What is ERCBEC?
In 1986, a vision for the Eastern Regional Competency-Based Education Consortium evolved during a National Alliance meeting. During a Competency-Based workshop, Dr. Don Cameron, Dr. Don Reichard, Marilyn Peterson, and Pat Black, Jr. realized how valuable the concept could be to Technical and Community College instruction. Shortly after the Alliance meeting, the group had a constitution in hand and the framework for a Consortium made up of Educational Institutions interested in promoting the concept of quality education through identifying up front what should be taught in a curriculum.
The predominant goal for the Consortium is to hold an annual affordable conference which offers:
- professional development opportunities which focus on faculty and administrator's involvement in systematic planning, classroom learning, and assessment.
- secondary and postsecondary institutions interested in networking to share ideas and successes,
- and to interact with renown speakers and presenters from throughout the United States and the World.
Charter College Members were:
- Durham Technical Community College, Durham, NC
- Dundalk Community College, Baltimore, MD
- Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, SC,
- Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, NC
- Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Conway, SC
- James Sprunt Community College, Kenansville, NC
- Lake City Community College, Lake City, FL
- Midlands Technical College, Columbia, SC
- Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Orangeburg, SC
- Roanoke-Chowan Technical College, Ahoskie, NC
- Spartanburg Technical College, Spartanburg, SC
- Sumter Technical College (Central Carolina Technical College), Sumter, SC
- Trident Technical College, Charleston, SC
- Tri-County Technical College, Pendleton, SC
- York Technical College, Rock Hill, SC
Margaret Cain from Guilford Technical College, set the ship sailing at full speed as chair for the first conference in 1988 which was held in High Point, NC. Conferences have been held in Charleston, SC, Myrtle Beach, SC, Wrightsville Beach, NC, Asheville, NC, and Baltimore, Maryland. Attendees and presenters have come from 35 different states, four provinces of Canada, and four foreign countries.
The Eastern Regional Competency Based Education Consortium Constitution was amended in 1993 to incorporate Total Quality Education, (ERCBEC: TQE)
ERCBEC is one of the oldest self-sustaining Educational Consortiums without a grant or other funding sources. It is funded by memberships and conference fees. Conference Fees still remain below average for quality conferences.