COA 2013-2014 Annual Report

BOARD OF TRUSTEES’ MESSAGE

From J. Fletcher Willey, Jr. From the successes of the students, the hard work of the faculty and staff and the exemplary leadership of the administration, College of The Albemarle has a powerful story to share.

Within the pages of this annual report, you will find stories of achievement, of dedication, of inspiration and of hope, and all of them start at COA. It is where the path to a better life begins.

For Rebekah Brown, that path provided a safe, nurturing environment to develop self-confidence and the challenge to move out of her comfort zone.

When life took a wrong turn, Tara Haskett and Ashley Pritchett found the road not taken at COA and continued on their journeys to transform their lives and the lives of their families.

Eddie Perkins’ pathway took the shape of a baseball diamond on which he circled the bases as a member of the COA Dolphins baseball team while earning college credits he would take to Tusculum University.

Last year, 344 students earned a degree, diploma or certificate at COA. They joined the ranks of thousands and thousands of alumni for whom COA provided a path to achieve their dreams.

As a community college, College of The Albemarle offers anyone in its seven-county service area the opportunity for higher education that is exceptional in quality and affordability, education that helps our region build a stronger economy and improved quality of life for all.

As Chair of the Board of Trustees, I have had the privilege to work over the past year with President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, the faculty and staff, and our community friends to keep College of The Albemarle on its path to excellence.

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COA offers anyone in its seven-county service area the opportunity for higher education that is exceptional in quality and affordability.

J. Fletcher Willey, Jr. Chair, COA Board of Trustees

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

From Dr. Kandi W. Deitemeyer College of The Albemarle notched another year of exceptional achievement in 2013-2014, as exemplified in the stories of personal and institutional success featured herein.

As you read the 2013-14 President’s Annual Report, we know that you will be proud of your community college and its accomplishments transforming the lives of those in northeast region of our state. We know that you’ll recognize that we are ever mindful that we do not and will not rest upon our laurels as we press on to create greater opportunities for those who haven’t yet started on their Pathways to Success.

We celebrate this year the many pathways that have been created for students to reach their educational goals and ultimately their dreams. The journeys taken by our students became increasingly intentional in 2013-2014, carefully guided by our faculty and staff who created new, more accessible avenues for achievement, removing roadblocks and providing improved navigational tools.

Many students have taken advantage of the Accelerating Opportunities program for which the college is now a statewide and national leader. Our realignment in Business and Applied Technologies and Career and College Promise has offered students a more focused pathway toward success in career and technical training, as well as college transfer.

The exemplary and forward-thinking STEP Center has created a pipeline for regional nurses to gain access to a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, ensuring that the critical nursing workforce remains highly skilled. Our commitment to students to gain access to a four-year higher education experience is also apparent in our partnership in Dare County with NC Wesleyan.

Regardless of the destination, College of The Albemarle and our exemplary faculty and staff have developed, led or retooled our operations so that every student has an intentional pathway for achievement.

No one can appreciate that more than the individual students who walk through the doors of COA on their own Pathway to Success. Students such as: Rebekah Brown. Amanda Everett. Shadrick

Addy. Carly McMahon. Connor McMahon. Hillary Rock Harrison. Ashley Pritchett. Ann Treadway.

Andrew Treadway. Addie Moore. Lindsey Lehman.

Zebedee McPherson, Jr. Eddie Perkins. Iryna Kharlamova. Tara Haskett. Dottie Patton. Alicia White. These are among the hundreds and thousands for whom COA guides the way.

The names above are not merely a representational list. They are real lives transformed. I encourage you to be as purposeful with each of their individual stories as we are with their education. Collectively, their stories become COA’s success story.

You, too, are to be commended for their accomplishments, as your continued advocacy and support of COA ensures our students success. As friends of the college, I want to thank you for your belief and investment in our collective efforts. You are to be applauded for being a COA Champion, for expecting us to accomplish great things, and ultimately for helping us to create even more pathways to success for the citizens throughout northeastern North Carolina 2

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS

Completion by Design As College of The Albemarle faculty and staff approached the fall semester of 2013, they began an intentional and strategic multi-faceted effort to engage and support students and put them on pathways to success.

COA participated in a state-wide initiative called Completion by Design (CBD) to help institutions develop strategies to improve student retention and completion of a degree. A team from COA attended informational and strategy sessions to evaluate their current practices and identify ways to help students in the following four key areas: • Connection to potential and new students • Entry to the college and first courses taken • Progress through a program of study • Completion of a degree or credential

The mandatory orientation and advising program is really about student empowerment.

We’re helping them to be more responsible and in charge of their education.

John Wells COA’s Director of Counseling and Career Development

The team, made up of the Student Success and Enrollment Management and Division of Learning Vice Presidents, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and an academic instructor, looked at current practices in each of the four focus areas to determine points at which students were having problems or were not progressing. Although attendance at community colleges across the country is very high, the average completion rate of an associate degree is only about 21 percent. Each college was also given data on performance that has shown to be an important variable. Data was provided on COA’s performance over the prior two years for: • Percent of students who needed to take developmental courses • Completion rates of students in college English and Math • Percent of students who progress from year one to year two • Percent of students who complete 12 credits in one year/24 credits in two years • Student transfer rate after five years A set of goals and strategies was created to improve performance in the above areas. COA focused on viewing the student experience as a pathway from connection to completion. The strategies were categorized into areas related to creating a culture of completion, supporting students throughout their programs and providing clear, structured programs of study. By ensuring students select the most appropriate program of study, ensuring they have the academic preparation to succeed in the courses, providing academic and emotional support, eliminating excess credits in a program and streamlining college processes, the goal of improving college completion rates should be attained.

Among the initiatives that were launched: mandatory orientation for all students, Success Coaches, and REACH (Retain, Encourage, Advise, Contact and Help).

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PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS

Getting a Head Start Beginning in August 2013, COA’s orientation program became mandatory for all new students.

Besides learning the layout of their respective campuses, students also discussed topics such as acceptable behavior and attendance, and had an opportunity to look at the COA course catalog.

After attending the orientation, students also participated in advising activities in which they were put into groups of 20, based on their academic program, and were paired with an advisor. The advisor counseled students on the classes they should take and also taught all incoming students how to register for classes online, how to check their grades online and how to see the amount of financial aid they had been awarded.

The result of the new mandatory orientation and advising program, said John Wells, COA’s Director of Counseling and Career Development, is that students no longer have to call the registrar’s office with questions or requests for help in registering.

Now, they have the information to do it themselves.

“It’s really about student empowerment,” Wells said.

“We’re helping them be more responsible and in charge of their education. They think about their schedules. They’ve got to start thinking about how to plan their life.”

Already, after its first year, the program has been judged a success, and COA is looking at ways to improve the orientation program during the current school year.

“We’ve reduced withdrawal refunds and we’ve increased retention from last fall to the spring,” Wells said. “It really made a difference. It was a 6 to 7 percent increase in retention, and I think that’s what’s making the difference – that preparation.”

Coaching Success Another initiative COA began last fall, which helps students stay on track, is the school’s new Success Coaches program. New students on each campus are divided alphabetically and paired with a success coach who follows up with their students about approaching application and registration deadlines.

Students receive reminders either via email, phone or postcards.

“It’s a way for us to ensure students complete the steps of enrollment all the way through orientation,” Wells said.

This new program has also proven to be beneficial and is continuing this school year.

“Last year, we had an increase in the enrollment rate from 57 percent to 60 percent,” Wells said.

Kenny Krentz, COA’s former Director of Admissions, meets with a student in his role as a Success Coach.

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PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS

I think any type of personal touch you can offer students is great.

They did welcome the calls and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Andrea Dance COA Registrar

REACHing Out

Dining and Discussion

Retention – saving students from dropping out for a semester, or more – has always been a serious focus for COA. In the spring of the 2013-2014 academic year, the college put a finer edge on that focus with the implementation of the Retain, Encourage, Advise, Contact and Help (REACH) program.

In fall 2013, COA began another initiative that is paying off. Throughout the year, COA admissions staff met with local high school guidance counselors from the college’s seven county region.

“The purpose of REACH is to contact students who have dropped at least half their courses to see what is going on with them,” said Andrea Dance, COA Registrar.

REACH began last March, Dance said, so not a lot of data about the program has been collected.

But college officials feel the program has been beneficial enough that they are continuing it during the current academic year.

“I think any type of personal touch you can offer students is great,” Dance said. “Students did welcome the calls and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.”

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COA Registrar Andrea Dance talks with a student as part of the REACH initiative.

Each month, staff members joined seven to 10 high school counselors for dinner at local restaurants.

These meetings were an opportunity for the college and high schools to exchange information about high school issues and the community college’s academic programs.

“Our monthly dinner meetings with the high school counselors have given us many opportunities to discuss current events that benefit high school students, such as open houses, tours, talks, testing, scholarships, etc.,” said Cherrie Boyce COA’s Admissions and Testing Advisor.

The program went so well, COA is continuing the dinners.

A COA SUCCESS

Lindsay Lehman Lindsey Lehman spent four years earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech, but after her college graduation, she returned home to Chesapeake unsure of exactly what she wanted to do.

She ended up taking a job as a veterinary assistant in Elizabeth City and realized she loved the work. It wasn’t putting her bachelor’s degree to work, but it was a career she felt drawn to.

“So, I began researching programs, and College of The Albemarle had a surgical technology program,” said Lehman, who earned her surgical technology diploma from COA last July. “I was fortunate COA happens to offer that program.

It was just convenient timing.”

of Science degree. “I’ve always been interested in a medical career. I like what I do so much, I plan on broadening my education in the field.

Lehman helps with the scheduling of surgical patients, monitors their vital signs during surgery and assists with their nursing care in the surgical room.

“It’s almost,” she added, “like it was meant to be.”

It is this aspect Lehman most enjoys – patient care. She first had that realization as a vet tech when she recognized her favorite days at work were her surgery days. Although she had been assisting animals, the satisfaction she gets from helping her human patients is the same.

Lehman now works as a surgical tech at Riverside Doctors’ Hospital in Williamsburg, VA. She has assisted in a variety of surgeries, including plastic, ENT, gynecological and urological procedures.

“We’re assisting the surgeon,” Lehman said. “You definitely feel like you’re part of something neat. I’m really enjoying it,” Lehman said.

“You’re that patient’s advocate,” she added. “I really like that aspect of patient care. When they’re in that position, they’re just really vulnerable and it’s especially important that patient has an advocate with their best interest in mind.”

Less opportune was the four years of college Lehman had paid for, along with a degree she is not currently using. As a student at Virginia Tech, Lehman said, she had a hard time finding an academic program she wanted to pursue.

“It’s a large school and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the path you want to be on,” she said. “For the first time, I feel absolutely confident about where my career is going. I definitely wish I had been exposed to surgical technology sooner.”

And, Lehman said, her four-year degree may come in handy should she decide to continue her education.

“I’m in a good position to continue my education within the surgical field,” Lehman said, referring to her Bachelor 6

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUCCEED

Accelerating Transitions Since November 2011, College of The Albemarle has transformed the lives of 83 students who came to COA simply seeking to earn their high school diplomas, but ended up graduating with much more than that.

Through the college’s Accelerating Transitions Basic Skills Plus program, these students simultaneously pursued their High School Equivalency (HSE) and professional industry certificates that opened the doors to careers they had never imagined possible before coming to COA. The community college has been so successful with the state-funded program that earlier this year, the North Carolina Community College System awarded COA a special distinction.

“We’re the #1 college with this program,” said Wendy PollardBoyle, Coordinator of the Accelerating Transitions program.

“COA has been named as the leading college in the state for the Accelerating Transitions Basic Skills Plus program.”

Two years ago, College of The Albemarle was one of only nine state community colleges that qualified for funding to develop the transformative continuing education program. Since then, two colleges have ended their Accelerating Opportunities programs and recently, four new ones have started building their own. Pollard-Boyle said COA is working with these community colleges, serving as a resource to these schools as they implement their own programs.

“COA’s program is one of the strongest among colleges with this program,” said Cassandra Atkinson, Coordinator of Transitions at the North Carolina Community College System, which oversees the state’s 58 community colleges. “They’ve turned into the leader in the state on how to do this.”

When COA began its program two years ago, Pollard-Boyle said the community college committed wholeheartedly to the program and worked hard to develop partnerships with a variety of community agencies to ensure its success.

COA partnered with Northeastern Workforce Development, the Department of Social Services and a host of other local organizations that helped provide transportation, tuition assistance, childcare and whatever else students in this program have needed to be successful.

Since the beginning, Pollard-Boyle said, COA has seen what a transformative program it is for the students who enroll in it.

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Accelerating Transitions graduate Zebedee McPherson, Jr., is now working on his associate degree at COA.

Once they find out about the program, they’re focused.

They leave with a plan. They have a little piece of the American dream.

Wendy Pollard-Boyle COA’s Coordinator of Accelerating Transitions

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUCCEED

Zebedee McPherson, Jr., an Accelerating Transitions graduate, has experienced that transformation and is a prime example of what the program can do. McPherson dropped out of high school nearly a decade ago and in the ensuing years, worked a series of low-paying jobs, most recently as a wood tagger at a local lumber yard. But spending his days stapling tags on the ends of pressure-treated lumber was not what he wanted to do the rest of his life.

“It’s a major paradigm shift for adult education,” said Pollard-Boyle. “Most students had the intention of getting a High School Equivalency and getting out. So we’ve really provided a whole new opportunity for them. It gives them the chance to accomplish their original goal and so much more.

About a year ago, he decided to go back to school and earn his HSE at College of The Albemarle.

During the process, he learned about the college’s Accelerating Transitions program. He credits the dual enrollment program with changing the trajectory of his future.

North Carolina was one of four states to receive funding in 2011 to develop an Accelerating Opportunities career pathway program. Currently there are approximately eight states offering the program at qualifying community colleges. North Carolina is one of the states at the forefront, with COA leading the way.

In December 2013, McPherson not only earned his HSE, but also a certificate in aviation sheet metal. He hopes to find a job repairing aircraft at the nearby Coast Guard air station. Meanwhile, McPherson is continuing his studies at COA and is working toward earning his Associate in Aviation Technology degree.

