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Ralls Shares Thoughts on Presidential Search

Scott Ralls, NCCCS President

North Carolina Community College System President Scott Ralls shared five characteristics of a leader with members of the A-B Tech Presidential Search Committee and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees April 9 as a prelude to the search for the College's fifth president.

Dr. Ralls told the committees he feels a special connection to Asheville and A-B Tech because his father served as pastor at Central United Methodist, he attended Roberson High School, and his mother-in-law, Eileen Rowe, served on the College's nursing faculty before retiring in 1988.

Pointing to tremendous community support and a "remarkable faculty and staff," Dr. Ralls said A-B Tech is one of the best community colleges in the country and he expects the presidency to generate widespread interest among prospective applicants.

Dr. Ralls said his own experience as president of Craven Community College in New Bern and lessons learned in Jim Collins' book, Good to Great, shaped his belief that leaders share five characteristics:

• Honesty and integrity - "Are people willing to admit mistakes and weaknesses?"
• Competency - A broad understanding of instruction, budgeting and technology
• The ability to inspire faculty, staff, and the community
• The ability to be forward looking - "The vision of this College is not something somebody new will bring to this College. ... (It's here and) you need someone to bring it out. It's not something one person brings a magic solution to."
• The ability to set aside any personal aspirations and seek "a collective moving forward" that betters the institution.

Dr. Ralls encouraged the committees to have confidence in the selection process despite going through a presidential search only two years earlier. Calling the unexpected transition "a bump in the road," Ralls told members he appreciates their work. "This is the most important job you'll do as a board and for this community."

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