Dwight Wiggins who has retired after 31 years at SCC is going to stay to fill several important roles

Dwight Wiggins, retiring SCC vice president for Extension Education, seen at the college's Public Safety Center where he also served as director of Basic Law Enforcement Training Education, has taken on several new roles at the college in what will be a very busy part time position.

After 31 years at Southwestern Community College, Dwight Wiggins is beginning a new career. Recently retired from the college, Wiggins has accepted the position as assistant to the person who is filling his former post, who in turn was previously his assistant.

Sound complicated? Not really. Here's how SCC president Dr. Cecil Groves explained it. "Dwight has a wealth of experience in so many areas of the college's operations and is just too valuable an employee to let go. So we talked him into staying on with us part time," Groves said. "He has agreed to serve as assistant to Susan McCaskill, our new vice president for Extension Education, who formerly served as Dwight's assistant in the same position. In his new role, he will be School Director of the Basic Law Enforcement Training and in that role will assist Curtis Dowdle who is the director of Public Safety Training which includes Law Enforcement. Dwight will also work with our education programs at LBJ Job Corps and with the SCC Cherokee Center in managing the education programs at Oconaluftee Job Corps. In addition he will work with the college's Business and Industry Training and Small Business Center."

According to Groves, Wiggins will assist Ms. McCaskill in other ways in her new job as the need arises. Wiggins, who directed SCC's Extension Education (or Continuing Education) for 18 years, well understands that work in the division constantly changes. "I'm sure the position will continue to evolve as all work with in Continuing Education always has," he said. "That's one of the best things about working in Continuing Ed; there's always something new every day."

Looking back at Wiggins' career, it's obvious he has embraced change a number of times. He began his career at SCC as a business and accounting instructor, a position he held for 10 years.

"I really liked teaching and working directly with students," he said. "I particularly liked the special projects my students and I did, conducting feasibility studies for county governments and businesses in the area."

However, it was these projects that led Wiggins to leave the classroom for administrative work at SCC. At the time, Dr. Norman Myers was president of the college and he was so impressed with the feasibility studies conducted by Wiggins that he realized he would be valuable to the college in its plans for what would become the Regional Allied Health and Geriatric Training programs and center (now Balsam Center). Wiggins was promoted to the position of Assistant Dean of Allied Health and General Education.

His first task was to conduct a feasibility study. Working with the Research Triangle Institute, Wiggins completed the feasibility study for the proposed center. He was also responsible for starting the allied health programs - he wrote the guidelines and sought approval from the NC Community College System for radiology, respiratory therapy, physical therapy and others. Working closely with Dr. Myers, he also helped to pursue funds for the center which included classroom and lab space, offices, and an auditorium.

"We took our plans to the State Legislature and to other funding sources to obtain the $3.5 million necessary for the building and we got the money we needed," he recalled.

At the same time, Wiggins began work on the general education curriculum which eventually evolved into the college's present College Transfer program. In addition, he was busy starting the first Huskins classes through which high school students can take SCC classes at their own schools. "Our first Huskins class was a physics class at Blue Ridge School," he said. "Now we offer these along with dual enrollment classes through which area high school students can attend classes on the SCC campus and earn a free associate degree."

Soon Wiggins was asked to make another change. He was promoted to Dean of Continuing Education. "At first, Continuing Education was relatively small," he said. "And most of our offerings were through what was termed the Community Service programs. We provided recreational arts and crafts programs. Then we saw significant expansion when we added occupational training and basic skills classes. We went on to add the Adult High School program in conjunction with area high schools through which adults could earn a high school diploma."

The changes kept coming as Wiggins and his staff developed more programs to meet the needs of residents of Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary. Wiggins was responsible for starting up educational programs at Oconaluftee Job Corps and L.B.J. Job Corps in Cherokee and Franklin, respectively. Under his guidance over the years, Oconaluftee JC added course work in health occupations, business/clerical, basic skills, and landscaping. The LBJ JC offers welding, facility maintenance, masonry, business/clerical, culinary, administrative systems, and basic skills.

"Both Job Corps programs are very valuable to the region. Their mission is economic development," he explained, "and they are both important economic engines in our service area. But most important is what they do for the students. They enable students to get job skills and to learn life management skills. I believe our work with the two Job Corps centers is one of the most important things we do."

You may think Wiggins' work load was full with Continuing Education Division responsibilities; however the college called upon him to also serve as Dean of Academic Services for eight months while this position was temporarily vacant.

"I've been fortunate to work in all of the college's divisions - and with every president over the college's history," Wiggins said.

Because of his long career with the college and the fact that he's always worked closely with each president, Wiggins can offer unique insights about each of the presidents.

"SCC has been blessed to have the right leadership it has needed at every step of its development," he said. "Edward Bryson was a local man with strong local ties and influence. He persuaded the Jackson County government officials to donate the property for the campus and to establish a tax base to support the college. Dr. Myers was a builder. He came in and made us a college in name and reality. Dr. Russell helped us focus internally and built a close knit management team that still functions well to this day. He built team spirit throughout the college and allowed a lot of good things to happen. Dr. Groves has taken us forward in technology and has succeeded in making that technology available to everyone in our service area and beyond. He has such strong management experience and has built relationships with the members of our service area. I've been very fortunate to work with all these presidents."

However much he has enjoyed working with the CEOs of SCC, Wiggins places particular value on his Continuing Education co-workers.

"The biggest asset I've had in Continuing Education has been the wonderful staff I've had to work with. Continuing Ed people have to be creative and we really have a great group of creative, hard working people. In CE, we're always starting up something new or changing an existing program to better fit what individuals and groups are asking for. For example, when we started E-commerce, we couldn't offer enough courses to fill the demand. Then that need was saturated and we moved on to offer something else for which there was a new demand. Because the college has always been willing to take risks, we've constantly experimented with new things and new programs."

Wiggins has also seen the evolution of SCC's community service program from a grant funded program to today's self-supported initiative. "Originally, the state funded all community service programs," he said. "However that didn't work because all the community colleges experienced the same problem - the same people were taking courses over and over. So funding ended and many community colleges dropped community service programs all together.

"But we decided to change; we offered new innovative programs on a self-supporting basis. That change proved very successful for us and other colleges are always asking us how we do it. Well, the answer to that is two-fold. First, the Extension Education division is very responsive to the needs of the communities we serve. Any person or organization can come to us with a course or class idea or need; and if we can find an instructor and there are enough people interested in it, we'll offer it. Second but in the same vein, we have always tried to forecast what an agency or group will need.

"I think we are again at a turning point with Continuing Education. We face the demands of technology, job training needs and job retraining needs, the needs of individuals and groups. And if we didn't have creative, energetic people, I would be concerned. But we do and for that reason, I see our future as very exciting. So I am looking forward to starting a new career here at SCC. And I'm looking forward to having more time to do some of the things I've wanted to do for a long time."

While the work load Wiggins has signed on for sounds heavy, he is determined to keep it to reasonable hours, he says. After all, he's looking forward to having more time to work on his farm, to do some blacksmithing, and to spend time with his wife, Cathy. Still, even in "retirement," Dwight Wiggins is still going to be one of the busiest people at SCC.

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