On the Move - Louisiana Community and Technical College System

We saw how important it
was to build relationships with
donors and show them how
their support can advance this
incredibly important education
model for our state...
The Foundation
E
arlier this year, River Parishes Community College
foundation board member Charlie Freeburgh
listened intently in a workshop about fundraising
along with other college leaders and foundation
members from around the state. Held in New
Orleans and called the Executive Institute, the
workshop had been organized by the LCTCS
senior vice president of advancement Leah Goss
to discuss strategies and best practices for building
the private fundraising capacity of community and
technical colleges.
As he sat in the conference room with more than 60
other board members, chancellors and advancement
staff, Freeburgh says a light bulb went off.
“It was an awakening on my part in recognizing how
we could strengthen what we were doing locally,”
recalls Freeburgh, vice president of environmental
safety and security for Georgia Gulf Corporation.
“I had been on the RPCC board, but I had never
networked with other institutions. Getting together,
we saw the importance of creating development
goals, so that we could expand our local fundraising,
and collectively fulfill our workforce development
mission for the state.”
By the close of the meeting, every community and
technical college in Louisiana had completed a
fundraising plan. Combined, the colleges aimed to
raise $49 million over the next year. “At RPCC, we
now feel organized and focused like never before,”
said Freeburgh. “And we also recognize that the
colleges complement the work of one another—we
are not competitors.”
Community and technical colleges have never
been more important to Louisiana residents or to
its businesses and industries. Enrollment at state
community and technical colleges has jumped
from 48,000 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students
to 75,000 FTE since 2007 alone, a 66% increase
as more students see the value of community and
technical education in the modern economy, and
businesses and corporations see these institutions
are a key source of future talent.
With the state economy outpacing most of the
South and the U.S., it is critical that these colleges
continue their ascent. But the pressure to grow
also comes at a time when public funds for higher
education have diminished, making private
investment an important long-term objective for
statewide campuses. Five years ago, the Foundation
for Louisiana’s Community and Technical
Colleges was established to help introduce a strong
private development culture among Louisiana’s
two-year institutions.
6 | Moves Magazine