Dr. Thomas A. Walker Jr., president of Wayne Community College, is the new chair of the North Carolina Campus Compact executive board.
North Carolina Campus Compact is a collaborative network of 39 colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. Presidents and chancellors join the Compact on behalf of their institutions and commit them to becoming “engaged campuses.” Those institutions also become members of the national Campus Compact organization.
The Executive Board provides oversight and strategic direction for NCCC’s work supporting member colleges and universities. It is comprised of presidents and chancellors who are members of the Compact and represent all three higher education sectors – two and four-year public institutions and four-year private institutions.
Walker is the first community college representative on the executive board. Wayne Community College joined the Compact in 2017 and immediately Walker became an active member and joined the board in 2019.
“Civic and community engagement has never been more necessary and higher education plays an important role in sustaining an informed citizenry,” Walker said of his new role. “I look forward to the accomplishments in our near future, and I am extremely excited about the civic energy and insight our respective colleges and universities will provide for the students and communities we serve.”
Walker succeeds High Point University President Nido Qubein who served two three-year terms as chair of the NCCC executive board. During his tenure, Qubein oversaw significant change and growth in the organization, including the establishment of the HPU Challenge Fund to help ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of the Compact. Previous chairs were Chancellor Ken Peacock of Appalachian State University (2008-2014), and President Leo Lambert of Elon University (2002-2008).
Walker is also a member of the leadership board for Community Colleges for Democracy (CC4D), a network within the national Campus Compact network. CC4D is dedicated to preparing community college students to be informed, active, and mobilized leaders in democracy. It ensures that Campus Compact is responsive to issues that matter most to community colleges and that the voice of community colleges is central to the work of pursuing the public purposes of higher education.