Although McPherson has worked hard to accomplish his goal, he was still a little overwhelmed at seeing a photo of himself on the front of COA’s new pamphlet promoting its two-year-old Accelerating Transitions program.

McPherson said the program, was life changing.

“I got a little teary,’’ said McPherson, 26, referring to seeing the Accelerating Transitions brochure.

“Because I worked so hard for this. I couldn’t believe it was really me.”

Since COA began its Accelerating Transitions program, 49 students have earned their HSE and have each taken about 12 credit hours earning professional certificates in different industries, including basic or advanced aviation sheet metal, computer engineering technology, computer integrated machining, culinary technology, early childhood education, electrical/electronic technology, HVAC technology, certified nursing assistant and welding technology. Another 39 students have earned their HSE and an industry certificate, and have completed curriculum coursework in other programs.

“Once they find out about the program,” she added, “they’re focused. They leave with a plan.

They have a little piece of the American dream.”

Right now, COA’s program offers Accelerating Transitions students the opportunity to earn one or more of eight certificates – more than any other program in the state. In the future, the school may add additional certificates, but Pollard-Boyle said that will be determined by what is needed by employers in COA’s seven-county region. Working together with local employers and community agencies, Pollard-Boyle said, is the main reason for the program’s success.

“The whole college realized that in order to meet the needs of the student and the local industry, we needed to come together as a village and provide life-sustaining employment opportunities,” she said.

Jennifer Armstrong, Reading/Language Instructor, and Robert Monfort, Reading Instructor, work with Accelerating Transitions students.

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Addie Moore, a current Career and College Promise Student, spends part of her school day taking classes on COA’s Elizabeth City Campus.

Career and College Promise & Early College So many local high school students are graduating with college credits on their transcripts that College of The Albemarle may need to consider a flashing sign for the J.P. Knapp Early College and Career and College Promise programs – No Vacancy.

Increasingly, local high school students and their parents are realizing the value – both economically and educationally – of the two programs that give the students a head start on their college educations.

COA saw a record number of high school students – 361 – graduate with either an associate degree or college credits on their transcripts last year.

And more are coming.

Approximately 275 high school students enrolled in COA’s College Promise program for Fall 2014 and another 420 students are enrolled at J.P. Knapp Early College High School.

That number will put the latter program at capacity.

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“I think we’re growing enormously,” said Christine Kasten, Guidance Counselor at J.P. Knapp, who helps oversee the program. “Our freshman class is at 85 students and that’s bigger than last year.”

Since the Currituck County School District and COA began their partnership in 2009, J.P. Knapp students have been able to earn associate degrees or at least 44 college credits in the Core 44 program by the time they graduate from high school.

Previously, the partnership offered students the opportunity to earn either an Associate in Arts and/or an Associate in Science degree, but this year the program was expanded to include Associate in Applied Sciences and Associate in Fine Arts degrees.

“I think the students are really excited that they have the access to those courses and have the ability to dive in earlier,” Kasten said.

In May 2014, 10 J.P. Knapp students earned their associate degrees and another 22 students earned the Core 44 diploma.

The remainder of the class of 48 graduates also earned college credits that will transfer with them when they head off to college. Kasten said she expects to double the number of students earning their associate degrees in the 2014-2015 academic year.

J.P. Knapp graduate Megan Hoover received her Associate in Arts degree in May. She planned to attend Appalachian State College in Boone to get a Bachelor Degree in Psychology.

“I’m starting as a junior,” Hoover said. “So that eliminates two years. I’m already two years ahead of the game, so I’m thankful for it. It was a lot of hard work that paid off.”

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUCCEED

Being able to participate in the dual enrollment program at COA has been a huge blessing. It has opened so many doors for me and taught me many things about the world.

Addie Moore Current Career and College Promise Student

The 313 seniors enrolled in COA’s Career and College Promise program also earned college credits when they graduated from the program this year. The college credit program is open to high school juniors and seniors attending one of the 13 high schools located in COA’s seven-county service area. Participating juniors and seniors must have a 3.0 GPA to participate in the program.

Rita Jennings, COA’s former Director of Secondary Education, oversaw both high school programs. “Every county and every high school has students taking college courses,” Jennings said.

One of those is First Flight High School in Dare County. In Fall 2013, 31 students enrolled in the College Promise program.

A year later, 61 students signed up to join the program at the school, nearly doubling the previous year’s enrollment.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity that has just taken a little while to catch on,” said Jennie Rook, Career Development Coordinator at First Flight. “People are understanding the value of these classes and lightening the load a little bit once they get to college.”

Seventeen-year-old Andrew Archibald graduated from First Flight last May with 17 college credits he earned through the school’s Career and College Promise program. He earned all the credits during his senior year, but said he wishes he had participated during his junior year as well but he didn’t register in time.

“My biggest motivation was the idea of being able to kill two birds with one stone,” Archibald said, adding that he liked the idea of earning both high school and college credit at the same time.

“I think I have a deeper understanding of the subjects I learned about,” he added. “The work was more in-depth, so it allowed you to think about it instead of just memorizing it.”

The COA courses students can take as part of the Career and College Promise program also carry honors credit, which helps boost their GPAs. Rook said this is an added selling point with high school students.

“But the interest in the program is not just from the students, it’s the parents themselves,” Rook said. “The academic and the economic value are finally being realized by the student population and their parents.”

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REACCREDITATION

SACS Accreditation College of The Albemarle students aren’t the only ones acing tests at the school.

Problem solving is also a skill employers are asking colleges to emphasize.

Last fall, the community college was approved to renew its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SACS. The certification means COA and its programs will continue to meet a rigorous standard of quality for the next 10 years.

As a result, two years ago COA faculty and staff began implementing new classes aimed at making its students better critical thinkers. The school now offers a problem-solving study skills class and every course taught at COA has been asked to identify one project which requires students to use a problem solving rubric.

“It’s a stamp of approval confirming the college has met a level of quality and integrity,” said Dr. Eric Lovik, Director of Institutional Effectiveness at COA. “It keeps the whole institution at a level of quality.”

Making sure the school would be approved for the SACS certification was a three-year process requiring the college to analyze everything.

Administrators and faculty looked at COA’s programming, academics, administration, budgets and financing.

“There are many different accreditation areas we need to monitor,” Lovik said.

As part of the formal process to renew its accreditation with SACS, the college identified the ability to problem-solve as an essential skill for its graduates. It is now part of COA’s Quality Enhancement Plan, QEP, which is designed to improve student learning.

A Mechanical Engineering student uses the problem-solving skills he is learning to figure out how to make a stable structure out of drinking straws.

The faculty is learning about critical thinking too, with instructors attending a problem-solving conference during the year.

In addition to strengthening programming and academics, Lovik said accreditation is necessary for other reasons. “It guarantees students can get financial assistance,” he said. “Without accreditation, they are not eligible for federal or student aid.

“It also helps with transfer opportunities. If a student attends a college that’s not accredited, they may not be able to transfer all of their classes.

With accreditation, credits transfer seamlessly as students go from one college to the next.

“So,” Lovik added, ““it’s a big deal. It was a pretty big process and it makes a pretty big impact.”

With SACS accreditation, students’ credits transfer seamlessly as they go from one college to the next.

Dr. Eric Lovik COA’s Director of Institutional Effectiveness

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A COA SUCCESS

Tara Haskett Tara Haskett left high school in 2003 when she was 16 and pregnant with her first child.

By the time she was 19, she had three young children to care for.

It meant her dream of becoming a cosmetologist had to wait.

“That’s what took me so long to get back to school,” said Haskett, who earned her High School Equivalency (HSE) from College of The Albemarle in December 2013. She was one of 293 students who completed the equivalency program that fall.

Armed with that HSE, Haskett, 26, decided it was time to pursue her passion. She is now enrolled in COA’s cosmetology program.

Once Haskett completes the program and has her cosmetology license in hand, she plans on moving from Elizabeth City to a bigger city so she can fulfill her dream of working in a big salon.

“I want to do it all – I want to do hair, I want to do nails,” Haskett said. “I definitely want to work in a big salon when I get out of school.”

“Without the HSE, I wouldn’t have been able to pursue this dream,” said Haskett, adding that her success in earning her HSE at COA encouraged her to continue her studies there.

Getting my HSE encouraged me to go back and do what I wanted.

I’ve always had the dream of becoming a cosmetologist.

Tara Haskett COA HSE Graduate & Cosmetology Student

“At first it was intimidating,” Haskett admitted, “but getting my HSE made me more comfortable in taking the steps to do what I had to do. It encouraged me to go back and do what I wanted. I’ve always had the dream of becoming a cosmetologist.”

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LOCATIONS

Elizabeth City Campus College of The Albemarle’s focus on creating pathways to success for its students brought changes and new initiatives to health sciences, business and technology, and arts and sciences programs at the Elizabeth City Campus.

Health Sciences and Wellness

I am so extremely proud of our students and their accomplishments as they enter our community workforce. Their hard work and willingness to follow our lead and strive for excellence in their studies has paid off for them and eventually for us all.

Robin Harris COA’s Dean of Health Sciences and Wellness Programs

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The division of Health Sciences and Wellness Programs (HSWP) launched its Strategic Transition in Education Progression (STEP) Center in the Fall of 2013.

The STEP Center helps nursing graduates continue their education towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree by helping them find online BSN programs that fit their academic profile and busy schedules.

“Currently, 14 students are enrolled in RN to BSN programs. Several made the connections to these programs through the STEP Center,’’ said Robin Harris, Dean of HSWP. “We serve nurses from 16 counties in northeast North Carolina and some from Virginia. “We also know that for the Associate in Nursing (ADN) degree graduating Class of 2015, 52 percent have taken at least one post-graduate BSN prerequisite. Additionally, several class of 2014 graduates are now RNs and taking prerequisite courses as well.”

Meanwhile, students in the HSWP set a new record for academic achievement and completion.

“Graduates from the Associate in Nursing, Practical Nursing, Surgical Technology and Medical Assisting programs must take licensure or certifications exams,” said Harris. “For the first time since we’ve had multiple HSWP programs here at COA, four have had a 100 percent exam participation and pass rate on the first attempt.

“I’m calling it the four-fecta,” Harris added.

LOCATIONS

Medical Assisting students learn about sterile processes from Adjunct Instructor Elizabeth Lange, MT (ASCP), RN.

Business and Applied Technologies In its effort to facilitate students’ success, the Business and Applied Technology Division (BAT) also tweaked its program offerings at the Elizabeth City Campus, creating more strategic degree options for students.

After careful review of current BAT offerings, including analysis of enrollment and the needs of local employers, the college decided to merge four programs – Office Administration, Computer Programming, Computer Engineering Technology and Computer Information Technology – under Computer Information Technology (CIT).

CIT enables the BAT division to create program specializations driven by the changing needs of regional employers. The four specializations are office administration, information technology, computer programming, and computer electronics.

“This redesign allows students to start with a set of core courses, and if they decide to switch specializations, there’s no loss of credit within the first year,” Michelle Waters, Dean of Business and Applied Technologies explained.

The CIT program also expanded the Career and College Promise (CCP) pathways offered to high school students to include Personal Computing (PC) Technician, PC Support, and Computer Programming.

A number of adult certificates were added under the CIT program as well.

Arts and Sciences Improving student success and completion lead to restructuring in the Division of Arts and Sciences and planning for curriculum changes to facilitate student success, particularly in transfer programs.

Academic Support Services was moved under Arts and Sciences. As a result, a closer working relationship has developed between the two areas.

The change has also led to exploration of innovative ideas to improve academic support services.

Secondary Education, where the majority of dual enrollment classes are housed, was also moved under Arts and Sciences. This move improved collaboration with secondary education partners in the region. Discussions between COA and its partners led to changes which have become the impetus for significant dual enrollment growth in college transfer pathways and career and technical education pathways.

As a result of revisions to the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA), the legislatively mandated agreement governing transfer of college credits, planning for significant curriculum changes within the Arts and Sciences division began in 2013.

College transfer degrees were changed to reduce the number of hours required and focus on a set of predetermined, universally accepted transfer courses. Additionally, local prerequisites not required by the state were removed or lowered to reduce barriers to completion. The changes enable students who might not meet the state required prerequisites to still register for a full-time schedule.

The College Transfer Success course, which prepares students to be successful at the community college level and to have a better understanding of requirements at the university level, was overhauled and made a requirement for transfer students in their first semester.

Finally, significant changes were made in the math curriculum. Redesign work included restructuring of some math classes, phasing out others and creating new ones tailored specifically for students in liberal arts education and career pathways.

All of these program changes were mapped out and approved in 2013-14 to be effective Fall 2014.

The effects are already beginning to be seen as more students switch to the revised programs and become eligible for graduation sooner.

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LOCATIONS

Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center One of College of The Albemarle’s most popular programs is also one of its newest.

At the start of the 2013-2014 academic year, COA debuted its fourth campus, unveiling the brand new 37,000-square-foot Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center (RATTC) in Currituck County. The facility features four aviation labs and three aircraft – a Cherokee 140, a Cessna Commuter and a twin-engine 68 Piper Aztec – that students can take apart and put back together.

“We train in real world scenarios,” said Elton Stone, COA’s Aviation Director and Program Instructor, referring to the school’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified program. “When we opened the doors, we had aircraft.”

The rigorous Aviation Systems Technology curriculum – which includes numerous presentations and lectures on topics such as hydraulic tubing and flight controls – requires a lot of hard work and dedication from its students. The 20 students enrolled are required to come to class Monday through Friday for five hours a night. Students – many of whom come to class after putting in eight hours at their full-time jobs – leave each night at 10 p.m.

Despite the long hours and hard work required, Michelle Waters, RATTC Campus Administrator, said the new program has some impressive statistics. The program is near capacity – it tops out at 24 – and has one of the highest retention rates at COA. “We had over 80 percent of students continue in their second year of the program,’’ Waters said.

