WCC board of trustees hires consulting firm
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 9, 2016 1:46 PM
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Dr. Kay Albertson, standing left, president of Wayne Community College, listens as Duke Energy district manager Millie Chalk presents a $250,000 check during a recent meeting of the board of trustees.
The Wayne Community College board of trustees has voted to hire a consulting firm to assist with the presidential search, while Duke Energy Foundation presented the college with $250,000 toward state-of-practice equipment for its computer-integrated machining program.
The search for a new president has been at the forefront of the conversation since Dr. Kay Albertson announced in November that she will retire Aug. 1.
The trustees met in December with a representative from the state community college system for guidance in finding the college's sixth president.
A portion of its annual board retreat, held on campus on Friday, was devoted to hearing presentations from two consulting firms vying for the responsibility.
When the public session convened, the board put forth a motion to select the N.C. Association of Community College Trustees President Search Services, authorizing the board chairman to negotiate a contract.
Chairman Chris Martin said that moving forward, she plans to involve the community. In addition to board members comprising a search committee, they will look at different constituencies who should also be part of that discussion, she said.
"It's so important that this process be transparent, be as open and above board as it can possibly be so that when we get through the entire process and we select our new president, everybody will know that we have gone about it in the proper manner," she said.
Millie Chalk, district manager for Duke Energy, was also on hand to announce a quarter-million-dollar investment into the college's machine program. The $250,000 is part of Duke Energy's $30 million investment in the state's community colleges focus on technical education and the support of business and industry.
This is the second time in recent months that Duke made such an announcement where WCC was concerned.
At the Chamber of Commerce's fourth quarter "Hot Topics" forum on education in December, Ms. Chalk presented a $250,000 chalk for the college's mechatronics engineering program.
"This $250,000 check is going to be used for our machining program, which is one of those major programs, which is going to move to our Advanced Manufacturing Center," Mrs. Albertson said.
The proposed center is being developed on a property adjacent to the WCC campus.
"It's a fabulous facility and I'm just excited to see where it's going to go," Ms. Chalk said. "It will make a significant difference to our industry here in Wayne County."
The "shell of a building" right now has potential, she added, which has been recognized by Duke and resulted in an ongoing partnership with the college.
The funds will be used to purchase two Haas Computer Numerical Control, or CNC, Turning Centers which will provide students the opportunity to train on basic and advanced machines and earn industry-recognized credentials at a reduced machine-to-student ratio.
Mrs. Albertson also acknowledged Dorothy Moore, WCC grant writer, for generating funds for the college, especially during lean economic times when state and local monies have been in question.
"We have submitted 159 grants. Of those 120 were funded, for a total of -- drum roll, please -- $11,360,456, and that's just since 2007," she said.