LINK: It appears to be the key to new programs for DCCC

by Darrick Ignasiak
The High Point Enterprise


March 6, 2011

DAVIDSON COUNTY – While the recession means leaner times for most businesses, community colleges are bursting at the seams as job hunters seek training to get back to work.

And Davidson County Community College says it may have found the missing link, so to speak.

Adding new programs to broaden the opportunities for those seeking to enter new fields of employment has been a central goal of the college, like most community college across the state and Triad.

And the key to the future of DCCC adding new programs may be the Link Campus.

Nestled on 183 acres, the Link Campus, located on the opposite side of Interstate 85 Business from DCCC, was donated to the college in 2009 by siblings Ed Hinkle and Talmadge Hinkle Silversides. With the donation, the college plans to use the land to develop a host of new programs and facilities that were not possible before due to land constraints.

“It took 50 years to build (the main) campus. It’s going to be 50 years before that’s a complete campus, too,” said Jenny Varner, executive director of the DCCC Foundation and the Link Campus. “We are still very much in the forming of partnerships and doing a lot of sharing with people about what’s going on in the Link Campus.”

One of the partnerships under consideration is with East Carolina University. The university is considering locating a new dental learning center at the Link Campus. “We are still very excited about that,” Varner said. “We look forward to it being here, but there is not a final decision on the table. I anticipate knowing that before much longer. The first development on that campus will be significant because it will be a little bit of a domino effect.”

“Once we start getting some of the infrastructure in place and start the building, I would anticipate we should see other development follow shortly thereafter,” Varner added. “I can’t tell you exactly what all the development is right now because things kind of fall in to place depending on what happens first. We are excited about everything that’s been going on related to the Link Campus now, and we think we will be seeing a lot of progress I’d say in 2011.”

Before the college will be able to break ground on any buildings on the Link Campus, the county will need to put in infrastructure for the 183-acre tract. Zeb Hanner, the county’s assistant manager, said commissioners have agreed to contribute $200,000 toward the sewer project.

“There’s nothing we can break ground on at this point, but there are a number of projects we are talking to people about,” Varner said. “There are a number of things that could happen first that are hopeful for ... I think should East Carolina decide to locate there, they would plan to be there by 2014.”

According to Varner, the Link Campus will not happen without partnerships. “We are not going to raise the money ourselves that it takes to develop it,” she said. “We will be able to do it in partnerships with other people. I think we are having those discussions at least on a weekly basis, so that’s really great.”

The Link Campus helps DCCC because the college only has enough room for one additional building on its campus, Varner said. The vision for the new site includes such things as a nature conservation complex, wind-power generator, environmental and natural sciences center, amphitheater, walking and cross-country trails, tennis courts, soccer fields, a 3,500-seat arena, softball field, baseball stadium, animal sanctuary and a sustainable pine plantation.

“For a college that has been growing as quickly as we have, the fact that we have this room to expand is incredible,” Varner said. “We’ve known all along that this would take us into the future. This is what we need to be successful in the next 50 years and to be innovative, push the envelope and to get into new partnerships.”