RELEASE: Immediate CONTACT: Public Affairs
DATE: March 17, 2005 PHONE: (919) 807-6963
State Board receives update on transition of Textile Center
RALEIGH: "We are in a world war for jobs," said Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston) to the State Board of Community Colleges. He spoke to them during its March 17th Issues Session on the planned transition of the Center for Applied Textile Technology to Gaston College.
Hoyle represents Gaston County and is especially interested in the textile industry. "I have deep roots, love and affection for the industry," he said. And that is why he is so interested in the disposition of the Textile Center located in Belmont. He sees the transition as a new beginning that will enhance the Center’s ability to serve the industry and thereby retain the workforce.
A transition team, headed by Kennon Briggs, Vice President for Business and Finance for the North Carolina Community College System, has been working on the logistics of transferring the center to the control of Gaston College. This team is the result of a study that was mandated by the General Assembly to determine if the Center for Applied Textile Technology should be dissolved, remain independent, or become a part of a community college. Under the plan they are devising, the Textile Center would become a part of Gaston College just as the Hosiery Technology Center is a part of Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory.
Hoyle feels the Hosiery Center is a major reason that industry is still strong in the state and feels the Textile Center can do the same for textiles. "The Hosiery Center is an example of something we did right," said Hoyle. "The Textile Center can interface with NC State’s Textile Center and support an industry that has helped build North Carolina."
The Transition Team is resolving issues related to five specific areas of concern: Budget, Personnel Issues, Staffing Plans, Space Utilization, and Governance. The hope is to have issues resolved by the end of March so legislation can be drafted and presented in the General Assembly to accomplish a smooth and efficient transition. The plan is to have the transition completed by the end of the fiscal year so Gaston College will be able to offer curriculum and continuing education classes on the Belmont campus in the fall of this year.
According to the plans so far, the Textile Center, which has two buildings on campus, will still have a building devoted to serving the needs of the textile industry. The plan calls for a Textile Center Advisory Committee that would be comprised of textile industry representatives from across the state. The director of the Hosiery Technology Center would also serve on the Advisory Committee, to ensure there is interface between the two centers.
"The Textile Center provides valuable services now," said Hoyle. "Our goal is that we accomplish something here that will continue to serve the thousands still working in the industry."
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