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Commendations for exceptional financial reporting were bestowed by the Richmond Community College Board of Trustees Tuesday night.

After presenting tentative budget requests for Richmond and Scotland counties, RCC Chief Financial Officer Brent Barbee presented a clean audit report from the Office of the North Carolina State Auditor with no findings and no exceptions.

“We are very proud of the hard work that Brent, Debbie Cashwell and the Business Office staff put into our financial controls,” said RCC President Dale McInnis.

Scotland County’s Small Business Innovation Center was a point of focus for RCC Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development Steve Smith. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday; the Center will be a hub for business development in Scotland County and the surrounding region, with home offices for multiple RCC staff members housed within the facility.

“This project has been a collaborative effort between RCC, City of Laurinburg and Scotland County Commissioners, and we are looking forward to a long relationship,” said Acting Chair Joyce McDow.

“It is a huge plus for Scotland County,” added Board Member Bob Davis.

Smith also reported on a new partnership in the works between RCC and SPX Transformer Solutions, the parent company of Waukesha Transformer. Discussions with representatives from the Goldsboro-based utility infrastructure operation have produced a core educational and training program to address specific workforce needs. Developed through collaboration with SPX/Waukesha and delivered through RCC, the program would train Field Service Technicians in the installation, maintenance and service of high voltage transformers.

According to Smith, this non-credit certificate course would fulfill training needs for incumbent workers, and make a valuable skill set available for study by RCC students. The program would be most accessible to students who already had an electrical background.

“Waukesha could train their technicians and also recruit students from our school,” said Smith, “They want a relationship with our college; we could become a regional hub for this type of training.”

A report from the board’s Building and Grounds Committee highlighted the fact that the RCC campus is now fully equipped with wireless Internet. It is also bursting at the seams with students, faculty and staff. A proposal to lease mobile units and convert them into temporary faculty office space was brought up for discussion before the full board. McInnis admitted that a mobile unit solution would be neither desirable nor permanent, but potentially necessary to house new staff and faculty.

The RCC Board voted to change the regular meeting time from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. This change will take effect with the next meeting on April 2 at the Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg.