Southwestern Community College recently received funding to continue its work as the Western Regional Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. SCC is one of three regional centers which are part of the North Carolina Community College System’s statewide NC-NET initiative.

This year’s grant brings the six-year funding total to $215,000, according to Laura Pennington, SCC’s director of community and resource development.

"Our focus is on community college teaching and learning, as well as leadership and professional development,” Pennington said.

The North Carolina Network for Excellence in Teaching was established in 2003 as a cost-effective statewide infrastructure for the development and delivery of faculty professional development.

"One of the good things about it,” said Putman, “is that it helps North Carolina community colleges share resources and avoid duplication. We can collaborate and network among the colleges. Plus, it works two-fold. We let faculty know what’s available out there for them as well as respond to their requests of what they need.

"By utilizing a resource-rich and interactive web portal, faculty across the state can learn about conferences/training opportunities, access face-to-face and on-line seminars, chat with other instructors across the state via discussion boards, and search for ‘best practice’ resources through an interactive database. We also have a library collection of text, video and other materials showcasing effective teaching practices that is available for inter-library loan through WebCat.”