Murray Williams, President, Roanoke-Chowan Community College

In an interview with Invest:, Murray Williams, president of Roanoke-Chowan Community College, discussed the institution’s shift from survival to growth, challenges facing rural students, and partnerships supporting workforce development in northeastern North Carolina. Williams said, “Behind every number is a student. Behind every student is a family. Behind every family is a community.”

How has Roanoke-Chowan Community College changed over the past five years?

When I started working at the college five years ago, we were number 58 out of 58 colleges when ranked by enrollment. A couple of years before I arrived, there had even been discussions about closing the institution. There were a lot of challenges facing the college.

One of the biggest changes is that we are finally moving out of survival mode and beginning to focus on what the future of Roanoke-Chowan Community College should look like. It has taken a lot to overcome those challenges, but now we can focus on what is best for students and how we live up to our mission of transforming their lives.

We have been working on our procedures, processes, the way we serve students, and how we interact with the community and our partners. We are building a new framework for the college and helping people see us differently, not as a struggling institution but as a college that brings value to the community. Internally, people are becoming excited about the possibilities and what we can do to serve students better.

From 2021 through 2026, our enrollment increased by 72%. We did not know we could do that, but everybody working together showed us that we could.

What recent economic developments are creating new opportunities for the college and region?

One of the biggest developments came with US Forged Rings coming to Hertford County and bringing about 625 jobs. That is huge for a Tier 1 county that has not had many workforce opportunities. The company is making an almost $1 billion investment, and the average job, even without a degree, is around $80,000 a year.

That will have a major impact on this area and on our community college. With the number of jobs they plan to bring, a college our size cannot meet that workforce need alone. It creates an opportunity for true partnerships.

We have Martin Community College, Halifax Community College, and College of The Albemarle in the region. Particularly with Halifax and Martin, I think the three of us working together can demonstrate how community colleges can cross service lines and collaborate to create the skilled workforce a company needs. We are excited about those possibilities over the next couple of years.

What challenges do students face in a rural Tier 1 community?

The major challenges are often those that come with being in a rural community. We do not have the same resources or large companies pouring financial support into the community college.

Our students can face many of the same barriers that exist in larger counties, but the difference is that resources may be more readily available in those places. Transportation is a major example. In northeastern North Carolina, we do not have transit systems where students can simply go to a bus stop and get to campus. They may depend on whether a vehicle is available at home.

Child care is another challenge. We do not have a child care center at the college, so students with children have to determine who will care for them while they are trying to get an education.

We also face challenges in recruiting qualified employees because this is a rural area without some of the amenities people may expect in larger communities. That affects our ability to attract faculty and staff.

Students also come to us hungry, homeless, or facing other needs. Serving them is not just about academics. Nonacademic barriers can prevent students from completing a credential and entering the workforce.

The strength of community colleges is that we can meet students wherever they are. If they do not have a high school diploma, we can help them earn one. If they need a workforce credential within six months, we have continuing education and workforce programs. If they want to transfer to a four-year institution, we have transfer programs.

How are partnerships helping you recruit faculty and expand programs?

One of our strategies is working directly with people and organizations in the community. Nursing is a good example. We need more nurses in the field, but we also need more nursing educators. For community colleges, especially those in rural areas, it is extremely difficult to compete with the salaries nurses can earn at hospitals.

We have built partnerships with local healthcare organizations, including our hospital and community health center, to work with nursing professionals who can teach some of our classes. We have been able to bring nurses from our community health center in to work with us part-time and serve our students.

We reach out to local government agencies, advanced manufacturing companies, employers, churches, and other organizations. We do not simply post a position on our website and hope someone applies. We reach into every outlet we can because we understand how difficult it can be to attract qualified faculty.

Our community has embraced the college and is helping us find those resources. I have gone to board members with a job description and asked them to reach into their communities, and they come back with people to contact.

It takes a village to serve at a community college and meet the needs of our students and community. That village mentality is probably our biggest strategy. We are not going to be successful alone. We want to be the community’s college, and that means all of us have to work together.

What does your commitment to Roanoke-Chowan Community College mean to you personally?

I am passionate about this institution. I tell people all the time that this is not a stop on my resume. I am not here to put a few accomplishments on my resume and then go to a bigger, better college. I want this to be the bigger, better college right here at Roanoke-Chowan Community College.

I believe our students deserve the best, and I believe we can give them the best. It is going to take us some time to get there, but we can get there. I am excited to be here and to be part of that work.

What are your priorities for the college over the next several years?

I recently changed the name of our leadership team from the President’s Cabinet to the Strategic Leadership Cabinet. I want our team to understand that they are not there for the president. They are leaders who need to think and act strategically.

I do not want people coming into meetings trying to figure out what the president wants. I want them thinking strategically about what the college needs, what our students need, and what our community needs.

Over the next five years, I want us focused on how we move this college forward. I believe it can be bigger, better, and transformative. Students are not coming here because they want to see us. They are coming because they want their lives changed. They want better opportunities and skills that can lead to family-sustaining wages.

For every student who walks through our doors, we have to ask how we can change their life, make their situation better, and help transform their future.

Our 72% enrollment increase is a great number, but it is not really about the number. Behind every number is a student. Behind every student is a family. Behind every family is a community.

That is where transformation happens. I see us moving from survival mode to transformative mode. It is time to transform this institution one life at a time, one student at a time, and one community at a time.

We are in a much better place than we were five years ago, but we are not where I intend for us to be. There is much more we can offer this community and our students, and I want them to receive everything they deserve by being students at Roanoke-Chowan Community College.