NEWS
For Immediate Release
February
3, 2014
CONTACT:
Lisa Johnson,
Development Officer & External Relations
Release
No: 02LJ-PR-2014
College of The Albemarle and Currituck
County have received the North
Carolina Community College System prestigious Distinguished Partners in
Excellence Award for their collaborative efforts and vision in building the
Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center
in Currituck County.
Dr. Kandi W. Deitemeyer, President of COA was ecstatic when she received
the phone call from the State Board of Community Colleges. “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.” Deitemeyer further
acknowledges, “This partnership award distinguishes us among our community
college partners and should be celebrated by all of us in Northeastern
North Carolina.” “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.”
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 we have awarded a partnership between a college and a county
government,” says Dr. Linwood Powell, Chairman 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.” Previous winners
of this award include Gaston College, Randolph
Community College and Duke Energy; Wake Technical
Community College and Wake Med Health
and Hospitals; and Asheville
Buncombe Technical
Community College and
Volvo Construction Equipment.
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 7-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.
Dan Scanlon, Currituck
County Manager, when asked about the county’s relationship with
College of The Albemarle said, “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.”
“The work and commitment that resulted in this center is an investment
that will directly and positively impact the future of economic and workforce
opportunities in the region.” Said Dr. Scott Ralls, North Carolina Community
College System President. “Everyone – Dr. Deitemeyer, the county
commissioners, COA Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff – must be commended
for this monumental undertaking that means so much to the community and will be
a model for the state and the nation.”
“To say that I am proud of our collective efforts would not capture the magnitude
of the significance of this partnership,” said Deitemeyer.
“I applaud the vision and commitment of the Currituck County
Commissioners in their partnership with the college. The Board of Trustees are proud to have been
a part of this project and know that the region and its citizens will reap
significant benefits from the education and training opportunities offered at
the Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center,” said J. Fletcher Willey,
Chair, COA Board of Trustees.
The result of the support of Currituck
County and the stewardship of the
college, the Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center (RATTC) is
situated in a 600+-acre business and industrial campus and is adjacent to the Currituck County Regional
Airport. The RATTC is a 37,000 square-foot facility
unique in its design and appearance. As
the college’s fourth campus location, the center offers programs focused on
training students in Aviation Systems Technology – an FAA Certified Program,
Architectural Technology, Computer Integrated Machining and Mechanical
Engineering.
The design of the facility is centered on the hangar with aviation
support labs – sheet metal, avionics, power plant, and composites – along the
periphery. The key to the building’s
innovative design is that the team was able to capitalize on creating
transparency throughout the building.
Glass walls between the hangar and the avionics lab and the entrance
lobby provide immediate visual contact for the programs inside the facility.
The COA Regional Aviation and Technical
Training Center
is one of the first schools in the United States to run an entire
overhaul facility. It will be visited by
colleges and industries from across the country because of its programs and
unique approach to student-centered active learning environments.
College of The Albemarle and Currituck County
will formally be presented the Distinguished Partners in Excellence Award by a
representative of the State Board at an event to be determined.
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