New College Institute board tables proposal to transfer operations to Patrick & Henry, refers plan to committee

The New College Institute Board of Directors voted to table a resolution that would ask the Virginia General Assembly to effectuate a transfer of the institute’s operations to Patrick & Henry Community College, instead directing its Workforce & Academic Committee to review the proposal and related options and report back at the board’s January meeting.

Chair Eric Jones opened a replayed meeting to reconduct business disrupted by a September cyberattack and introduced the proposal drafted by board member Dr. Mark Crabtree; Crabtree was absent due to a medical emergency and a prepared statement was read on his behalf. The draft resolution asked the board to request legislative action to create a “Patrick & Henry Workforce Development and Training Center” at the Baldwin Building and sought administrative support to implement an executable transfer plan.

The proposal drew immediate criticism in public comment and from former board leaders who said the proposal was advanced without adequate analysis or community consultation. Naomi Hodge Muse, a former board member and local chapter president, told the board, “Please do not dismantle. Please do not dismantle,” and urged continued investment in the institute’s local mission. Richard Hall, a past board chair, told the board that “accountability is not optional when public trust is at stake,” and said the analysis presented to justify the transfer lacked independent data and bypassed established governance processes.

Board members debated whether the document before them represented an endorsement of a final plan or merely a starting point for legislative study. Multiple members—including legislators on the board—said the proposal had not been run through committee, that key stakeholders had not been fully consulted, and that some language in the draft (which referenced the views of an external foundation) risked legal or governance problems. Several members urged a dual-track approach: continue current NCI operations while a committee undertook fuller analysis of merger and alternative options.

A motion to adopt the resolution failed to proceed after the original second was withdrawn amid objections about specific wording. The board then voted by roll call to table the resolution and charge the Workforce & Academic Committee with a review of the proposal and alternative options, directing the chair to send a letter capturing the committee’s charge and board concerns. The committee was instructed to report findings at the next board meeting in January.

The chair said the executive committee will also work with legislative members to seek a separate $1 million amendment in the upcoming state budget cycle to fund strategic planning, an independent five‑year assessment, student support and facility needs regardless of the committee’s review outcome. The board emphasized that tabling the resolution did not remove the idea from consideration; rather, it created a formal pathway to analyze feasibility, legal implications, funding transfers and alternative models.

Next steps: the Workforce & Academic Committee will analyze the Crabtree proposal and alternative options, assess stakeholder support and legal/financial implications, and return a written report to the full board at the January meeting.