The State Community College Board voted Friday to create a permanent grants director position in the system office with the goal of bringing additional grants to the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS).
This full-time grants director helps the system increase federal, private, and local grant funding while also serving as a resource to local universities. The latter task is advocated by many local university presidents, as many small universities have limited ability to apply for and manage grants.
“Our system office did not have a full-time grant writer or grant officer on staff,” said Dr. Kimberly Gold, NCCCS Chief of Staff. “This is the first time for us to make such a concentrated effort.”
The board's decision follows an update last month that a candidate hired for a grant-funded position in January later withdrew his acceptance. This temporary position only had funding secured for his one year, and NCCCS staff had concerns about multiple candidates.
During a discussion last month, Chairman Tom Rooney asked whether the board would be allowed to convert the funds to a full-time grants director. He expressed concern that the process is moving too slowly and could leave many current funding opportunities open.
“If this is a priority, we should treat it as a priority,” he said. “If not, we should continue on the path we are on.”
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To create the full-time position, the Board of Directors voted to realign funding from the system's finance department to the executive department. The grants director position replaces a business executive position that has been vacant for more than 800 days. The vacant business director position was filled with a salary of $72,278.
Under this system, grants directors are expected to earn between $90,000 and $99,000. This means the board has approved the combination of funds to create the position. Approximately 80% of the grants director's salary comes from regular funds, and the remaining 20% of his salary comes from grants secured by the director.
“We felt we might be able to get more qualified candidates if they knew the funding source was regular and the job was more stable,” Gold said. “There are still grants available for this position, so he will have a two to three year runway to support his 20% of that if needed.”
According to the board's agenda, about half of a director's job will involve writing grant proposals. An additional 30% of his work includes identifying funding opportunities, and the remaining 20% of his work includes grant management.
The Director of Grants is responsible for leading grants and funding activities for the North Carolina Community College System. This position plays a key role in securing external funding to support the system's strategic goals with a particular focus on federal funding. The successful candidate will be an experienced grants professional with a proven track record of securing grants, managing grant programs, and ensuring compliance with funding requirements. This position reports directly to the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and works closely with the Vice President for Strategic and Rural Initiatives and the Vice President for Economic Development.
Grants director job description included on board meeting agenda.
The hiring of a Grants Director is part of the system's efforts to meet performance improvement goals for grant funds within the system.
The system's first-year goal is to apply for grants and raise $8 million, according to a goals document discussed last month. The document lists a goal of $20 million in the second year and $40 million by the third year.
By way of background, the system brought in approximately $5 million in grants in 2021 and 2022, and more than $31 million in grants in 2023.
While the system is working to increase grants, some board members expressed concerns about the stability of grant-funded positions.
Human Resources Committee Chairman Bill McBrayer said 76 of the system's bureau employees are partially or fully funded by grants, representing nearly 32% of the system's staff. Of these, 23 of her employees (9.5%) are in subsidized, temporary positions.
Many of those employees are in the system's human resources department, Gold said. NCCCS President Dr. Jeff Cox added that the system is working to plan and coordinate grant cycles to continually fund such positions. In addition, the system also regularly receives a fixed subsidy regardless of time, he said.
“Due to the nature of our business, we will have a significant number of grant positions,” Cox said. “Every time we introduce more subsidies…to manage those subsidies, we end up hiring more people to use the grants to manage the subsidies. It is an unavoidable part of our business.”
Local president re-election process
State law has historically given the State Community College Board the power to approve or reject the selection of local college presidents by local boards of regents. The 2023 budget passed in September added re-election powers to the board.
In January, the Commission interpreted this supplemental law to require state commission approval for contract renewals, extensions, and amendments to local presidential contracts. That same month, the state board proposed amendments to the community college state board constitution to reflect this.
On Thursday, the Board's Policy and Governance Committee submitted an updated amendment that would give the Board final approval in re-electing local presidents.
The proposed amendment states, “The local board shall ensure that motions to approve proposed renewals or extensions of employment contracts are conditioned upon approval of re-election by the SBCC.” There is.
If approved, the amendment would require local board chairs to “submit a letter at least 90 days prior to the expiration of their term notifying the State Community College Board of approval of a proposed renewal or extension of the president's contract.” Mandatory. Existing Presidential Contract. ” The proposed amendment also establishes procedures for universities that do not have a contract with their president.