Students who complete the two-and-a half year program will earn Associate of Applied Science degrees. The Currituck facility, which began accepting students in the summer of 2013, has not yet produced its first class of Aviation Systems Technology graduates, one of several programs offered on the campus. Students can also complete one-year programs in Architectural Technology, Computer Integrated Machining and Mechanical Engineering. All the programs are doing well and continuing to grow, although Stone admits the first year of the aviation program wasn’t easy.

In order to attain the coveted FAA certification, COA had to make sure its new program met numerous procedures, rules and regulations that were required for the rating.

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LOCATIONS

“We’ve done well and the program is growing,” Stone said.

In January 2014, the college also helped 16 students upgrade their professional credentials at RATTC and get back to work.

These individuals lost their jobs in June 2013 after Coast Guard contractor DRS Technologies in Elizabeth City announced a layoff of 155 employees.

but lacked the formal industry certification – COA applied for grant funding from the North Carolina Community Colleges System. Last October, the school was awarded $120,000 as part of the North Carolina Back-toWork initiative. The $5.8 million program awarded the funding to 49 of 58 of the state’s community colleges, with each school receiving up to $120,000.

In an effort to get these individuals back to work – many of whom were retired military personnel with experience overhauling the aircraft at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City,

The state funding provided short term, pre-employment training to 16 COA students who now have an FAA certification. The college offered FAA Powerplant and FAA Airframe certifications

courses. Those who completed either of the two 16-week prep courses received the formal industry certifications they needed to update their resumes and get back to work.

Students can pursue both the Air Frame and Powerplant FAA certifications.

“This gave those individuals the opportunity to hone their skills, get a certification and be more marketable in the industry,” Stone said. “It’s a certification that can’t be taken away.”

We had over 80 percent of students continue in their second year of the program.

Michelle Waters COA’s Dean of Business and Applied Technologies and RATTC Campus Administrator

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LOCATIONS

PACE students Caroline Parks, Rebekah Miller and Krystal Johnson

Dare County Campus College of The Albemarle’s Dare County Campus extends its reach from its backyard to the world at large with a pair of successful programs.

International students are continuing to take advantage of Dare’s college transfer program, with the campus serving as a springboard to four-year universities, while local students with learning disabilities are acquiring skills through a new program – Pathways to an Accessible College Experience, or PACE. Last year, the international student population continued to grow, making COA’s Dare County Campus the third largest campus in the state to serve this demographic.

“Almost every year, our numbers increase,” said Joe Turner, Chief Operating Officer of COA who was Dean of the Dare Campus during the 201314 academic year. “We had approximately 150 international students last year.

“These students come to the Outer Banks to work,” Turner added. “Once they get here, their secondary focus becomes, ‘While I’m here, I’d like to get an education.’ Their language skills and work ethic are very strong. They make excellent students.”

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The Dare Campus discovered another population of excellent students on its campus after debuting its new PACE program in Fall 2013. PACE provides a one- to two-year learning experience for collegeaged students with intellectual disabilities.

The first class on the Dare Campus had four students with Down Syndrome, autism or other learning disabilities, but all had one thing in common: their ability to complete COA’s requirements for a Collegiate Achievement certificate.

There is nothing that can measure the value of an individual growing and learning, and most of all building confidence in themselves and being proud of themselves.

Sandy Scarborough Director of Dare County Center

Basic Law Enforcement Training Comes to Dare Students in PACE are required to complete classes focusing on self-advocacy and job-seeking skills to prepare them for life after college. The program allows students to experience classes in a college setting and eventually transition to the workforce. This opportunity, said Mandy Earnest, COA’s PACE Coordinator, was unheard of until about four years ago when Think College, a national organization dedicated to developing higher education options for people with intellectual disability, started the program.

“The name is what it’s all about,” said Tim Sweeney, COA’s former Director of Basic and Transitional Studies, who became Dean of the Dare Campus last summer. “Creating a pathway to make sure our students have that college experience and develop the skill level to make sure they’re successful in the work world.

“The academic growth, the social growth was just off the charts,” Sweeney said, referring to the development of PACE students during their first year in the program. “It was an amazing achievement by these students in all areas of education. That’s what I’m really happy about.”

The local community has supported PACE. Manteo Mayor Jamie Daniels even signed a proclamation last fall to show the town’s support of the program. A number of area businesses have provided PACE students with internships.

Dottie Patton, a PACE student who started her second year in the program with the 2014-2015 school year, began working at Village Realty in Nags Head in 2013. She was asked to return last summer and currently works there.

“I loved it,” Patton said of her first year in the program. “At first it was kind of hard. I didn’t know how to work the computers and I had a hard time with the reading.”

Patton is looking forward to taking a few nursing classes, as well as completing an internship with the local health department. She hopes her training as a nursing assistant will provide her with a higher paying job that allows her to leave the group home where she currently resides.

In striving toward excellence, College of The Albemarle continuously looks for opportunities to provide accessible and affordable education to local communities and to offer workforce training to area businesses.

Last fall, students interested in completing their Basic Law Enforcement certificate, were able to do so from COA’s Dare County Campus. The school’s Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program, a 16-week program previously offered only on the Elizabeth City Campus, was expanded to the Dare County Campus.

The program is overseen by the North Carolina Criminal Justice program and allows law enforcement agents the opportunity to get their required certification locally, instead of driving to Elizabeth City.

“Offering this is a public service for Dare,” said Joe Turner, COA’s Chief Operating Officer and former Dean of the Dare Campus, adding that the BLET program has drawn students from Southern Shores, Nags Head and Manteo.

Those in the Dare County community have seen the impact the PACE program has had on these students. Sandy Scarborough, Director of Dare County Center, a local governmental agency that has helped place PACE students into internships, said the students’ interaction with professors and fellow classmates has provided them with invaluable life skills and socialization opportunities.

“Dottie has made several new friends and has been able to participate in new experiences she would never have had the opportunity to be a part of without being a college student,” Scarborough said.

“There is nothing that can measure the value of an individual growing and learning, and most of all building confidence in themselves and being proud of themselves,” Scarborough added. “The community benefits as well from learning to interact with individuals with disabilities and realizing they can do a lot more than some people give them credit for.”

At the end of the first year, the new program was so successful, school officials plan to add it to COA’s Elizabeth City Campus.

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LOCATIONS

Edenton-Chowan Campus College of The Albemarle’s Edenton-Chowan Campus found a winning recipe in its culinary program.

Every student who completed the one-year program last year had a job offer. The success of the work-based learning program, which places students in restaurants and service industry jobs locally as part of their studies, has not gone unnoticed by students.

“The culinary program is proving itself to be our most popular technical program,” said Dr. Amanda Hodges, Interim Dean for the EdentonChowan Campus.

Culinary Technology Instructor Leslie Lippincott came on board in 2013 and hit the ground running, Dr. Hodges said. The students participated in the Taste of Edenton festival in 2013 and 2014 to much acclaim.

The culinary program isn’t the only EdentonChowan program gaining momentum. In October 2013, COA began preparing for a new initiative in a renewed partnership with John A. Holmes High School that promised to increase opportunities for students to enroll in college transfer classes taught in a traditional face-to-face college classroom setting. This partnership became known as ACES – Achieving College Excellence and Success.

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Previously, the Edenton-Chowan Campus offered a variety of Career and College Promise (CCP) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses online; however, few were offered in the traditional classroom setting on the local campus.

ACES would not begin until Fall 2014 so the 201314 academic year was full of preparation, which included more than 65 parents and students attending informational meetings to learn about this opportunity. For those juniors and seniors participating in the program, COA was guaranteeing at least nine credit hours of face-toface, college transfer general education courses would be offered to them at no expense.

ACES also provides local adult students the opportunity to enroll in a full-time schedule of faceto-face college transfer courses and complete one of the associate degrees offered in Edenton.

“With this new partnership, it was a chance to offer a solid semester of courses that transfer to a fouryear college,” Hodges said. “Before, students could only take them online. That instructional delivery method is not always the best option for student learning. This gave them a chance to take them locally.”

COA culinary students learn real-world skills that can lead to successful careers in the food service industry.

Electrical Systems Technology graduates often have a job waiting for them with the company where they completed their work study.

During its initial year, the Edenton-Chowan Campus saw a significant increase in interest from students seeking the college transfer courses and committed to offer a two-year pathway.

In another collaborative effort, the Edenton-Chowan Partnership continues to partner with College of The Albemarle and feature the successes and opportunities on the EdentonChowan Campus. They feature College of The Albemarle on their website (www.edenton.net), referring to COA as a resource for workforce development and highlighting our student success stories.

Another strong community partnership benefiting the Edenton-Chowan Campus and its local students is with the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library. There is dedicated space for COA resources and a welcoming environment for students.

In addition, the Edenton-Chowan Campus faculty and staff took several measures to increase student engagement, including opening the gymnasium for a few hours each week.

“We also began Success Communities that grouped students in program cohorts and offered them opportunities to learn about resources, study skills and other strategies to support their personal, academic and career success,’’ Dr. Hodges said. “We hosted a Lunch with Leaders featuring three business professionals who had been successful in Chowan County.

Mr. Paul Waff, Mrs. Katy Ebersole and Mr. Charlie Creighton were the featured panelists, offering students a chance to hear about some of the speakers’ keys to success and to receive some very valuable advice.”

LOCATIONS

With this new partnership, it was a chance to offer a solid semester of courses that transfer to a four-year college.

Dr. Amanda Hodges Interim Dean of COA’s Edenton-Chowan Campus

Additionally, the Student Success and Enrollment Management office began collaborating with faculty members in the technical programs to make sure students were getting registered in a timely fashion for the correct classes. Group Registration became an integrated part of one class period. It also supported the idea of a cohort approach to success.

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PARTNERS

In the testing lab at Jimbo’s Jumbos, Sheila McCleese and Ginny White use the skills they learned during customized training COA provided the peanut company.

Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce Together With peanut butter recalls making headlines over the past few years, Jimbo’s Jumbos, Inc. – a national producer of peanut and peanut products – is eager to keep its Edenton production plant out of the news.

Currently, the local peanut processing facility is not involved in any product recalls – a fact proudly displayed on the company’s website homepage. But maintaining top safety practices isn’t just luck, it is also the result of a recent partnership with College of The Albemarle.

In January 2014, as part of Jimbo’s Jumbos’ commitment to having an industry-leading food safety program, the local facility sought the help of COA in training its workforce. The result was a comprehensive food safety training program that taught 210 employees at the Edenton plant about the eight components of food safety.

“Everybody from the production side of Jimbo’s Jumbos went through the training,” said Hal Burns, General Manager of Jimbo’s Jumbos. “It was very well done. COA had the resources to reach out and find the right people to do it. We intend to work with them to do additional training sessions. We’ve identified the need to train more technicians and food safety people to work in our plant.”

The training COA provided Jimbo’s Jumbos was free, and just one of several targeted trainings the college created for local employers in 2013-14 as part of its Customized Training Program.

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PARTNERS

Last year, COA spent nearly $30,000 to provide customized training for three area companies. State funding provided by the Department of Commerce enables COA to partner with local businesses and create these tailored training programs. Each school year, the North Carolina Community College System receives the funding as a way to support businesses and recruit new business and industry to the state.

“The customized training program really does support manufacturing in rural areas like this, but it’s also a magnet in attracting new business to the area,” said John Stolarczyk, Director of COA’s Customized Training Program.

In addition to Jimbo’s Jumbos, during 2013-14, COA worked in partnership with Motion Sensors, Inc., a supplier of custom motion sensors and engineering services in Elizabeth City, to ensure employees had the technical skills necessary to provide electronic products to the aviation industry and other industries. Classes taught included the Basics

of Electronics, Soldering Certification and Basics of Lean Manufacturing.

More than 30 employees were trained through COA’s Customized Training Program, and Motion Sensor CEO Marcy Bergman credits COA with the success of her company through its superior quality training for her employees.

In 2011, Gunboat International, a global boat building company, opened its newest production plant in Wanchese, N.C., just miles from COA’s Dare County Campus. Since then, COA has provided training by an industry expert on building high-end sailing yachts.

Earlier this year, Gunboat also received supervisory/leadership and safety training, and COA worked in partnership with North Carolina State University to provide hands-on training to implement lean manufacturing techniques into the boat building process.

The company has been able to use what it learned to reduce the production of a boat by six weeks and has plans for an additional expansion and growth to more than 100 employees over the next three years.

Karen Gilbert, former Director of COA’s Workforce Development and Continuing Education, said the Customized Training Program is just one of the partnerships COA participated in last year to support the community.

COA’s Workforce Development and Continuing Education division has an ongoing partnership with the Division of Workforce Solutions, formerly referred to as the employment office. Each year, COA receives state funding to provide human resource development courses to the local Division of Workforce Solutions offices in Dare, Pasquotank and Chowan counties. These courses assist area job seekers with such skills as career exploration, job search and interview techniques.

COA also offers job seekers Career Readiness Certification (CRC) testing, which provides verification to potential employers that an individual possesses the necessary workplace skills in reading and math.

“These courses are in place to build or enhance a person’s work skills,” Gilbert said.

The training was very well done.

COA just had the resources to reach out and find the right people to do it.

Hal Burns General Manager of Jimbo’s Jumbos

Hal Burns, speaks with Melody White, COA Associate Professor of Practical Nursing, and Debbie Swicegood (left) and Megan Booth-Mills (right) from Vidant Chowan Hospital.

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PARTNERS North Carolina Back-To-Work Grant One new partnership COA inked in October 2013 involved grant funding that was quickly used to provide training for members of the local workforce. The college was awarded $120,000 from a new state grant, part of the North Carolina Back-to-Work initiative. The $5.8 million program awarded funding to 49 of the 58 state community colleges, with each school receiving up to $120,000.

COA applied for the grant shortly after local Coast Guard contractor DRS Technologies announced a layoff of 155 employees in June 2013. COA faculty realized the displaced workers – most of whom were retired military personnel with experience overhauling the aircraft at the base – lacked formal industry certification. Helping these employees pay for the necessary certification courses to earn that credential, said Suzanne Rohrbaugh, former Vice President of Workforce Development and Continuing Education, would be the key to helping them find a new job.

