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| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: April 7 - May 16, 2003 |
Celebrating 40 years of "College That Really Works" for North Carolina
DAILY FACTS TO RECOGNIZE 40 YEARS OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
RALEIGH:
May 17 marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of the bill creating the North Carolina Community College System. Over the years, our community colleges have developed to reflect the needs of the people.Below are various facts about the System. We hope you find them all interesting and useful.
Fact # 1 - Old and New…
Mitchell Community College in Statesville has the longest
history of any institution within the NC Community College System.
Chartered in the 1850s as a Presbyterian college for women, it became a public
community college in 1973. Two institutions vie for the title of
"youngest." South Piedmont Community College, serving Anson and
Union Counties was chartered in 1999 as a successor to the existing Anson
Community College. Brunswick Community College in Supply is the most recent
college created "from scratch," opening in 1979. The North
Carolina Community College System now enrolls more than 800,000 students each
year in 58 comprehensive community colleges and one specialized technology
center.
Fact # 2 - Strengthening Businesses
In 1998 Gates Rubber announced it was
leaving Ashe County, eliminating more than 400 jobs. Ashe County and North
Carolina Department of Commerce officials worked with Wilkes Community College
New and Expanding Industry Training personnel to create a proposal to keep Gates
in the county. The plan worked. Now, thanks in large part to training
offered by Wilkes CC, a redesigned and upgraded Gates Corporation employs
more workers than the original company.
The New and Expanding Industry Program (NEIT)
started in 1958 and was the first customized training program in the nation to
serve the needs of businesses and industries creating jobs…and keeping jobs.
The program, offered by each college of the North Carolina Community
College System, provides free customized training for new and expanding
companies in all regions of North Carolina. Nearly 15,000 individuals received
training at more than 150 new or expanding companies last year.
Fact # 3 – Spreading a world-wide message
Thailand opened ten community colleges last year, the
beginning of a system that will eventually resemble the North Carolina
Community College System. Educators from Thailand, Russia, Japan, England,
Senegal, Moldova, Mexico, and Peru have visited North Carolina in the past
three years to learn more about our community college system. Some countries
have developed cooperative relationships with the NCCCS or an individual
community college. The NCCCS is recognized nationally and internationally
as a leader and innovator in workforce training and for providing exceptional education
resources ranging from basic skills to associate degrees.
Fact # 4 – Culinary Artistry
Lawrence McFadden supervises the culinary vision for six
unique restaurants at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida as
the hotel’s executive chef. McFadden, a 1984 graduate of the Culinary
Technology program at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is but one
of the many successful graduates of the 16 community colleges offering Culinary
Technology as a curriculum program. The North Carolina Community College System
offers programs that prepare individuals for interesting and rewarding careers.
Fact # 5 – What's an
"I-E-C?"
It is -- or was -- an Industrial Education Center, part of a
network of technical and vocational institutions for adults authorized by the
General Assembly in 1957 and approved by the State Board of Education in 1958.
The first seven funded were in Burlington, Durham, Goldsboro, Greensboro-High
Point, Leaksville (now Eden), Wilmington, and Wilson. These and 13 other IECs
became part of the new North Carolina Community College System with the passage
of the landmark legislation in May 1963. Today, that system includes one
specialized technology center and 58 comprehensive institutions committed to
workforce education and economic development. Technical and vocational education
remains the focus of today's community colleges, which also offer solid
academics, comprehensive basic skills, and a broad range of occupational
extension and other continuing education.
Fact # 6 – Architect of the Open Doors
Dr. W. Dallas Herring of Rose Hill is widely acknowledged to
be the "spiritual godfather" of the North Carolina Community College
System. As Chairman of the State Board of Education, Dr. Herring advocated
tirelessly for a comprehensive community college system offering a "Golden
Door" of opportunity for any North Carolinian who needed education to move
one more step toward the goal of a productive life.
Fact # 7 - On Our Own…
North Carolina's Community College System
had an "independence day" of sorts January 1, 1981, when the new State
Board of Community Colleges assumed responsibility for the oversight of the
system, which had previously been supervised by the State Board of Education.
