WCC Board of Trustees met on Thursday, October 17, 2024

Wilkesboro, N.C. –  The Wilkes Community College Board of Trustees met on Thursday, October 17, at the Alleghany Center located in Sparta, N.C.

 

The oath of office was administered to the following reappointed trustees: Evan Handy, Kelly Vannoy, and Kim Walker; as well as the new trustee member, Tammy Whitworth prior to the October meeting.

 

The business session began with the approval of the minutes from August 15, 2024, Board of Trustee meeting.

 

College President’s Report

 

Dr. Rodgers gave an update on the SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) process and timeline. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is an institutional accreditor for quality assurance in higher education. SACSCOC accredits institutions that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees, including those offered via distance and correspondence education, and direct assessment within these institutions.

 

Respiratory Therapy Annual Report and Compliance

 

The Respiratory Therapy program submitted the 2024 Annual Report of Current Status and Resource Assessment Matrix to the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) and reviewed for ongoing compliance with accreditation Standards and CoARC

Accreditation Policies and Procedures. Based on the outcomes reported, the program has met or exceeded all currently set “thresholds” for success on each of the required outcome measures.

 

Chairperson’s Report

     

Jay Vannoy, the chair of the WCC Board of Trustees, announced the membership of the Standing Committees for 2024-2025. He will serve as the ex-officio member of each committee.

 

 

 

 

The members of the committees are as follows:

 

Buildings and Grounds Committee: Arnold Lakey (Chair), John Cothren, Josh Roten, and Kelly Vannoy.

 

Finance Committee: Ricky Brown (Chair), Keith Elmore, Josh Roten, and Shelmer Blackburn, Jr.

 

Personnel Committee: Bert Hall (Chair), Susan Murphy, Terry Bumgarner, and Kim Walker.

 

Program and Planning Committee: Dr. Pam Scott (Chair), Evan Handy, Tammy Whitworth, and Dr. Alexander Erwin.

 

Investment Committee: Ricky Brown (Chair), William Watts, and Jim Smoak.

 

The Trustees approved the following meeting schedule for 2025.

 

• Thursday, January 9, Walker Center
• Thursday, April 10, Walker Center
• Wednesday, May 14, Walker Center, Orchestra Room (time to be determined per graduation ceremonies)
• Thursday, August 14, Alleghany Center
• Thursday, October 9, Ashe Campus
• Thursday, December 11, (lunch meeting/Christmas event for trustees) Walker Center

 

Jay Vannoy, chair of the Board of Trustees, announced the next trustee orientation/education session, scheduled for March 19 – March 21, 2025. 

 

Personnel Committee

 

The trustees received a biographical narrative on the following new employee: Anne Lawson, nursing instructor.

 

Employees assuming new roles include Mary Beth Knight, interim lead Psychology instructor.

 

Retirements include Dena Wiles, senior administrative assistant of Finance and Administration, effective October 31.

 

 

Programming and Planning

 

 The SGA at the Wilkes Campus has named the following officers to serve for the 2024-2025 school year: Faith Elledge, president; Tanner Estes, vice president; Hannah Shepherd, secretary/treasurer; Lillie Edwards, parliamentarian; and Anna Church, public information officer.

 

 

Approval of Wilkes Community College Mission, Vision, and Values Revised Statements: Per WCC Policy 2.3.1 – Mission Statement – adopted on 08/08/2019, Wilkes Community College shall periodically review and update its mission statement through a strategic planning process and submit any revisions to the Board for ratification. The College’s mission statement must be consistent with requirements contained in the North Carolina General Statutes and by the North Carolina Community College System. Wilkes Community College last reviewed its Mission, Vision, and Values statements during the strategic planning process in 2018 with no changes made to the previous version of the statements.

 

As part of the College’s planning process for its 2026 SACSCOC reaffirmation, the Mission, Vision, and Values statements were evaluated and updated to reflect the continuous improvement and focus on student success and support held by Wilkes Community College. This process began in June of this year with the College’s Faculty Senate and Staff Council meeting as separate bodies and subsequently as a combined team to review and provide recommendations for revisions.

 

The process continued through late August. Wilkes Community College’s Administrative Council then reviewed the recommendations over a two-week period in September and incorporated its own suggestions with what had been provided by the Faculty Senate and Staff Council. The Administrative Council’s feedback and suggestions were shared with the Faculty Senate and Staff Council with both bodies approving on September 24th. The revised Mission, Vision, and Values statements were shared with Wilkes Community College’s Board of Trustees Program and Planning Committee during a called meeting on September 26th, 2024.

 

The Program and Planning Committee approved the following proposed Mission Statement on 09/26/2024 and the Board of Trustees approved the proposed Mission Statement on October 17, 2024:

 

Wilkes Community College empowers individuals with the knowledge and skills to transform lives and enrich our communities through accessible lifelong education, workforce development, and community engagement.

