RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2007
CONTACT: Audrey Bailey (919) 807-6963
Chancy Kapp (919) 807-6962
Community College Board leadership renewed, new Board member and new president welcomed
Progress on the new System President search detailed
RALEIGH - The State Board of Community College today affirmed the leadership of its top officers and moved closer to selecting a new president for the North Carolina Community College System.
Chair Hilda Pinnix-Ragland and Vice Chair Dr. Linwood Powell were unanimously re-elected for a second two-year term. Pinnix-Ragland, who was the first African-American and first woman to chair the Board, thanked the members for their support. “Leaders are only effective if you have a great team,” she said. “Collectively we will charge ahead and take this System to the top place in the world.”
Dr.
G. Thomas “Tom” Houlihan was sworn in as a new member of the Board
for a six-year term. He was elected to the position by the North
Carolina House of Representatives. Houlihan is a native of Oxford
and has been a leader in state and national education arenas. Dr.
Houlihan previously served as Senior Education Advisor to Governor
James B. Hunt, Jr. Prior to that he had been a public school
teacher, high school principal and superintendent. He was the first
educator to hold Cabinet level status in a governor’s
administration.
The second member sworn in was Gordon “Buddy”
Greenwood, president of The
Bank
of Asheville. Greenwood has a long history in the banking industry
and is very active in civic organizations in Asheville. He is a
former trustee of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. He
was elected to his second six-year term by the North Carolina
Senate. Greenwood serves on the Finance and Capital Needs and the
I.E. Ready/Partnership for Excellence Committees.
The Honorable Robert Holt Edmunds, Jr., Associate Justice of the NC Supreme Court administered the oath to Houlihan (above) and Greenwood (right).
Herbert Watkins, chair of the Presidential Search Committee, reported the completion of the "Presidential Profile" to be used in selecting the new system president. He noted a focus on global education added to an earlier draft in response to comments at three public forums held in June and July. The Board approved a salary range of $220,000 to $300,000 for the new president.
The Committee has prepared a search work plan and schedule that has the marketing and advertisement for the position posted by the first week in August. Applications will go to Gold Hill Associates, the search consultant firm, with a closing date of September 14. The proposed timetable is as follows:
Ø October – the Committee (with Gold Hill) will review applications and prepare two detailed review lists of semi-finalists, separated by state and national candidates.
Ø November – the Committee will prepare a merged list of five finalists with detailed information on the candidates and conduct the first round of interviews and be ready to recommend three candidates and respective information packages to the Board for consideration.
Mr. Watkins stated that since the Board does not usually meet in December, the Committee will let the Board decide whether to interview candidates in December or wait until January. He suggested the names of the three finalists should be publicly announced.
The Board also honored the Small Business Centers of Excellence: Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, the Eastern Regional Small Business Center of Excellence, also received the honor as the state's best Small Business Center. Mark Council is the director. The Small Business Center at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, directed by Russ Yelton, received the honor for the Western Region. The Central Regional award went to Wake Technical Community College's Small Business Center, directed by Ken Dillo. George Millsaps, Director of the Small Business Center Network, presented the awards.
In other action the Board:
Ø Accepted the withdrawal of the retirement of Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Fred Williams and extended his employment at the System Office through August 2008.
Ø Recognized Dr. Larry John Keen as the new president of Fayetteville Technical Community College. Dr. Keen thanked the Board members for their support and praised their leadership. He told the members he would work to ensure that the “future will be continually brighter” at Fayetteville Tech.
Ø Approved Willa Dickens as the new System Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development, replacing Dr. Keen. Ms. Dickens is currently the Associate Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development. She assumes her new position on August 1, 2007.
Ø Received a report on local college presidential searches. Richard Sullins, Executive Director of the State Board, reported that there are eight searches now in progress, with an average of 45 to 50 applicants at each college.
Ø Agreed to recommend that the Student Government leaders at the colleges assist in informing students of the various scholarship opportunities that are available. This move was deemed necessary due to a lack of counselors and student service personnel available to counsel students on the availability. That shortage has led to scholarship funds remaining unspent that could otherwise help needy students.
Ø Approved an Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA) that is similar in terms to the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement with public colleges and universities.
Ø Approved a New-to the System Program at two community colleges: Boat Manufacture and Service, a Diploma program, at Cape Fear and Carteret Community Colleges.
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, August 03, 2007 10:56:29 AM
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