-09 Budget Request
Receives final CIS report
RALEIGH - The State Board of Community Colleges gave its final stamp of approval to the NCCCS 2008 - 09 Budget Request at its Friday, March 14 meeting. The document will be presented to Governor Easley and the North Carolina General Assembly in preparation for the short budget session that begins May 13.
The budget is divided into four specific areas of importance. Continuing Operations include enrollment growth and funds for enrollment growth reserve, salary increases that would reduce the growing gap between North Carolina and national instructors, professionals and staffs, and System Office operation and equipment needs. Workforce Development items include funds for nursing accreditation and funding for nursing and other health programs, funding for high-demand technical education programs, adding a counselor and other personnel on each campus, and expanding the Minority Male Mentoring program. Capital Requirements include more than $11 million in equipment needs and funding for system facility needs that will be determined by June 1. The final item includes more than $13 million for special campuses and the replacement of the Dan Moore, a Marine Technology instructional ship for Cape Fear Community College. The budget document can be found at http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/External_Affairs/budgetinfo.htm .
The Board also began the discussion on options offered for either renovating or relocating the System Office, located in the Caswell Building, which was constructed in 1939. The Board will make a decision regarding the choices and determine the plan of action at its April meeting.
Dr. Saundra Wall Williams, vice president for administration for the NCCCS, presented what she said should be her last report on the implementation of the massive College Information System, the largest IT system in higher education in the country. She said the system, which took nine years to implement, has now successfully moved from implementation and migration to operation and maintenance. She told the Board that one aspect of the program, Release-18 Migration, received a national partnership award this week from Datatel, the vendor partner in this implementation. The system was recognized for being the only agency to complete the R-18 migration on time and under budget. The migration overhauled Datatel's strategic architecture framework to offer the foundation for Datatel to adapt future technologies, like Web services, based on the business needs of higher education and at a more rapid pace.
Mary
Reagan (left), Executive Director of the North Carolina Arts
Council, gave each member a copy of a new book, They Changed the
State: The Legacy of North Carolina’s Visiting Artists 1971- 1995,
which tells how the NC Arts Council and the NC Community
College System partnered to bring exciting cultural experiences to
communities across the state through the Visiting Artist Program.
Regan told the Board the partnership was, “a pioneer in the
country, a cutting-edge program...but it was natural, logical, and
wonderfully effective.” Artists in the program have created a
lasting imprint on the counties they served, the state and for some,
the nation. Many of the jazz festivals, dance troupes, galleries
and projects they created then still exist today. A special
ceremony on March 25 in the Caswell Building will formally announce
the book and feature performances by some of the artists who were
part of the program.
The Board presented resolutions of appreciation to two former members and a former associate who were on hand to accept them. Sandra Hayes of Waynesville served on the State Board for eight years and Bob Shaw of Harrells served for a year and a half. Hal Miller retired as the associate executive director of the NC Association of Community College Trustees and before that had worked for the NCCCS for 26 years.
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Sandra Hayes and Norma Turnage Anne-Marie Knighton and John Shaw Hal and Wilma Miller
The Board welcomed Surry Community College President Deborah Friedman (below, right), who took the helm in January. Friedman was the vice president for human resources at Fayetteville Tech before succeeding the retired Dr. Frank Sells. She thanked the Board for its support, saying she was grateful for the honor to serve the college and the state.
The Board also approved Dr. Thomas Williams as the interim president for Craven Community College, beginning April 7. Williams retired as president of Mayland Community College in 2005 after serving eight years there. Dr. Scott Ralls, the current Craven CC president, is the president-elect for the NCCCS, succeeding the retiring Martin Lancaster.
The North Carolina Community College System enrolls more than 800,000 students in 58 comprehensive community colleges. Internationally recognized for the scope and quality of its programs, the System is North Carolina's primary provider of workforce preparation and adult education. For details, visit www.nccommunitycolleges.edu.
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Friday, March 14, 2008 03:42:18 PM
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Audrey Bailey.