By Imani Bass
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The Board of Trustees on April 5 appointed Don Borden as the fifth president of Camden County College.
Outgoing President Raymond Yannuzzi (left) welcomes Incoming President Donald Borden (right). Photo by Imani Bass, CCC Journalism Program
Borden is the executive vice president of the college and will continue his role until the end of this spring semester. He will formally take the role of president this summer.
Borden stated April 6 since this all happened just the night before, he was still coming to grips with the honor of it. “The words I would use to describe the feeling is humbled and privileged to have such a wonderful opportunity,” Borden said.
As to why he sought the position, Borden stated he always believed you get one opportunity on this Earth and when an opportunity presents itself, you should take advantage of it.
Borden said he learned a great deal in his year as executive vice president, including how much the college has to offer. “I learned that I wasn’t aware of what the college had to offer coming in, so the huge scope of that is the need to do a better job of making other people aware of what we offer so that we end up being more attractive to prospective students,” Borden said.
About his short-term plans for the college, he stated, “The most important thing I have to do is look at our organization structure and make sure we’re being as efficient as possible and maximizing the resources we have available.” About his long-term goals for the college, he said he wanted to make sure Camden County College is the first place students want to come to out of high school.
Some of the changes he said he will be most excited to make are increasing lines of communication with students, becoming more student centered and focusing on student success. A contract setting out the length of his term has not been completed, but Borden said he hoped when he finishes his term, he will leave the institution in a better position than when he arrived.
Current President Raymond Yannuzzi said Borden is the person to lead the college in the challenging years ahead. “He has great experience in administration, has education background of all levels, and that makes him well suited to run an institution,” Yannuzzi stated. He said Borden has a great feel for students and their needs and has great personal skills for working with different groups of people.