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| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: August 11, 2000 |
COMMUNITY COLLEGE EMPLOYEE RECEIVES THE ORDER OF THE LONG LEAF PINE
RALEIGH: Governor Jim Hunt took time out of a busy schedule today, August 11, to pay homage to a friend and a long-time public servant. Hunt surprised Fred William Manley, Director of Distance Learning at the North Carolina Community College System, by personally presenting to him The Order of the Long Leaf Pine at a pre-retirement reception this morning.
Before the Internet, distance learning generally meant sitting in front of a television to take a class. The Information Highway introduced another method of instruction via two-way interactive video. Now, the explosive growth in online education via the Internet has meant distance learning administrators have to quickly adapt to growing enrollment demands.
Manley, who retires at the end of the month after 41 years in education, including 35 years at the NCCCS, has worked during all the changes to ensure that community college students have access to current distance learning tools. He encouraged the community colleges to embrace the medium, sometimes facing strong resistance. But he has been successful; telecourse enrollment grew from 634 in 1988 to more than 20,000 students last year. Total distance learning usage by community college students has increased from 34,000 to more than 42,000 students in the last year, with the fastest growth in online education.
Hunt praised Manley as he presented him The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is given to outstanding North Carolinians who have a proven record of service to the state. Hunt credited Manley with helping to initiate distance learning in North Carolina. "When he started doing it, many didn’t think it could be done," Hunt said. But Manley persevered and helped the technology to grow.
Manley, who is known nationally as a creative and enthusiastic administrator, was also honored by a national organization for his efforts. The Telecourse People, an organization comprised of several national producers and distributors of distance learning programs, presented Manley with The Telecourse People Award, also known as the Ziggy Award. Lucy Rae Pascoe, Telecourse Marketing Director at Coast Telecourses in Fountain Valley, CA, presented the Ziggy to Manley at a recent Distance Learning Alliance Conference hosted by the NCCCS. Pascoe said Manley was being honored for his "exemplary leadership and support of distance learning in North Carolina and for doing everything in his power to assist students to achieve their educational goals."
Dr. Janyth Fredrickson, Associate Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at NCCCS, was among the many praising Manley’s work in distance learning. "Fred planted the seed," she said. Noting his tireless efforts in encouraging the use of telecourses, she added, "It was the right way to begin and will forever be a part of what we do."
The North Carolina Community College System, with more than 759,000 students, is the third largest community college system in the United States. The System is the state's primary agency for delivery of job training, literacy and adult education programs.
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