VGCC to hold farewell reception for President Parker; Public invited

The community will bid farewell to Dr. Randy Parker, the outgoing president of Vance-Granville Community College, at a reception that college trustees, faculty and staff are holding in his honor on Thursday, Aug. 25 from 5 until 7 p.m. The public is invited to the reception, which will be held in the Civic Center on VGCC’s main campus in Vance County.

 

In May, Parker (pictured above) announced that he would be leaving his post to become the next president of Guilford Technical Community College, effective September 1, 2011.

 

“This reception will give us a chance to say ‘thank you’ to Randy Parker for his dedicated service to the college and the community for the past seven years,” VGCC Board of Trustees chairman Donald Seifert, Sr. said. “He has demonstrated outstanding leadership during his tenure, which has been an exciting and challenging time. His skills in building effective partnerships, planning for the future, and adding innovative programs in response to our communities’ educational and economic needs will serve him well in the next chapter of his career. We will certainly miss him here at Vance-Granville, and we wish him much success at his new school.”

 

Parker became the fifth president of VGCC on September 1, 2004. A product of the North Carolina Community College System, Parker began his higher education at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, where he would one day serve as a vice president. Parker earned an associate in applied science degree in Drafting & Design from LCC. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration with a focus on Community College Leadership, both from N.C. State University.

 

Since joining VGCC, Parker has lived in Henderson and has been active in community organizations, including the Henderson/Vance Economic Partnership; Franklin County Committee of 100; Chambers of Commerce in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties; the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board; the Henderson Kiwanis Club; and the Oxford Rotary Club. On the state level, Parker has been a member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation Inc.