The Board's first chair was Duke Power Company Executive Carl Horn. He was
succeeded in 1983 by John A. Forlines, president of Bank of Granite and then by
William F. Simpson in 1989. Lt. Governor Dennis A. Wicker served as chair from
1993 until 1999. Dr. G. Herman Porter, former president of Wayne Community
College, served from 1999 until 2001. The current chair is James J. Woody, Jr.
of Roxboro, an executive with Chandler Concrete Company. Today's State Board of
Community Colleges has twenty-one members. The Governor appoints ten, the North
Carolina and House each elect four, the Lt. Governor and State Treasurer serve
ex officio, and the designee of the statewide student government association
serves as a non-voting ex officio member
Fact # 8 - TRUST-ing Local Leadership
Local boards of trustees govern the institutions of the North
Carolina Community College System. The local board(s) of education, County
Commissioners, and the Governor appoint members to the community college board.
Most colleges have a student representative on the board as a non-voting member.
Together, those boards include more than 800 men and women dedicated to making
sure that community colleges really work for all North Carolinians. For more
information about local trustees, contact the NC Association of Community
College Trustees at 919-467-9754.
Fact # 9 – Creating Internet Entrepreneurs
Joan
Lee lives in Franklin, a charming town tucked into North Carolina's
southwestern mountains. A few years ago, she barely knew how to surf the Web.
Today, customers from as far away as Japan surf the Web to find the unique hats
Lee designs, makes and sells through her own Website, www.ahatshop.com.
The e-Commerce program at Southwestern Community College offered her the skills
she needed to turn her talents into a thriving business. Lee earned a
certificate through Southwestern's e-Commerce Design Solutions continuing
education program and created her own e-business. Ms. Lee completed the program
in the traditional classroom format, but it is now offered completely on-line.
E-Commerce is a major focus throughout the North Carolina Community College
System, with new courses and programs growing by the month.
Fact # 10 - Quality convenience
The North Carolina Community College System provides
quality, economical resources to the state through a variety of instructional
sites located in 89 counties. There are 58 accredited colleges and the North
Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology. The State Board of Community
Colleges designated other locations to provide more convenient resources to
local communities. There are 20 multi-campus locations at 13 colleges offering
complete student services. Limited service is also available at 73 off-campus
centers of 44 colleges. Classes are also taught at other locations in
communities. These multiple facilities combine to create one of the most
convenient and comprehensive education resources available anywhere in the
country, or the world!
Fact # 11 –Preserving history
Scientists have found an archeological site in Burke
County in western North Carolina of a Spanish fort that predates the Lost Colony
of Roanoke by at least 20 years. Humanities students at Western Piedmont
Community College, located in Morganton, have helped excavate the site. NCCCS
students are involved in many aspects of North Carolina life.
Fact # 12 – Distance learning explosion
Community college students don’t have to travel very
far to attend classes on a local campus, but many don’t even leave home to
take a class. Distance learning in the North Carolina Community College System
has exploded. Overall, 75,415 enrollments were tracked in 2001-2002, up from
50,916 in 2000-2001, and 35,587 enrollments in 1999-2000. This represents a
growth rate of around 48%. Online enrollment numbers are even more impressive,
with 50,422 counted for 2001-2002. This is up from 28,262 online enrollments in
2000-2001 and 15,463 in 1999-2000. That’s more than a 75% growth rate each
year.
Fact # 13 – Human Resources Development (Part 1)
The Human Resources Development (HRD) program has
focused on the development of basic employability skills of participants for
more than 30 years. Over the last three years HRD enrollment has increased 40%,
from 29,064 to 46,970. This increase is due partly to the increased number of
dislocated workers affected by plant closings and layoffs. This year, 65% of HRD
clients were unemployed. HRD has always been a key partner in various workforce
development initiatives. Efforts include Rapid Response Team visits, customized
employability skills training classes, and collaborating with JobLink Career
Centers. (To be continued)
Fact # 14 – Human Resources Development (Part 2)
The Human Resources Development (HRD) program has
focused on the development of basic employability skills of participants for
more than 30 years. Last year, the HRD program was awarded a $52,000 grant from
the Rural Internet Access Authority to implement the HRD Computer Empowerment
Project. This statewide initiative offers Computer Literacy training, primarily
to individuals who otherwise would not have access to this type of instruction.