“The immediate need in our area was in aviation,” said Rohrbaugh, referring to the area’s large military population. “This allowed for a short-term training opportunity for that group.

“We’re trying to help veterans,” Rohrbaugh added, “who may have received training while active-

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duty military, but may have gaps in the training they must have before sitting for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. We’re trying to help them fill that skills gap.”

By January 2014, COA began offering two 16 week FAA prep courses – a powerplant certification course and an airframe certification course – which allowed local veterans with experience working on military aircraft to earn their FAA certification.

By the time the grant funding expired in June, 63 percent of scholarship recipients pursuing their airframe credentials had become FAA-certified Airframe Mechanics, with the remaining 34 percent to test later; and another 67 percent of scholarship recipients becoming FAA-certified Powerplant Mechanics, with the remaining 33 percent to also test later in the year.

Although the grant funding expired in June, school officials have decided to continue funding the FAA courses during the upcoming year using money from the COA Foundation.

“Our intent is to keep up this training,” said Karen Gilbert, COA’s former Director of Workforce Development and Continuing Education.

COA President Dr. Kandi W. Deitemeyer and James A. Gray III, former President of NC Wesleyan College, sign the partnership agreement while members of COA administration and Board of Trustees as well as Wesleyan’s administration look on.

PARTNERS

The Wesleyan College partnership is an exceptional opportunity for our students to seamlessly transition from the community college directly to the university level.

Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer COA’s President

COA’s aviation

Additional photoprogram prepared

veterans for the testing required to earn their FAA certification.

In addition to helping area unemployed and underemployed veterans compete for jobs, local companies like DRS Technologies will also be able to compete for more contract work, Rohrbaugh said, attracting more business and industry to the area.

The bottom line, said Gilbert, is that the partnerships COA has with area businesses and state and local government offices enable the community college to meet the training needs of the region.

“COA is designated as the primary lead agency in northeastern North Carolina for delivering workforce development training to our seven-county region,” Gilbert said. “It is through our collaborative efforts with business and industry, such as that of the NC Back-to-Work grant and the Customized Training Program at COA, along with local partnerships, such as the Division of Workforce Solutions, that together we are able to connect the necessary training to the local workforce.

“These partnerships throughout the region are working to ensure the local workforce is prepared, through training, to meet the needs of local business and industry, which in turn strengthens efforts to see economic growth in northeastern North Carolina.”

North Carolina Wesleyan College Partnership COA undertook yet another new partnership in January 2014, which enabled students on its Dare County Campus to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in either Business Administration or Organizational Administration from North Carolina Wesleyan College (NCWC).

COA’s new four-year degree partner North Carolina Wesleyan College

Wesleyan brought the four-year degree program to the campus by offering its business classes at COA through a mix of online and face-to-face courses.

The partnership means regional associate degree graduates can now pursue a four-year business degree while remaining in the area.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for our students to seamlessly transition from a community college directly to the university level in the Business Administration program,” said COA President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer. “With a university representative located at our Dare County Campus, COA students will receive guidance and assistance to ensure their success.”

Matthew Haskett, Weslyan’s representative on the Dare Campus, teaches some of the business courses in the four-year program as well. So far, Haskett said, approximately 20 students have enrolled in the degree program and he hopes to grow the program significantly over the next few years.

COA is one of seven community college partnerships that Wesleyan has throughout North Carolina. Haskett estimates the program currently has about 1,000 students pursuing their four-year degrees.

Matthew Haskett, Dare County Campus Support Specialist, is the first point of contact for students interested in the NC Wesleyan degree program.

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Achievements Celebrated Ann Treadway and her son Andrew were among the COA Class of 2014 graduates.

2013-2014 Graduation Statistics

344 376 32 Graduates

Degrees & Diplomas

Students Receiving Two Degrees

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JP Knapp Students Receiving Degrees or Diplomas

Nearly 350 College of The Albemarle students earned a degree, diploma or certificate at the Spring 2014 graduation ceremony. Among the graduates, 32 earned more than one degree.

The 2014 graduating class included Ann and Andrew Treadway, a mother and son duo who earned their associate degrees at the same time.

“We only ended up in one class together,” said Ann Treadway. “It was really funny. The very first day of classes, he walked in and minutes later, I walked in and sat down. His face was priceless.”

The moment is forever preserved in a selfie Ann took with her phone during that memorable first day of physics. In the photo, Ann Treadway’s smiling face is in the foreground. Behind her, seated a few seats back, is the mortified expression of her then 17-year-old son Andrew.

Andrew said being students together at COA never bothered him. In fact, graduating with his mom last May is something he is very proud of.

“Everybody says it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” said Andrew, who graduated with his Associate in General Education degree.

“Because she was able to be a part of that made the destination more special.”

The Treadways weren’t the only COA graduates last May to claim a family connection. There were also two sets of twins – Katy and Kyle Stotler, who both earned their Core 44 diplomas; and Carly and Connor McMahan, who graduated with their Associate in Arts degrees.

The twins were among the 28 students who graduated as part of COA’s educational partnership with J.P. Knapp Early College High School, which allows students there to take classes at COA and simultaneously earn their high school diplomas and associate degrees.

The Stotlers graduated having both completed a minimum of 44 credit hours of general education requirements. The overachieving twins actually earned more than 44 credits – Kyle graduated with 53 credits and Katy earned 54 credits. Katy transferred her credit hours to East Carolina University where she will work toward a Bachelor in Science degree. Kyle planned to return to COA to finish the requirements for his Associate in Arts degree.

Although, the McMahan twins concede the academic road they chose was not easy – they had to forgo typically lazy high school summers to take classes at COA in order to complete the required number of credit hours for their associate degrees – Carly said it was worth it.

“I think we came out of J.P. Knapp with so much more and we’re so ready to go on to our four-year universities,” Carly added.

The 18-year-old twins are apart for the first time in their academic lives. Carly is studying nursing at East Carolina University and Connor went to University of North Carolina-Wilmington where he is majoring in psychology.

“It’s kind of scary but it was going to have to happen eventually,” Carly said.

“And we’re just two hours apart – a quick drive.”

A COA SUCCESS

Shadrick Addy When Shadrick Addy emigrated to the United States as a 14-yearold, he came with his brothers and sisters and little else.

disciplinary issues mounting against him, Addy was on the verge of being expelled from the community college.

He and his siblings were escaping the civil war raging in Liberia, the West African country where they were born and raised. The fact that they arrived a world away from their home and parents, with not much more than the clothes on their back, was of little concern to them.

As a last ditch effort to help Addy, the school suggested he join its minority male mentoring program, Men of Excellence and Distinction in the Albemarle (MEDIA). COA began the program in 2012, Addy’s first year on campus. The program was created as a way of helping male minority students stay focused on their academic goals and to graduate.

“We came here 11 years ago because of the war in my country,” said Addy, who graduated from College of The Albemarle in July 2014. “I was a refugee, so I didn’t have anything really. We got through it, so I was happy to come here with my life.

I was just happy to be breathing.”

That experience overcoming tough circumstances would serve Addy well in his new country. Soon after arriving in the U.S., Addy moved to Atlanta to live with an aunt. He graduated from high school there and moved to Elizabeth City, where he hoped to enroll at Elizabeth City State University.

For Addy, MEDIA was a lifesaver.

“It helped me get a perspective on life,” Addy said of the program. “It made us feel like we could be somebody. They helped us organize goals and focus on school. It was a great help to me.”

Addy’s success in the program was so profound that he became a peer mentor in MEDIA the following year, helping other students who were struggling.

Addy graduated with not one, but two associate degrees – an Associate in Arts and an Associate in General Education.

He also graduated with an impressive 3.25 GPA. Addy, who is currently a graphic design major at ECSU, also helped create the logo for the MEDIA program and helped COA market the program. He raised his GPA and made the Dean’s List three semesters in a row.

Addy said COA’s motto, Opportunity Changes Everything, proved to be prophetic words for him. After graduating from ECSU in spring 2016, he plans on pursuing master’s and doctorate degrees in graphic design at NC State University.

“The opportunity COA provided me changed my life,” Addy said.

“Once I realized that opportunity, things started to change for the better. I was inspired. I’m just grateful to have gone through that experience.”

Unfortunately, low SAT scores put that dream on hold. Not wanting to waste any time, Addy decided to enroll at COA and transfer to ECSU after one year. It would allow him to start his college experience, he said, and earn college credits in the meantime.

The focus and drive that had served him so well since moving to the United States faltered temporarily. Addy began to struggle as a student and with numerous academic and 26

EVENTS & OUTREACH Legislative Forum State Senator Bill Cook and Representatives Annie Mobley, Paul Tine and Bob Steinburg were among the attendees at College of The Albemarle’s Legislative Forum on February 7, 2014. The annual event is designed to highlight college successes and illustrate how College of The Albemarle contributes to the regional economy and residents’ quality of life, while reinforcing the need for ongoing state financial support.

Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, COA President, encouraged the legislators to reinvest $32 million in funding to the state’s 58 community colleges, “It’s all about teaching and it’s all about learning,” she stressed. “Transforming lives and transforming communities. Taking someone from where they are, to where they want to be.”

Peter Johnstone, CEO of Gunboat International and former COA Board of Trustees Chair J. Fletcher Willey, Jr., listen to Senator Bill Cook.

Representative Paul Tine talks with Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer.

Peter Johnstone, CEO of Gunboat International, a manufacturer of high-end catamarans, told attendees that when looking at potential locations for a new production plant, the commitment of COA’s Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division to provide customized training for his new staff was a major reason he chose Dare County. Since opening its facility two years ago, Gunboat has put 75 unemployed boat-builders back to work.

Instructor Leslie Lippincott and Culinary Arts students provide a cooking demonstration for visiting high school students.

High School Students Visit Edenton-Chowan On April 11, 2014, high school students from Hertford County Schools visited College of The Albemarle’s Edenton-Chowan Campus to learn about the many vocational programs of study offered there.

Attendees visited classes and heard from instructors in Culinary Arts, Health Sciences, Sustainable Technologies, HVAC and Electrical System Engineering. Students in the Culinary Arts program even provided a hands-on demonstration of the very marketable skills they are acquiring.

EVENTS & OUTREACH

Activities , such as this one on hand washing, engaged participants at the COA Health Fair.

Health and Wellness Fair On November 15 and 20, 2013, College of The Albemarle students in the Associate in Nursing and Medical Assisting programs hosted a health and wellness fair. Students practiced their clinical and communication skills while providing screenings and vital health information to their peers, as well as staff, faculty and members of the public.

Groups of students developed research based booths on health or wellness topics, which included activities to draw the interest of participants. Screenings were also provided, including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and body mass index, as well as dental and stress assessments.

Community organizations were invited to host their own booths. Regular participants include Albemarle Regional Health Services and East Carolina Behavioral Health, the East Carolina University Dental Clinic, March of Dimes, Recovery Innovations, Sentara Albemarle Medical Center and the Albemarle Family YMCA.

The new Dolphins Den creates a diverse space for learning and offers the opportunity for students to gather and build camaraderie.

Shadrick Addy 2014 COA Graduate

Renovated Dolphins Den Opening On November 21, 2013, more than 125 College of The Albemarle students, faculty, staff, Board members and local dignitaries gathered for the ribbon cutting and opening of the new Dolphins Den. The newly remodeled student center features tables and counters for studying, meeting rooms, an office for the Student Government Association, plenty of outlets for laptops and other portable electronic devices and vending machines. Outside the Dolphins Den, a newly paved patio with tables and chairs is shaded by a cedar pergola. “It creates a diverse space for learning and offers the opportunity for students to gather and build camaraderie,� said COA graduate Shadrick Addy.

COA students, Board of Trustee members and local officials cut the ribbon to the renovated Dolphins Den.

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EVENTS & OUTREACH

Dare County high school students discuss the informational booths they have visited at the STEM Fair.

DARE STEM Fair On April 9, 2014, COA’s Dare County Campus, in partnership with Dare County Schools, hosted an NC Science Festival sanctioned STEM Fair for 300 high school sophomores and juniors in Dare County.

STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, is a national initiative of the US Department of Education to encourage youth to pursue careers in these areas and develop resources enabling them to do so.

Summer Art Camp College of The Albemarle is committed to getting youth excited about education, and works to engage them as future students. In June 2014, several Summer Camps were conducted on COA campuses to allow students in grades 2 through 6 from the college’s seven-county service area to explore areas of personal interest.

Art Camp 101, held on the Elizabeth City Campus, provided children the opportunity to create recycled paper, pastel drawings, prints and paintings on canvas. It was a week of creative fun for the students and the instructors.

Summer camps were also offered in computers, aviation, pottery and energy science.

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The fair allowed students to learn about STEM careers through hands-on workshops they chose based on their interests; tours of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese and the Outer Banks Hospital’s Wellness Bus; visiting booths offering information and engaging activities from businesses and organizations such as naval contractors, local engineering firms and the NC Aquarium; watching a live feed from NASA and a keynote address by Josh Clark, Founder/Owner of Global Moxie, a digital consulting firm.

A child presses water out of a new sheet of recycled paper during COA’s Summer Art Camp.

A COA SUCCESS

When I create programs, I look back on what I learned – especially at COA. Hillary Rock Harrison COA Graduate & Bodie Island Lighthouse Park Ranger

Hillary Rock Harrison When Hillary Rock Harrison gives tours of the Bodie Island Lighthouse, she takes pleasure in teaching about the natural and cultural resources of the National Seashore, and educating visitors about the ecology of the Outer Banks, a place she knows well.

Harrison grew up in Manteo, playing on the sands where she now gives tours as a seasonal park ranger at the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Much of what she knows about the local ecosystem, she learned during her time as a marine sciences student at College of The Albemarle.

In 2010, Harrison graduated from the community college with two degrees, an Associate in Arts and an Associate in Marine Science Technology, before transferring to the University of North

Carolina – Wilmington where she earned a Bachelor in Marine Biology degree.

“When I create programs, I look back on what I learned – especially at COA,” said Harrison.

“I learned about the ecology of the Outer Banks, the Barrier Islands and the dynamics of how they are always shifting and moving,” she added. “And that has an impact on the lighthouses and where they are situated around the Outer Banks.”

