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Dr. Darrel W. Staat
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President's Corner
MLB Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is known for his funny “yogisms”. While they often produce a chuckle, in the end people understand the message. One of my favorite yogisms is: “If you don’t know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else.” This is true on many levels. It also helps to explain my activity this first month on the job.
It has been a very busy and informative first month. As I work to get my feet firmly planted at the SC Technical College System, my strategy has been to listen, listen and listen more. What I’m hearing has been very encouraging.
The SC Technical College System is held in very high regard by its many champions across the state. However, never one to rest on my laurels, I will be searching for ways to build upon the System's success and help make it even better.
My plan includes a whirlwind tour of the state meeting with all 16 of our colleges, political and business leaders as well as the members of the State Board for Comprehensive and Technical Education. In addition, I am meeting one-on-one with all 62 employees of the System office. All of this in an attempt to get a clear sense of where the System is now and where we need to go to meet the future needs of the businesses and citizens of South Carolina.
My schedule is a hectic one. I plan to carry out more than 100 meetings by the 1st week in November. At that time, I will meet with my staff to share my findings. Along with our colleges and the state board, we will plan a vision for the future and develop the strategies, procedures and operations necessary to achieve it. All in all, this will be a very collaborative effort.
It’s an aggressive plan, but the end goal is well worth it. Nearly 250,000 South Carolinians rely on our system each year for education and training. In fact, our state's future ability to put South Carolinians to work quickly while preparing them to compete in jobs available now depends heavily on our System.
I’m dedicated to making sure this critical component of our state’s future success always understands the needs of our state and constantly strives to meet them. Opposite of Yogi’s words, we will know where we are going.
Darrel W. Staat
