More than 100 staff and faculty of Richmond Community College, elected officials and members of the business community were on-hand to hear RCC President Dr. Sharon Morrissey bid adieu to the college Thursday evening at Cole Auditorium.

She will be moving on to a top administrative position with the state community college system.

“I’ve told many people that leaving Richmond Community College is bittersweet,” Morrissey told the crowd.

She described a walk she’d taken around campus earlier in the week, and the regret that her new role will not allow her to be on campus working with faculty, staff and students. Her new title is Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Services and Chief Academic Officer.

“So, I will miss all of this very deeply, but at the same time I look forward to the opportunity I have going forward,” she said. “I will be working to bring about some much needed changes in the North Carolina Community College System. I hope, for example, that I will be able to make it easier for a community college to add a new program without having to go through a two-year process, but I will be working to try to make things better for a fast-growing community college system.”

During her nearly two years at RCC, no one worked as closely with Morrissey as RCC Executive Assistant Teena Parsons, who set her itinerary, answered her phone calls and served as her right hand.

“She’s been a joy to work with,” Parsons said at the reception. “She has always been professional and understanding, and she really cares about you as a person, not just as an employee.”

Parsons recalled Morrissey’s support for her as she completed work on her Master’s degree, and how she attended her graduation.

“I will really miss working with her,” Parsons said.

Other officials with the college agreed as they milled around the room, sipping punch and sharing their thoughts on Morrissey’s tenure and departure.

Dr. Dale McInnis, who will succeed Morrissey as the college’s top executive, said working with her helped to prepare him for the challenges his new role will afford him.

“She’s been great to work with, especially over the last few weeks ,” McInnis said. “The transition has been very smooth, and I think she’ll do an excellent job for the community college system in Raleigh.

RCC Foundation Executive Director Bill Council said he and others from the Foundation were pleased with the turnout for the event, which it sponsored. Vice President Vince Bateman introduced Morrissey before her remarks.

He said there was a motif running through the conversations in the lobby of the Cole Auditorium.

“Everybody, without exception, is wishing her well in her new role in Raleigh,” Council said. “I think most of them recognize that we are getting a good friend in Raleigh, which is always a good thing to have.”

RCC Trustee J.C. Lamm chaired the presidential search committee that brought Morrissey to the Hamlet campus, and the one that identified McInnis as her successor.

Thursday, he said neither was a regrettable decision.

“We certainly appreciate the wonderful job that she’s done for us here,” Lamm said. “We just want to wish her the best as she goes to Raleigh, and we’re looking forward from here on.”

Morrissey didn’t work with those at the community college alone, however. Her role as RCC’s top executive allowed her to be involved in economic development efforts in Richmond and Scotland counties, to partner with the public schools and to work with elected officials to improve the quality of life in RCC’s service area.

“She has been a fabulous lady to have here at the college,” Richmond County Commissioner Pam Dillman said at the reception. “I hate to see her go, she’s only been here such a short time, but I look forward to hearing from her about what’s going on in Raleigh and wish her the very best.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity for her, but we hate to see her leave the community,” Richmond County Board of Education Chairman Kenneth Goodman said. “She’s done a great job here, but, of course, I think she’ll leave it in good hands with Dale McInnis.”

He said that perhaps the most successful partnership between the public schools and RCC during Morrissey’s tenure has been the promotion of the early college high school programs in both counties.

The programs were started in the year before she arrived, but have come into their own during her stint as president.

“Those have been great programs for both sides,” Goodman continued. “I think all in all, we hate to see her go, but wish her well.”

Another partnership Morrissey promoted during her tenure was between the college and North Carolina Prosecutorial District 20A District Attorney’s Office to create the International Forensics Institute.

The Institute brings renowned professionals from the field of forensics to the college to instruct law enforcement in cutting-edge investigative techniques.

“Dr. Morrissey was great to work with from the perspective of the District Attorney’s Office,” D.A. Michael Parker said at the reception. “We came to her with an idea, and she was open-minded and innovative enough to try it. That was a blessing, to be able to work with her on something that will bring notoriety to Richmond County and improve local law enforcement.

“Her foresight and open-mindedness, I think, along with her creativity, were the greatest assets she brought in her time at the community college.”

“I am so touched that all these people came to wish me well,” Morrissey said. “It goes to show what a great county we live in, what great people we have here and how supportive they are of their community college.”

She said that her duties in Raleigh will allow her to continue her relationship with the college.

“I will be calling on people at the community college to give me information or feedback or to work on committees,” she continued. “I’m the kind of person who believes we are all in this together, and the way I’ll go about doing the work that’s ahead of me is by pulling from committees, and having people from the college’s help figure things out.”

She illustrated this by naming several people on the staff at RCC whose expertise she will seek as she works in Raleigh.

“I will miss Richmond Community College so much - the faculty, staff and students,” Morrissey said. “I think I said earlier that this has been the highlight of my career, and I truly mean that from my heart. Coming here has been the best thing I’ve ever done in my career.”

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.