The training focuses on personal and work-related tasks. In 2001, more than
4,600 students completed a Computer Literacy course. The HRD Computer
Empowerment Project will significantly increase that number and help those
individuals be better prepared to enter the job market.
Fact # 15 – Employer satisfaction
The New and Expanding Industry Training program
offered by the NCCCS is a vital component of North Carolina’s economic
development efforts. The program provides free customized training to new
employees of companies creating twelve or more new jobs in a one-year period.
Clients of the program, 65% of them in rural counties, have given the program
high praise. An excellent or very good rating on meeting company expectations
came from 96% of clients. Overall impact to company operations was ranked
excellent or very good by 93% of respondents. Overall effectiveness in
preparing employees for productivity was rated excellent or very good by 93%
of respondents.
Fact # 16 – Keeping North Carolina Safe
Tommy Lee Davis is an officer with the North Carolina
Highway Patrol, serving the Halifax County area. Trooper Davis began his law
enforcement career with the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, after receiving
his law enforcement training at Halifax Community College. Davis is just one
example of the tens of thousands of North Carolinians now on the job in public
safety, fire fighting and emergency medical response, thanks to great programs
at community colleges. Community colleges trained more than 80 percent of North
Carolina's law enforcement officers and 90 percent of the State's firefighters
and emergency medical technicians last year. More than 200,000 Fire/Rescue, Law
Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Technicians received certification or
recertification training last year at a North Carolina Community College.
Fact #17 - Learning for a lifetime, literally
Community college graduates care for North
Carolinians, literally from birth to death. Many newborn babies are cared for by
nurses trained at a community college. Thousands of daycare providers have been
trained in the Early Childhood Associate program, which is offered at every
community college. Community colleges offer Huskins classes to high school
students and Adult High School or GED to adults who didn’t get their high
school diplomas. Continuing education and curriculum programs of a wide variety
are offered to adults of every age. And when the end comes, students trained at
Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Funeral Service Program, take care
of the dead. Community colleges offer learning for a lifetime…and after.
Fact # 18- Beauty all around
Love flowers? Have a passion for landscaping design?
You’ll find some of the most beautiful gardens in North Carolina at Sandhills
Community College, located in Pinehurst. The 32 acres of the Sandhills
Horticultural Gardens began in 1978 with the Ebersole Holly Garden, the
largest accessible holly collection on the East Coast. Over the years,
additional gardens have been added, including the Rose Garden, the Conifer
Garden, the Sir Walter Raleigh Garden, the Atkins Hillside Garden, the Fruit &
Vegetable Garden, and the Desmond Native Wetland Trail Garden. Students in the
college’s Landscape
Gardening program design and care for the gardens. Graduates
of this unique hands-on program now supervise gardens at the White House and
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
Fact # 19 – Plastics for the future
Shades of "The Graduate!" Plastics
represent a major economic opportunity for the state. More than 500 companies in
North Carolina employ plastics technicians and the field is growing. The
NCCCS offers comprehensive training for this growth industry in a unique
collaborative arrangement among six community colleges. The second year of
the Plastics Technology
associate degree program is taught at the Eastern North Carolina Plastics
Technology Center, centrally located in Zebulon. The Center serves
Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, Wake Technical, Wayne and Wilson Technical Community
Colleges, where students get their first year of training towards the degree.
The center was funded with state and National Science Foundation dollars.
Scholarships are available to students, $1,000 per semester for up to four
semesters, also funded by the National Science Foundation.