“One of the things I made was an entire kids’ program about the sand,” Harrison said. During this particular program, she had students sift the sand through increasingly smaller screens.

The last remaining sand to fall through their sifters was a black sand, magnetite.

It’s knowledge she is happy to impart to the families and children on her tours, when she teaches them about the regional ecosystem she’s so familiar with. Since 2008, Harrison has worked six months of the year as a park ranger. From April to October, she delights in giving climbing tours of the Bodie Island Lighthouse, filling her days answering questions from tourists in the Visitor’s Center and putting together children’s programming.

That’s the smallest particle of sand, Harrison said, and she had the children pick up the grains of black silt with a magnet.

“Then I had them glue each layer of sand on a postcard,” she said, “so they had a little piece to remember when they brought it home. It was a good program.”

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RECOGNITION

Partners in Excellence Award College of The Albemarle received one of the North Carolina Community College System’s most prestigious awards in recognition of the partnership with Currituck County in building the college’s fourth campus.

“As you consider the previous winners of this award, it is extremely exciting that the efforts of a municipal government and a small/medium size college can and have competed for this honor.”

The Partners in Excellence Award recognized the college’s and county’s collaborative efforts and vision in building the Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center in Currituck County.

Dr. Linwood Powell, Chair of the State Board of Community Colleges, presented the award to representatives of College of The Albemarle and Currituck County at the April 2014 Board of Trustees meeting.

“This honor is affirmation that the college and Currituck County have engaged in a significant opportunity for workforce and economic development on both a local and statewide level,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer. “This partnership award distinguishes us among our community college partners and should be celebrated by all of us in Northeastern North Carolina.

Established in 2005, this State Board award honors an exemplary employer, business or industry group that has demonstrated decisive involvement and a firm commitment to the professional development of its employees and/or to the development of North Carolina’s workforce through its partnership efforts with one or more of the 58 community colleges.

“This is the first time, in the board’s 33 year history, that we have selected a partnership between a college and a county government,” said Dr. Linwood Powell, Chair of the State Board of Community Colleges. “This is an unprecedented example of how two groups came together for the good of the communities and businesses they serve.”

COA and Currituck County’s partnership began in 2011 as they focused on creating training and educational opportunities that would advance the technical skills of citizens throughout the college’s seven-county service area.

“Currituck has a long standing commitment to education, and the partnership with COA to provide technical education was a logical next step in preparing our students for the future,” said S. Paul O’Neal, Currituck County Commissioner and COA Board of Trustees Member.

S. Paul O’Neal, Currituck County Commissioner and COA Board of Trustees Member, speaks as he and COA President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer are awarded the Partners in Excellence Award from Dr. Linwood Powell, Chair of the State Board of Community Colleges, with Paul Martin, COA Board of Trustees Member, looking on.

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Currituck County Manager Dan Scanlon, added, “We are thankful for the partnership we have forged with COA and their willingness to be integrated into the economic development vision of Currituck County and Northeastern North Carolina. College of The Albemarle serves as a vital partner in the county’s on-going endeavor to provide our students, residents, and workforce with marketable skills for a competitive, evolving economy.”

Members of the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce chose Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer as one of their Woman of Excellence Award winners.

RECOGNITION

President Honored Since joining College of The Albemarle as President four years ago, Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer has steered the college through an ambitious plan of growth and success.

She strategically fostered the creation of the 37,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center on the college’s newest campus in Currituck County, solidfied the consolidation and financial future of the Edenton-Chowan Campus, and ensured that COA was one of only 16 – out of 58 community colleges in the state – to receive an exceptional rating on its Critical Success Factors report, reflecting the superior work of college administration, faculty and staff.

I am privileged to represent an exceptional institution, and these awards distinguish everyone on team COA who works hard to impact our region.

Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer President College of The Albemarle Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer receives the Strong, Smart & Bold Award from Girls Inc. of the Albemarle

In recognition of Dr. Deitemeyer’s work to advance COA as a premier community college, she was given a Woman of Excellence Award from the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce in June, 2014.

Kelly Thorsby, Director of the Chamber, said there were 18 nominees who were considered by the selection committee this year. “It’s very difficult every year,” Thorsby said. “You can’t believe how incredible the women in the community are, so to receive this award is truly an honor. We know Kandi is extremely successful.”

Lisa Johnson, Development Officer at COA, one of the people who nominated Dr. Deitemeyer, said she leads the community college with an ambitious strategic vision of excellence. Deitemeyer’s actions and decisions, Johnson added, have made significant contributions not only to COA, but throughout northeastern North Carolina.

Dr. Deitemeyer was touched by the nomination from her fellow COA colleagues.

“Being honored by the Chamber and its members as a Woman of Excellence was quite exciting,” Dr. Deitemeyer said. “I was extremely humbled to be honored, and grateful to Lisa Johnson and the others who nominated me. Their kind gesture and words of affirmation were the most important aspect of the award.”

Last June, Dr. Deitemeyer received another accolade for her leadership and personal strength. She was one of about 30 nominees competing for the Strong, Smart & Bold Award from Girls Inc. of the Albemarle.

A panel of 25 girls, ranging from age 5 to 15, made a nearly unanimously decision after reading the nomination packet on Dr. Deitemeyer.

“They just thought it had to be a strong woman, and she is. She runs a whole college, is a wife, and is a mother to a child who was battling cancer,” said Joy Ella, Director of Girls Inc. “And, the girls said she has all the students at the college to take care of, too.”

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RECOGNITION

President’s Cup & Campus Cup Award Winner When Rebekah Brown watched auditions for College of The Albemarle’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in January 2013, she went solely to support her sister who was trying out for a role.

An extremely introverted and quiet person, Brown had no ambition to be a performer. But a year-anda-half later, that’s what she’s become. She has had a role in nearly every production since “Fiddler on the Roof,’’ and has worked on set design and production.

Diagnosed with autism at age 15, Brown said she had difficulty socializing with people, had no friends and didn’t understand how to carry on a normal conversation. Now, anyone who meets Brown would have trouble believing that description.

“It’s hard to think about a year ago when I didn’t know how to do any of this,” said Brown who graduated from COA in May 2014 with a 3.8 GPA and an Associate in Arts degree. “When I look back on the person I was, I don’t think I’m the same person.

I think I’m just better able to handle life.”

Though Brown’s evolution was gradual, it did not go unnoticed by those she worked with at COA’s Performing Arts Center (PAC). In fact, her transformation was so profound, that along with her academic performance, it was the reason COA honored her with the 2013-2014 Campus Cup Award for the Elizabeth City Campus. That lead to her selection as the 2013-2014 President’s Cup Award Winner.

Slowly that changed, and as Brown volunteered to help with props on subsequent productions, Mariah Schierer, Manager of the Performing Arts Center, said she came out of her shell more and more. As she did, Schierer asked her to take on additional roles onstage and off.

One day when Schierer realized she was short a dancer for COA’s production of “Carousel,’’ she saw Brown nearby working on props for the musical.

“I looked at her and said, ‘I’m putting you in this dance number,’ ” Schierer said, adding that Brown became one of the featured dancers in the musical.

“She’s so athletic, she picked up on it pretty easily.”

Roles in “A Christmas Carol,” “Little Women,’’ “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’’ and “The Diary of Anne Frank” followed. In addition to acting and dancing, Brown also designed props for the productions.

“I’m more comfortable being in social settings now,” said Brown, who returned to COA to take theater courses and continues to work at the PAC. “It makes me more comfortable in my own skin.

“The people here were always encouraging me,” she added. “I’m the one that actually did it, but I never would have done it if they hadn’t encouraged me to.”

The leadership Brown exhibited both on campus and in the community was significant. In addition to the countless hours she worked building sets and props as a volunteer with the PAC, she also volunteered with the Elizabeth City SPCA and Kids First, and served as a volunteer sound technician at Evangelical Methodist Church in Elizabeth City.

Steve Woodburn, COA’s former Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management, said he remembers seeing Brown during the “Fiddler on the Roof” production.

“Rebekah was this quiet person who I knew played softball,” Woodburn said. “She didn’t talk much.”

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Rebekah Brown stars as Sally in COA’s Coast Players’ production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.”

RECOGNITION

COA has definitely broadened my horizons. I used to be more one-track – this is going to be my career. But now … I’ve experienced many sides of what could be.

Amanda Everett

Amanda Everett COA Academic Excellence Award Winner

Academic Excellence Award Winner Last May, Amanda Everett ended six years of study at College of The Albemarle that earned her three associate degrees and a state academic award.

Everett said being COA’s recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes the academic achievements of one student at each community college in the state, was the cherry on top of her academic career at COA. No small feat considering that throughout Everett’s time as a student on COA’s Elizabeth City Campus, she had a number of significant academic accomplishments.

She began at COA as a student in 2008, while she was still a senior at Perquimans High School. Back then, she said, she was unsure what she wanted to study. She ended up taking some general education classes and earned nine college credits by the time she graduated. A few months later, she enrolled at COA as a full-time student and earned her Associate in Medical Assisting degree two years later, but she didn’t stop there.

When she graduated in Spring 2014 with a 3.97 GPA, Everett also earned an Associate in Art, as well as her Associate in Applied Science in Medical Office Administration.

Not one to rest on her laurels, she is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Communications degree from East Carolina University. Everett, a part-time student there, expects to finish the online degree

by December 2016.

Everett isn’t anxious to leave the campus she has called home for the last six years and is now a full-time employee at the community college. She works as the Telephone Information Assistant.

“COA is a great place to work and it’s a great place to be,” said Everett.

Everett explained that when she began as a fulltime student at COA in 2009, earning a degree in Medical Assisting was her focus. But since then, she has become aware of all the academic possibilities beyond her original goal.

“COA has definitely broadened my horizons,” Everett said. “I used to be more one-track – this is going to be my career. But now, I’ve been a part of so many things, I’ve seen so much, I’ve experienced many sides of what could be. It’s really helped me realize there are a lot of opportunities to succeed.”

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A COA SUCCESS

Alicia White When Alicia White graduated from high school several years ago, she briefly considered going to a four-year university before realizing there was a great nursing program in her own backyard.

Family members told White that College of The Albemarle had one of the best nursing programs in the state. Heeding their wisdom, the Elizabeth City native decided to save money on room and board and commuted to school until completing her Associate in Nursing degree in 2009.

The decision proved to be one of the best she’s ever made.

Not only did she save money on room and board, she also saved money on tuition. She was awarded academic scholarships, which paid for nearly all of her classes at COA. It was, White said, a great opportunity.

“I am very glad I chose to go to COA,” she said. “I ended up going three years, because of prerequisite courses, but I only paid for one summer semester of school. I’m very grateful for that.”

White’s appreciation for COA goes beyond words. She volunteers several hours a week in the Student Success and Enrollment Management offices, assisting with office duties and helping students with the enrollment process, said Andrea Dance, COA’s Registrar.

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Since graduating from COA, White has worked as a staff nurse at DeVita Dialysis Center of Elizabeth City. For nearly six years she has spent her days caring for patients who no longer have normal kidney function. The dialysis machines at the facility filter blood to remove toxins from her patients’ bodies.

White sees her patients three times a week and has cared for a number of them for several years. During that time, she has gotten to know them pretty well. Each week, she always sends them home with the same reminders – to monitor their fluids, watch their sodium intake and take their medications. This, she said, is what she enjoys most.

“You just keep educating them,” White said. “I like encouraging them to do what they’re supposed to do. I like helping them because that in turn helps their lives. It helps them live longer.”

Recently, White became a certified nephrology nurse, so she could improve the care she gives her dialysis patients.

She now knows which patients qualify for different dialysis treatments, such as peritoneal dialysis, which is done through the stomach, and home hemodialysis treatment and incenter hemodialysis treatments.

And she learned which patients could qualify as transplant candidates.

“I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing so I could better help and educate my dialysis patients,” said White, who also earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UNC-Wilmington in 2013.

“I like being able to care for people and help people,” she added. “That’s why it’s important that I keep educating them on all those things.”

RECOGNITION

Brian Edwards

Teacher of the Year The American History students in Brian Edwards’ class learn about the big events that formed our nation’s history – such as the American Revolution and the Boston Tea Party – but they also learn about some of the history which happened much closer to home and is not often found in textbooks.

Edwards, who has taught history at College of The Albemarle for nearly 11 years, was named COA’s Teacher of the Year in Spring 2014. Before coming to COA, Edwards spent nine years working for the state archives at the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo. He incorporates much of what he learned there to bring history to life for his students at COA. “I was an archivist, I conducted research,” Edwards said. “I learned a lot of local history there.”

As an archivist, Edwards spent time interviewing some of the area’s oldest families, collecting their family histories and helping assemble historical photographs, which were added to the History Center’s collection. Edwards learned much about the history of the Outer Banks and surrounding areas, stories he uses in his American History lectures.

“I try to tell the story of history,” Edwards said. “I try to engage the students and tell them the why of things that occurred. I include a lot of local history.

It makes it relevant to them. You get them excited about it.”

Each semester, Edwards spends time talking about local place names, such as Durant’s Neck, a plot of land in Perquimans County jutting out into the Albemarle Sound. The nearby town was named after George Durant, an early settler to the area who was very influential and played a significant role in the state’s history.

“George Durant actually purchased land from the Native Americans in 1661,” Edwards said. “It wasn’t an English colony at the time – it was before the whole colony was even set up. Then in the late 1600s, Durant became very important, a political leader in the colony.”

The students in Edwards’ class also take field trips to Hertford, to see the Newbold-White House, an historic Colonial home dating to approximately 1730 when North Carolina was still a colony, and they also take walking tours of Elizabeth City, learning about how the city began and grew.

Talking about the area’s local history, and taking students out to see it in person, Edwards said, makes a big impact.

“They can touch it,” Edwards said. “It’s not just words strung together in a book. You tell them these things and try to make it as relevant as possible.”

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RECOGNITION

Staff Awards Professional Staff Person of the Year

Para-Professional Staff Person of the Year

For College of The Albemarle Information Technology (IT) Director Wayman White, it’s all about the little things.

