Buterbaugh was named the North Carolina winner in the scholarship program sponsored by Coca-Cola Refreshments, Coca-Cola Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and American Association of Community Colleges.

Buterbaugh is scheduled to graduate from GTCC next month, and hopes to earn a four-year degree at N.C. State University. She is an honors student who has participated in many organizations at GTCC.

Last summer, Buterbaugh participated in the N.C. Community College Student Leadership Development program, a six-day program at Peace College in Raleigh.

The New Century Scholars program and All-USA Community College Academic Team, which is presented by USA TODAY and Phi Theta Kappa and sponsored by Follett Higher Education Group, share a common application and together recognize outstanding community college students.

More than 1,720 students were nominated from more than 860 community colleges for recognition. Judges consider grades, leadership, activities and most importantly, how students extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

New Century Scholars are the highest scoring students in each state, plus one student from Canada and one additional student chosen from among one of the remaining seven sovereign nations where Phi Theta Kappa is represented internationally. Each scholar will be recognized in the April 23 edition of USA TODAY.

“We appreciate the support of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and Coca-Cola Refreshments to recognize the academic achievement and leadership accomplishments of these outstanding community college students,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s executive director Dr. Rod Risley in Jackson, MS.

“These scholarships provided by organizations like Coca-Cola make the goal of college completion possible – especially during these challenging economic times,” Risley said.

The award will be presented May 16 at the N. C. University Club on the Centennial Campus in Raleigh.

“Randy Parker’s significant record of leadership on the local, state and national levels contributed to his selection as the president of GTCC,” said Coy O. Williard Jr. of High Point, chairman of the GTCC Board of Trustees.
“His energy, foresight and leadership skills already have established him as an understanding, committed leader in Guilford County. As chair of the Board of Trustees, I am honored to congratulate Dr. Parker on behalf of the students faculty, staff and Board of GTCC,” Williard said.

The award was established in memory of Ready, the first president of the N.C. Community College System, and is presented annually to a leader who has rendered distinguished service in the community college sector.  The recipient is recognized for “innovation in the community college system and for the impact a single motivated leader can exert on the regional community in support of the initiatives of the Department of Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education at North Carolina State University.”

Parker was cited for his leadership during the completion of his doctoral program with the NCSU faculty and for his accomplishments at Vance-Granville Community College.  He was commended for creating innovative curricular pathways in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curricula and establishing partnerships with UNC institutions in the Engineering, Math and Science curricula

The awards committee noted the collaborative partnership he formed with the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the National Science Foundation to offer the nation’s first  AAS Degree in Global Logistics Technology.  The committee acknowledged Parker’s leadership to revise the FTE (Full Time Equivalency) formula that funds the community college system.

Parker was a prime leader in creating and expanding the early college high school programs through a crucial partnership with K-12 schools. Three of these programs are housed on GTCC campuses in Jamestown, High Point and Greensboro.

Since becoming president of GTCC in September 2011, Parker has worked to engage young adults to seek out and participate in higher education. He is presently presiding over the Gates Foundation Development Education Initiative (DEI) that targets developmental education at GTCC and the institution’s leadership of the Completion by Design (CPD) initiative that is funded by the state and the Gates Foundation.

“These major initiatives are significant institutional commitments which will provide stronger support environments and powerful pathways to keep at-risk community college students enrolled and motivated to graduate from community colleges,” Williard said.

Parker has moved quickly to assume a major role in the community by becoming chair of the 2013 March of Dimes campaign and assuming leadership roles in the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance and the High Point Chamber of Commerce Leadership Council, Williard said.

The house, which has been under construction for two years, is located at 502 Old Treybrooke Drive in Greensboro.

The project got off the ground after the college and GHG Construction Corp. – the not-for-profit company that handles GTCC student building projects — applied to Duke Energy for a grant to help provide training necessary for the project.

