Community Gathers at Robinette Building for Official Dedication Ceremony

Sept. 24, 2021 - Richmond Community College held a dedication ceremony for the Kenneth & Claudia Robinette Building on Wednesday, Sept. 22, bringing together all the people who helped take an idea and make it a reality.

The Robinette Building, housing the Leon Levine School of Business & Information Technology, brings a college presence to downtown Rockingham, something that appealed to local leaders after a trip with the Foundation For The Carolinas to explore the economic impact Coker University has made on the downtown business district of Hartsville, S.C.

“We speak today on the economic impact this campus will have on downtown Rockingham, but the main story is about the students who will be educated here,” said Steve Morris, mayor of the city of Rockingham, who was the first on the list of speakers for the ceremony. “They will have the opportunity to study at one of the finest, state-of-the art facilities in the state of North Carolina.”

The Robinette Building is a three-story brick and glass building that covers 40,000 square feet, housing faculty offices, multiple conference rooms, classrooms and meeting spaces for both the college and community to use.

Morris gave much praise to Brian Collier of the Foundation For The Carolinas for his leadership and contribution to this project.

Richmond County Commissioners Chair Jeff Smart thanked RichmondCC for expanding into Rockingham and to the Robinettes for their support of the new facility.

“This makes the town of Rockingham look awesome, and it’s a great addition to what we already have,” Smart said. “This took a lot of partnerships, a lot of work and a lot of dedication from folks like Kenneth and Claudia Robinette.”

Another key supporter of the project was former Richmond County native Leon Levine, who founded the Family Dollar discount chain. Attending the ceremony on his behalf was Tom Lawrence with the Leon Levine Foundation.

“As many of you may recall, the Levines ran a department store here in the 1930s called The Hub,” Lawrence said, indicating the very spot of the new building. “A lot has changed since then, but it still seems the heart of the neighborhood remains.”

Lawrence said it is exciting to see RichmondCC providing resources and opportunities that can reshape the future of the region.

“We celebrate this building not just for what unfolds within its classrooms, but for the doors it opens,” he said.

Kenneth Robinette also echoed the impact the building would have on the students who enter it.

“It’s the students who come first. There are going to be life-changing experiences for them to come to Richmond Community College,” Kenneth said. “That’s what it’s all about. We’re honored to have the building named after Claudia and myself, but more importantly, we’re so proud that it’s going to be for the students. It’s going to continue changing their lives forever – something that nobody can ever take away from them.”

Claudia Robinette talked about some of the students already gaining great opportunities by being at the Robinette Building, including dual enrollment student Cheyenne Leviner and Information Technology student Kaylon Sparkman, who was invited to speak before the group.

“This is such a great school with a great staff, and I’ve always said that,” said Sparkman, who is also a work study student for Cybersecurity instructor Brian Goodman. “Experience and education go hand-in-hand. I’m glad I’m getting the both of them.”

Claudia also thanked the faculty and staff who are dedicated to the College’s mission.

“I am so grateful to everyone who had anything to do with making this dream a reality, and thank you all for being here today,” she said.

Rep. Ben Moss, who is a former Richmond County Commissioner and was involved in the early talks about the project, said he was hesitant about the location of the building.

“But now I have to admit that I was wrong. This is a perfect fit. This building is beautiful, and it looks like something that would be in Raleigh or Charlotte,” he said.

He also praised the leadership of all those involved in the project, singling out the Robinettes for being such giving people of their time, money and support.

“There’s not a name more fitting to go on this building. This family has done a lot for our community,” he said.

Dr. Dale McInnis wrapped up the dedication ceremony by explaining the origin of the School of Business and Information Technology.

“We already had a wonderful building to house our health science programs, and we had just renovated a building to house all our engineering programs. We didn’t have a space to showcase all our business, accounting and IT programs so they could be larger and more competitive,” McInnis said.

McInnis noted that at the groundbreaking of the building two years ago he had said one landmark was coming down, only to be replaced by another.

“I think this will be a space that generations of people will look to for guidance and direction,” he said. “But without people, it is just an empty, hollow, sterile shell. It’s the faculty, staff and students who are going to make the difference here.”

Other speakers for the event were Sandy Ridley from the Cole Foundation, Frank Jenkins from the Community Foundation and Kelley Woodley from the USDA Rural Development.

Ridley said projects of this magnitude do not happen in a vacuum.

“They all begin with vision, leadership and hard work, and certainly we’ve had some very good leadership in this community,” she said.

Jenkins praised RichmondCC for standing in the forefront of community colleges and providing people with a better quality of life through education.

“We are dedication a lot today,” Jenkins said. “A building for Richmond County and surrounding counties for people to better themselves and to better help their families. It’s exciting to be a part of this.”  

If you would like to schedule a tour of the Robinette Building or inquire about a meeting space, please call RichmondCC at (910) 410-1700.