The Burlington County College (BCC) Board of Trustees has appointed Burlington County Administrator Paul Drayton Jr. as the new college president.
In announcing the appointment of Drayton, Board Chair George Nyikita took time to praise BCC Provost Dr. David Spang.
“The college owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Spang for his leadership and professionalism this past year,” Nyikita said. “During his tenure Burlington County College did not skip a beat, continuing to provide quality education and first rate services both to its students and the community at large.”
The Board also announced that in addition to maintaining his position as provost, Dr. Spang has been promoted to senior vice president with a focus on development of the college’s five-year academic strategic plan.
Drayton has served as County Administrator since 2010. During that time, he led a restructuring of county government which has resulted in a $40 million budget reduction while leading efforts to streamline, share, and enhance services among county agencies — including the college.
“The entire County has benefitted from Mr. Drayton’s leadership,” noted Burlington County Freeholder Director Mary Ann O’Brien. “Beyond cutting costs and finding innovative ways to do more with less; he has overseen the implementation of the County-wide single stream recycling program, and the development of a nationally recognized Municipal Parks Development Program used to fund the creation of local parks, sports fields, trails, and other recreational facilities. He has also led the effort to increase community outreach to extend services across our diverse population, including the restructuring of our approach to homelessness to more rapidly transition individuals out of motels and into permanent homes, the streamlining of our Senior Legal Services program and the creation a permanent home at Smithville Park for the County’s Underground Railroad Museum.”
Before serving as Burlington County Administrator, Drayton was director of special projects at Temple University where he developed a business continuity plan and helped facilitate a new campus development plan aligned to the university’s academic and institutional goals.
He also worked with the president and provost to lower operating budgets and increase enrollment. Mr. Drayton’s classroom experience includes eight years as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government.
“Teaching was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career and I am thrilled at this chance to work every day with the outstanding educators, students and staff who make Burlington County College one of the best community colleges in the country,” Drayton said. “Burlington County has been my lifelong home and I thank the Board of Trustees and Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders for allowing me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of having a direct impact on the lives of thousands of students every day.”
Mr. Drayton earned a Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware. Drayton, 54, of Mount Laurel, will assume his new role as of March 16 and will earn an annual salary of $198,000.
