Search Committee Appointed To Seek Next VGCC President
A search committee of six members of the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees has been appointed to find a successor to Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the college’s president who is taking a position with Duke University in August.
Deborah F. Brown has been appointed chair of the search committee, and Herb Gregory will serve as vice chair. Rounding out the committee will be N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.
Trustees Chair Danny W. Wright made the appointment at the board’s regular bi-monthly meeting on July 16 at the college’s Main Campus.
Dr. Williams, the sixth president of VGCC, announced her plans in May to take the position of Vice President for Durham Affairs at Duke University, effective Aug. 13.
Looking back at her tenure at Vance-Granville, Dr. Williams offered her reflections to the Trustees, recalling the support given to the college through grants, donations and governmental and community partnerships; the thousands of students who have been educated and have graduated; and a supportive faculty, staff and Board of Trustees.
“I have one big wish for a bright future ahead for Vance-Granville Community College,” she said. “I appreciate the opportunity that you all have provided for me to serve over the past six and a half years. It’s the people who have really made this a special place and a great experience for me. I will forever be grateful. And I will forever be a Vance-Granville Vanguard.”
Board Leadership & Appointments
The Trustees re-elected Wright as the chair of the board for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Gregory as vice-chair, and Brown as secretary after nominations from a committee chaired by Trustee L. Opie Frazier, Jr.
Retired North Carolina Ninth District Court Judge Henry Banks swore in two Trustees for additional terms. Trustee Barbara Cates Harris was reappointed by the Granville County Board of Education for a second four-year term on the board. Chair Wright was appointed to a new four-year term by the Vance County Board of Commissioners. Wright had been appointed in 2015 to fill an unexpired term on the board. He was also a commissioner in 2011-2013 when he was appointed by the governor.
Building Update
In his update on capital projects, Trustee Seifert reported that preparations will begin in August to renovate seminar rooms in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus.
The assessment phase of an exterior masonry repairs project on Main Campus was completed in May, and a design service proposal has been sent to the State Construction Office (SCO) for review. The project is expected to be bid out in February 2019 with renovations starting the following April. The majority of the masonry work is being funded by the Connect NC State Bond passed by North Carolina voters in March 2016.
Seifert also reported the SCO is expected to issue a design contract this month for fire alarm replacements and renovations to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems on the Main Campus. The fire alarm replacements will be completed first with the HVAC renovations expected to start in 2020.
The second phase of renovations to the newest building on campus, Building 10, are expected to start in August and be completed in December, Seifert said. Space is being renovated to add a Practical Simulation Lab for Basic Law Enforcement Training, Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services programs, among other expansions.
Budget Amendments
The 2017-2018 Budget Resolution was amended upon recommendation from the Budget Committee, chaired by Trustee Rasheed. The State Current Fund increased $1,959,983 to a total of $21,512,238, the County Current Fund was unchanged at $2,578,292, and the Institutional Fund increased $340,947 to a total of $9,993,779, for a combined Amended Operating Budget of $34,084,309. The Capital Improvement Budget increased $348,943 to a total of $889,653. The total Combined Amended Budget is $34,973,962.
Other Action
In other action:
• The Trustees voted to terminate the Warren County High School as an off-campus site with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The site had been approved in November 2015; however, the high school has requested that dually enrolled students take their college courses at VGCC’s Warren County Campus in Warrenton. No college classes are currently being offered at WCHS, and students are completing their work at the Warren Campus, according to Trustee Harris, chair of the Curriculum Committee. The change will be effective as of the Fall 2018 academic term.
• An informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions was given by the Personnel Committee, chaired by Trustee Wester.
• New and amended board policies for the 2018-2019 Policy Manual were approved by the Trustees on recommendation from the Executive Committee, chaired by Trustee Wright. The policies cover areas of organizational structure, public information and campus safety, personnel policies, academic affairs, institutional research and technology, and finance and operations.
• Trustee Frazier, chair of the Investment Committee, reported on the progress of the college’s investments.
A Board Retreat has been scheduled for Aug. 7, and the Trustees will participate in Ethics Training on Aug. 29. The next meeting of the VGCC Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, Sept. 17, at the Main Campus.
In the top photograph, retired District Court Judge J. Henry Banks administers the oath of office to Vance-Granville Community College Trustee Barbara Cates Harris of Oxford. She has been reappointed by the Granville County Board of Education for a second four-year term on the college Board of Trustees. From left are Judge Banks; Harris; Maurice Harris, Jr., Harris’ grandson; and her husband, Phillip Harris. (VGCC Photo)
In the bottom photo, VGCC Trustee Danny W. Wright is sworn in for a new four-year appointment on the college’s board by Retired District Court Judge J. Henry Banks. Also serving as the chair of the board, Wright was appointed by the Vance County Board of Commissioners. He also served in 2011-2013 when appointed to an unexpired term by the governor. From left are Judge Banks, Wright, and Wright’s wife, Betty Wright.