For the past 21 years, Annette Roberson has had a significant impact on shaping the futures of thousands of College of The Albemarle students.

It’s about the joys of installing new computer software that enables faculty and staff to record their lectures using only a webcam. And it’s about wiring the entire Elizabeth City Campus with a new telephone alert system that allows security messages to be transmitted campus-wide with just the push of a few buttons. Basically, said White, COA’s Professional Staff Person of the Year, it’s all about the new technology.

During that time, she has signed countless acceptance letters, congratulating incoming students with their admittance to COA. She has spent her career in Student Success and Enrollment Management, maintaining the initial admissions files and making sure applicants submit the necessary paperwork, such as transcripts and test scores. In the process, she often became the first name these students associated with the community college.

“My main job is to make sure everybody has the tools they need,” White said. “The technology we implement, we’re always going to keep going forward.”

White has worked in the school’s IT department for the past 16 years. He began his career at COA as a Computer Support Technician, installing computers and software at the community college. He later became a network administrator and six years ago was named IT Director.

The satisfaction White feels when he successfully helps students, faculty and staff with their technical problems is what he loves most about his job. “They come to me with an issue and I don’t rest until I fix it,” White said. “My main focus is service for all faculty, staff and especially students. That’s what we’re here for. We’re all here to make sure students get out of here with a good education and then they can fly.”

“I became the COA mom to quite a few. It’s one of the perks of my job,” said Roberson, who last May was named COA’s Para-Professional Staff Person of the Year. “It’s a nice feeling when I get to help someone else acquire their dream or accomplish their goals.”

After all, she knows how empowering an education can be. Roberson was the first one in her family to graduate from college. She has earned two degrees from COA, one in Business Administration and another in Postal Service Technology. She likes to share her story with the students who come in and seem uncertain about their futures.

“They can see it’s a possibility to go from here, to there,” she said.

Annette Roberson

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Wayman White

Kelly Leary

Institutional Staff Person of the Year When Kelly Leary drives by College of The Albemarle’s Elizabeth City Campus, he’s focused less on what’s going on inside the buildings than he is on the outside.

He’s checking out the plantings – assessing whether they need to be cut back or not. He’s eyeing the campus’ shrubs and making sure they don’t look stringy, but are full as they should be. And he’s taking a moment to appreciate all the colorful plantings – the gerbera daisies, pansies and rosebushes.

After all, as a groundskeeper at COA, he’s literally had a hand in making the campus grounds beautiful. His perfectionism hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The community college named Leary the school’s Institutional Support Staff Person of the Year in May 2014.

His days on campus are long – usually starting at 6 a.m. After opening the college and turning on the air-conditioning or the heat, he focuses his efforts on the outside: emptying outdoor trash cans, spraying pesticide on errant weeds, and blowing leaves and grass off the college’s sidewalks and curbs.

“I like to keep everything looking good and the way it ought to be kept,” said Leary, who has worked in COA’s groundskeeping department for 11 years.

“I just take a little bit of pride in things.”

The reward, he added, is seeing the campus looking sharp when he drives by.

Dr. Eric Lovik

COA Nominee for State Staff Person of the Year To some people, wading through a desk full of charts, spreadsheets of data and reams of research on a daily basis might not seem like such an appealing job.

For Dr. Eric Lovik, Director of Institutional Effectiveness at College of The Albemarle and the college’s State Staff Person of the Year, it’s an ideal way to spend the workday.

Analyzing all that research, Lovik said, helps the community college stay on top. “I’m helping the institution identify areas to improve and use research to make those improvements,” said Lovik, who joined COA nearly four years ago and has since taken a position at Radford University in Virginia. “It helps the whole institution move forward. I find this interesting even if few other people do.”

His dedication is a big reason he was singled out as the school’s nominee for State Staff Person of the Year. In the coming months, Lovik will compete against the other North Carolina Community College nominees who are all hoping to be named the state’s top Staff Person of the Year.

Lovik was a key player in the renewal of COA’s accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The certification required the gathering and analysis of data and metrics for COA’s academics, financing and administration.

“I help make sense of the data and turn it into action and improve the institution,’’ Lovik said. “It helps the whole institution move forward.’’

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FOUNDATION BOARD’S MESSAGE

President Steven Atkinson Vice President Jeffrey A. Aldridge Secretary Albert M. Gesler Assistant Secretary Kandi W. Deitemeyer Treasurer Oliver S. Etheridge Assistant Treasurer Elouise W. White Members Phyllis Bosomworth Travis Burke Jeff L. Dixon Douglas S. Gardner Edward McFarlane William Owens H. Taylor Sugg James M. Watson J. Fletcher Willey

Lifetime Members N. Elton Aydlett † Bruce A. Biggs William “Woody” Foreman † G. R. Little, Jr. † Zack D. Owens † J. Samuel Roebuck Winifred J. Wood †

Executive Director Ann M. Hoffman

Development Officer Lisa A. Johnson

Administrative Assistant Valerie K. Mueller † Denotes Deceased

From Steven Atkinson As President of the College of The Albemarle Foundation Board, it has been my honor and privilege to help guide Foundation staff and board members through another successful year raising friends and funds to support the college through student scholarships, professional development, and infrastructure and program needs.

In Fall 2013, we held a successful third annual fundraising event, the Hangar Deck Dance, at COA’s new Currituck County Campus, the Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center. The event raised $57,000 for the Foundation’s General Fund.

We also conducted an annual community campaign that yielded $15,000 and a faculty and staff campaign with $11,000 in pledges.

Last year, 76 students received one or more scholarships from the Foundation, totaling $151,697. In addition, the Foundation provided $10,000 for faculty and staff development. Funds were also earmarked for renovations to the Elizabeth City Campus library and the Performing Arts Center, as well as athletics.

The Foundation’s efforts to support the college and ease the budget constraints of public funding rely on the generosity of people like you who believe in COA’s mission and power to impact lives and communities.

As a community college, COA serves the region by offering the opportunity for all residents to achieve the dream of higher education. As you can see in this annual report, COA succeeds in its mission to transform lives.

We couldn’t do it without our friends in the community who believe investing in COA, through the Foundation, is investing in the future of our region.

COA counts on you for support. Together, we build the pathways to success.

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We couldn’t provide the support we do without our friends in the community who believe investing in COA, through the Foundation, is investing in the future of our region.

Steven Atkinson President, COA Foundation

A COA SUCCESS

The experience at COA taught me to always try to take a leadership role because it helps you explore life from a different perspective.

Iryna Kharlamova COA Graduate and North Carolina State University Student

Iryna Kharlamova When Iryna Kharlamova, a native of the Ukraine, visited the Outer Banks in May 2009, it was meant to be a quick three-month trip.

Instead, Kharlamova became a student at College of The Albemarle’s Dare County Campus. In May 2013, she graduated with her Associate in Arts degree and a 3.7 GPA. “I met some students who were going to COA,” Kharlamova said.

“I got inspired and I wanted to study at COA. It was very inspiring to see how involved the students were and what kinds of things they do.”

Kharlamova, who already had a bachelor’s degree from a university in the Ukraine, said her experience at COA as a student was completely different from her student days there.

Throughout her time as a student at COA, Kharlamova served in leadership roles with the Dare Campus’ International Club, helping organize blood drives and food drives, and events to raise money for a local man’s kidney transplant and for a church in Haiti that needed to rebuild after an earthquake.

“The experience at COA taught me to always try to take a leadership role because it helps you explore life from a different perspective,” said Kharlamova,

26, who is currently pursuing her Bachelor in Accounting degree at North Carolina State University. “It made me want to do more of that.”

Kharlamova said her academic success at COA encouraged her to continue her education at NC State. COA’s smaller campus environment provided her opportunities to distinguish herself that she likely would not have pursued at a larger school.

“Being active and involved was something for my application and resume, other than just being a student,” she said. “So COA was the perfect spot.”

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ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

Hangar DecK e c n a D

Presented by College of The Albemarle Foundation Exceptional Impact Partners $7,500 or more Wells Fargo

Outstanding Impact Partners $5,000 - $7,499 DRS Technologies Long & Foster Real Estate TowneBank of Currituck

High Impact Partners

$2,500 - $4,999 Blue Steel Lighting Design Colony Tire & Service G. R. Little Agency, Inc. Jones Printing Company Sussex Development Partners

Impact Partners

$1,000 - $2,499 A. R. Chesson Construction Co., Inc. Alliance Nissan BB&T Biggs Cadillac, Buick, GMC CenturyLink City Beverage Company, Inc. Elizabeth City Regional Airport Fairfield Inn & Suites First Citizens Bank Gateway Bank Identify Yourself J. W. Jones Lumber Company, Inc. Paradise Treasures Tandem, Inc. TCOM, L.P. Telephonics Corporation The Daily Advance The Willey Agency Toyota of Elizabeth City Vector CSP Vidant Chowan Hospital Whichard & Woolard Wealth Management Group Walmart

Patron Partners

$500 - $999 Always N Bloom Gary & Kandi Deitemeyer MBAJ Architecture Regulator Marine Todd’s Pharmacy

To Our Generous Partners 41

ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

The Hangar Deck Dance was our third annual event and our most successful. We are sincerely grateful for the support of our generous Community Partners and all the individuals who contributed to making it a very special evening.

Ann Hoffman Executive Director College of The Albemarle Foundation

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A COA SUCCESS

Eddie Perkins Eddie Perkins has a trophy case full of memories from his baseball career, stretching back to when he was a 7-year-old.

A recent addition, though, is one of his most cherished.

Perkins, now 23, has the game ball from May 13, 2011, when he helped pitch and hit College of The Albemarle to a playoff victory.

“It’s probably the best game I can remember playing in my life,” Perkins said. “It was very memorable.”

That day Perkins led the Dolphins with five hits and, from the mound, struck out eight batters to earn the victory: a 7-1 upset win over Brunswick Community College.

That’s just one of Perkins’ favorite memories during his two seasons at COA. He was part of the baseball program’s revival after more than 30 years. The Dolphins won 20 games and reached the playoffs in each of those first two years back in 2010 and 2011.

“It was really a fun two years of baseball,” said Perkins, a Chesapeake native. His first season, Perkins batted .308 at the plate, led the team in innings pitched and tied for the team lead with six victories on the mound.

The next year he was second on the team with a .337 batting average, while playing in all 45 games. As a pitcher, he led the team in wins (10), ERA (1.75) and strikeouts (105).

Perkins’ years at COA helped propel him to a baseball scholarship at Tusculum College

in Tennessee. As a senior at Tusculum, Perkins was part of a team that won 30 games for a 12th straight season.

Perkins earned his Bachelor in English degree at Tusculum and now is pursuing his teaching certificate. Meanwhile, he remains involved in baseball as an assistant coach at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. However, he only has to glance at his trophy case to recall good memories from COA. “Baseball was why I went to COA – I wanted to play out of high school,” Perkins said.

“But academically, I ended up transferring with a lot of credits. I just missed my associate degree by a class or two. It was beneficial because I got my core classes at COA and was able to go straight into my major at Tusculum.”

Baseball was why I went to COA. But academically, I ended up transferring with a lot of credits … and was able to go straight into my major.

Eddie Perkins COA Dolphin & Graduate

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ATHLETICS

COA Dolphins Day College of The Albemarle athletics have been a great success. In five years, more than 200 student athletes have learned life lessons that cannot be taught in the classroom – how to handle pressure, adversity and success. They also come to value the importance of hard work, sportsmanship and teamwork.

The Dolphins shared what they had learned with local children when COA hosted Dolphins Day on April 12, 2014 at Northeastern High School, in Elizabeth City. The event included a free youth baseball clinic for boys and girls ages 6 to 17.

Participants spent time throwing, pitching, hitting and fielding balls with players and coaches. After a BBQ lunch, community members watched a baseball double header as the Dolphins played Brunswick Community College.

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COLLEGE FINANCIAL REPORT Revenues

Revenue

State Appropriation

53%

$11,543,538.42

County Appropriation & Capital Aid

11%

$2,407,573.42

Student Financial Aid

20%

$4,303,187.98

Student Tuition & Fees

11%

$2,291,413.20

Gifts and Grants

4%

$854,264.66

Other

1%

$49,900.07

Total Revenues $21,649,877.75

ExpensesExpenses Salaries and Benefits

60%

$13,622.060.31

Supplies and Materials

9%

$1,980,977.40

Services

9%

$2,102,419.25

14%

$3,046,038.91

Scholarships & Fellowships Utilities

3%

$710,106.43

Depreciation

5%

$1,092,102.75

Total Expenses $22,553,705.05 Fiscal data from year ending June 30, 2014

Scholarships & Student Aid 2013-2014 RECIPIENTS

TOTAL TRANSMITTED

1326

$4,211,610.14

FEDERAL AID Federal Pell Grant Federal SEOG Federal Work Study

143

$55,859.45

47

$45,818.50

Subtotal

$4,313,288.09 RECIPIENTS

TOTAL TRANSMITTED

NCCC Grant

253

$147,124.02

76 Individual Scholarships

NC Lottery Education Scholarship

146

$143,050.00

PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS

12

$20,875.00

NC National Guard Tuition

1

$497.00

NC Reach

2

$15,515.00

NC Targeted Assistance Program

11

$5,428.00

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS

NC Forgivable Educational Loans

1

$2,250.00

8 Individual Scholarships

STATE AID

NCCC Child Care Grant

Subtotal 45

RECIPIENTS

TOTAL TRANSMITTED

FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

$334,739.02

9 Scholarship Categories

-

$151,679.26

90

$86,196.45

19

$11,301.19

-

$30,523.97

PRIVATE LOANS 19 Private Loans

TOTAL 2013-2014

$5,027,754.88

State Employees Credit Union Scholarship recipients with SECU Representative Cindy Emory (Center).

FOUNDATION

Foundation Scholarship Lunch Each year the COA Foundation celebrates the generosity of scholarship donors and the students who are recipients of these Foundation scholarships. Held in the spring, the event focuses on pairing the donors and student recipients so they can get to know each other. Donors share their stories about why they give and students share their goals and aspirations.

