VGCC welcomes new trustee, gets update on plans for new building


Chief District Court Judge Daniel Finch of the Ninth Judicial District administers the oath to Vance-Granville Community College's newest trustee, Barbara Cates Harris, on Monday evening at the board's regular meeting. From left are Judge Finch; Mrs. Harris; Phillip Harris, her husband; Maurice Harris Jr., their grandson; Brenda Harris, daughter-in-law; and Maurice Harris Sr., son. (VGCC photo)

Chief District Court Judge Daniel Finch of the Ninth Judicial District administers the oath to Vance-Granville Community College’s newest trustee, Barbara Cates Harris, on Monday evening at the board’s regular meeting. From left are Judge Finch; Mrs. Harris; Phillip Harris, her husband; Maurice Harris Jr., their grandson; Brenda Harris, daughter-in-law; and Maurice Harris Sr., son. (VGCC photo)

Vance-Granville Community College’s Board of Trustees welcomed Barbara Cates Harris of Oxford as its newest member and received an update on plans for its newest building on Monday, Sept. 15.

District Court Judge Daniel F. Finch of Oxford, the chief district court judge for the Ninth Judicial District, swore Harris into office. She was appointed to the board by the Granville County Board of Education to take the place of former Trustee Ernest Thompson at the end of his term.

The trustees received the update on plans for Building 10 from Building Committee Chair Donald C. Seifert Sr.

Seifert said bids are expected to be received by early November on the Building 10 project, with construction starting on Nov. 24.

The project is expected to be completed by April 24, 2015.

Building 10, located on Poplar Creek Road across from the college’s main entrance, will house classrooms for Emergency Medical Services, Fire/Rescue Programs, Basic Law Enforcement Training, Law Enforcement In-Service training and the Small Business Center.

Water upgrades are complete at the site, Seifert said. State permits have been obtained and sewer upgrades are ready to go out for bid, added Steve Graham, vice president of finance and operations.

The final working drawings and construction documents for the classroom space renovations are currently being reviewed by the State Construction Office.

The water and sewer upgrades are costing approximately $131,000, and the building renovations will cost $917,500, Seifert said.

In other construction activity, roof replacements on three buildings on Main Campus are expected to be bid by February 2015. A fourth roof will be replaced later next year with funds remaining for bridge and courtyard wall repairs. The structural renovations to roofs and masonry will cost approximately $1.2 million once completed, according to Seifert.

Budget resolution adopted

The budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 was adopted. The Current Expense and Capital Outlay budgets total $40,811,208.

The adoption came on a recommendation from the Budget Committee of the board, chaired by Trustee Abdul Rasheed.

Of that total, $23,360,403 comes from the State of North Carolina, $2,488,526 from the four counties served by the college, and $14,962,279 from institutional funds.

The budget is allocated accordingly: institutional support: $5,415,607; curriculum instruction: $12,711,558; continuing education: $4,366,114; academic support: $1,523,258; student support: $2,107,902; plant operations and maintenance: $2,007,220; proprietary/other: $3,071,544; student aid: $7,746,001; capital outlay, excluding capital improvements: $815,206; and capital improvement projects: $1,046,798.

Other Action

In other action:

  • The membership of the college’s Advisory Committees was approved after a recommendation from Trustee Michele Burgess, chair of the Curriculum Committee. More than 50 new members were appointed to the committees. VGCC’s 37 Advisory Committees are made up of people from the communities served by the college who have worked in the fields for which the college offers training. Each fall, the committees meet with the heads of the programs they advise.
  • Board policy was updated to reflect a change in the title for the college’s accrediting agency. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, commonly known as SACS, is now being denoted as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC. The Executive Committee chair, Trustee Deborah Brown, who is also the chair of the Board of Trustees, made the recommendation.
  • In informational reports, Personnel Committee Chair Sara Wester updated the board on new employees, retirements and resignations, and Investment Committee Chair Opie Frazier updated the board on college investments.
  • Trustees Seifert and Harris reported on their attendance, with VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams, at the recent Fall Leadership Seminar of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees. Dr. Williams served as a roundtable leader on the subject of Data Driven Decisions, Seifert reported.
  • Dr. Williams updated the board on recent activities and events, including the observance of the college’s 45th anniversary on Sept. 4. The board observed the anniversary on Monday evening with a slideshow presentation and cake.
  • The meeting was followed by a closed session for the discussion of personnel and property matters.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Nov. 17, when members of the Vance County Board of Commissioners will join the trustees for a session on the main campus.