 

 The Program and Planning Committee approved the following proposed Vision Statement on 9/26/2024 and the Board of Trustees approved the proposed Vision Statement on October 17, 2024:

 

Wilkes Community College provides programs, resources, and services that create quality educational, economic development, and cultural opportunities. Wilkes Community College aspires to be an effective learner-centered educational institution and a dynamic learning organization.

 

The Program and Planning Committee approved the following proposed Values Statement on 9/26/2024 and the Board of Trustees approved the proposed Values Statement on October 17, 2024.

 

Wilkes Community College’s mission and vision are guided by a culture of care and the values of learner-centered excellence, integrity and respect, compassion, equity and accessibility, continuous improvement, and collaboration and engagement. These principles drive us to create an exceptional educational experience that supports and respects every individual.

 

• Learner-Centered Excellence: Focusing on the needs and success of our learners in every aspect of our work.
• Integrity and Respect: Upholding the highest standards of honesty and treating all individuals with dignity and respect.
• Compassion: Understanding and empathizing with the experiences and needs of others, while actively providing support and kindness to reduce their challenges.
• Equity and Accessibility: Ensuring equal opportunities for all individuals to access and benefit from education and resources.
• Continuous Improvement: Embracing innovation and growth to enhance our educational practices and organizational effectiveness.
• Collaboration and Engagement: Fostering a supportive community through active partnerships and shared learning experiences.

 

Wilkes Community College’s Quality Enhancement Plan – Endorsement and Approval

by the Board of Trustees: Planning for Wilkes Community College’s SACSCOC 2026 reaffirmation involves developing a new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP incorporates continuous student learning, improvement, and success.

 

Per SACSCOC’s 2024 Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement:

 

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an integral component of the reaffirmation of

accreditation process and is derived from an institution’s ongoing comprehensive planning

and evaluation processes. It reflects and affirms a commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue the institution considers important to improving student learning outcomes and/or student success. Furthermore, the institution has a Quality Enhancement Plan that (a) has a topic identified through its ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes; (b) has broad-based support of institutional constituencies; (c) focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success; (d) commits resources to initiate, implement and complete the QEP; and (e) includes a plan to assess achievement.

 

Wilkes Community College began planning for its 2026 SACSCOC reaffirmation and the

QEP in August 2023. The College surveyed faculty, staff, employers, advisory committees,

and students to gain insights into where WCC could improve on student learning and success. The four most common themes emerged as: Embedded tutoring, employability skills, developmental education, and contextualized learning. Employers, advisory committee members, students, and faculty senate overwhelmingly expressed workplace communication skills (employability or soft) as the most pressing need in student improvement.

 

The QEP Topic Selection Committee selected Workplace Communication as the QEP

topic, and a QEP Implementation Team was established with faculty comprised of Matt Baldwin, Valerie Bailey, and Joseph Phillips as the QEP Directors. The QEP will be incorporated into all curriculum programs (35+) across the college as well as where appropriate with our workforce development and continuing education programs over the next 6+ years. A crucial component of this QEP is professional development for all WCC faculty and staff to improve our collective expectation of professional workplace communication.

 

The QEP Implementation Team decided the final student learning outcomes (SLOs) are:

• Students will be able to deliver clear, well-organized presentations.
• Students will be able to compose clear and concise professional electronic

communications.

 

The proposed QEP was endorsed and approved by the Program and Planning Committee on September 26, 2024, and was also endorsed and approved by the Board of Trustees on October 17, 2024.

 

 

Dental Hygiene Associate in Applied Science Degree Program Approval: As part of a commitment to developing a skilled healthcare workforce, last year the NCCCS announced grant opportunities for High-Cost Health-related programs directly related to industry. One grant program included funds for a healthcare program start-up. Priority funding was given to colleges serving counties with Tier 1 Economic Development designation, which includes Wilkes. WCC applied for startup funds to begin a Dental Hygiene program and was recently approved for

$500,000. We now plan to apply for program approval with the NCCCS and SACSCOC to begin the Dental Hygiene Associate in Applied Science degree program (A45260) Fall 2025.

 

The Dental Hygiene program provides opportunities for qualified individuals to participate in classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences needed to earn their A.A.S. Dental Hygiene degree, successfully challenge the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE), and perform as competent, entry level Dental Hygienist. Though WCC offers a variety of healthcare programs, including Dental Assisting, employer partners, advisory board members, and dental assistant students continue to identify Dental Hygiene as a workforce need and career advancement opportunity for our rural service area. WCC plans to bridge its Dental Assisting program to the Dental Hygiene program which will allow for seamless credential advancement and produce a multi-credentialed healthcare professional for our rural service area. Students may also enter directly into the Dental Hygiene program. The addition of a Dental Hygiene program would enhance Wilkes Community College’s ability to provide healthcare workers to our local market and increase program accessibility for students within our service area. The program will seek national program accreditation through the Commission of Dental Accreditation (CODA). We plan to hire a Dental Hygiene Program Director in January 2025 and an Instructor during the summer of 2025. Renovations will soon begin in Herring Hall to accommodate a Dental Hygiene classroom and lab.

