RichmondCC President Says Evolving, Adapting Key to College’s Success

Oct. 25, 2018 – Richmond Community College is evolving and adapting, and therefore avoiding the declines that many other community colleges in the state are facing, according to Dr. Dale McInnis.

The president of RichmondCC delivered his State of the College address Wednesday at the Cole Auditorium during the annual ceremony that celebrates the scholarly circle of life for the College and its students. McInnis reported on the many ways the College is helping students gain skills for careers “that are fulfilling and rewarding in less time, at a lower cost and in the most accessible location.”

Some of those ways include:

• Partnering with local employers by hosting job fairs.
• Opening a simulation hospital adjacent to main campus to be used by the College’s healthcare programs that require clinical training.
• Expanding short-term credentialing programs to put more people into high value careers such as pharmacy technician, truck driver and electric lineman.
• Strengthening partnerships with universities to make four-year degrees more accessible and affordable.
• Building new facilities in downtown Rockingham, on main campus in Hamlet and at the Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg to offer more programs and services to current and potential students.

“2018-19 is a year of transition as we build and prepare for these new additions. But these buildings are empty, hollow and useless without the talented, dedicated faculty and staff our students need and deserve,” McInnis said. “We must prepare now, each and every one of us, including our students, to take full advantage of these new tools. Just as our college is adapting and evolving, each of us must grow, learn and improve.”

Convocation Awards

Several awards were presented during Convocation to faculty, staff and a graduate.

Dr. Wendy Kelly Jordan, Director of Student Services for Richmond County Schools, received RichmondCC’s 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award. A 1990 graduate of RichmondCC, Jordan has been a teacher and principal in Richmond County for most of her career and has earned many awards and honors for her leadership in education.

“I am honored to receive this award because the Associate in Arts degree I received here at RCC laid the groundwork for future academic successes,” Jordan said. “My time was rigorous and relevant while creating lasting relationships along the way, but most importantly it was a right choice for me that directed many other choices, accomplishments and celebrations for years to come.”

Network engineer Jeff Epps was the winner of the Staff of the Year award. Other candidates up for the award included Katelynn Arner, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Distance Learning, and Lori McLaughlin, Administrative Assistant to Career & Transfer Services.

English instructor Lara Nosser won the Faculty of the Year award. Other candidates up for the award included biology instructor Stephen Beck, IT instructor Donna Tedder and Electric Utility Substation & Relay Technology instructor Ray Haghighi.

Accepting the President’s Award was grounds supervisor Danny Thames. This award is unique in that the recipient is handpicked by the president.

McInnis said Thames and his team handle a lot of work behind the scenes keeping everything operational, and they have made the grounds of RichmondCC the “envy of all the community colleges in our state.”

Dr. James A. Anderson, who serves as Chancellor and professor of psychology at Fayetteville State University, was the guest speaker for the Convocation.