RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2007
CONTACT: Public Affairs
A Day of Recognition by the State Board of Community Colleges
RALEIGH - The State Board of Community Colleges hosted its Day of Recognition luncheon at the RBC Center today. The Board paid its highest tribute, the I.E. Ready to two outstanding individuals who have spent most of their professional lives in service to the North Carolina Community College System. The Board also honored Distinguished Partners for Excellence and paid tribute to the Instructor, Staff Person, and President of the Year.
I.E. Ready Award
The award is named for Isaac Epps Ready, the first state director of the Department of Community Colleges. It is the highest honor bestowed by the State Board of Community Colleges. The award recognizes individuals who have made important contributions to the establishment and growth of North Carolina's community colleges. Among the previous winners are James T. Broyhill, William C. Friday, William Dallas Herring, James Holshouser Jr., Phillip J. Kirk, Terry Sanford, and Robert W. Scott.
Onlsow County native, James L. Henderson, Jr. was the first to receive the I. E. Ready today. Before joining the community college family, Henderson, a U.S. Army veteran, was a high school design and drafting teacher in Roanoke Rapids. In 1964, I.E. Ready, first director of the Department of Community Colleges, recommended that Henderson become the first director of the Onslow Industrial Education Center. Henderson was appointed and became the founding president of what evolved into Onslow Technical Institute in 1965 and in 1970, into Coastal Carolina Community College.
Henderson ( right, with wife, Maxine) worked with Marine Corps commanders to establish GED and Adult High School training on the military bases so that Marines could bring their skills to a level that would allow them to complete their military occupational specialty programs. Also, Henderson persuaded Marine commanders at the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital to provide clinical training facilities for the college’s nursing and allied health students. This partnership has continued for more than 40 years. In 1970, when Coastal Carolina became a community college, Henderson initiated a college transfer program. He asked faculty members from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to design the courses and to explain their expectations of the students who would successfully complete those courses and matriculate to their campus. Henderson was also instrumental in the establishment of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees.
Henderson earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree at East Carolina University as well as a vocation education certificate and a doctorate in community college administration from North Carolina State University. Henderson was president of the North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents in 1985-1986.
Henderson retired as president in 1988. He is now the president of the North Carolina Retired Governmental Employees Association. He and his wife, Maxine, have three children, Jimmy, Steve and Susan, and two grandchildren, Hunter and Samantha. The Hendersons live in Emerald Isle and attend St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Swansboro.
The second I.E. Ready recipient went to former State Board member Ann Turlington of Clinton. Turlington (left, with sons Ed and Lee) was recognized for her years of dedicated service to the North Carolina Community College System while a member of the State Board of Community Colleges and an instructor and administrator at Sampson Community College. She presently serves on the Sampson CC Foundation.
Turlington began her community college service in 1972 as an instructor at Sampson Community College. In 1978 she became director of marketing, recruiting and public relations. In 1985 she was named director of counseling and transfer and tutorial
coordinator. Before leaving in 1993 she developed an extensive
institutional transfer program. She joined the State Board in 1993, serving until 2005. During her tenure as a Board member, Turlington was a tireless advocate for the System, working to secure strong legislative financial support, including additional funding for salaries, technology, equipment, and training. She traveled across the state to promote the 2000 Higher Education Bond Referendum and was instrumental in its success.
Turlington provided sound input as a member of the policy and personnel committees. She was the chair of the I.E. Ready Award committee for several years and also served on the BB&T Staff Person of the Year Award committee from 2001-2004. She was vocal in her support for the award, often saying that staff members at the state’s community colleges were among the best in the country. She helped to establish the System’s biotechnology programs as a member of the Biotechnology/BioNetwork committee.
Turlington earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in counseling and adult and community college education from North Carolina State University. A member of the North Carolina Democratic Party steering committee, Turlington also served on the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Turlington is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Clinton. She and her late husband, Fes, have three sons, Lee, Ed and Ken, and six grandchildren, Harrison, John, Henry, Katherine, Jane, and Will.
