The Highlight: We welcomed two new Rotarians to our club on September 8. They are Greg Bockheim, executive director of the Virginia Zoo, and Ed Ware, director of communications and marketing, for Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Greg’s Rotary mentor is John Searing of Merrill Lynch. Ed’s mentor is Lisa Sands of Virginia Opera. Both Ed and Greg are starting on their red-badge-to-blue-badge journey, which includes a challenge to discover and meet their mystery past club presidents assigned to them using clues given at the meeting. 

 

Rotarian Ray Norton (left) with speaker Gil Bland and Rotarian Gene Justice

 

The Program: The Rotarian of the day was Edna Baehr-Kolovani, president of Tidewater Community College, who introduced Gil Bland, immediate past chair of the Virginia Council on Higher Education (SCHEV), which governs colleges and universities in the Commonwealth. He has served on the council for nine years.  He noted that our own Rotarian John Padgett is a veteran of service on this council and chaired it in 1999.

 

Bland, a James Madison University graduate, is the owner of numerous Burger King and Pizza Hut franchises.  He also is active nationally in franchise organizations that promote and support minority groups.  His list of public service is extensive.

 

Bland, a Virginia Beach resident, began his talk by announcing that we had just passed the one-decade mark of “disinvestment”, a term we have been warned about for years.  The consequences of not investing in public colleges and universities are beginning to show. 

 

The Commonwealth of Virginia has 16 four-year public colleges.  He described Virginia’s Community College system of 23 colleges as “one of the best.”  He noted that our own Tidewater Community College ranks in the top 15 of community colleges in the country in number of students.

 

We learned about how councils such as SCHEV can be organized.  North Carolina, for example, has a central board system that has direct governance over North Carolina’s public colleges and Universities, which are all part of a single system.  SCHEV is an advisory council, or advocate, so each of Virginia’s colleges and universities is governed directly by separate Boards of Visitors. Our speaker opined that both systems have advantages and disadvantages.  Neither is superior.  Comparing the system in North Carolina to that in Virginia, Bland commented that “there is no Charlottesville and everyone else.”  Virginia has many excellent colleges and universities to serve students.

 

Bland recognized that ”education is the source of economic development.”  The current emphasis on STEM or science, technology, engineering and math needs to be a current focus although funding and resources are limited.  One of the issues being addressed by SCHEV is the prediction that half of new jobs created in the next decade will not require a four- year degree.  This will impact decisions about the funding of the various colleges in Virginia.  Bland noted that SCHEV is tasked with developing a Strategic Plan every six years. 

 

 

 

Bob Heely led music on guitar including his own “Rotaritaville” and the Woody Guthrie favorite “This Land Is Your Land”. A thoughtful invocation was given by Lisa Sands.  Marty Raiss was honored for two years of perfect Rotary attendance. Members Ben Mason, Gary Boswick, Mike Goldsmith and Steve Jones were thanked for hosting optional Rotary outings for their club members.

 

We welcomed three guests to our meeting: Kelly Stefanko of the National Science Foundation, Richard Groover of Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer, and Rod Lilly, a visiting Rotarian who is Ed Lilly’s brother.

 

Visitation Report:  Jim Baker updated those present on various Rotarians and their families who are currently on our “disabled list.”