A long-serving governor who led the development and evolution of East Coast College attended his final board meeting this week.
Rob Evans was instrumental, when he was Chair of the former Great Yarmouth College, in the merger with Lowestoft College in 2017 and led the development and evolution of the now named East Coast College.
Throughout Rob’s tenure he has always been the voice of reason, both supporting and challenging the leadership team to improve the college. This has seen it achieve its merger objectives of being rated Ofsted ‘Good’ and receiving a financial health of ‘Good.’
Rob leaves the college at a time when it is further developing with a new adult higher education centre at The Place in the centre of Great Yarmouth as part of the redevelopment of the old Palmers store, as well as a new multi-million-pound campus being developed on the college’s Great Yarmouth site in Suffolk Road, working with the Department for Education. In addition, a new adult centre and estate developments are taking place at the college’s Lowestoft Campus.
Rob was presented with an ‘East Coast College log’ – a unique gift made by the college’s Welding team – with the log’s rings signifying the years Rob has supported the college.
The board also said goodbye to Alan Debenham who had also been a governor since the merger, latterly as an associate governor, having come from the former Lowestoft College Board. Alan was instrumental in developing the board’s approach to looking after and supporting its people and in the creation of the board’s People Committee to increase the focus.
David Blake, East Coast College Chair, said: “Rob and Alan have been amazing governors and have both always embodied the college’s values of aspirational, respectful, professional and successful. I and the board cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and commitment and I know they will be missed.”