Duke Energy provided a $168,776 grant to fund a photovoltaic lab, professional development for the faculty involved in the project and for consultants to work with the students and faculty on the certification process. Duke wasn’t involved with financing construction of the house.

Several companies and individuals made donations of material and labor.
Students in the college’s Electrical/Electronics’ Photovoltaic installation Certificate Class, who are taught how to generate power by converting solar radiation using semiconductors, are delighted to be a part of the house building team.

“This is most definitely the wave of the future,” said student Seifuddin Hasan. “With government incentives and the growing costs of fossil fuels, I think more people will be open to paying the cost in order to receive the benefits of being able to use the sun’s renewable energy,” Hasan said.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is being sought for the house, which has solar systems, eco-friendly materials and rainwater harvesting. LEED is used to rate a building on various factors regarding sustainability, energy efficiency and green building.

The greater the number of points, the higher the LEED designation is by the U.S. Green Building Council. The GTCC house is expected to be at least silver, according to Terry Gilbert, division chair for Industrial, Construction, Engineering Technologies.

Architectural drawings for the house were a joint effort among former GTCC students Robert Heraldez, Lindsay Jones and Andrea Harvey, under the direction of Virginia Tunstall, an architect and GTCC faculty member.
Jones and Harvey each drew a set of house plans, and those plans were combined into the plans adopted for the house. Herandez, with direction by Tunstall, combined the two plans.

Then students from various sectors of the college’s Industrial, Construction, Engineering Technologies division (ICET) started constructing the house. The project received support from several construction-related companies, even some managed by former GTCC students.

Even the landscaping for GTCC’s first venture into “green house” building was completed by students in the Turf Grass Management department.

Heating and air conditioning were installed by students from the HVAC department. The students worked on the heating and cooling load to size the ductwork and heat pump.

Thomas Roever, department chair for carpentry, offered reasons why this student-built house is exceptional:

• Designed to be energy efficient. “It has tight windows, the correctly sized roof overhang for solar heat gain and shading.”
• Crawl space is close and is made like a room in the house. “There is no humidity in the crawl space.”
• Walls are framed with 2′ X 6′ material and have R-19 insulation.
• Reflective sheathing on the roof and light colored shingles keep the heat down in the roof, promoting better cooling.
• Cement siding with recycled fibers was used. The kitchen island top is constructed from recycled granite.
• No VOC paint was used. (Volatile Organic Compounds are harmful to people and the environment.)
• Mohawk carpet with recycled fiber content.
• Plumbing designed to use less water and be more efficient than a traditional house.
• Voltaic panels help produce electricity. Solar thermal use for hot water.
• Permeable pavers minimize water run-off were used to help from overloading the sewer system.
• Interior trim, flooring and kitchen cabinets were completed by GTCC carpentry students. Bath vanities were constructed from reusable material donated by Harvell Door and Trim Co.
• Gutters were installed by AM Roofing and Construction Services, a company owned by former GTCC carpentry graduates.

“As long as photovoltaic systems decrease in price, as long as utility prices increase and as long as people want to save money, this ‘green technology’ wave will become something that will be here to stay,” said student Adaryll Williamson.

“Green technology is something new and exciting,” Williamson said. And yes, even as much as they love it, the house is for sale. Asking price is $179,000. A bargain, Gilbert said.

Six other GTCC students also won awards. They are:
•  Jordan Younce of Greensboro took two silver awards for “Teardrop Photography” and “Starbucks Equals Love” poster.
•  Amber Adams of Greensboro received a silver award for “Illustration T-shirt Design” and a bronze award for an “Addiction Ad Series.”
•  Kat Lamp of Greensboro earned a silver prize for her “ALS Awareness Campaign.”
•  Beth Walker of Advance was recipient of a silver honor for her “Lego Clue Game.”
•  Adriana Vargas of Rural Hall took two bronze awards for her “Latin Rhythm” newsletter design and “Christmas for the City” Micro Site.