Fact # 20 - Racing to a brighter future
Nathan Williams grew up tinkering with cars. Now, the
18-year-old earns a living fabricating roofs for the #38 and #88 Ford Winston
Cup racecars fielded by the Robert Yates Racing team, driven by Winston Cup
champion Dale Jarrett. It’s a busy schedule; Williams and his team crank out a
new racecar every ten working days. Williams is a graduate of the Bobby Issac
Motorsports Technology Program at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory.
"I always wanted to work in racing," says Williams. He says the
welding experience he had wasn’t enough. "But I wouldn't have got the job
without the education," he added. The Motorsports program has been offered
since 1997 and many graduates have gone on to pursue successful careers in the
racing industry. For more information about the Bobby Issac Motorsports Program:
http://cce.cvcc.edu/?a=race.
Fact # 21 - Stopping by the Woods
Johnston Community College, located in Smithfield,
made history in 1993. That was the year Rudolph Howell donated to the JCC
Foundation the largest gift ever given to a community college by a single donor.
The 2,856 acres of natural land was given with the desire that the land be used
as an outdoor classroom. The Rudolph Howell and Son Environmental Learning
Center (Howell Woods) contains nine natural communities and a
diverse number of flora and fauna. The addition of the learning center
building in 1998 brought Mr. Howell's wish to reality. Staffed and operated by
Johnston Community College, the property is actively managed for the benefit of
wildlife, educational opportunities, and low impact outdoor recreation. For more
information: http://www.johnstoncc.edu/information/howellwoods/howellwoods.htm
Fact # 22 – Partners for economic progress
Ever tried to find the town of Mayland, NC? You'll
have an easier time finding Mayland
Community College, because the name of Mayland Community College is
an acronym for the three beautiful mountain counties it serves: Mitchell, Avery
and Yancey. Mayland, as do more than two dozen other community colleges in our
state, has a service area that includes more than one county. On the other end
of the state, College of The Albemarle, headquartered in Elizabeth City,
"counts" the most counties, with seven along the sounds, rivers and
beaches of the northeast. While students are free to attend the college that
suits them best, service areas help define the financial partnership between the
state, which funds primarily instruction, and the counties, which have principal
responsibility for facilities.
Fact # 23 – Largest and smallest
With more than 60,000 students, Central Piedmont
Community College has the largest enrollment of any college or university in
North Carolina. CPCC's Central Campus is an easy stroll from the bustle of
uptown Charlotte. The college also has seven branch campuses and centers spread
across Mecklenburg County. Pamlico Community College in the eastern town of
Grantsboro is the smallest member of the North Carolina Community College
System, serving more than 1800 students. This "small college with the big
heart" is the only college in the system offering Electroneurodiagnostic
Technology. In this program technicians are trained to record electrical
activity arising primarily from the brain, spinal cord, and somatosensory nerve
systems using a variety of techniques and instruments.
Fact # 24 – Digging for a future
Ever wonder what it feels like to move a mountain?
Enroll in the Heavy Equipment program at Wilson Technical Community College and
find out. The college offers one of the few Heavy Equipment programs in the
country. Students learn to move earth, and much more. They operate and maintain
bulldozers, front-end loaders and other machines required for construction of
buildings and roads. The diploma and certificate programs provide extensive
hands-on training for the profession. The college has two training sites, each
more than 20 acres in size. Students train on equipment that is assigned to only
them for the entire semester. They operate the equipment and move dirt to learn
the necessary skills to get great a job in the industry. Students come from all
over the Eastern United States and beyond. For more information: http://www.wilsontech.cc.nc.us/diploma1.html.
Fact # 25 – Nursing the state to health
The health of North Carolina depends on community
college graduates. The NCCCS has educated the majority of the Licensed Practical
Nurses and Associate Degree Nurses in our state. It’s a long-standing
tradition. The NEWH Nursing Consortium--consisting of Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson,
and Halifax community colleges--was created in 1973, enabling those colleges to
share clinical resources and faculty. The first class of Consortium nursing
students enrolled in Fall 1974. At that time, the Consortium was the largest
nursing program in the Southeast. Educating nurses is a priority of the
Community College System. Licensed Practical Nursing is offered at 34 community
colleges and the Registered Nursing Associate Degree Program is offered at 51
community colleges. These men and women receive excellent instruction. Community
college pass rates for students taking the nursing exam equal or exceed state
and national levels.
