RichmondCC Hosts Installation of 8th NC Community College System President

Educational and community leaders from across North Carolina and South Carolina converged Monday on the campus of Richmond Community College to take part in the installation of Dr. James C. “Jimmie” Williamson, the eighth president of the N.C. Community College System.

Presidents from 45 of the 58 community colleges attended the ceremony, along with other college and university administrators from both of the Carolinas. Williamson comes to the North Carolina system after serving two years as the president and chief executive officer of the South Carolina Technical College System.

The Honorable Linda McGee, N.C. chief judge of the Court of Appeals, administered the oath of office. Williamson’s wife, Kimberly, and his mother, Louise, joined him on stage and held the historical George Durant Family Bible as Williamson took the oath of office.

Williamson recognized the many family, friends and colleagues who came to share in this important ceremony, including his kindergarten teacher, Patricia Frazier.

“Each of you assembled here today represents either a piece of the N.C. Community College System, a portion of the infrastructure of our great state, a piece of my own success, or you are the bridge to our future,” Williamson said.

In his speech, Williamson focused on the future of the N.C. Community College System and what skills and abilities students will need in a world where automation and synthetic intelligence are redefining jobs.

“What does a futuristic curriculum look like?” Dr. Williamson asked. “We may all have ideas, but we must also be involved in helping to shape those skills sets.  Learning to think outside of the box is no longer an option; it is an imperative.”

Citing excerpts from an article published in the Southeast Education Network magazine, Williamson said 65 percent of the 50 million students now currently in grades K-12 will work in jobs that have yet to be created.

“We must also be mindful that with greater technology and connectivity, we are educating for impact on a global stage,” Williamson said. “No longer is it simply acceptable to provide skills and competencies to be deployed here in North Carolina, our students must be equipped to perform globally.

“These will be daunting times, but we can make this happen through intentional and deliberate strategic planning and through investment in our exceptional infrastructure,” Williamson said, noting all the business, industry, educational, political and community partners needed to work together to move the state forward.

“Together, we are North Carolina, we are North Carolina’s communities, we are North Carolina’s community colleges,” he said.

Williamson assumed leadership of the N.C. Community College System on July 1, 2016.

Williamson holds a B.V.A and M.Ed. from Winthrop University, as well as a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. He has a background steeped in education, business, economic development, workforce development and community service.

Highlights from his tenure as president and CEO of the S.C. Technical College System include working with South Carolina university partners to smooth transfer pathways, chairing a special Senate proviso committee to develop a comprehensive workforce development strategy to help close the skills gap, and working with companies such as Volvo, Michelin, Continental, BMW and more on industry-specific worker training. Additionally, he has been at the helm of South Carolina’s nationally recognized apprenticeship program and was named State Employee of the Year by the South Carolina Association of Regional Councils in 2015.

Scott Shook, chair of the State Board of Community Colleges, presided over the installment ceremony held at the Cole Auditorium. He talked about the process of choosing the system president.

“What we needed was somebody with executive experience and somebody who was also a visionary in higher education. We wanted somebody who could also walk the halls of the General Assembly,” Shook said. “We also wanted somebody who people would like to work for and who had private industry experience. To sum it up, we needed and wanted a lot.

“We embarked on a national search, and we found all that we needed lie just south of our border in the state of South Carolina,” Shook added. “And to all our folks from South Carolina here today, we got him (Dr. Williamson) fair and square.”

President of RichmondCC, Dr. Dale McInnis, opened the ceremony by welcoming the many distinguished guests to Richmond County and to Richmond Community College.

“We are honored to have been chosen to host this important and historic event. We wish you, Dr. Williamson, all the best in what we know will be a bright future for our entire system and our entire state,” McInnis said.

Among the guest speakers were the Rev. G. Scott Middleton, a longtime friend of Williamson; S. Lewis Ebert, president and CEO of the N.C. Chamber of Commerce; Dr. A. Hope Williams, president of the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities; Margaret Spellings, president of the N.C. University System; Mark Johnson, N.C. Superintendent of Public Schools; Randy Vinson, chair of the N.C. Association of Community College Trustees; Dr. David Johnson, president of Johnston Community College; Pinda Byrd, president of the N.C. Community College Faculty Association; Kirsten Stovall, president of the N.C. Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association; and Crystal Morphis, chair of the N.C. Community College Foundation.

Gov. Roy Cooper also sent greetings via a pre-recorded video shown during the ceremony.

About the N.C. Community College System

With 58 colleges located across our state and nearly 710,000 students, the N.C. Community College System is the third largest institution of higher education in the United States and is internationally recognized for its programs supporting economic and workforce development.