DUBLIN — Bladen We Care has endowed a nursing scholarship at Bladen Community College.
Trustees of the college were given the news Tuesday night in a report from Linda Burney, director of the Bladen Community College Foundation. Her report also included exciting news related to future presentations at the college in arts, culture and entertainment.
A portion of the board and senior staff began the evening touring the two buildings going up on campus, the $6.5 million Continuing Education and Workforce Development Building and the nearly $2 million STEM and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Facility. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Trustees were rendered powerless to take any actions requiring a vote by failure of a quorum to be present. Chairman Dennis Troy was joined by Mary Andrews, Ray Britt, Bruce Dickerson, Larry Hammond and Hayes Petteway for the final meeting of the fiscal year.
Burney was delighted to share news of Mac Campbell bringing two checks about a week ago.
“One is for the endowment, and one is for funds to be used immediately,” Burney said.
The total of the donation was not announced. Bladen We Care is a nonprofit, started 30 years ago to help with health care needs in the community. About 200 people, the organization says, are helped each year.
The funds will be used in the 2019-20 fiscal year that begins Monday.
Burney said she was all too happy to follow a nudge from President Dr. Amanda Lee to join a national presenters consortium. She is hopeful a process to learn more about performances will at some point yield the college able to bring in acts similar to those seen in the Southeastern Community College Fine and Performing Arts Series, at the Givens Performing Arts Center at UNC Pembroke, and perhaps even some that appear at the Durham Performing Arts Center.
Burney’s update on Sunset & Vine, the foundation’s annual fall fundraiser, included a heads-up on changes the committee hopes will be well-received and successful.
The foundation is also examining its scholarships, working with staff and faculty to be sure needs are known and being met.
In the Fiscal Affairs Committee report, updates were given on state budget negotiations and their impact to the college, and on progress for the two new buildings. Jay Stanley, vice president for Finance and Administration, thanked the county commissioners for an increase in expense allocations and said despite a likely impending impasse by the General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper, the college was in good standing and would operate under the most recent state budget.
Crystal Dowd, a counselor and advisor to the Student Government Association, presented trustees with information on the SGA and how it benefits students. The group is key, she said, for retention rates and spurring graduation.
The SGA this past year participated in two dozen events, among them drives for food and blood, the annual Spring Fling, and tours at Duke and UNC Wilmington.
Jeff Kornegay, executive vice president and chief academic officer, provided the faculty senate report in place of Re Gena Gilliam. He noted Vince Morris’ participation in a national welding competition ongoing and cosmetology instructor Tim Marshburn’s participation in World View. The latter is a program at UNC Chapel Hill with a purpose to help develop global educators.
Robert Villegas, a nursing instructor, was successfully accepted via an application to World View’s 2019 Global Student Visit Program in Costa Rica on July 17-26.
The Continuing Education report, presented by Silas Acosta, included the state-mandated report on accountability and credibility plan visitation. For each of the most recent summer, fall and spring semesters, the college more than exceeded the threshold for directors to visit off-campus distance education classes and on-campus classes, and for the senior education administrator to visit off-campus classes.
The president’s report included a note about a recent audit performed statewide for financial aid in 2016-17, with the college being among those with no deficiencies.
High school students in neighboring Robeson, Columbus and Sampson counties who attend Bladen Community College will be counted throughout the next year for being here, courtesy of a pact signed with each of those counties’ respective community colleges. The schools in the students’ service area have to give permission.
Lee said the college is also talking with Bladen County Schools about security, making sure the college is building on what the district has done.
She said plans are being executed in conjunction with coaches at East Bladen and West Bladen high schools whereby they are liaisons, helping the student-athletes push toward going to college even if not at Bladen Community.
Lee also said Mark Cobb, the new leader at Bladen County Hospital, has assured the health care provider’s support to one of the instructor positions at the college.
In Barry Priest’s Academic and Student Affairs report, summer enrollment numbers were shared. The 550 total easily tops the summers of 2017 (420), 2016 (459) and 2015 (461); gender, ethnicity and age are similar to fall and spring semesters.
The 23 counties represented in the enrollment are as far east as Dare and Pasquotank, and west to Yadkin and Forsyth.