The COA Foundation manages 104 Scholarship Funds, 34 College Support Funds, and seven Trust Funds. During the 2013-2014 academic year $151,679 in Foundation scholarships was awarded to COA students.

Scholarship donor Bruce Biggs with recipient Amber Anderton.

Beth (Shelby Harrell) and Jo (Mariah Schierer) confide in each other during “Little Women.”

Performing Arts Center College of The Albemarle’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) is supported in large part by the Foundation – enabling students to learn the craft of acting, explore support roles in the theater and experience the thrill of being on stage. The PAC also enriches the region’s cultural offerings and provides a performing arts venue for rental.

The PAC had an exciting 2013-2014 season that saw a tremendous surge in attendance – more than 6,300 people. The COAST Players produced four shows, including “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Little Women,” “Carousel” and “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” Two children’s shows, “Struggle for Freedom” and “Blue Grass and Tall Tales,” were produced by Bright Star Productions. ETPC, Inc., produced the highly successful musicals “A Christmas Carol” and “Joseph, the Dreamer” to round out the season.

Anne Frank (Lauren Phillips) writes in her diary.

46

FOUNDATION

Endowed and Annual Scholarships Albemarle Hospital Volunteer Services Scholarship

Elizabeth City Junior Woman’s Club Scholarship

Alexandra K. Boada Scholarship

Elizabeth City Morning Rotary Scholarship

Allen Aldridge Memorial Endowed Scholarship *

Elizabeth City Morning Rotary/Rufus Abeyounis Scholarship

Robert D. and Patricia A. Aldridge Endowed Scholarship Cyrus and Elton Aydlett Endowed Scholarship Anna W. and Clifford E. Bair Endowed Music Scholarship

Elizabeth City Morning Rotary/Thomas J. Watts Scholarship

BB&T Directors Endowed Scholarship

Edna Fenstamacher Nursing Endowed Scholarship

Alma and Chester Biggs Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Willard O. Forbes Memorial Endowed Scholarship * Robert E. Foreman Endowed Scholarship

Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Blades and Dr. and Mrs.

Julian W. Selig, Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Forty and Eight of the American Legion Scholarship

Vera Thompson Bosomworth Memorial Endowed Scholarship Melvin W. Bright Endowed Scholarship Mildred Russell Bright Endowed Scholarship Lynne M. Bunch Presidential Endowed Scholarship Johnnena Poulos Cannon Endowed Scholarship * Donna D. Cartwright Memorial Endowed Scholarship Childers Nursing Endowed Scholarship Chowan General Scholarship Christ Episcopal Church Women Endowed Scholarship City Beverage/Elisha Coppersmith Scholarship Miles Clark Distinguished Professorship in Music Endowment COAST Players Drama Scholarship Lurana Cowan – Outer Banks Woman’s Club Scholarship Harriette M. Crump Scholarship Dare General Scholarship Dana Lee Darnell Scholarship H. G. Davenport/W. A. “Pig” Foster/Red Men Scholarship Jewel H. and Lee J. Davenport Endowed Scholarship Mabel Hardison Dudley Memorial Endowed Scholarship 47

Elizabeth City Morning Rotary/J. C. “Buddy” Hunt Scholarship

Reverend Charles L. Foster Scholarship Ruby Mitchell Foster Scholarship William G. Gaither, Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship General Scholarship Fund Jean George Memorial Endowed Scholarship Gregory AVID Scholarship Roy and Mary Frances Gregory Endowed Scholarship Bennie Vance Halstead Endowed Scholarship Bonnie S. Hawkins Memorial Endowed Scholarship Marion Heller Memorial Endowed Scholarship Hertford Savings Bank Scholarship Robert I. and Jean M. Hislop Memorial Endowed Scholarship HONSA Aviation Scholarship Captain Alfred M. Howard USN Ret. Endowed Scholarship Jo and Buddy Hunt A/C, Heating & Refrigeration Scholarship Jo and Buddy Hunt Business Scholarship Milburn M. James and Edna S. James Memorial

Endowed Scholarship * Vernon and Selma Harris James Family Endowed Scholarship Jaquelin Jenkins Memorial Endowed Scholarship

for Visual Arts Louise and George Lecka Memorial Art Endowed Scholarship

FOUNDATION

Pepsi-Cola Honors Endowed Scholarship Pepsi Ventures Scholarship Milton C. and Helen H. Prentiss Endowed Scholarship Presidential Scholars Program Endowed Scholarship Providence Extension and Community Association

Endowed Scholarship Rebekah Lodge First District Association Scholarship River City Fraternal Order of Police Scholarship

Students take a break in the atrium of the AE Building on COA’s Elizabeth City Campus.

Lower Currituck Volunteer Rescue Endowed

Scholarship *

James Llewllyn Roberson Memorial Endowed Scholarship C. O. Robinson, Sr. Endowed Scholarship Eloise Robinson Endowed Scholarship Carrie M. Roebuck Nursing Endowed Scholarship Rotary Club of Hertford Scholarship

Manteo Lions Club Scholarship

Frank W. Selig, Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Don and Roberta McCabe Endowed Scholarship *

Gaston E. Small, Jr. and Beverly M. Small Endowed Scholarship

Josephine C. McDonald Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Addison Whidbee Stanton Endowed Scholarship

Charles R. McEver and William M. McEver Memorial

Endowed Scholarship

State Employees Credit Union Annual Scholarship

George Dixon McKecuen Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Lucy Vaughan Memorial Endowed Scholarship *

William E. and Sara W. Meiggs Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Martha W. Swain Memorial Endowed Scholarship VFW – Ladies Auxiliary Post 6060 Endowed Scholarship

Lorimer and Margaret Midgett Trust Scholarship

Charles W. Ward, Jr. Occupational Education

Endowed Scholarship

Jule C. Modlin, Jr. Endowed Scholarship

Evelyn Weeks Endowed Scholarship *

M. G. Morrisette, Jr. Endowed Scholarship B. Holt Muir Endowed Scholarship

Weeksville Vegetable Growers Association

Endowed Scholarship

Ginny Crutcher Nash Music Endowed Scholarship

Grover C. White Scholarship

Norman L. Norfleet, Sr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Marvenia G. White Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Zack D. and Martha A. Owens Nursing Endowed Scholarship

Andrew “Drew” W. Winslow Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Outer Banks Community Foundation Scholarship

George J. Winslow Endowed Scholarship

Regina Annette Peal Endowed Scholarship

George M. Wood Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Glenn W. and Treva P. Pendleton Endowed Scholarship

Jerry S. Wright, Sr. & Marjorie V. Wright Business

Endowed Scholarship

Robert J. White Scholarship

* Funds that continue to mature or that have been established during the 2013-2014 academic year.

48

FOUNDATION

Endowments and Trusts

College Support Funds

Athletic Endowment

Academic Affairs Gift Fund

Jewel and Lee Davenport Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust

Albemarle Health Science Fund

Jewel and Lee Davenport Charitable Remainder Unitrust

Basic Law Enforcement Training Gift Fund

John Wood Foreman Unitrust Dr. Zack D. and Martha A. Owens Trust C. O. Robinson, Sr. Trust Eloise Robinson Trust Winifred J. Wood Charitable Unitrust Success Unlimited Endowment

Aviation Technology Training Program Fund Basic Skills Education Fund Chowan Campus Building Fund Chowan County Restricted Fund Chowan General Fund COA Literary and Visual Arts Magazine Fund Community and Small Business Center Fund Computer Club Mini Grant Fund Dare Campus Professional Crafts – Jewelry Fund Dare County Boat Builders Fund Dare County Restricted Fund Dare County Student Emergency Aid Fund Edenton-Chowan Boat Building Fund Edgewood Learning Center Discretionary Fund Fine Arts Gift Fund Foundation General Fund High School Equivalency Test Fund Lauten Developmental Studies Fund Library Gifts Fund Management Information Systems (MIS) Fund Men of Excellence and Distinction in the Albemarle (MEDIA) Fund Medical Assisting Program Fund Metals Technology Program Fund Nursing Programs Fund Performing Arts Center Gift Fund Professional Development Gift Fund Student Development Fund

International Students at Dare County Campus

Success Unlimited Fund Wood Library Support Fund Workforce Development and Continuing Education Fund

49

FOUNDATION

Thank you to our Generous Donors $100,000 to $199,000 Mr. and Mrs. David Ferguson

$50,000 to $99,999

Mr. and Mrs. Roger and Susane Krueger

$25,000 to $49,999

Mr. James W. Langston † Margaret W. and Lorimer W. Midgett Trust

$10,000 to $24,999

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Culpepper Mr. and Mrs. Mike Kilwalski ** Ms. Phyllis S. Harrell ** Mr. and Mrs. Charles † and Alice J. Ward Mrs. Frances A. Gaither Honsa Ergonomic Technologies, Inc. * Mr. and Mrs. James and Deborah Millis Sentara Albemarle Medical Center

$5,000 to $9,999

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew and Holly Wood *** The Perna Foundation for Hope Wells Fargo Mr. and Mrs. Don and Roberta McCabe Dr. and Mrs. Edward and Nancy Eadie Mrs. Harriette Howard Sussex Development Corporation DRS C3 & Aviation Company TowneBank of Currituck

$2,500 to $4,999

Mrs. Phyllis Bosomworth * G. R. Little Agency, Inc. Dr. and Mr. Kandi and Gary Deitemeyer Elizabeth City Morning Rotary Club IBM International Foundation Walmart Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and Jessica Rich ** Mr. and Mrs. Lucien and Debbie Morrisette * Mr. Bill Pitt and Ms. Glenda McRary Elizabeth City Area Convention &

Visitor’s Bureau Albemarle Community Trust Colony Tire Corporation Long & Foster Real Estate Motion Sensors, Inc.

Biggs Cadillac Buick GMC Trucks, Inc Dr. and Mrs. Julian W. Selig, Jr. ** Telephonics Corporation Whichard & Woolard Investment Group Tandem, Inc. Hertford Savings Bank, SSB Outer Banks Community Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Albert and Conna Gesler Jones Printing Service, Inc. The Daily Advance Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Airport * Mr. and Mrs. William and Nannette Orr Alliance Nissan Mr. and Mrs. Marion and Wilma Harris BB&T Investment Services, Inc. City of Elizabeth City Ms. Dawn Enochs Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Davis Ms. Faith Gregory Gateway Bank J.W. Jones Lumber Company, Inc. Mr. James Turdici ** Mr. and Mrs. James and Phoebe Cartwright Mr. and Mrs. Oliver and Linda Etheridge Paradise Treasures Pepsi Bottling Ventures Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Bryant Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Doris Quinn Rotary Club of Hertford TCOM, L.P. Manufacturing First Citizens Bank The Pfizer Foundation Toyota of Elizabeth City VectorCSP Vidant Chowan Hospital Mr. Warren B. Davis Ms. Ann Hoffman *

$500 to $999

Dr. and Mrs. James and Judith Watson * Mayor and Mrs. Joseph and Carolyn Peel * Sheriff and Mrs. Randy Cartwright Mr. and Mrs. Ed and Sandra Strickland Mr. and Mrs. Andy and Lisa Johnson Albemarle Family YMCA * Mr. and Mrs. Bobby K. Adams Mrs. Dawn E. Rountree Jewelry by Gail, Inc. ** Ms. Kay Barefoot Dr. Karen Wuertz, DDS ** Ms. Elizabeth Long Foreman House B&B * Mr. and Mrs. Shelton Harris Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey and Gloria Emmerich * Mr. and Mrs. Buddy and Beverly Madrin Village Realty ** Mr. and Mrs. George and Mary Thomas Albemarle Area Medical Assistants Assoc.

Dr. and Mrs. Alexander and Sally Kehayes Mr. and Mrs. David Cross ** Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson B. Phillips Edenton-Chowan Community

Foundation, Inc. Fairfield Inn and Suites Mr. and Mrs. Taylor and Nancy Sugg Identify Yourself Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey and Sharon Aldridge Mr. and Mrs. Jerry B. Carter Dr. and Mrs. John † Lavery Mr. Linwood Williams MBAJ Architecture Regulator Marine, Inc. River City Fraternal Order of Police Ms. Sonja Hibbard Sun Realty of Nags Head, Inc. Todd’s Pharmacy Mr. and Mrs. David and Holly Wright

Dolphins Den Opening Celebration

$1,000 to $2,499

Dr. Evonne Carter Elizabeth City Junior Woman’s Club Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Lynn Winslow Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Palm CenturyLink Corolla Classic Vacations ** Mr. and Mrs. D. Keith Teague Follett-COA Bookstore Mr. and Mrs. Michael McLain Ms. Marlene Greer The Willey Agency City Beverage Company, Inc. Mr. Russell Lay A.R. Chesson Construction Co., Inc.