Among other things, the letter includes current and new expiration dates, confirmation that the local commission has completed the president's evaluation in accordance with state commission regulations, and any “new contract terms or amendments to the contract terms” of the president's existing Should. contract.
“The SBCC may request such additional materials from the local board as it deems reasonably necessary to consider approving the president's re-election,” the proposed amendment states.
Some committee members expressed concern that the new amendments placed an undue burden on local boards or gave too much power to state boards.
Chaz Beasley, chairman of the board's policy and governance committee, emphasized that the state board does not intend to micromanage local universities. However, he said the board must comply with state law.
“We always want to make sure we have the support of the president, the support of the board, and the support of external stakeholders,” Beasley said in February.
Board member Mark Merritt said the proposed amendments leave it unclear what level of scrutiny the board should provide and what materials it would consider. Merritt said he would like to see further revisions to that end.
Beasley said the full board is expected to vote on the amendment in May. The version the board votes on may include revised language.
On Friday, the Board of Trustees voted to approve the re-election of Brunswick Community College President Dr. Gene Smith, who has served in that position since 2018.
After the Board takes its first vote on the reelection amendment, a public comment period will begin.
EdNC will include updated information on how and when to submit public comments when this item is voted on by the Board. To submit public comments on the revised amendments, please visit the system's web page for numbered notes.
The latest draft of the amendment can be read below.
Next NC, ERP modernization and more
Last November, the state announced a new scholarship that will pay full tuition at the state's 58 community colleges to North Carolina students from households with incomes of $80,000 or less.
The scholarship, called Next NC, will cover more than half of tuition at the 16 public universities in the UNC system. Learn more about scholarship eligibility guidelines.
Thursday, the board's innovative discussion included an update on Next NC, or “North Carolina's new financial aid program,” according to board documents.
of Next NC Scholarship Federal Pell Grants and state financial aid programs are combined to form simplified and predictable scholarships that are easier to understand and make education more affordable for most North Carolinians. This is your opportunity to pursue the degree you need for the career you want and the future you choose.
Next NC website
Board members discussed the need to market this scholarship to the public, noting that many North Carolinians and students have never heard of this scholarship.
Marketing is especially important given the extensive delays and glitches with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These delays have significantly lowered completion rates, with the completion rate for North Carolina high school graduates dropping by about 25% compared to the same time last year.
Dr. Laura Leatherwood, president of Blue Ridge Community College, said while the college cannot control FAFSA glitches, it can control what information is passed on to students during it. She said students need to know about Next NC once their financial aid package is finalized.
“If the university doesn’t get that message across as much as possible … it’s going to be a missed opportunity,” Leatherwood said.
The board also heard a brief presentation on the development of a five-year statewide marketing plan system. In the 2023 budget, he allocated $1 million for statewide marketing efforts for the system.
The board is expected to receive a comprehensive report on the five-year plan in July. During that time, board members receive a survey regarding the marketing priorities the system should focus on.
“This has to be an integrated marketing plan that really delivers results for the university,” Rooney said.
Some other items from the board's April meeting include:
- The board approved a contract to support ERP modernization efforts. The agreement includes up to $1.2 million in funding for “integration services with third-party providers during Phase 4 of ERP modernization.” These updates should ultimately improve data collection and sharing across the system.
- According to the March 2024 forecast, NCCCS's estimated intake has increased to reflect system-wide enrollment growth.
- The Board approved an allocation “not to exceed $837,824 to Lenoir Community College (LCC) to provide administrative support to the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Education Program (NCMSEP).” According to board meeting documents, the General Assembly established NCMSEP in 1989 to establish and fund a motorcycle safety instruction program through the NCCCS. Students who graduate from the program receive a discount on their insurance premiums.
- The Board also approved an allocation of $350,000 to support Cohort 2 of 10 universities in the Digital Navigator Project. The board meeting document reads: “The overall goal of the Digital Navigator Project is to promote digital inclusion to ensure economic mobility and civic engagement for North Carolina community college students affected by the digital divide. This is done by certifying and deploying trained Digital Navigators to 20 community colleges to serve Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 counties (10 in the first year and 10 in the second year). .
- Finally, the Board also received a draft of the 2024-25 Community College State Board Handbook. You can view it here. The handbook includes information about board roles and policies, state law requirements, and more.
The full board will meet next May 17-18 in Raleigh.