The North Carolina Community College Distinguished Partners for Excellence Award
The Distinguished Partners for Excellence Award recognizes an exemplary employer, business, or industry group that has demonstrated decisive involvement and a firm commitment to the professional development of its employees and/or to the development of North Carolina's workforce through its partnership efforts with the North Carolina Community College System. Two productive partnerships were honored by the State Board today.
Forsyth Technical Community College has a long-standing relationship with North Carolina Baptist Hospital (NCBH) and Forsyth Medical Center (FMC) that has benefited Forsyth County in many ways. The two hospitals are the largest employers in the county, with a 29 percent increase in new healthcare jobs predicted at both by 2010. The allied health and nursing programs at Forsyth Tech are the predominant workforce suppliers for the two hospitals and their affiliated healthcare facilities.
One result of this productive partnership was the Bob Greene Hall (BGH), built on the Forsyth Tech campus in 1991. The hall, named after the former college president and current member of the State Board of Community Colleges, houses the allied health programs. FMC and NCBH funded the building in 1991, a 10,000-square-feet expansion of BGH in 2002, and have signed an agreement to fund an additional 20,000 square-foot expansion.
FMC and NCBH have also contributed funding for faculty, professional development and equipment to support the college’s health technology programs. The two hospitals sponsored $2 million in grants to support the development of new and existing allied health programs in 2000 and renewed the grants in 2003. Recently, the college and FMC received a Duke Endowment grant with a focus of maximizing nursing enrollment at Forsyth Tech. The two medical centers have also donated more than $1.2 million worth of equipment for the allied health and nursing training facilities at the college.
The second partnership honored is between a top quality pork and poultry producer, Prestage Farms, Inc. and Sampson Community College, both located in Clinton. Prestage has a commitment to working with organizations in the communities they serve. As such, the company and the college frequently work together for the benefit of both.
Approximately, 400 Prestage employees received training at Sampson through the Focused Industrial Training (FIT) Program. Over the past few years, the college has taught several classes for the company including courses in waste management certification, biosecurity measures for swine operations, tractor driving training, truck driver training, and maintenance of livestock production facilities. The college also presented seminars on land development and animal health management for Prestage employees. Several new training programs are in development.
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Prestage and Pres. Bill Aiken
Because of the strong relationship between Prestage and the college, the company was the first in 2004 to offer financial support when college officials proposed a new occupational training center on the Clinton campus. That center is now located on campus as a well-used classroom facility.
Prestage sponsored two new programs at the college -- truck driving and ammonia refrigeration. The college’s truck driving school began in 2006 and is training many truck drivers for various companies in the area as well as Prestage Farms. Bill Prestage, CEO, has been a key factor in the college’s obtaining funding for its ammonia refrigeration program – the fourth such program in the country. Ammonia is widely used as refrigerant in industrial facilities such as meat, poultry, and fish processing facilities, like Prestage Farms, as well as dairy and ice cream plants, wineries and breweries and other such facilities. The ammonia refrigeration program at Sampson is scheduled to begin in 2008.
R.J. Reynolds Excellence in Teaching Award
Caralyn M. House (below, with Wake Tech president Steve Scott), a culinary arts instructor at Wake Technical Community College, is the 2007 R.J. Reynolds Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. House is an instructor for all baking classes and is responsible for the annual fall vendor fair for students to finance the purchase of required uniforms and equipment. She also oversees the annual pastry show and competition, a culinary capstone class project culminating with a pastry display judged by area chefs. House designed many of the core classes in the culinary arts program as well as several continuing education courses in cooking and baking techniques. She also developed and is teaching the department’s first online culinary class, utilizing distance learning to reach diverse populations. Currently, House is developing an associate degree program in baking and pastry arts that will begin in the fall of 2008.
A certified hospitality educator since 1997, House earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking from Appalachian State University as well as an associate’s degree in culinary arts and a diploma in pastry arts from L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Maryland. She has developed and taught baking classes for work release inmates at the Governor’s Mansion and created a gingerbread house that brought in a record-breaking $650 for the Triangle Family Services fundraising auction.
