College Hosts PCS Student Services Personnel

WINTERVILLE—Student services personnel from Pitt County Schools met at Pitt Community College this month for a conference designed to build partnerships and provide new ideas for meeting the county’s educational needs.

Hosted by PCC’s Student Development Services Division, the April 21 conference featured concurrent sessions led by Pitt faculty and staff. Topics ranged from computer technology to concurrent enrollment to tips for pursuing a healthy lifestyle.

Conference organizers say they received positive feedback from participants. Some attendees said they would like to see the conference held annually while others noted that they enjoyed the event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Scott Ralls, president of the N.C. Community College System.

Ralls, who became the seventh president in NCCCS history last year, led off the conference with a speech titled, “Education Challenges in a Global Economy.” He stressed the importance of education in growing the nation’s economy and said improving education is America’s most important challenge.

According to Ralls, the country needs educational systems like Pitt County Schools and PCC working in harmony to teach more students, produce more graduates and provide more rigorous training.

Planning for the conference began last year, before the current economic downturn prompted state government officials to issue a number of budget restrictions. The PCC Foundation stepped in to sponsor the event to make sure it took place as scheduled.

04/30/2009