Brown Takes Oath, College Reaffirmed by SACS
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees held its regular bimonthly meeting on Monday, July 15 at the college’s Henderson campus.
North Carolina Ninth District Court Judge Henry Banks swore in real estate broker Deborah F. Brown of Henderson for a second four-year term on the Board. Brown is also a member of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, and was appointed by that same board. Brown first joined the Board of Trustees in 2009 and will serve though 2017.
Later in the evening, the Board voted to approve a recommendation from the nominating committee to re-elect the Board’s current officers to serve again during the 2013-2014 year. Deborah F. Brown of Henderson will serve once again as the chair of the Board, former state legislator Stan Fox of Oxford as the vice-chairman and Dr. Doris Terry Williams of Henderson as the secretary.
The Board also voted to approve year-end amendments to the 2012-13 Budget Resolution. The College’s combined amended 2012-2013 operating budget is $43,480,333 and the amended capital improvement budget is $988,141. This makes the college’s total 2012-13 combined amended budget $44,468,474. The Board also approved funds for the College’s Athletics programs and the 2013-2014 college fee schedule.
In other business, President Stelfanie Williams reported to the Board that the college had been fully reaffirmed with no conditions by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges . More than two years of preparations by VGCC preceded the SACS reaffirmation . Every ten years, colleges and universities that, like VGCC, have already been accredited must seek reaffirmation to maintain their status. The Atlanta-based SACS Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions throughout the Southeast. Continued accreditation indicates that Vance-Granville is recognized as an institution of quality. Students attending accredited institutions commonly find it easier to transfer from one institution to another or to continue their studies upon graduation. Financially, accreditation means that specific types of federal and state financial aid are available to the college and its students. As part of the reaffirmation process, VGCC hosted an on-site committee in September 2012 and submitted extensive reports and a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) required by the accrediting agency. A QEP is a long-term course of action that addresses a topic or issue related to improving student learning and/or students’ learning environment. VGCC’s plan, entitled “Advising in 3D: Dream, Design, Discover,” is focused on academic advising and career planning. A fifth-year interim report will be due to SACS in March 2018.
President Williams applauded the dedication of all VGCC faculty and staff members who helped during the reaccreditation process. The Board also commended the college’s president, faculty and staff for the hard work that they had done to be fully reaccredited.
The next regular meeting of the Board will be held on Monday, September 16 at 7 p.m. in the board room on Main Campus. The Board will also hold a special informal planning retreat on August 26 at the college.
Above: North Carolina Ninth District Court Judge Henry Banks, left, swore in real estate broker Deborah F. Brown of Henderson for a second four-year term on the VGCC Board of Trustees Monday night. Brown will also serve as Board chair. (VGCC photo)
