RALEIGH: The State Board of Community Colleges presented the prestigious I. E. Ready Award to three distinguished individuals on Friday, November 15 at the RBC Center. In addition to this award, several other individuals received special honors. More than 300 community college employees and supporters attended the luncheon.

The I. E. Ready, the highest honor bestowed by the State Board of Community Colleges, recognizes individuals who have made important contributions to the community college movement locally, statewide and nationally. The three honorees have exhibited a deep dedication to the mission of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS).

Dr. H. Edwin Beam (far right), a native of Cleveland County, has devoted his life to education. After leaving the military with the rank of Captain and earning his bachelor’s degree at North Carolina State University, Beam taught high school in Sampson and Lincoln Counties. After receiving his master’s and doctorate he was named principal of a Lincoln County high school, became an associate professor at N.C. State University, and was named the first President of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in 1964, retiring in 1984. Beam later served as Interim President at McDowell Technical Community College.

The late Meigs C. Golden, a native of Sanford, was a long-time community college supporter. Golden served as a B-24 pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the South Pacific Theatre during World War II. In 1963, the Lee County Commissioners appointed him to the first board of the Lee County Industrial Education Center, which later became Central Carolina Community College (CCCC). Golden served on that board until 1989, including six years as chairman. He served as a member of the CCCC Foundation Board of Directors since 1989. Also in that year, the General Assembly appointed Golden to the State Board of Community Colleges. Governor Hunt re-appointed Golden to the SBCC in 1996. Golden passed away on September 16, 2001. His widow, Peggy Clemmer Golden (center, above), accepted the award on his behalf.

J. Gregory Poole, Jr. (far left, above), the former President and Board Chair of Gregory Poole Equipment Company in Raleigh, led the revival of the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation. In 1998 Poole agreed to chair the Foundation board, which had been dormant for a number of years. He embraced his position and tirelessly dedicated his time and talents to building a productive and successful Foundation board and raising the profile of all community colleges in North Carolina. Poole recruited more than 40 of the state's top business leaders to join him on the board. Under his leadership the NCCCF attracted significant contributions for the NCCCS and local community colleges.

Also presented at the Awards Luncheon was the Excellence in Teaching (EIT) Award, endowed by R. J. Reynolds. The EIT was established in 1985 by the State Board of Community Colleges to provide recognition for full-time teachers who exemplify the highest standards of instruction and professionalism in the classroom and who consistently demonstrate excellence in service to their colleges and communities.

The 2002 EIT winner is Stephanie Hunt, an English Instructor at Johnston Community College. Hunt, a graduate of Lenoir Community College, was a summa cum laude graduate of Barton College where she was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. While earning her master's degree at East Carolina University, she taught at Wayne Community College and also tutored students in writing. In the fall of 2000, Hunt began teaching at Johnston Community College, where she currently is an English instructor. She teaches grammar, writing, literature-based research and argument-based research. An adviser to the Literary Club, she serves on the college's Southeastern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Self-Study Committee and the Student Advisory Council. Hunt receives $5,000; the Johnston CC Foundation receives $1,250.

Ms. Hunt was selected from a group of five finalists. The four remaining EIT finalists are Patrick N. Jacques, an Architectural Technology Department Head/Instructor at Coastal Carolina Community College; Diane L. Tyndall, a Business Instructor at Craven Community College; Mary Beth Ledbetter, a Human Resources Development Instructor at McDowell Technical Community College; and Patricia Gutierrez Horner, a Spanish Instructor at Stanly Community College. The four EIT Finalists each receive $250.

The Staff Person of the Year Award was established in 2001 and endowed by BB&T to recognize the outstanding achievements of a staff member at one of North Carolina's community colleges.

The 2002 Staff Award recipient is Dr. Kathryn Baker Smith, Vice President for Educational Support Services at Guilford Technical Community College. She is responsible for student services, strategic and long-range planning, institutional research, board policy development, accreditation, and full-time enrollment (FTE) auditing. From 1982-1995, she held a variety of positions at the North Carolina Community College System Office where she developed the system’s major accountability tool, the Critical Success Factors, and led the development of the system wide institutional effectiveness process. Smith receives $3,750 and the GTCC Foundation gets $1,250.

The other Staff Award finalists are: Bobby Ervin, Fayetteville Technical CC Associate V P for Learning Technologies; Virginia Lucas, Sampson Community College - Dean, Finance Operations; Phil Welch, Gaston College - Fire Science Department Chair; and Anita Bullin, Surry Community College, Director Career Services/Tech Prep.

The President of the Year Award, endowed by Wachovia, was established in 2001 to recognize an outstanding community college president.

Dr. Anthony Zeiss (left), President of Central Piedmont Community College was selected as the 2002 President of the Year. Zeiss is the author of more than 50 professional articles, papers, research documents and more than 400 newspaper columns. Before CPCC, Zeiss served as President of Pueblo Community College in Pueblo, Colorado. He is past chair of the board of the American Association of Community Colleges and represented America's community colleges at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in Paris, France. Zeiss receives $5,000; the CPCC Foundation gets $1,250.

The President's Leadership Award, selected by System President H. Martin Lancaster, honors students who have helped to improve campus life for their fellow students and have made significant contributions to their colleges and surrounding communities. The enthusiasm that Sharon Wright-Watson (right) has for community colleges was evident during the year she served as President of the North Carolina Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association (N4CSGA) and student liaison to the State Board of Community Colleges. She spoke to the North Carolina General Assembly and a number of other organizations about her experiences as a single working mother going back to school. Wright-Watson graduated from Piedmont Community College in May 2002 with an Associate in Arts degree in nursing. She is currently a studying for a bachelor’s degree in nursing at North Carolina Central University in Durham. She is in the National Guard, is an associate pastor and performs with her five children as the Wright Family Singers.

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