Fact # 26 - Building small business empires
Are you tired of working for someone else? Have you
lost your job? Maybe you’ve considered starting your own business and just
didn’t know where to start. The Small Business Centers of the NCCCS can help
you develop your entrepreneurial talents and build a successful business of your
own. Located at each of the 58 community colleges, each SBC provides seminars,
workshops, and counseling for those aspiring to be small business owners and
operators. Small businesses are the heart of North Carolina’s economy and the
SBC Network has helped to develop hundreds of small business success stories.
Last year the Small Business Center Network conducted 2,955 seminars with 47,317
seminar trainees and provided counseling to more than 9,000 individuals. The SBC
offered 1,575 courses to 15,215 individuals. Contact your local community
college’s Small Business Center for more information so you can become a
success story, too!
Fact # 27 - Pressing a new economy
Surry Community College is
helping the state build a business that could replace tobacco as a major force
in North Carolina's economy. The college, located in Dobson, offers a
Viticulture and Enology Technology Program. The college also operates a winery
that gives students valuable practical application. The Yadkin Valley is
officially recognized as a wine region. Wines grown and produced in North
Carolina are receiving favorable notice from journalists and reviewers who cover
the wine industry and from knowledgeable consumers. Graduates of the program at
Surry are prepared to enter the grape growing and wine making industry. For more
information about the program: http://204.211.175.2/grapes/
Fact # 28 - Underwater farming
What do you do when the crops you grow above ground are no longer
profitable? Go underwater! Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of
agriculture in the world, and it's taught at Brunswick Community College.
Aquaculture is the managed production of aquatic organisms under controlled
environmental conditions. The Southeastern North Carolina Aquaculture Center,
located at BCC, is a state-of-the-art training, demonstration, and research
facility that covers 22 acres and includes 30 ponds ranging from ¼ acre to
three acres in size. Graduates of the program learn the methods for optimum fish
production and are also prepared for careers in the management of ecosystems.
The credential is also offered in collaboration with Carteret Community College.
For more information about this exciting industry: http://www.brunswick.cc.nc.us/AQUA/aquahome.htm
Fact # 29 - Horsing around
Horses are a way of life for thousands of North Carolinians. There is
virtually no area of the state where a horse farm is not within a few miles
drive. Valued at $750 million annually, the Tar Heel horse industry provides
jobs through the many breeding, training, and boarding stables. Martin Community
College, located in Williamston, offers an Equine Technology curriculum designed
to prepare students for positions within the horse industry. The curriculum is
management oriented, preparing graduates for the widest range of available
equine jobs; areas of specialization may be pursued during the internship. Farm
management, breeding, nutrition, selection/judging, and health are covered in
detail; training, teaching, and riding are also included. For more information: http://www.martin.cc.nc.us/academic/default.htm.
Fact # 30 - Learn to earn
If you can’t do the work, you won’t keep the job.
North Carolina’s community colleges offer workers the opportunity to improve
their skills for their current job or to develop skills for a new job.
Occupational Continuing Education training is a primary tool for providing skill
development opportunities. Short-term occupational skill training courses are
offered at each of the community colleges across the state to train, retrain,
and upgrade individuals for current or future job skills. In 2002, 79% of
students enrolled in a Workforce Continuing Education program were between the
ages of 25 and 49. More than three-fourths of the students were working while
they learned new skills; 71% worked full time, and 8% part time.
