VGCC Trustees celebrate staff-faculty Endowment drive, OK new budget
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees recently celebrated a 22 percent increase in employee contributions to its annual Endowment Fund drive and adopted a budget of $39 million for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
The trustees also welcomed to the board Aleria Perry as the new Student Trustee as members met for their bimonthly meeting on Nov. 16 on the college’s Main Campus between Henderson and Oxford. Her fellow students recently elected Perry as the president of the Student Government Association for the academic year. A College Transfer student who lives in Henderson, Perry is a veteran of the U.S. Army. She will serve a one-year term as Student Trustee.
Eddie Ferguson, director of VGCC’s Endowment Fund , was joined by the co-chairs of the annual faculty and staff drive on Vance-Granville’s four campuses in announcing $26,068 was raised from among employees to support the mission of the college.
The drive co-chairs were Jacquelin Heath, program head and instructor for the School-Age Education program; Amy O’Geary, director of student success; and Steven Sievert, Computer Education instructor.
Ferguson said that, in addition to supporting student scholarships, funds from the drive also help with emergency funds needed by students and professional development for staff and faculty.
Budget resolution adopted
VGCC’s budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2015-2016 was adopted by the trustees. The Current Expense and Capital Outlay budgets total $39,012,324.
The adoption came on a recommendation from the Budget Committee of the board, chaired by Trustee Danny W. Wright.
In the Current Expense portion of the budget, $21,507,105 comes from the State of North Carolina, $2,390,408 from the four counties served by the college, and $12,901,393 from institutional funds. On the Capital Outlay side, $835,445 comes from the State, $1,360,479 from the counties, and $17,494 from institutional funds.
The budget is allocated as follows: institutional support: $5,179,726; curriculum instruction: $11,700,073; continuing education: $3,716,046; academic support: $1,624,150; student support: $2,182,727; plant operations and maintenance: $1,937,073; proprietary/other: $2,851,202; student aid: $6,705,129; capital outlay, excluding capital improvements: $902,780; and capital improvement projects: $2,213,418.
Steven Graham, vice president of finance and operations for VGCC, announced to the board that tuition has been raised by the North Carolina General Assembly effective with the Spring Semester starting in January. Tuition will increase by $4 per credit hour, from $72 to $76 for in-state residents and from $264 to $268 for non-residents. Continuing education rates are unchanged.
Eagle Voyage
In a report from the Curriculum Committee, headed by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris, the trustees were updated on a project VGCC is undertaking with North Carolina Central University to offer a baccalaureate degree in Criminal Justice on VGCC’s Main Campus.
“We have taken something that was a concept and worked it into a real life opportunity. We will have a four-year baccalaureate degree in Criminal Justice on this campus,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, VGCC’s president. “And we think there are other opportunities for four-year degrees, and that is very exciting to us.”
Students who complete an Associate in Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice at VGCC will have the opportunity to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree from NCCU with the convenience of performing all course work locally.
Students who have completed their AAS can start the Eagle Voyage in the fall of 2016, said Dr. Angela Ballentine, vice president of academic and student affairs.
The two colleges will formalize the agreement at a signing ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 2:30 p.m. in the Civic Center.
Other Action
In other action:
• In his report on Capital Projects, Trustee Abdul Sm Rasheed, chair of the Building Committee, said work is beginning this month on the renovations to Building 10 located across Poplar Creek Road from the rest of Main Campus. The renovations should be completed by May 2016. Roof renovations to three buildings on the Main Campus have been completed, pending final inspection. Miscellaneous repairs and renovations have been finalized at South Campus between Butner and Creedmoor, and a remaining balance of $14,084 from the $331,500 project can be transferred to another approved project. And, at Franklin Campus, a bid has been awarded to Triangle Roofing Services in Zebulon for roof repairs to two buildings at a cost of $29,500, with repairs slated to begin in the coming weeks.
• In informational reports, the board was updated on new employees, retirements and resignations by Personnel Committee Chair Sara C. Wester, and Investment Committee Chair L. Opie Frazier Jr. updated the board on a recent meeting the committee held with the college’s Endowment Fund Board of Directors to review college investments.
• Dr. Williams announced that Trustee Danny W. Wright will act as a Legislative Liaison for the college with the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees.
• In her report to the board, Dr. Williams updated the trustees on a busy two months of activities across the four college campuses since the last board meeting. In upcoming events, she announced Vanguard Night on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Aycock Recreation Center with a basketball matchup between Vance-Granville and Louisburg College. She also noted the Vance-Granville Community Band’s annual Christmas Concert will be held Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in the Civic Center.
Deborah F. Brown, chair of the board, presided over the meeting via teleconference.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, Jan. 25, on the Main Campus. The January meeting is moved from the third Monday of the month to the fourth because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
UPDATE: The Jan. 25 VGCC Board of Trustees meeting was postponed due to inclement weather and will be held on Monday, Feb. 8, at 6:15 p.m. on the Main Campus.
Above: VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams, left, and Board of Trustees Investment Committee chair L. Opie Frazier Jr., second from left, accept a symbolic check for $26,068 from the leaders of the VGCC Endowment Fund Faculty and Staff Drive at the Nov. 16 Board meeting. The drive co-chairs were, starting third from left, School-Age Education program head/instructor Jacquelin Heath, Director of Student Success Amy O'Geary, and Computer Education instructor Steven Sievert. (VGCC photo)
