College to restructure RCC Foundation
Dec 18, 2019WENTWORTH – The Trustees of Rockingham Community College are restructuring and reorganizing the RCC Foundation so that its vision and goals better support the College and its newly adopted 2019-2023 strategic plan.
The College’s strategic plan focuses on four main goals that include student success, workforce and economic impact, communication, engagement and outreach, along with making improvements to the campus and promoting the growth of faculty and staff.
RCC Trustees Scott Barham of Eden, and Nelson Cole, Hal Griffin, and Mark Collins, all of Reidsville, were appointed by fellow College trustees to serve as the interim Foundation Board of Directors. RCC President Dr. Mark Kinlaw and RCC Board of Trustees Chair Janice Tate of Madison will serve as ex-officio members. Kim Pryor of Ruffin has been appointed Director of Development/Executive Director of the RCC Foundation. Over the next several months, this group will do the following:
• Analyze the present state of the RCC Foundation and its ability to support the College;
• Establish a new relationship between the College and the RCC Foundation by confirming a new Memorandum of Understanding between the two entities;
• Revise the Foundation By-Laws that reflect the newly amended Articles of Incorporation and governance structure of the Foundation and include language defining Foundation operations;
• Explore how the RCC Foundation can better position itself to meet the changing needs of the College and help the College to address the changing workplace dynamics in the county and the changing needs of the College’s students;
• Evaluate Foundation scholarships to determine where needs exist;
• Evaluate the fundraising strategies of the RCC Foundation against best practices; and
• Evaluate investment strategies to ensure Foundation assets are invested in a way that can yield the best results to support the College and its students.
In January, the RCC Foundation Interim Board of Directors will begin accepting applications from anyone interested in serving as a director of the RCC Foundation. Directors, under the new structure, must be approved by the RCC Board of Trustees. Information will be available on the College website.
This fall, the Foundation handled 202 scholarship awards totaling $242,009.50 for RCC students. The Foundation helped to support the renovation of the Whitcomb Student Center, which now provides more fun space for students, and enhanced services to students in the areas of admissions, records and registration, financial aid, and advising and counseling.
Each year RCC faculty and staff apply to the Foundation for grant-funded projects that improve and enhance the educational experience of students. In November, $160,000 was awarded for 18 campus projects. A $10,000 Workforce Development Scholarships grant is a new campus project that supports the College’s commitment to workforce development. Students who are enrolled in non-credit programs that are not eligible to receive federal scholarships such as Pell grants are eligible for this grant if they are seeking an industry-recognized credential for entry level employment. Eligible programs include: Nurse Aide, EKG Technician, Phlebotomy, A+ Certification, Network +, Security +, and Welding.
Examples of other campus projects that receive funding include $15,000 for The Academic Resource Center (ARC) where peer tutors provide academic assistance for RCC students having difficulties in a specific course; $12,000 for RCC Foundation Student Aid Grants designed to provide financial assistance to RCC students who do not demonstrate enough financial need to be eligible for federal and/or state need-based financial aid; and $15,000 for the RCC Work Study Program that provides students with financial need the opportunity to work on campus for additional support.
“We are very excited about the future relationship of the RCC Foundation and the College,” said Kinlaw. “There is so much need in our county, and our county is depending on the College, with the support of its Foundation, to play a significant role in the future growth of Rockingham County.”
“The needs of the College, the needs of its students, the demands from the workforce, and the transition period the RCC Foundation is experiencing are all good reasons for the Board of Trustees to establish a new process for appointing directors to the RCC Foundation,” said Tate. “By stepping back to analyze the current state of the RCC Foundation and to consider how best to organize and structure the Foundation, the Board of Trustees is preparing for the future.”
