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A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey, honored as the most outstanding president in the North Carolina Community College System and one of the community's most influential leaders, has announced he will retire August 1.
The college's Board of Trustees will meet January 23 to begin the search process for his successor. Bailey holds the record as A-B Tech's longest-serving employee, starting work as the director of Adult Basic Education in August 1966. He served as area coordinator of Supervisory Development, business manager, vice president of fiscal services, and vice president of administrative services before becoming president in 1990. Under his leadership, A-B Tech has been ranked as one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country and consistently earned superior ratings on state performance measures for community colleges. "I have been blessed with tremendous support from our Board of Trustees, Vice Presidents, faculty and staff," he said in a letter of resignation to Trustees Chair Harvey Haynes. "Together, we have changed the lives of thousands of students." Haynes noted that while Bailey's retirement is a loss for the college, he is happy for him and his family on a personal level. "As sad as it may be to lose him, it's a great thing for him and (his wife) Glenda. That's what they've worked for for 44 years." Bailey served as a teacher and coach at Clyde A. Erwin High School for three years before coming to A-B Tech. Under his tenure, the college has grown into a three-campus institution that enrolls more than 25,000 students in more than 50 curriculum programs and 1,200 continuing education courses. The college's third campus, in Enka, was added in the year 2000 when Bailey secured a donation of nearly 37 acres and three buildings from textile maker BASF Corp. - the largest donation of property ever made to a community college in the United States. A native of Tullahoma, TN, Bailey earned a bachelor's degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a master's degree from Western Carolina University. He also has received honorary doctorates from Mars Hill College and WCU. In 2005, he was named President of the Year for the North Carolina Community College System, and the following year, he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of North Carolina's most prestigious awards. Bailey has been known for creating effective partnerships with business and industry, other community colleges, schools, and four-year institutions to enhance the region's economic development. He has served as a board member and chair of more than 30 civic organizations, and was named one of the most influential people in Buncombe County in a survey of community leaders conducted by The Asheville Citizen-Times. He has been the recipient of many awards, including the 2005 Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council, the Rotary Centennial Service Award for Professional Excellence, a Professional Achievement Award from Western Carolina University, the Leadership Asheville Circle of Excellence Award, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman's Award, the Buncombe County Partners in Education Volunteer of the Year Award, and a Special Contributor Award from Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina.
As a comprehensive community college, A-B Tech is committed to providing accessible, quality educational opportunities for lifelong learning to meet the diverse and changing needs of the community. For more information about programs at A-B Tech, call 254-1921, or visit the college�s website at www.abtech.edu. (Images provided by AB Tech.)
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