State Board approves new president for Cleveland Community College

RALEIGH – The State Board of Community Colleges today (March 16) approved the selection of Dr. Jason Hurst as president of Cleveland Community College in Shelby.

On April 2, Hurst will succeed Dr. Bill Aiken, who has served as interim president since August 2017.

Hurst currently is senior director of workforce development for the Alabama Community College System. He has 24 years of experience in higher education, including serving as president of Chipola College in Marianna, Fla. A graduate of Ayers State Technical College and Athens State University, both in Alabama, Hurst holds a master’s degree from Auburn University and a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University.

In other actions, the board:

• Voted to begin the rulemaking process for a proposed addition to the State Board of Community Colleges Code. The proposed rule would require community college boards of trustees to adopt policies that assure a college has sound fiscal and management practices. The proposed rule will be open for public comment March 20-April 19. The board could vote on the rule in May.
• Approved an articulation agreement focused on developing a seamless transfer process for students who begin early childhood education studies at a community college and want to complete a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education/birth to kindergarten at a University of North Carolina System campus.
• Approved a Nurse Aide Certificate program at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, beginning this fall.
• Allocated $550,000 to community colleges for targeted assistance to students. This funding can be used to offer financial assistance for students who enroll in low-enrollment programs that prepare students for high-demand occupations; have disabilities and have been referred by the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; or enroll on a less than half-time basis.
• Allocated $12,000 to Durham Technical Community College to develop a construction-careers summer camp for high school students. The purpose is to raise awareness of the variety of jobs available in the construction industry.

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