The Excellence in Teaching Award 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 award is sponsored by the State Board of Community Colleges and endowed by R.J. Reynolds. House received $8,000 and a plaque. The Wake Tech Foundation will receive $2,000.
The four finalists for the award are:( left to right) Mark E. Stevens, Faculty Member & Coordinator, Zoo & Aquarium Science degree program at Davidson County Community College; Amy Richmond Campbell, Nursing Faculty at Pitt Community College; Patricia A. Pfeiffer, Nursing Instructor at Wayne Community College; and Farhad Javidi, Program Chair/Instructor, Simulation & Game Development at Central Piedmont Community College. Each finalist received $500 and a plaque.
BB&T Staff Person of the Year
Robert “Bob” Philpott (left, with SBCC Chair Hilda Pinnix-Ragland) is the dean of vocational and technical education at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington. He exemplifies the adage that “if you want go get something done, ask a busy person.” He is responsible for six major departments and more than 50 programs. He also assists in the development of grant proposals and manages the budget for the Perkins Act. The supervisor of more than 130 full-time and 90 part-time employees, Philpott also assisted in the development of 14 new online college programs. He is also a founding member of the Marine Advanced Technical Education (M.A.T.E) consortium, an initiative of the National Science Foundation that groups community colleges across the country to advance specific technical training opportunities.
Philpott spent 22 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and several years in private industry before joining the staff at Cape Fear. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a master’s degree in telecommunications management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He also has earned a master’s degree in international relations from Salve Regina University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
Philpott is an active member of the Wilmington community, currently serving as president of the Friends of Public Radio. The list of his community affiliations is long, ranging from the New Hanover County Human Relations Commission to the Beaver Creek PTA.
Philpott and his wife, Rebecca, attend St Andrews on the Sound Episcopal Church in Wilmington. They have four children and two grandchildren.
The Staff Person of the Year Award was established in 2001 and is endowed by BB&T to recognize the outstanding achievements of a staff member at one of North Carolina's community colleges. Philpott received $8,000 and a plaque. The Cape Fear Community College Foundation receives $2,000.
Other finalists for this award are: David Crosby, Director of Public Safety Programs & Special Projects at Beaufort County Community College; Robert Ray Epley, III, Industrial Relations Officer at Central Carolina Community College; Mamie S. Maness. Director of Financial Services at Randolph Community College; and Willa “Rita” Jerman, Dean of Enrollment and Records/College Registrar at Wake Technical Community College
Wachovia President of the Year
Dr. Don Reichard is the second person to lead Johnston Community College, a position he assumed in 1998. Reichard has been aggressive in his mission to ensure his college takes advantage of innovation opportunities and provides the programs and services required by the increasingly diverse community. He imparts to his faculty and staff an energy and vision that foster progressive action directed toward educational and economic needs in one of North Carolina's fastest-growing counties.
A U.S. Army Reserve and Virginia Army National Guard veteran, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in higher education administration from The College of William and Mary. Reichard was an instructor and later a division chairman at Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, Virginia. He came to North Carolina in 1984 as dean of academic services at James Sprunt Community College and served as president of the college from 1989 to 1998.
Reichard has been published in several national community college publications. A strong believer in global education, he has worked internationally to advance community colleges in the United Kingdom and Thailand.
Reichard was the president of the North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents from 2006-2007. Governor Mike Easley awarded him the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2002.
Don Reichard sums up his approach to community college leadership this way: "A college must look to the future and must strategically position itself for that future. A college must always plan ahead. If not, it is really moving backwards."
Reichard and his wife, Mary Best, attend First Baptist Church in Clayton. They have a daughter, Carmen.
The President of the Year Award, endowed by Wachovia, was established in 2001 to recognize an outstanding community college president. Reichard received $8,000 and a plaque. The Johnston Community College Foundation receives $2,000.
RETURN TO TOP OF CURRENT PAGE
Last modified:
Friday, November 05, 2010 07:12:16 AM
This page maintained by
Public
Affairs.