By: Dr. Bruce Ayers and Dr. Judy Leonard

Fulfilling the Promise Campaign is the name given to the major gifts campaign now underway at Southeast Community College. It is an apt title for this important undertaking, one that speaks to the future, the future of the College, and, perhaps more importantly, the future of the thousands of students it serves. For in each student is an unfilled potential that once unleashed can change them forever. That is the promise of education. That is the promise that SECC hopes to fulfill for all its students.

The campaign will involve many different individuals, some who work at the College and many community volunteers who give of their time and resources to help make our efforts successful. While SECC President Dr. W. Bruce Ayers and I, as Director of Advancement, will play important roles, we wanted you to learn more about the campaign chairs who serve on our behalf.

Rayburn Doss, Chairman of the Board for the Southeast Education Foundation, and owner of Doss-Fuelco, Inc., has graciously agreed to be the overall Chairman of the Campaign. Mr. Doss brings extensive experience to this role, having served as campaign chairman during the Partners in Progress Campaign in the 1990s.

When asked why he was interested in helping SECC raise money Mr. Doss replied, "I have a desire to repay Southeast for getting me started in the business world. When I finished at SECC, I had plans to further my education; however, I had an opportunity to become an independent businessman and I took it. Thus, it was the course work I took at Southeast that provided a foundation for me to manage a successful business." Doss-Fuelco, Inc. was established by Mr. Doss in 1978. This Harlan business employs a number of individuals and provides fuel oil and other petroleum products to customers from throughout the area.

Mr. Doss believes that those we serve should be willing to give to the Fulfilling the Promise Campaign because, "Every student who completes high school should be given an opportunity for a college education. Southeast provides that opportunity for students to become educated and to successfully obtain gainful employment. Success in today's world depends on a good education - the kind of education that can be obtained at Southeast." During the last campaign Rayburn Doss and his wife Lela started the Doss Family Scholarship. Mr. Doss has said that he and his wife Lela plan to continue to support the Doss Family Scholarship during the Fulfilling the Promise Campaign.

Robert W. Vaughn, co-founder of Vaughn & Melton Consulting Engineers, Inc., a multi-state planning / architectural / engineering firm, and an SECC Board member for some ten years will provide campaign leadership for SECC in Bell County. While serving as a member of the Kentucky Council on Higher Education in the 1980's, Mr. Vaughn was instrumental in bringing higher education into Bell County and continues to be very supportive of the educational offerings of Southeast Community College in the area.

Mr. Vaughn is especially encouraged by the four-year programs SECC is now able to offer on site through cooperative agreements with 4-year colleges and universities When asked why he has always been interested in education, Mr. Vaughn said, "if an area is going to grow we must bring up the education level of the people - it goes hand-in-hand with economic development - the rising tide lifts all boats."

Sandy Miller, Secretary/Treasurer at Leo Miller & Associates, Inc., a consulting civil engineering firm, and wife of Leo Miller, President, will be at the helm in Harlan County, providing leadership to raise friends and funds for Southeast during the current campaign. Although Mrs. Miller attended Summer School at Southeast a number of years ago (while working to complete her BA at Georgetown College), a recent tour of the Harlan Campus provided new insights. Mrs. Miller said, "My involvement with the SECC Fulfilling the Promise Campaign has truly opened my eyes to the vast array of educational programs that the College provides. To my surprise, SECC offers sixty-five programs throughout its five campuses within Harlan, Letcher, and Bell Counties. On a recent tour of the Harlan Campus given by Campus Director, Joel Eldridge, I saw first-hand the fine facilities the College has to offer on that campus based on extensive renovation work that has been done there."

Further, Mrs. Miller stated, "As we all know, education is the key to our future as well as our community's economic development. Beyond its educational value, SECC, through its gifted and dedicated professors and support staff, serves as an integral part of our community. SECC will continue to benefit Harlan County by preparing our students for successful careers and, more importantly, helping them achieve their goals."

Heading up the fund raising effort for Southeast in Letcher County is Carl Banks, Assistant CEO of Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation, one of the region's foremost health care providers. In addition to working many years with MCHC, Mr. Banks also served for many years as an adjunct professor at SECC. He is eager to help with the Fulfilling the Promise Campaign.

Recently Mr. Banks had this to say, "Before there was a Southeast Campus in Whitesburg, I had the pleasure of teaching 176 students in English 101 and English 102 between 1983 and 1986. It was an extremely positive experience for me. Working with such committed students was a distinct pleasure, and I will be forever grateful to those traditional and non-traditional students for allowing me to help them improve their writing and critical reading skills. Hardly a day passes that I do not see or hear of one of my SECC students making a contribution to the betterment of this area and its people. The staff at the new campus (in Whitesburg) is providing such an obtainable educational opportunity for the people here that positive improvement in all areas of community life will result. We all must help keep the Whitesburg Campus and the College going strong!"

In addition to the campaign chairs, F.N. Hazen, Chairman of the Board of Directors at SECC, Dr. Meredith Evans, retired physician in Bell County, who has helped immensely with previous campaigns, Helen Smith, former Board of Directors Chair, who also has extensive service in previous campaigns, and Penny Ritter, who spearheaded past fund-raising efforts in Letcher County, round out the Campaign Executive Leadership Team as honorary chairs.

President Ayers commented recently that Southeast Community College was blessed to have individuals of this caliber assume these important roles. "We all owe them a vote of gratitude," he said. "With their leadership, I am confident that our campaign will be a success."