RALEIGH: Leaders of North Carolina's biotechnology initiative came to the State Board of Community Colleges today to offer and receive thanks for the successful effort to secure funds from Golden LEAF.

Golden LEAF is a non-profit foundation that administers half of the money received by the state from its settlement with cigarette manufacturers. It focuses on helping the state to make the transition from a tobacco-based economy and creating new job opportunities in tobacco-dependent areas. On August 7, it committed up to $60 million to launch a program to train North Carolinians for the emerging biotechnology industry. The community college share of the funding is $9.4 million for two years.

"Our community colleges partners are the consummate team players," said Alexis Vaughn, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Golden LEAF, to the Program Committee of the State Board of Community Colleges. Her comments followed a biotechnology update from H. Martin Lancaster, President of the North Carolina Community College System.

In addition to Vaughn, Lancaster introduced representatives from major partners in the initiative, including Hal Price, President of Price Biotechnology Consulting and former Biogen executive; Peter Kilpatrick, head of Chemical Engineering at NC State University and design chief for the central training center, or BTEC, there; Sam Taylor, Executive Vice President of the NC Bio industry group; Andy Rothschild, President, Scientific Properties; and Kathleen Kennedy, Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development at the NC Biotechnology Center. (Rosalind Fuse-Hall of NC Central University, which received funding for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in biotechnology, was unable to attend.)

Dr. Kennedy praised President Lancaster, saying "North Carolina's biotechnology sector has benefited for a long time from President Lancaster's vision and leadership in this area."

The community college portion of the plan includes five skills centers at "lead" community colleges, designed to share expertise throughout the system; access to a dedicated clean room/aseptic process suite located at the BTEC; a mobile training lab; a Biotechnology Office for the system; and two specialized funds.

The Program Committee, chaired by Bob Greene of Winston-Salem, officially commended and thanked all the participants in the initiative. Other committee members attending were Chester Middlesworth of Statesville; Sandra Hayes of Waynesville; Norma Turnage of Rocky Mount; James Woody of Roxboro, Chair of the State Board of Community Colleges; Sheila Carpen; Trustee of Piedmont Community College; and Diane Honeycutt, President of Richmond Community College.

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, 919-733-7051 ext. 302. For details on biotechnology and biomanufacturing programs, contact Dr. Larry Keen, Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development, 919-733-7051, ext. 407; or Dr. Delores Parker, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services, 919-733-7051, ext. 413.

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