South Piedmont Community College president John McKay has announced his plans to retire next summer.
“I want to thank each of you for your support of the college and of me over these past seven years,” McKay said. “It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve SPCC and the folks of Anson and Union counties. Next year will be my 45th year in education and my 38th in two-year colleges. I cannot think of a better career and am thankful for all the opportunities I have had to help individuals improve their lives.”
When McKay arrived at SPCC in 2003, he took the reins of North Carolina’s newest community college, established in 1999 as a multi-campus institution serving Anson and Union counties. Since McKay’s arrival, college enrollment has grown 43 percent while full-time equivalency units have increased by 53 percent as many students elected to take heavier course loads. SPCC employs 30 percent more full-time faculty and staff members than it did in 2003. During the 2010-2011 academic year, the college served 17,000 students through college curriculum, continuing education and basic skills classes.
The college has opened early college high schools on both the L.L. Polk and Old Charlotte Highway campuses during McKay’s tenure. The five-year programs are joint operations between SPCC and the Anson and Union county school systems that allow students to graduate with high school diplomas and associate degrees, provided all requirements are met.
During McKay’s time at SPCC, the college has launched several high-demand programs, including associate degree nursing to train registered nurses and CNC machining and industrial mechanics to meet the needs of local manufacturers. The college transfer program has been expanded to allow more local students to complete their first two years of college at SPCC.
The college has also expanded facilities during McKay’s presidency. The size of the Old Charlotte Highway Campus was doubled to 96 acres in 2004 when the college traded the Brewer Drive Campus for 48 acres of land adjacent to the new campus. SPCC opened the Covington Wing in the Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro in 2007.
Since McKay became president, the SPCC Foundation has raised more than $6 million from private sources. The total includes the proceeds of the first major gifts campaign, Investment for Tomorrow, and the current $1 million scholarship campaign that is 70 percent complete.
McKay became the second president of SPCC after serving as president of Morgan Community College in Fort Morgan, Colo. He previously worked in community college positions in Alabama, Arkansas and South Carolina. He holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Troy State University in Troy, Ala., a master’s in school administration and a doctorate in community college leadership from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.
McKay has made it a priority to increase awareness of SPCC in the college’s service area, particularly in fast-growing Union County where so many residents are newcomers. He has given community involvement high priority, and he will chair the board of the Union County Partnership for Progress during 2010-2011. McKay currently chairs the board of the New Ventures Business Development Center.
He serves on the boards of the Anson Chamber of Commerce, Monroe Economic Development Board, Union County Partnership for Progress, the Anson County Economic Development Commission, Centralina Economic Development Commission, Union Smart Start, Anson County Partnership for Children and the Union County Community Arts Council. He serves as a member of the Union County Chamber of Commerce Advisory Committee. McKay is an active member of the Wadesboro Rotary Club.
As SPCC president, McKay has been active in initiatives of the N.C. Community College System and the N.C. Association of Community College Presidents.
McKay and his wife, Linda, live in Monroe. He said they plan to stay in the area after his retirement and continue their involvement in the community.
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