Chair Bruce Sutherland told the College of New Caledonia board Friday during its regularly scheduled meeting that he will be stepping down from his position in January, so he can spend more time concentrating on his own business.

The owner of WolfTek Industries said with the College of New Caledonia in such great shape with enrolment, increased programs and two new buildings on the way, now was a good time for him to hand things over to a new chair.

“I am stepping down sooner than I wanted to, but one has to do TCB, or taking care of business, as I call it,” said Sutherland, who became a CNC board member in April 2006, and served as the vice-chair until April 2007, when he was elected board chair. “We need someone who will be there and focused on working with this great college president and his excellent team. We’ve put together such a fantastic board that it’s tough for me to go.”

Earlier this week Sutherland announced he was also stepping down as chair of the Northern Development Initiative Trust board.

CNC President John Bowman said he understands Sutherland’s need to concentrate on his business, but he will be missed at the college.

“Bruce’s work and leadership has been instrumental in the college’s expansion of trades and technical training programs across the region,” said Bowman. “It has been my pleasure to work with Bruce, who has provided outstanding leadership for CNC in the role of board chair. His extensive knowledge of board governance processes, experience in business, and skills in advocacy and government relations have been instrumental in advancing the college in recent years. He has greatly assisted CNC to navigate through the turbulent waters associated with challenging financial times into a calmer and more stable fiscal situation.”

College board vice-chair Ray Gerow will act as interim chair from January until April, when a new board chair will be elected from among the 12 members of the board.

“Ray has been an excellent vice-chair for the board and is more than capable of acting as interim chair until someone is elected to serve for the 2010-11 year at the AGM,” Bowman said.

Statistics show enrolment at CNC is up 11.4 per cent for the Prince George campus over last year. The college has also broken ground on the $19.7 million Technical Education Centre in Prince George and is planning the $9.8 million Phase 2 expansion in Quesnel.

“The importance of the college to not just Prince George, but the whole region is so vast that it’s hard for people to comprehend unless they get involved with the college,” said Sutherland. “The college is on the front lines in post-secondary education. We have more people who go through the college in such a short period of time and go on to great careers. It’s one of the most important economic drivers we have in the North.”

Information regarding the process by which community members can be appointed to the CNC board, or any of the more than 300 provincial boards, log on to http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/BRDO/apply.asp