PCC Celebrates the Life of Former Vice President Thomas Gould

WINTERVILLE—During a memorial service for Dr. Thomas E. Gould this week, Pitt Community College President Lawrence Rouse announced PCC had named its adult learning center in honor of the former executive vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Services.

Gould, who died unexpectedly in February at age 61, proposed an on-campus center dedicated to serving PCC’s adult learners in the spring of 2021. The facility opened several months later, offering services tailored to meet the needs of students 25 years old and older, along with hours of operation to accommodate the busy work schedules many of them must balance.

Rouse said Gould not only came up with the idea for the center, he identified a location for it in the Craig F. Goess Student Center and redefined the roles of several employees to staff it.

“We wanted to make sure that any adult who wanted to come to Pitt Community College would get the support they need,” Rouse said. “It’s fitting that we dedicate the Thomas Gould Adult Learning Center to honor his legacy at the college.”

PCC Health Sciences Dean Donna Neal was part of the hiring committee that brought Gould to the college. She also saw him on his last day at work.

“From that first day to that last day, Dr. Gould’s focus was always on student success,” Neal said. “No matter what the topic of discussion or debate was, his question to us was always, ‘How will this help our students.’”

Born in New York City, Gould grew up in northern New Jersey. He earned bachelor’s degrees in English and political science from Ramapo College of New Jersey, a master’s in English from N.C. State University and a doctorate in English from UNC-Greensboro.

After working at Durham Tech, where he was a pioneer of hybrid instruction, Gould joined PCC’s administration as vice president of academic affairs in November 2013. He was given oversight of the college’s student support services in 2019 and was named executive vice president two years later.

Gould’s professional background also included extensive work with the state’s Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, which guides the transfer of students from North Carolina’s 58 community colleges to its 16 public universities and many private colleges and universities.

At the conclusion of the memorial service, the college announced that individuals who want to contribute toward the naming of PCC’s adult learning center can make a donation to the PCC Foundation in Gould’s honor. Donations may also be made to the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina in his memory, since animal rescue was very important to him.

04/01/2023