MONROE/POLKTON—The South Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees has announced an impressive list of five finalists in its search for the college’s new president:
- Maria Pharr, Executive Director of BioNetwork and Life Science Initiatives, North Carolina Community College System, Raleigh, N.C.
- Laura Leatherwood, Vice President for Student Affairs, Haywood Community College, Clyde, N.C.
- Robert Lowdermilk, Vice President for Student Development, Rockingham Community College, Wentworth, N.C.
- Matthew Meyer, Associate Vice President for STEM Innovations, North Carolina Community College System, Raleigh, N.C.
- John Hauser, Vice President for Industrial and Workforce Development, Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, N.C.
Interviews by the Trustees have been scheduled with the finalists in the coming weeks as well as opportunities for SPCC employees and members of the community to meet the candidates:
November 29: Dr. Pharr
10 a.m. – 11 a.m., L.L. Polk Campus, Raye Community Room
3 p.m. – 4 p.m., Old Charlotte Highway Campus, Building B, Rm. 173
November 30: Dr. Leatherwood
10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Old Charlotte Highway Campus, Creech Boardroom
3 p.m. – 4 p.m., L.L. Polk Campus, Raye Community Room
December 1: Dr. Lowdermilk
10 a.m. – 11 a.m., L.L. Polk Campus, Raye Community Room
3 p.m. – 4 p.m., Old Charlotte Highway Campus, Building B, Rm. 173
December 5: Dr. Meyer
10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Old Charlotte Highway, Building A, Salon A
3 p.m. – 4 p.m., L.L. Polk Campus, Raye Community Room
December 6: Dr. Hauser
10 a.m. – 11 a.m., L.L. Polk Campus, Raye Community Room
3 p.m. – 4 p.m., Old Charlotte Highway Campus, Building B, Rm. 173
The Board of Trustees plans to name a successor next month to Dr. Jerry McGee, who has served as Interim President of the college since March. Dr. Stan Sidor, who served as President beginning in 2011, accepted the same position at Lake-Sumter State College (Florida) in January. The new President is expected to begin in January.
The hiring of a new President is only one of many exciting developments recently for South Piedmont Community College. In August, the SPCC Foundation announced the largest gift in the school’s history from the Carlton Tyson family and the subsequent renaming of the technology center in recognition of the generous donation. That was followed by seven percent growth in enrollment for the Fall Semester at the college—bucking a negative enrollment trend at other community colleges throughout the state. To top off the good news, just last week the voters of Union County approved a $40.2 million bond measure that will allow the college to greatly expand its instructional space, including a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Building on its Old Charlotte Highway campus as well a new classroom facility in the rapidly growing western part of Union County.
About South Piedmont Community College
South Piedmont Community College, the newest of the 58 colleges in the NC Community College System, offers a wide variety of educational and career-based training opportunities for Union and Anson counties, including college transfer, career and technical education, GED, Adult Basic High School, industry training, and lifelong-learning opportunities. SPCC offers classes on its campuses in Monroe and Polkton, as well as at the Tyson Family Center for Technology in Monroe, the Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro and other sites throughout the service area and online. The College Transfer Program at South Piedmont parallels the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year college or university degree.