LAURINBURG — Educational leaders talked about the strong link between their schools and Scotland County at the annual State of Education Breakfast.

The event, organized by the Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce, included talks by Robin Cummings, chancellor of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke; Ron Hargrave, superintendent of Scotland County schools; Paul Baldasare, president of St. Andrews University president; Dale McInnis, president of Richmond Community College; and Frank McDuffie, head master at Laurinburg Institute.

About 50 people attended the breakfast at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Laurinburg.

During Cummings’ presentation, he described UNCP as Scotland County’s state university, with a major impact on the community. According to the chancellor, there are 1,176 UNCP alumni, 260 current students, and 94 employees from Scotland County.

“Scotland County is blessed when it comes to having so many options when it comes to education,” Cummings said.

Cummings also spoke on the involvement between the local chamber of commerce and the television series “On the Road with Cecil,” as well as the chamber’s course “Leadership Scotland, who visited the campus in September.

“You have a terrific community college, a private university, and we like to think you have an institution of the UNC system right down the road just a few minutes away,” Cummings said. “At UNC Pembroke we do consider ourselves Scotland County’s public university.”

The St. Andrews president, Baldasare talked about how through a diverse student population, curriculum based on critical thinking and a new football team, the Laurinburg campus has found a new connection to the local population.

“The challenge for small, private church-related colleges is pretty great and the future is uncertain,” he said, “but I think that as we stay close to our original mission with the work that we do.”

Baldasare seemed optimistic on how the university’s new football team has drawn the community of Scotland County, St. Andrews alumni, and current students

Academically, St. Andrews is ranking above the median for its students development of communication and critical thinking, Baldasare said, citing a national survey.

“Our students perform 10 to 40 percent better in terms of their ability to communicate in the written word, based on the demands that are put on them in the classroom,” Baldasare said.

RCC President McInnis said his institution is working hard to train workers for a new and changing job market.

“The jobs crisis we are facing is the gap that our employers are facing in not being able to find qualified and skilled employees they need to grow,” McInnis said.

Helping to bridge the gap are RCC courses for training truck drivers, nursing, and offering dual enrollment with Scotland schools.

The state of education with the SCSS has headed in the direction of preparing students with science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum.

Parked outside the event was the school district STEAM Mobile Classroom, where those in attendance could see students from Covington Street Elementary at work and play.

“One of the most important things we can do as a public education system is to make sure when our students leave us they have these skills,” Hargrave said.

McDuffie, spoke on behalf of the Laurinburg Instutute for the fist time at a state of education breakfast, explaining the historic school is on the road back to educating students. He called the African-American boarding school a “normal, industrial institution. He plans to offer technical training and online courses.

By Nolan Gilmour

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Reach Nolan Gilmour at 910-506-3171