Johnson pens letter to NTCC community
An Open Letter to the Community:
As I prepare to transition from the presidency of Northeast Texas Community College, to a new role in West Texas, I would like to share some farewell thoughts and observations. First, Vicki and I want to express our deep gratitude for the kindness and support we have felt from the day we arrived. We have made many friends that we will never forget. I will always consider my time at NTCC the pinnacle of my professional career and it has been an honor to lead such a fine college.
I have felt an increasing burden over the past few years for the future of this region. Rural America, which I believe to be the foundation of our country, is experiencing sharp declines nationally. Jobs are clustering to economic hubs and opportunities for a healthy community depend on good jobs. Health outcomes in our region are the worst in the state and the nation. And I worry that, without a clear aspiration to change these realities through comprehensive economic development and lifestyle changes, our region will inexorably slide into a depressing future.
But this region has everything necessary to achieve the exact opposite – good jobs, healthy lives, and improving opportunities for young families. We have land, water, people, and proximity to the largest inland population center in the country – the metroplex. I see folks in various communities across the region trying earnestly to bring industry and jobs to their towns. But I also see deeply entrenched attitudes of competition between - or benign neglect of - these communities.
The unvarnished truth is that for Northeast Texas to grow strong, there is a need for a broad regional vision, and the coming together of leaders ( formal and informal) to tackle these challenges together, for the greater good. Communities need to be talking to each other and taking serious the question of what can be done. Only through a strong regional approach can we aspire to actually change the reality of infant mortality, early death rates, the serious lack of college graduates, an inadequate supply of professional jobs, or other circumstances that need to be faced.
In my role at the college I have had the privilege of being included in numerous conversations about these needs in each of our communities. I have listened to Morris County commissioners, Franklin County Industrial Foundation members, Pittsburg city officials, and Mt Pleasant EDC board members as they have struggled to find answers to local challenges that relate to these big issues. As I prepare to leave this beautiful area, I urge you to “think regionally.” Pay attention to what your neighbors are doing. Help them achieve success, even if you can’t show a direct payback to your own constituency. Be eager to work on the big challenges, even if success is not guaranteed. You can bring about a better future, but only by working together.
Thank you for nine wonderful years in the most beautiful place in Texas!
Sincerely,
Dr. Brad Johnson,
NTCC President
