PCC Employees Kick Off New Academic Year with Convocation

WINTERVILLE�Pitt Community College employees assembled in the Charles Coburn Center for convocation this month to reflect on the year that was and plan for the one ahead.

This year�s annual gathering of college employees took place Aug. 12 and featured remarks from PCC President G. Dennis Massey, an introduction of new faculty and staff, and updates on the enrollment and physical growth the college is currently experiencing.

Massey led off the event by thanking employees for their help in providing Pitt County voters with information on the importance of a quarter-cent local sales tax increase. Voters approved the measure by a 59 percent majority in November 2007, and as a result, a portion of the funding generated by the tax increase will be used to construct new facilities at PCC.

Pitt, which was already the state�s most crowded community college even before experiencing a 10 percent enrollment growth (as of Aug. 21), is prepared to open the new Craig Goess Student Center in early 2009, Massey said.

The president also noted that PCC would soon get started on construction of the Herman Simon Building, which will provide additional teaching space for health science programs. Earlier this year, the PCC Foundation launched the school�s very first capital campaign to generate funding for the new health sciences facility.

In closing his remarks, Massey encouraged employees to work together, work hard, show respect to students, provide quality service, and demonstrate a customer-friendly attitude in all interactions. �We are looking forward to a grand year and with your teamwork, we will continue to boost our reputation in Pitt County and the region,� he said.

Convocation also featured a discussion of campus safety with PCC Police Chief Alan Edwards providing a rundown of emergency procedures to be followed in the event of fire, tornado warnings and�in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings�an active gunman on campus.

Following convocation, those who participated in the PCC Abroad trip to China this summer discussed their experiences in the world�s most populous country.

08/21/2008