Thursday, June 29, 2006

Wilmington, N.C. - University of North Carolina System President Erskine Bowles and Martin Lancaster, president of the North Carolina Community College System, toured the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base with officials from University of North Carolina Wilmington and Coastal Carolina Community College on June 28. The day-long visit featured military demonstrations and testimonials from Marines stationed at the Jacksonville, N.C. base as well as tours of the partnered UNCW-CCCC facilities on the base.

"This is a historic moment, to be able to get all of these people together," UNCW Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo said as she greeted the representatives from both of the schools, Onslow County and the Marine Corps base. "UNCW and Coastal Carolina are shaping and preparing the next generation of leaders."

In his April inaugural address, President Bowles shared his vision for the future of the UNC system and specifically mentioned partnerships between universities and community colleges. "Our community colleges are an enormous asset for North Carolina, and they are every bit as important, if not more so, than the university is to the future economic well-being of North Carolina."

That point was also stressed by CCCC President Ron Lingle as he described his school's partnership with UNCW and the role both have in educating members of the military community. "What we have is a model for other partnerships for military bases across North Carolina," he said.

Following a tour and demonstration of military operations at Camp Lejeune's mock-up European village, Bowles and Lancaster sat down with UNCW/CCCC school officials and a handful of students to talk about how they could respond to the educational needs of the Marines and their families.

UNCW Deans Virginia Adams (School of Nursing) and Cathy Barlow (School of Education) highlighted opportunities that touched the Marines' spouses and families, with Bowles taking a specific interest in Camp Special Time. The weekend retreat for handicapped children offers nursing students the opportunity to work with special needs children and has been a successful, albeit under-funded, collaboration between UNCW, CCCC and New Hanover Health Network.

"That's what I mean; that's a great program," Bowles said during Adams' presentation, "It's such an emotional release for the parents…just to have some time off.

"There needs to be a lot of long-term commitment," he said at the end of the meeting, "and UNCW has stepped up to the plate. The UNC system needs to stand up to the plate in terms of resources."