50

Faculty and staff training at Spring Convocation

FOUNDATION $250 to $499

Mr. and Mrs. Danny Fletcher Mr. Andrew Walser Mr and Mrs. Wayne Jones Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Black Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kyle Mrs. Carolyn Peel ** Montero’s Restaurant, Bar, and Catering * Ms. Kiesha Knight Mr. and Mrs. Kevin and Wendy Brickhouse North Carolina Aquarium ** Rebekah Lodge First District Association Mr. Rex Etheridge Mr. and Mrs. Steve and Joan Atkinson Mrs. Suzanne Y. Rohrbaugh Mr. and Mrs. Douglas and Diana Gardner Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Harris Mr. and Mrs. Fred and Jan Riley Mr. and Mrs. Rufus and Andrea Dance Ms. Jan Lauten Mr. and Mrs. Norman and Rhonda Watts Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Gayle Olson Crystal Enterprises, Inc. Mr. Robert Howard Ms. Robin Harris Mr. and Mrs. James Jones Mr. Gary Hobbs Norfolk Visitors and Convention Bureau ** Ms. Beth Jones ** Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Hutson Ms. Elouise White Hilton Garden Inn Mr. and Mrs. John J. Powers Mr. and Mrs. John Leidy Mr. and Mrs. M. Hood Ellis Outer Banks Woman’s Club Photography by Jill * Trio Wine * Mr. Jed Buckson Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gibbons * Domtar Paper Company, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Justin and Jenna Hatfield Mr. and Mrs. Raymond and Nancy Farmer Ms. Rebecca Walker Mrs. Ginger O’Neal Mr. Stuart Caffrey Ms. Doris Ward Mr. and Mrs. Edward O’Neal Mr. and Mrs. George and Gale Flax Gunboat International, Ltd. Mr. Harrell Chesson Judge and Mrs. Herbert and Annette Small Hornthal, Riley, Ellis and Maland Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey and Melanie Carter Mr. Joseph L. Lamb, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Charlotte Martin Ms. Rebekah Brown ** Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stimpson Mr. and Mrs. William and Laura Owens

51

Up to $249

Mr. Julio Rosales Mr. Ken Myers Mr. Kevin Argo Ms. Myrtle Faye Oliver Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel Surrett Mrs. Robin G. Zinsmeister Ms. Sandra K. Thigpen Frazier Consulting Foresters, PC The Framery * Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Grace Wilson Mr. and Mrs. James and Ann McKell Mr. Douglas Kretzer Dr. Evan Fiedler Mr. Eric D. Storie Mr. and Mrs. John M. Wells Mr. Michael Rector Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Patricia McCall * Mr. Randolph Harris Mr. and Mrs. Dave and Vicki Moulson Mr. and Mrs. Greggory and Jamie Wade Mr. Rox Corbin Ms. Dana Newton * Mr. Doulgas E. Chandler Edenton Motors, Inc. Dr. and Mrs. Edward M. McFarlane Elizabeth City Bed & Breakfast ** Elizabeth City Fire Department Frigate Marine Services, LLC H & R Block Holley Fonville Photography Mr. and Mrs. James and Frances Norrell Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Sandy Winslow Kitty Hawk Kites, Inc. ** Ms. Kristen S. Bassett Ms. Lucretia Williams Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Robin Mann Portfolio Real Estate Services Mr and Mrs. Roger M. Pierce Mr. and Mrs. Ron and Elizabeth Miller Dr. and Mrs. Roger and Joyce Lambertson Drs. Wesley and Rachel Gragson Dr. and Mrs. William and Katherine Wassink William S. Blakemore, M.D., LTD Mr. and Mrs. Ron Lewis ** Ms. Maenecia Cole Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Wanda Phillips Ramada Plaza Hotel **

Selig’s ** Mr. Dean Roughton Mr. Kenneth R. Parks Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Archer and Janet Farmer Arts of the Albemarle ** Currituck Chamber of Commerce Mr. and Mrs. Dean and Chris Mattix Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Thompson II ** Mr. Elton Stone Mr. and Mrs. Garry and Sharon Meiggs Mr. and Mrs. Gary and Penny Smith Hairoics ** Mr. and Mrs. John Bulman ** Mr. and Mrs. L. P. Hornthal, Jr. Mrs. Mariah D. Schierer Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Phyllis Davis Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Linda Phthisic Mr. and Mrs. Rodger and Jane Rossman Mr. Stanley Dean Griggs Mr. Steven Woodburn Mr. Terrence Tait Two and a Half Women ** Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin and Sharon Brown COA Medical Assisting Club Mrs. and Mr. Elizabeth and Bob Woodhouse Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation Camden Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company Dunavant’s Welding & Steel, Inc. Eagle One Transport George & Company Heating &

Air Conditioning Mr. John S Marsh, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Kurt and Bobbi Hunsberger Lilly Brothers Construction Palladium Partners, Inc. Pitt Road Express Lube, Inc. Ms. Ruth E. Balf Sawyer’s House of Furniture Kelly Management Group, Inc. ** Mr. Kevin Kaiser Ms. Shirley H. Phelps Coastal Office Equipment Company Mrs. Laura Rollinson Dr. and Mrs. Steven P. Manuli ** Ms. Carla Kopp

FOUNDATION

Mr. and Mrs. M. Szymanski Miss Amelia Host Belk of Elizabeth City ** Mr. and Mrs. Bruce and Joanna Mosher Mr. Clark Moore Country Boy’s Auction and Realty, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and Gail Daneker Mr. and Mrs. Daryl and Qiana Austin Mr. and Mrs. Donald and Heidi Prentiss Mr. and Mrs. Douglas C. Fleming Mr. and Mrs. Conrad and Molly Sloan Mr and Mrs. E. E. Bunch Mr. and Mrs. Eldon and Ann Miller Mr. and Mrs. Nelson and Elizabeth White Mr. and Mrs. Ernest and Anne-Marie Knighton Mr. and Mrs. Frederick † and Lynne Hutchins Mr. and Mrs. Graham and Gloria Twine Gray’s Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Anna Winslow Haynes Furniture ** Mr. and Mrs. Rodney and Jo Foreman Jeffrey’s Greenworld & Florist, Inc. Jim Perry and Company Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Doreen H. DeStefano Mr. and Mrs. John and Margaret Woodbery Mr. John William Fox Ms. Karen Gilbert Dr. Karl Brandspigel Mr. Kenneth Krentz Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Maxine Thomasson Mr. and Mrs. Carl and Leah Jonson Mrs. Lisa Williams Meads Mann Custom Boats, Inc. Ms. Mary Bundy Forbes Ms. Mary F. M. Morrisette Mr. and Mrs. Maurice and Faye Berry Dr. and Mrs. Michael and Mary Gilbert Mid-Atlantic Builders, Inc. Ocean Boulevard Bistro and Martini Bar ** Mr. and Mrs. Percy and Joan Talkington R. O. Givens Signs, Inc. Mr. Ray Jones Ms. Rebecca J. Sutton Ms. Robin Sydenstricker Mr. Roland Ray Tooley Ms. Sara F. Ray Mr. and Ms. Lindsey and Sherry Hewitt The Whalehead Club ** Thriftique Boutique ** Dr. Travis Burke Mr. and Mrs. Truman and June Groover Mr. W. Mark Cutler Mr. and Mrs. Warren and Theresa Judge Mr. William E. Reese Mrs. Lynn Jennings John Gay Studios ** Mr. and Mrs. Rob and Christina Pellerin Causeway Marina DLS Engineering Associates, Inc. Frank P. Hiner, IV, Attorney at Law Hampton Inn Ms. Kelly Thorsby Leary’s Alignment Shop Mr. and Mrs. Milan and Cyndi Rasic

Mildred’s Florist Shop Mr. and Mrs. Norbert and Candice Wilson Page After Page ** Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Cobb Jr. William P. McDowell and Associates Winslow Accounting and Tax Service, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Bob and Katie Krainiak Mr. and Mrs. Jason and Kirbie Rovolis Mr. and Mrs. Linny and Maureen Brinson Ms. Janice P. Bryant Ms. Jennifer J. Frost Mr. and Mrs. Philip and Cindy DeTore Mr. Christopher A. Nelson Dockside Marina ** Kenyon Bailey Supply, Inc. ** Ms. Karen J. Brandt Ms. Karen Molloy ** Mr. Joshua Wesley Sydebstricker Mr. and Mrs. Chris Langley Mr. Richard Vasko The Lost Colony ** Ms. Audrey L. Ramseur Cypress Creek Grill ** Mr. and Mrs. Dan and Marcia Purcifull Mr. and Mrs. David and Dian Goss Mrs. Deborah Holland Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Louise Robinson Mr. Derek O. West Donald G. Steele Living Trust Dr. Ellis Lawrence Mr. and Mrs. Elmo and Anne Williams Ms. Evelyn W. Upton Mr. and Mrs. Francis and Mary Coyle Mr. Herman K. Parks Mr. and Mrs. Herman and Nan Parks Island Cycles – Cape Hatteras ** Mr. and Mrs. James and Cindy Rector LTC. and Mrs. James and Carol Thomas Ms. Janet R. Sydenstricker Mr. and Mrs. John and Lynne Latham Mr. and Mrs. John and Nancy Nicholls Dr. and Mrs. John and Gwen Van Duyn Mr. Joseph E. West Jr. Ms. Kelly Cameron ** Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Frances Gass Maryland Sign Design, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Heflin Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Tina Harrell Mid-Atlantic Christian University Pasquotank Trading Company ** Dr. and Mrs. Peter †and Barbara Wood Mr. and Mrs. Raymond and Bettye Meiggs Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Kathryn Woodhouse Dr. and Mrs. Robert and Amelia Reiheld Mr. and Mrs. Robert H McKenney Mr. Robert T. Perry Dr. and Mrs. Ronald and Barbara Riccardo Shay Leslie Boutique ** Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Riddick Mr. Thomas R. Hoskins Ms. Velma Thompson Waterman’s Grill **

Mr. Barry H. Oliver Ms. Bethany M. Sauermann Mr. Cyril Kelly Albert Mr. and Mrs. Nick and Heather Cochran Ms. Mary Ann Mason Mr. and Mrs. Robert O. Givens Ms. Sherri Coleman Mr. and Mrs. Ralph and Tammi Doughtie Mr. and Mrs. Jack and Tammy Trueblood Dr. Amanda Ruth Hodges Mr. and Mrs. Glenn and Susan Marsh Mr. and Mrs. Gus Eddins III Syke’s Consignment ** Ms. Carolyn Schrider Ms. Muffy Vestal Mrs. Angie Godfrey-Dawson Mr. Benjamin Vernon Cherry Byrum Gift Shop ** Mr. and Mrs. Don and Carol Whitley Mr. and Mrs. Donald and Katherine Jones Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. George Floor 2 Ceiling ** Ms. Gail Tucker Evans Mr. and Mrs. James E. Rector Mr. and Mrs. James and Rosemarie Sherrod Mrs. Julie R. Schatz Ms. Lucile B. Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Roy and Joan Daniels Mrs. Mary F. Partin Mr. and Mrs. Derek and Michelle Waters Mr. Phillip J. Kirk Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Ed and Renee Shannon Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Sharon O’Neal Mr. and Mrs. Leonard and Sandra Ray Sidney’s Cafe & Bistro ** Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Claire Mills Mr. and Mrs. Tim and Susie Walters Ms. Angela Cowell Mr. and Mrs. Calvin and Pamela Newby Mr. and Mrs. Wayne and Lorraine Payne Ms. Ruth G. Warren Ms. Sherri L. May Mrs. Teresa M. Godfrey Mrs. Vivian Bridgers Avon Store ** Ms. Laura Morrison Muddy Waters Coffeehouse ** Mr. and Mrs. Stephen and Lisa Paul Mr. and Mrs. Victor and Linda Eure Bryon’s Hot Dog Stand ** Edenton Coffee House ** Ms. Pansey A. Elliott

† * ** ***

Denotes deceased Denotes monetary and in-kind gifts Denotes in-kind gifts Denotes multiyear gifts

52

A COA SUCCESS

Ashley Pritchett Ashley Pritchett left high school in 1999 without graduating.

She dropped out, she said, because her grades weren’t great and at the time, she wasn’t ready or prepared for school.

A year later, Pritchett earned her General Equivalency Diploma (GED) from College of The Albemarle.

Over the following decade, she took a few college courses here and there and finally, 13 years after receiving her GED, she graduated from COA with an Associate in Arts degree.

Earning her associate degree was a goal Pritchett had set for herself shortly after earning her GED in 2000, but she had to quickly put those plans on hold.

“I got pregnant with my son,” Pritchett said. Instead of going to college, Pritchett took a job as a teller at a local bank. She spent more than a decade there, working up the ladder, eventually becoming a client care manager.

She decided to leave that job a few years ago and soon realized – after spending time volunteering in her children’s classrooms – that there was something else she wanted to pursue.

“I realized I kind of liked it,” said Pritchett, referring to her time as a teacher’s assistant, helping students with math. “I thought, ‘I can do this.’ ”

53

When the youngest of her three children started kindergarten in 2011, Pritchett turned her focus on completing the goal she’d set 10 years prior.

Pritchett has put her new associate degree to use and is working as a computer lab instructor at three different schools in Currituck County. She enjoys the work, but has her eyes on a new prize. Pritchett’s next goal is to begin working toward a Bachelor in Education degree at East Carolina University.

The four-year teaching degree, Pritchett said, will enable her to teach in a classroom.

“I’m really excited,” Pritchett said, adding that her positive experience as a student at COA, helped point her to her new path and new career.

“I felt like COA was very supportive, and when I did come back in 2011, my instructor, Laura Morrison, was very inspiring,” Pritchett said. “I had never viewed teachers as that before.

It was kind of an eye-opening experience. COA was a very positive experience.”

I felt like COA was very supportive, and when I did come back, my instructor was very inspiring. I had never viewed teachers as that before.

Ashley Pritchett COA Graduate & Currituck County Schools Computer Lab Instructor

Your Gifts Help Students on Their Pathways to Success GIVING OPTIONS Cash Gifts

Cash, often in the form of a check or credit card, is a convenient way to create a new fund or add to an existing fund. Gifts of cash enable donors to claim a tax deduction for the year they give the gift. Most often, these are gifts that can put to use immediately.

Pledges

Multi-year pledges are a convenient way to achieve your personal goals for support of projects and programs over a period of time. You may designate your gift to a specific program or leave it unrestricted so it may used where the need is greatest.

Investments & Appreciated Securities

Gifts of stocks and bonds are welcome. Foundation policies state such gifts must be sold as soon as possible after they are received.

Donations of appreciated stocks or bonds can benefit donors (individuals and corporations), as they may deduct the full market value of appreciated stocks without paying capital gains taxes on that appreciated value.

Planned Gifts

Planned gifts, such as bequests, offer a way to make a legacy gift to the college without affecting cash flow during your lifetime. Bequests may be in the form of cash, real estate or property.

DONATE BY MAIL

Send your check or money order, payable to “COA Foundation,� to:

The COA Foundation

P.O. Box 2327

Elizabeth City, NC 27906

DONATE ONLINE

Visit www.albemarle.edu/give and click on online giving

OTHER OPTIONS

To make a gift over the phone or through email, or if you would like to discuss other giving opportunities, please contact: Lisa Johnson

252-335-0821 extension 2265 lisa_johnson@albemarle.edu College of the Albemarle Foundation is chartered as a 509(c)(3) non-profit corporation. All gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

The President’s report is published by College of The Albemarle’s Institutional Advancement department.

Stories by Rita Frankenberry. Design and photography by Liz Rondone, Patrick Detwiler and Jed Buckson.