VGCC trustees learn work on Building 10 to start in September


The final designs for the Building 10 renovation project at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus have gotten a thumbs-up from the State Construction Office, and the project is on track for work to start in late September.

“We’ve got work to do, but we are ready to go ahead and bid that job out,” said Trustee Donald Seifert, Sr., chair of the Building Committee, in a report to the VGCC Board of Trustees at the board’s bi-monthly meeting on the Main Campus on July 20.

“We are looking for the bids to come in Aug. 27, and a Sept. 21 construction start date. That work is about to get underway,” Seifert added.

Building 10, located across Poplar Creek Road from the rest of Main Campus, will house classrooms for Emergency Medical Services, Fire/Rescue Programs, Basic Law Enforcement Training and Law Enforcement In-Service training. The move to the new building will allow for expansion of other programs in the areas currently occupied by these public safety programs.

Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, said the college expects to occupy the renovated building for classes starting next fall.

Seifert also reported that roof renovations to three buildings on the Main Campus are on schedule for completion by Aug. 15. Preliminary planning for roof repairs to a fourth building and various masonry repairs will take place in the coming months.

District Court Judge J. Henry Banks Jr. from the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, left, swears in N. Annette P. Myers for a four-year term on the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees. Myers was reappointed by the Granville County Board of Commissioners. Assisting in the oath is VGCC Board Attorney Jerry Stainback, right. (VGCC photo)

District Court Judge J. Henry Banks Jr. from the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, left, swears in N. Annette P. Myers for a four-year term on the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees. Myers was reappointed by the Granville County Board of Commissioners. Assisting in the oath is VGCC Board Attorney Jerry Stainback, right. (VGCC photo)

Board Reappointments

Two VGCC trustees were administered the oath of office by District Court Judge J. Henry Banks after their reappointments.

  1. District Court Judge J. Henry Banks Jr. from the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, left, administers the oath of office to Abdul Sm Rasheed for a four-year term on the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees. Rasheed was reappointed by the Vance County Board of Education. Assisting in the swearing-in is VGCC Board Attorney Jerry Stainback, right. (VGCC photo)

    District Court Judge J. Henry Banks Jr. from the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, left, administers the oath of office to Abdul Sm Rasheed for a four-year term on the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees. Rasheed was reappointed by the Vance County Board of Education. Assisting in the swearing-in is VGCC Board Attorney Jerry Stainback, right. (VGCC photo)

    Annette P. Myers of Oxford was appointed by the Granville County Board of Commissioners, and Abdul Sm Rasheed of Henderson was appointed by the Vance County Board of Education, both for new terms of four years each. Myers is retired, having worked as a court reporter. Rasheed is the president and chief executive officer of the N.C. Community Development Initiative, Inc.

 

Program Updates

A new certificate program in Robotics and Machine Design was approved by the Board of Trustees, while three degree programs and a certificate program were approved for termination.  The new certificate will feature courses in Mechanisms, Circuit Analysis, Solid Modeling, Hydraulics/Pneumatics and Robotic Fundamentals. The certificate, offered through the new Mechatronics Engineering Technology curriculum program, has been in demand by local industry, according to Trustee Michele Burgess, chair of the Curriculum Committee.

Approved for program closure by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and termination by the North Carolina Community College System were: School-Age Education associate degree, Office Administration/Legal associate degree, Computer Programming associate degree, and Manicuring/Nail Technology certificate. The closures were impacted by low enrollment due to limited employment opportunities in most cases. Training in the manicuring/nail skillset is still available to students enrolled in the Cosmetology curriculum.

Burgess also reported that the Human Services Technology program has been accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education, and she informed the board of VGCC’s Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses agreement with North Carolina A&T State University.

Budget Amendments

With a recommendation from the Budget Committee, led by chair Abdul Rasheed, the 2014-2015 Budget Resolution was amended. The State Current Fund increased $1.9 million to $24,392,411, the County Current Fund was unchanged at $2,351,262 and the Institutional Fund increased $190,000 to $15,150,426, for a combined Amended Operating Budget of $41,894,099. The Capital Improvement Budget increased $329,000 to $1,375,935. The total Combined Amended Budget is $43,270,034.

In a separate motion, a proposed budget of $44,815 was approved for intercollegiate athletics for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. VGCC will offer women’s volleyball and men’s basketball for students.

Other Action

In other action:

  • In her report to the trustees, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams reported on dozens of recent activities and events at the college. Noting that registration is now underway for Fall Semester classes starting Monday, Aug. 17, Dr. Williams said there has been interest shown in the new two-year associate degree program in Welding. A summer transportation career camp for Warren County high school students and a Heavy Equipment Operator continuing education course for adults could be a forerunner of a new curriculum program to train workers in heavy equipment operation, she said. The state has indicated a need for qualified workers in the area.
  • The trustees approved new and amended board policies recommended by the Executive Committee, chaired by Trustee Deborah Brown. The policies include public information and campus safety, personnel, academic and student affairs, institutional research and technology, and finance and operations.
  • Personnel Committee Chair Sara Wester reported on new employees, retirements and resignations.
  • Investment Committee Chair L. Opie Frazier, Jr., updated the board on college investments, presenting a redesigned report that details assets from the R.B. Butler Estate, H.L. Sherman Trust, R. Matteson Trust, and W.A. Edwards Trust. Those assets total $4,372,959 as of June 30. The trustees align their investment strategies with those of the Board of Directors of the VGCC Endowment Fund, Dr. Williams noted.
  • Dr. Williams also announced the following upcoming events for trustees: a tour of the college’s four campuses for recently appointed trustees on July 27, a board retreat on Aug. 24, and the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees Fall Leadership Seminar in Wilmington on Sept. 9-11.

The next meeting of the VGCC Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, Sept. 21, at the Main Campus.