 

 

WCC is also seeking funding through the Wilkes Medical Center Foundation’s WMC

Foundation Health Impact Grant to support Dental Hygiene operatory and radiography equipment in the amount of $200,000. WCC has strong partnerships with stakeholders in the dental and education professions. These include Wilkes County Public Health, approximately twenty-five dental offices, Wilkes, Ashe, and Alleghany County public schools, and community

service organizations.

 

The Dental Hygiene Associate in Applied Science Degree Program was approved by the Program and Planning Committee on September 24, 2024, and also approved by the Board of Trustees on October 17, 2024.

 

Buildings and Grounds

 

   Trustees reviewed the Annual Security Report (ASR), which provides three calendar years of select crime statistics for all campus locations and facilities. Additionally, it includes safety and security programs and procedures as required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act. Colleges and universities are required to collect and publish the ASR by October 1 of each year.

 

Hayes Hall HVAC Replacement Project

The selected HVAC engineers have made campus visits to document existing conditions,

consult with WCC staff, and to discuss project options. They are in the process not of

formulating replacement options to stay within the project budget. After project design is complete and the required bidding takes place, we expect most of the work to occur in summer 2025.

 

Emergency Services Driving Pad Project

The selected engineers have completed the soil compaction testing and are waiting for the final survey. Once the survey is complete, the project design can get started. We expect the paving work to occur in spring 2025.

 

Finance Committee

 

The 2024-2025 Annual Fund Drive began July 1, 2024, with the WCC faculty and staff and the foundation members. This year’s goal is $72,000.00 with current funding at $17,055.91. The programs supported are WCC SkillsUSA Club, Food Pantry, Doc Watson Student Emergency Fund, GED & HiSET Testing Scholarship, and Study Abroad. The annual fund drive will continue through June 30, 2024.

 

Plans are underway for MerleFest 2025. The festival is scheduled for April 24-27. The Mega Raffle will not return in 2025, however a 50/50 drawing, partnering with Tap50/50 and an expanded silent auction, partnering with Bidding For Good, will debut at the 2025 festival. Proceeds from the 50/50 drawing and silent auction will benefit the WCC SAGE First Year Experience (SAGE FYE) program.

 

The Walker Center introduced the new Lakey Ballroom Series on Saturday, August 24, with

Presley Barker. This series consists of five performances, including dinner. The goal of this

series is to help drive the sales of a younger demographic to gain momentum for the future

of The Walker Center.

 

The season kicked off on Thursday, September 19th with Lee Greenwood. Lee celebrated his 40th anniversary of God Bless The USA; he charted twenty-five singles and had a total of seven #1 songs in his career. A military discount/recognition of those who have served and are serving was provided as an incentive.

 

Saturday, Sept. 28th The Lakey Ballroom Series held “Cruisin for Clues” – A Murder Mystery. The guests were encouraged to dress in their best cruise gear while entering the ballroom. Guests were paired up at their tables to try and solve the murder mystery. Cocktail hour began at 6:00 p.m. followed with dinner and a show including a surf and turf option.

 

Saturday, Oct. 5th, Sun Records LIVE performed as part of The Walker Center 2024-2025 season of events. This show celebrated 70 yrs. of the birth of rock and roll. The audience

heard hits from Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. This show honored the legendary recording studio in Memphis, TN.

 

Upcoming shows include:

 

• Thursday, November 21, 2024, Direct from Sweden – The Music of ABBA
• Thursday, December 19, 2024, Grand Ol’ Christmas Show
• Friday, January 31, 2025, Steve Brogan, Ventriloquist – Lakey Ballroom Series
• Saturday, March 8, 2025, Salsa Dance Lesson with Latin cuisine – Lake Ballroom Series
• Friday, March 28, 2025, Catapult – A shadow illusion performance
• Friday, June 8, 2025, Equinox Jazz Orchestra
• Friday, June 20, 2025, Grape Stompin followed by a family style dinner – Lakey Ballroom Series

 

The WCC Foundation’s WAW Scholarship Golf Tournament was held on Thursday, September 19, 2024. There were 134 participants and a net profit of $120,000+ supporting the WCC Education Promise scholarship.

 

The Annual Henry Moore Scholarship Golf Classic was held Thursday, October 3, 2024, at Oakwoods Country Club. There were 120 players participating in the event with a projected net profit of $50,000 supporting the Career and College Promise Program (CCP).

 

Wilkes Community College, a member of the North Carolina Community College System, is a public, two-year, open-door institution serving the people of Wilkes, Ashe, and Alleghany counties and beyond. Established in 1965, WCC continues to build on a strong history of meeting the educational needs and cultural interests of our students, community, and workforce. WCC prepares learners for success in a dynamic world.

 

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