Fact # 31 – Give the people what they want
North Carolina’s community colleges are located in
the community to provide convenient access to services. Just as important, they
provide services that are needed by the community. Community College
administrators survey their local community to determine what specific interests
need to be met and then the college offers programs and courses to meet those
needs. These programs are designed to provide lifelong learning for adults that
meet community needs and interests and contribute to the community’s overall
cultural, civic and intellectual growth. Courses are offered when, where, and in
a format that best serves student needs. Courses include Academic: Astronomy,
Genealogy, Black History Studies; Consumer Education: Automotive Maintenance,
How to Buy a Home, Hospice Volunteer Training; Safety: Driving Safety, Mediation
Training, Crisis Intervention; Ecology: Beekeeping, Landscaping/Gardening;
Wildlife Rehabilitation; and Heath and Wellness: Heart Healthy Cooking, Stress
Reduction, and Art Therapy for the Visually Impaired.
Fact # 32 – Hablamos el Español
The Spanish-speaking population of North Carolina is
increasing exponentially. North Carolina’s Hispanic population grew by almost
400% between 1990 and 2000. This growth has led to a tremendous need for
workplace bilingual training. Since 1998 the demand for this training has
increased by 63 percent. North Carolina’s community colleges offer workplace
Spanish training for non-Spanish speakers in business and industry, law
enforcement, fire and rescue squads and medical emergency agencies. The colleges
also offer workplace training in Spanish for Spanish-speaking students. Course
offerings include: Introduction to Computers, Welding, Basic Construction Skills
& Carpentry, Automotive Maintenance, Manufacturing Skills Certification and
many others. Para más información, contacte su colegio local de la comunidad.
Fact # 33 – Doing the job a new way
As North Carolina’s traditional industries continue
updating their operations to take advantage of a rapidly changing and evolving
technology, many of these businesses turn to the NCCCS for help in training
workers in skills the new technologies demand. For more than 21 years, the
Focused Industrial Training (FIT) Program has responded to a wide variety of
training needs for a very significant number of the North Carolina’s
businesses and industries. Traditionally, FIT projects and training programs are
directed toward veteran workers in manufacturing industries who need to renew
their skills and technical knowledge. A major FIT innovation is the
Manufacturing Certification Program (MCP). A new emphasis on industries involved
in the design and programming of computers and telecommunications systems has
been added to the FIT program. For more information about FIT and MCP:
http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/Business_and_Industry/index.html.
Fact # 34 - First, longest, most
The first woman to serve as a community college
president in North Carolina was Dr. C. Neill McLeod at Martin Community College
(May 14, 1979 - March 1982)
The first African American to serve as a community college president was Dr.
Phail Wynn, Jr. at Durham Technical Community College (May 1, 1980 to the
present)
Dr. John Tart served as the only president of Johnston Community College for 29
years (August 1960 through August 1998)
Dr. Craig Allen holds the longevity record of 31 years as a North Carolina
community college president (Robeson CC - July 1965 to June 1983, Fayetteville
Technical Community College - July 1983 to July 1996)
Fact # 35 - Lights, camera, action
The North Carolina Community College System has an
artistic and creative side. Movies are made at Piedmont Community College.
Students in the college's Film and Video Production Technology curriculum learn
production basics. Several of the videos produced by students at the college
have aired on television and won awards. Cape Fear Community College also offers
the program. Entertainers in need of a manager might find a graduate of the
Entertainment Technology program at Guilford Technical Community College. This
curriculum prepares individuals for entry-level entertainment jobs and also
prepares students to manage careers. At Randolph Community College, individuals
can pursue an associate degree in Photographic Technology/Photojournalism. For a
more technical form of expression, Digital Effects and Animation is offered,
also at Piedmont CC.
Fact # 36 - Body beautiful!
The next time you visit that exclusive spa for a day
of pampering, a North Carolina Community College graduate may be the one to give
you the glamour treatment. Several programs designed to pamper or beautify the
body are offered by North Carolina's community colleges. Sore muscles?
Therapeutic Massage graduates can work the kinks right out! Is your hairstyle
out of date? Most of the community colleges offer Cosmetology as a curriculum.
