Tansey Topics: A Weekly Look At What's Happening at BCCC | Eastern North Carolina Now

State, county fund college's operations

    Beaufort County Community College operates on a budget funded by the N.C. General Assembly and the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, and setting the budget each year is an intricate process.

    The state funds its 58 community colleges based on enrollment, but since community colleges accommodate different kind of students - including full-time, part-time and Continuing Education - it's far more complex than simply tallying the total number of students enrolled at each school. Enrollment numbers are standardized using a formula called Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). One FTE equates to a full-time student taking 16 credit hours for two semesters.

    Since the average community college student takes fewer hours than that, it takes more than one student to generate one FTE. The Continuing Education division, which provides programs such as workforce development and personal enrichment, uses a separate formula for FTE.

    "Everything we do is driven off of FTE", says Mark Nelson, Vice President of Administrative Services. Nelson and his staff, along with the BCCC Board of Trustees and its property and finance committees, are responsible for setting and managing the college's budget.

    Each community college receives a base allocation that equates to about six full-time faculty for curriculum programs, one for Continuing Education, and salaries for the president and essential administration. Everything beyond that is based on enrollment. For the 2014-2015 school year, BCCC received about $11.5 million in state funding. The General Assembly has yet to finalize its budget for the new fiscal year, but administrators are preparing for decreased funding.

    Beaufort County, which owns the land and buildings housing the college, also contributes to its funding. It pays for maintenance of the buildings and systems, as well as salaries for certain employees including maintenance, custodial, police and campus operations.

    "We develop a 10-year plan of what we think we'll need, and send a budget request to the county each year," Nelson says.

    The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners then allocates funding based on that request. It recently approved an allotment of approximately $3 million for the current fiscal year.

    Grants for specific programs and special projects account for approximately 5 percent of the college's budget. Other funding sources such as endowments and donations from the community are handled through the BCCC Foundation and are generally used for scholarships and emergency grants.

    BCCC has a large service area covering four counties and more than 2,000 square miles, and it serves thousands of students each year. The college relies on both the state and the county to ensure that it can continue to address the educational needs of its students and the workforce needs of the region.


    We are working to organize a BCCC Speakers' Bureau for our service area in order to share the talents and expertise of our employees and to bring more awareness of our programs to our constituents throughout Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrell and Washington counties. There are many organizations in our community who have regular speakers, and presentations are typically 15-20 minutes long. If you would like to submit a proposal, please write a brief summary (1-2 sentences) of your topic and email it to the President's Office. The deadline is Monday, Aug. 31. We will produce a brochure of available speaker topics, and when we receive a request, we will contact you to make arrangements with the individual or organization.


    The Fall 2015 Faculty/Staff Kick-Off Meeting will be held at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 25 in the Building 8 Auditorium. It should last about an hour, and attendance is encouraged. Topics include an introduction of board members, the Foundation Golf Tournament, new communication techniques, maintenance projects, budget, new hires, SACS/COC QEP, and Con Ed service area expansions. Sheetz has provided coupon booklets for free meals and drinks for BCCC employees, which will be available at the Kick-Off Meeting.


    Please send any Important Dates you would like publicized in Tansey Topics/Campus Connections/ BCCC Briefs to Jules.Norwood@BeaufortCCC.edu. This includes but is not limited to student and campus events, fundraisers, student organization meetings and board meetings.


    If you haven't already done so, please "Like" Beaufort County Community College on Facebook and "Follow" @beaufortccc on Twitter. The more you interact with our posts by liking, commenting or retweeting them, the more exposure they will get. One look around campus at students with their phones out is all it takes to see the importance of maintaining an active presence on these social media platforms.


    Police officers, emergency personnel and citizens from New Bern, Washington and Greenville gathered on the Washington waterfront on Tuesday, Aug. 18 to dedicate a swing in memory of New Bern Police Officer Alexander E. Thalmann, who was killed last year while on duty after only three months on the job. Thalmann was a graduate of BCCC's BLET program.

• The U.S. Department of Education has notified BCCC that our grant application for a Student Support Services (SSS) project under the TRiO program has been selected for funding in the amount of $339,027 annually for the next five-year grant cycle. The funds are intended to provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. The goal of SSS is to increase retention and graduation rates.

• Congratulations to the BCCC Foundations scholarship recipients for Fall 2015. The Foundation has awarded 68 scholarships totaling $59,720. Look for the full list of recipients in the newspaper and Campus Connections in the coming weeks.
• The 22nd Annual BCCC Foundation Golf Tournament has been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, 2015.
  
  Team and hole sponsorships are now available, and proceeds will provide emergency student grants. For more information or to register, contact Marcia Norwood at 252-940-6218 or Serena Sullivan at 252-940-6326.
• The Beaufort County Community College Foundation and the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a 10-day trip to Italy. A special presentation about the trip is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Building 10 on BCCC's campus. For more information about upcoming events, contact Marcia Norwood at 252-940-6218 or Serena Sullivan at 252-940-6326.

• Good luck to Lauren Dudley and Ben Cole on Saturday. They will be competing in the Battle of the Boxes, a CrossFit competition in Greensboro. These two make BCCC proud!.
• Automotive Systems Technology Instructor Richie Alligood has announced his resignation and has taken a position at PCC. We wish Richie the best in his future endeavors. He will continue to work parttime at BCCC.
• A hearty BCCC welcome to our new employees: Krystal Taylor, Instructor of Anatomy/Physiology and Biology; Amanda Stevens, English Instructor (now full-time); and Julia Crippen, Grant Writer/Coordinator of Special Projects.
• BCCC is currently seeking applications for the following position. Please share these postings with anyone you know who may qualify and be interested. Visit the BCCC Employment Opportunities page (https:// jobs.beaufortccc.edu/) for additional position announcements and information about how to apply.
• Director of Research and Assessment (Full-time)

Aug. 24	Allied Health Programs Information Session, 1 p.m., Building 12, Room 1217
Aug. 25	Faculty/Staff Kick-Off Meeting, noon, Building 8 Auditorium
Through Aug. 25	Add
Through Aug. 27	Drop
Aug. 27	Last day to drop for 75% refund
Sept. 1	Italy Trip Informational Meeting, 6 p.m., Building 10 Multi-Purpose Room
Sept. 29	Financial Aid checks disbursed
Oct. 6	Board of Trustees, Committees, 4 p.m.; Board, 6 p.m., Building 10 Board Room

    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.