PCC Notes: Trustees select Ricky Brown to serve as interim president

WINTERVILLE — Pitt Community College PCC Vice President of Finance/Chief Financial Officer Ricky Brown will serve as the school’s interim president starting in July.

Pitt County College Trustees announced today that Brown will take on the position after current president Lawrence Rouse retires at the end of June.

Brown has been with PCC for more than 30 years.

PCC Trustees Chairman Charles Ellis said college administrators received approval from the State Board of Community Colleges on May 17 to name Brown interim president. He said the move ensures Pitt will have stability and steady leadership until the search for Rouse’s replacement has concluded and a new president is in place on campus.

“Dr. Lawrence Rouse is Pitt Community College’s president through June 30, and we’re going to enjoy every minute we have with him in that capacity,” Ellis said. “Naming Ricky Brown interim president is fulfillment of a pledge that trustees made to students, employees and the community when the presidential search process began in early March, to have a smooth presidential transition.”

Though an eight-member presidential search committee has made significant progress with assistance from Kennon Briggs, a search consultant with the Association of Community College Trustees, Ellis says it’s not clear how long it will take to come to terms with a new president and have that individual on campus.

Eilis said PCC will have open forums to give campus and the community an opportunity to meet presidential candidates and provide input on the selection process, but they will not take place in late May, as originally hoped. Instead, the forums will be held sometime in mid-to-late June, once the State Board has given its approval. PCC administrators will announce the dates, times and locations of the open forums once they have been officially scheduled.

Ellis said Brown’s 32 years with the college allows the committee to take all the time needed to find the ideal candidate to become only the sixth president in Pitt’s 63-year history.

Rouse said Brown was the ideal choice to serve as interim president, since he is well-versed with the state budgeting process, payroll, state construction procedures, and many other administrative and supervisory responsibilities.

“I’m thankful Ricky is willing to serve as interim president and feel that when I retire this summer, PCC will continue to be in good hands until trustees hire a new president and that individual arrives on campus to carry on Pitt’s legacy of educational excellence,” he said.

Brown says he is looking forward to serving as interim president and thanked members of the PCC Board of Trustees for their support.

“Pitt Community College changes the lives of our students, and we see that here every day,” he said. “It is a great place to work, and that is why I have made it my career here for the past 32 years. I understand we have some great applicants in our presidential search, and I look forward to working with our new president once he or she is on board.”

Brown, a Pitt County native, began working with PCC’s Business Office in 1992. He started out as budget officer and took the role of business manager in 2004. In 2012, he was promoted to chief financial officer, a position that required him to oversee all fiscal aspects of the college. Rouse promoted him to vice president of finance/chief financial officer in 2019, and in 2022, he assumed all construction and Facilities Services Division responsibilities.

A Greenville Christian Academy graduate, Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from East Carolina University in 1983. He returned to ECU and obtained a master’s in business administration in 1991.

Brown’s professional background also includes seven years of accounting experience in the manufacturing environment. Prior to joining PCC, he worked as a staff accountant for Hampton Industries, a financial analyst for Purolator Products, and a cost accountant for Alcatel Cable Systems.

Event lets local entrepreneurs learn about resources

The PCC Small Business Center (SBC) has organized a “Small Business Resource Fair” for local entrepreneurs, featuring representatives from organizations that offer free business resources in Pitt County.

Scheduled for June 15, the floating event will take place in the Craig F. Goess Student Center’s Davenport Multipurpose Room from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is free and open to the community.

Pitt SBC Director Halle Nobles says the fair would benefit “anyone interested in opening a small business and people who wish to grow their existing Pitt County businesses.” She added there are many resources available for local business owners and that she hopes the expo will serve as the front door for those individuals to become familiar with them.

“I hope that people will learn that these free business resources exist for them to utilize,” Nobles said. “So many people come to the PCC Small Business Center for counseling and say they never knew the SBC existed until someone told them about it. The hope for this expo is that we can get in front of the small business community and say, ‘Here we are.’”

Though a list of community resource participants has not been finalized, Nobles said the Winterville Chamber of Commerce, Greenville ENC Alliance, Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce, and East Carolina University’s Crisp Small Business Resource Center have confirmed their participation.

Those planning to attend the fair are encouraged to RSVP via a link provided on the PCC Small Business Center’s Facebook page. They are also asked to bring business cards to the event to be eligible for a prize giveaway.

CIT students inducted into National Technical Honor Society

PCC’s new National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) chapter inducted its first members during an on-campus ceremony May 6.

Seven students, representing six PCC Construction and Industrial Technology (CIT) programs, earned NTHS Chapter 5120 membership, based on skill development and academic achievement in CIT courses. They were:

Ryan A. Borunda (Building Construction)Dean M. Froelich (Building Construction)William H. James (Electronics Engineering)Dalton T. Marshall (Electrical Systems/Industrial Systems)Jordon A. Sink (Electrical Systems)Barrie A. Smith (Mechanical Engineering)Lyndsay N. Williams (Architectural Technology)

According to PCC Electronics Engineering Program Coordinator Prentice Tyndall, who advises Chapter 5120, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and exhibit excellent moral character for NTHS induction. He said they must also be recommended and officially nominated for the honor society by a PCC faculty or staff member.