By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
Officials at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College want to it be a leader in providing 21st century education and work force development.
The college is planning to use its 2011-14 strategic plan to do just that.
President Carol Spalding outlined the plan during a meeting with the board of trustees on Monday.
The plan, which has been in the works since November, has already been before faculty and staff, the Student Government Association and Vision 20/20.
“It’s had a lot of field work so it won’t be any surprise when it’s done,” Spalding said.
The plan will include a revised mission statement that reads “Rowan-Cabarrus Community College improves lives and build community through higher education and work force development.”
“It’s a scaled-down mission,” Spalding said. “The mission and visions, I would say, are works in progress.”
Spalding said building community isn’t a role that RCCC has had in the past, but believes it will be vital to the college’s future.
“We want to be a catalyst for change,” she said. “We really are the only public higher education in the two-county area …. we want to accentuate that.”
Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz said the college is just as beneficial to the community as it is for individual students.
“Our No. 1 focus has been to bring jobs to Salisbury and Rowan County,” she said. “When recruiting, we use the fact that Rowan-Cabarrus is such a jewel that is right here in our city to provide training and retraining.
The proposed goals for the next three years include:
• Prepare students for 21st century careers and opportunities that simulate sustainable economic and work force development.
• Produce exceptional learning outcomes that demonstrate academic excellence and student success.
• Provide excellent service delivery for current and perspective students to advance achievement.
• Acquire, develop and manage human, fiscal and infrastructure sources essential to the develop and delivery of high-quality education.
• Serve as a catalyst for advancing the community.
Spalding said the passage of the $12 million bond package for capital improvements and renovations to the North Campus will be instrumental in accomplishing the goals to life.
The bond funding will help bring the campus up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards and expand classroom space, which means students will have more course options.
“When the students are on campus or enrolled here we want to support their needs,” Spalding said.
The strategic plan will continue to be tweaked until the board approves a final draft.
Board member Tony Almeida, Duke Energy’s vice president of large business customers, said he thinks the plan is heading in the right direction.
“The aspirational nature of this is very, very exciting,” he said.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.