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The call to lead brought Dr. Lawrence L. Rouse to Greenville, where he serves as Pitt Community College’s fifth president. A recipient of the prestigious Kellogg grant, Rouse has a vision for individualized education that can more fully engage the college’s broad student population.
“At Pitt Community College, we want to take individuals as far as they want to go, starting where they are,” Rouse says. “We are an open-door institution, and it’s our mission to accept everyone. Whatever level they’re at, we want to help them to be employed, and to advance in their careers. For our students, the sky’s the limit.”
Rouse comes to the college after serving as president of James Sprunt Community College (2005-2018). Originally from Sumter, S.C., Rouse attended Vorhees College in South Carolina and received a master of education from the University of South Carolina.
Rouse completed his doctorate at N.C. State, where, with a Kellogg grant, he studied transformational leadership among community college presidents and deans. He also received a National Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness fellowship. Previously, he worked in admissions at Central Carolina Technical College (S.C). where he focused on first-generation college students, especially African American men. He advanced steadily, and pushed himself to reach higher.
“Each step was a stretch, but I found that I could adapt,” he says of those years. Whenever he was asked to do more, “I could make it happen. Everything I did was to improve the student experience on campus.”
He comes to Pitt Community College at a dynamic time, as it evolves into a more flexible, nimble institution that deftly matches students’ needs and employer expectations. As part of this shift, he has a vision for competency-based education. That means “assess where students are, then without reteaching them, build on those skills. We want to give them credit for the skills they already have. We will individualize their experience of the college.” This approach aims to customize learning, so students find programs that match their education, experience, and ambition.
Employers can also expect changes as the college develops programs and training for “technologies we haven’t seen yet,”
Rouse emphases. As workplace evolves, they are looking for on-site training opportunities, which PCC can provide.
In his convocation remarks, Rouse described his vision for carrying out the college’s mission as a transformation for students.
“I find our motto — ‘educating and empowering PCC students for success’ — appropriate for what occurs on the campus of this institution every day for the past 57 years,” he said. “Community colleges empower individuals for success in life. Countless student and graduate lives are better, because of the education and training provided by the professional administrators, faculty, and staff of Pitt Community College. (We) transform our students from dependent to independent, from unskilled to skilled, from disenfranchised to empowered.”
Long-time friend and mentor Donald Reichard sensed early on that Rouse had the energy, drive, and vision for leadership.
“Lawrence and I got to know each other when he was finishing his degree,” says Reichard, president emeritus of Johnston Community College. “I was really impressed, and I said I hoped we would connect down the road.” Soon, he recruited Rouse to Johnston Community College, where they worked together from 2000-2009. “It was a win-win.”
His colleague has a quiet strength that invites trust. He genuinely listens to others — a trait that wins support for his plans.
“Lawrence helps others to feel that he respects you, and values your opinion,” Reichard says. “He’s smart, and people like to be around him.”
www.greenvillenc.org/glimpse 21
“COUNTLESS STUDENT AND GRADUATE LIVES ARE BETTER, BECAUSE OF THE EDUCATION
AND TRAINING PROVIDE BY THE PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATORS, FACULTY, AND STAFF OF PITT COMMUNITY COLLEGE.”