Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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58 UCW OCTOBER 5 - 11, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Dr. Mark Sorrells selected as next FTCC president a CityView Today STAFF REPORT Dr. Mark A. Sorrells has been named the next president of Fayetteville Technical Community College, the school's board of trustees announced in a news release Sept. 19. Sorrells is currently FTCC's senior vice president for academic and student services. He will succeed J. Larry Keen effective Jan. 1. Keen, who announced his retirement in January 2022, has led FTCC since 2007. "We are delighted to have a leader of Dr. Sorrells' caliber to guide FTCC into the future," said David Williford, chairman of the board of trustees. "We're confident that he is the right person to lead our faculty and staff and to help our students achieve their goals. FTCC has a history of success, and we believe this will continue un- der Dr. Sorrells' leadership." e nationwide search began in March. e N.C. State Board of Com- munity Colleges approved his selec- tion and the FTCC trustees finalized the selection. Sorrells was one of two finalists for the job who met with students and faculty members at FTCC in August. e other was Pamela Senegal, presi- dent of Piedmont Community College in Roxboro. Sorrells will be the fifth president of FTCC, which was founded in 1961. e school is the state's third-largest community college with more than 28,000 students annually. Sorrells said he will build on Keen's vision for FTCC, the release said. "I will do my best to carry on the legacy of Dr. Keen, who has been a wonderful mentor and friend," Sor- rells said. "I can assure you that we will stay the course and carry out and build on the vision that Dr. Keen has established for FTCC to serve as a leader in economic and workforce development for Cumberland County, the region and the state." Sorrells said he appreciates the sup- port he has received from faculty and staff members and the public through the selection process. "I'm eager to continue serving with other community leaders to improve the higher education and economic opportunities that are available and to enhance the social mobility of our citizens," he said. Sorrells joined FTCC in Janu- ary 2019 in his current job. He has managed 86 curriculum programs, corporate and continuing education, student services, and academic sup- port divisions, as well as assessment, accreditation and faculty develop- ment, according to the news release. Under his leadership, FTCC has worked with private and public part- ners to identify and address critical needs in economic and workforce development. A key initiative is the Carolina Cyber Network, a partner- ship of two- and four-year colleges and universities working to address the skills gap needed to respond to cyberthreats. Sorrells also has focused on expanding programs that address workforce needs of employers in the county and region. e college re- cently has started or expanded health care programs including nursing and respiratory therapy training. Sorrells was a catalyst in the cre- ation of FTCC's H.O.P.E. Re-connect initiative, which provides on-the-job training in high-demand skills aimed at adult learners who lack college or high school credentials. Before joining FTCC, Sorrells worked for 17 years at the Golden LEAF Foundation Inc. His respon- sibilities there included program development and financial manage- ment for the $1.1 billion nonprofit organization. Sorrells began his education career in 1985 as a business administration instructor at Haywood Community College. Sorrells earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Tennessee, the release said. He holds a doctor of education degree in edu- cation leadership from East Carolina University. He completed execu- tive programs for nonprofit leaders through Stanford University and was a fellow with the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations' Wil- dacres Leadership Initiative. EDUCATION Mark A. Sorrells