Thinking of changing your skin care regimen? Esthetics Technology graduates know
the ins and outs of beauty and cosmetic skin care. Looking for a manicure? Many
colleges offer a Manicuring/Nail Technology Certificate. The Education Guide
Catalog has information about programs and courses offered at individual
community colleges: http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/Programs/education_catalog.htm
Fact # 37 – Criminals, beware!
Whether it’s hacking into a computer, breaking into
a home, or embezzling the company funds, graduates of the North Carolina
Community College System are learning to fight crime of all kinds.
Southwestern Community College offers Cyber Crime Technology. Graduates
are prepared to enter the field of computer crime investigations and private
security. Criminal Justice Technology students can prepare for general
careers in law enforcement at most community colleges or they can pursue
interesting CJT program concentrations. At Forsyth Technical Community
College, students focus on Latent Evidence, learning both theory and
hands-on analysis of fingerprint classification, identification, and chemical
development. At Wilkes Community College students concentrate on Financial
Crime and Computer Fraud, focusing on financial criminal activity and
computer investigative security procedures from a law enforcement perspective.
Fact # 38 – Serving the community
North Carolina’s community colleges are extremely
involved in the communities they serve and communities beyond their county
borders. Here are a few examples. Marine Technology students at Cape Fear
Community College are helping to excavate the Queen Anne's Revenge, believed to
be Blackbeard's ship. Wilkes Community College’s MerleFest is the premier
acoustic music event in the world, attracting more than 77,000 attendees this
year and generating millions of dollars in economic support. South Piedmont
Community College's Phi Theta Kappa Chapter is one of the many community college
groups that sent care packages to U.S. troops overseas. After the September 11
terrorist attacks, the NC Community College Comprehensive Student Government
Association collected more than $7,600 for the New York Relief Fund, which
included assistance for the Borough of Manhattan Community College. After
Hurricane Floyd, staff members from several community colleges and the System
Office built several new houses for flood victims in Kinston.
Fact # 39 – Longevity in the System
There are only two individuals who were employed at
the newly formed Department of Community Colleges (DCC) in 1963 and are still
involved with the North Carolina Community College System in 2003. Dr. G. Herman
Porter, member and former chair of the State Board of Community Colleges and
Helen Dowdy, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Community
College Trustees (NCACCT), have a long history of service to North Carolina’s
community colleges. Dr. Porter was Executive Assistant to President I.E. Ready
when the DCC was formed. He served in various administrative positions on the
state level and was Interim President at Isothermal and Southeastern Community
Colleges. He was president at Wayne Community College (7/87- 6/92) when he
retired and was elected to the State Board that same year. Helen Dowdy was Ready’s
Administrative Assistant even before he was named president in 1963 and was
sitting in the House gallery when the bill was passed. She was the Assistant to
the President for Board Affairs (1978-1992) when she left the System to become
Executive Director of the Trustees’ Association in 1992.
Fact # 40 – Leading the way
Seven distinguished gentlemen have led the North
Carolina Community College System since 1963, six as president and one as acting
president. Each man has contributed to the System in his own special way,
ensuring that the "open door" mission of our community colleges is
maintained. Their guidance has helped provide millions of North Carolinians a
quality, convenient, and economical means to change their lives. The men who
have led this System that has always been a valuable component of the state’s
economy are: Dr. Isaac Epps Ready (1963 – 1970); Dr. Benjamin E. Fountain,
Jr., President Emeritus (1971 – 1978); Mr. Charles R. Holloman, Acting
President (1978 – 1979); Dr. Larry J. Blake (1979 – 1982); Governor Robert
W. Scott, President Emeritus (1983 – 1994); Dr. Lloyd V. Hackley (1995 –
1997); and The Honorable H. Martin Lancaster, who became System President on
July 1, 1997 and continues to provide exemplary leadership.
The North Carolina Community College System is the open door to opportunity, providing world-class workforce training and convenient, quality education resources. The North Carolina Community College System is the open door to opportunity, providing world-class workforce training and convenient, quality education resources. For more information about the history and current programs of the North Carolina Community College System, or for interview or additional story ideas, contact Audrey Bailey at the System Office.
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