RCCC News Service 

SALISBURY — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College recently celebrated outgoing Board of Trustees Chair Carl M. “Chip” Short Jr.’s tenure by naming the atrium at North Campus Building N106 in his honor.

Short was honored with an official unveiling at the atrium during an event attended by fellow trustees, college leaders, business partners and members of the community.

Short, a partner in the law firm of Woodson, Sayers, Lawther, Short, Parrott and Abramson in Salisbury, has served as board of trustees chair for the past 13 years, helping to steer the college through an important period of growth.

In addition to guiding the board for 13 years, he helped drive the completion of North Campus Building N106, which made it possible for the college to offer two groundbreaking healthcare programs — occupational therapy assistant and physical therapist assistant — and renovate the radiography and dental labs. He also helped champion the successful passage of two bond referenda, $9 million in Cabarrus County in 2014 for the construction of the Advanced Technology Center and $45 million in Rowan County in 2020 for the Technology Education Complex. During his tenure, the college also completed the Outdoor Learning Center project, the fire training grounds, and added acreage to both North and South campuses.

Short was born in High Point and graduated from East Rowan High School. He attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as a Whitaker Scholar and graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1976. He has been a partner with The Woodson Law Firm since 1985.

In addition to serving on the college’s board of trustees, Short has served as president of the Rowan County Bar Association and is a member of the Real Property and Elder Law Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association. He has served as president of the Rowan County Library Foundation, as chair of the Rowan Library Board of Trustees, as a member of the Shelter Ministries Board, as a director of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, the Waterworks Visual Arts Center and president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He has also served as president and director of the Salisbury Rotary Club, as chair of the North Carolina State Library Commission, as a director of OmniBank and Security Capital Bank, and on the boards of the United Way, United Arts Council and Piedmont Players.

Short is married to Luanne Buddin Short and they attend St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where he served as senior warden and as a trustee of Saint Luke’s Foundation.

“On behalf of everyone at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, we thank Chip Short for his dedication to our students, faculty, staff and community,” said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. “We wish him all the best and will continue to build on the exceptional work he has done. His commitment to accessible education and the betterment of lives has made a lasting difference.”

Cynthia L. “Cyndie” Mynatt succeeds Short as chair of the board of trustees, serving alongside Gary A. Blabon, J. Thomas Bost, Paul A. Brown, Elizabeth G. Cook, Jeanne A. Dixon, William (Bill) Dusch, Patricia G. Fulcher, Patricia K. Horton, Wilmer Melton III, Stephen M. Morris, Michelle Patterson and Dakeita Vanderburg.