Staff report

After almost a year of assessment and strategic planning under the leadership of its new president, Dr. Doug Boyce, Paul D. Camp Community College is &uot;moving to the next level of excellence.&uot; Through a participatory process, the college examined its strengths and weaknesses, challenges and opportunities. As a result, the college’s mission statement and related operational goals were refocused, and core values were made more explicit – and a vision for the future was established. According to Boyce, &uot;Paul D. Camp Community College will be our region’s first choice for high-quality transfer and technical programs, workforce services and training, postsecondary education, and community education.&uot;

To fulfill its mission and achieve its vision, the college will (1) change the organizational governance to promote campus-based decision-making and services to the areas surrounding each location along with more effective college-wide coordination; (2) complete research to determine an institutional brand and implement a comprehensive marketing plan designed to raise the profile of the college, identify its distinctive features, improve image and support recruiting and fundraising; (3) develop and implement recruitment plans that successfully target potential student populations across the service area and beyond; (4) implement retention strategies to promote greater success and higher completion rates by current students; (5) support faculty/staff personal and professional development as a high institutional priority to be able to take on new challenges and sustain the college’s strengths; (6) continuously refine and develop new academic programs in response to a careful review of transfer and workforce needs for the coming decade; (7) strengthen community-based partnerships to serve them more effectively and build support for the college among key sectors of the population; and (8) expand fundraising efforts to support institutional priorities.

Boyce said this last priority is critical because state support for higher education has declined sharply over the past few years. Thus, as a vital part of the College’s five-year strategic plan, the PDCCC Foundation will conduct its first Annual Fund Campaign during the fall to create an annual source of unrestricted income to address areas of critical need not covered by state dollars. Through generous contributions from alumni and their families, community friends, corporations, and foundations, the Annual Fund will help Paul D. Camp Community College maintain its mission to provide access to diverse learning opportunities that enhance the quality of life for students and citizens.

for the region it serves.

Harold Blythe, president of the PDCCC Foundation, notes that unrestricted funds will be used at the discretion of the Foundation to create a margin of excellence for Paul D. Camp through scholarships for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and supplements to address budget shortfall needed for growth and development.

For more information on giving to the College, call Dr. Patsy Joyner, vice president for Institutional Advancement and executive director for the PDCCC Foundation, at 569-6791.