Dr. Murtis Worth has been named FTCC’s Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Services and Dr. Tiffany Watts has been named Chief of Staff/Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. 

The FTCC Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept both appointments on Monday, Feb. 20. 

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Worth and Dr. Watts to the executive leadership team at the college," said FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells in a press release. “Both have played key roles at FTCC in leading efforts to improve student outcomes, enhance program offerings, advance teaching and learning, and assist with raising and efficiently managing external funds acquired from philanthropic sources.” 

Worth moves into the position that had been held by Sorrells, who became FTCC’s President on Jan. 1. Worth, the College’s previous Dean of Nursing, had acted as Interim Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Services since mid-January.  

Worth joined FTCC in 2020 and under her leadership, the nursing program expanded its enrollment by about 100 students, to about 270 currently, and improved student retention. As part of the program expansion, Worth helped craft and implement a plan to move FTCC’s Nursing Department into much larger quarters in a renovated location on the Fayetteville campus. The new Nursing Education & Simulation Center includes 7 simulation labs, 6 classrooms, a dedicated computer lab, state-of-the-art simulation equipment and Learning Space recording technology. 

Worth also led FTCC’s COVID-19 response effort throughout the pandemic, including regular testing of employees as well as hosting vaccination clinics on campus and partnering with the Cumberland County Health Department to supply needed personnel, nursing students and faculty at county-wide vaccination clinics held at the Crown Complex. 

As Dean of Nursing, her responsibilities included working with faculty and staff to support quality instruction, improving student outcomes related to course and program completion, as well as nursing licensure exam pass rates; working with other departments and with healthcare partner organizations to improve overall student success rates; and monitoring employer and community needs to identify and evaluate the potential for new programs. 

Before joining FTCC, Worth was Interim Associate Dean of the School of Nursing at Fayetteville State University. She also was an assistant professor and clinical coordinator at FSU’s School of Nursing, a nursing and clinical coordinator at FTCC, and has nearly two decades of clinical nursing experience in various roles in the private sector. 

Worth earned an associate degree in nursing from FTCC, her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in nursing from East Carolina University’s School of Nursing; and her Doctor of Philosophy from the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

Watts is moving into a newly created position at FTCC whose responsibilities will include coordinating and overseeing the implementation of a dozen or more innovative workforce and student success initiatives that are externally funded. Dr. Watts will facilitate efforts among Curriculum, Student Services and Continuing Education to better align to business and community needs and enhance the quality of education and training experiences available to students.  

Watts joined FTCC in 2020 as Associate Vice President for Curriculum Programs. In this role, Watts has helped establish and coordinate activities of the Center for Faculty Development, which cultivates and supports faculty growth and development with the aim of promoting student academic success. She leads several institutional efforts at the college related to assessment and accreditation, quality assurance, online learning, accelerating credential completion, and advancing educational attainment levels in Cumberland County. Watts also oversees assessment of student learning outcomes and ensures they integrate with accreditation processes.  

During her tenure as Associate Vice President, Dr. Watts was selected as a participant in the Belk Center at NC State’s North Carolina Community College Leadership Program. She was also chosen as a Data Equity Fellow with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and serves as a peer evaluator with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In addition, Dr. Watts was selected as an Associate Editor for the North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation and co-hosts the North Carolina Community College Faculty Association’s podcast, 58 Collaborate. 

Before joining FTCC, Watts served as the Director of Strategic Research Initiatives in the Strategy & Policy Division at the University of North Carolina General Administration; as a research scientist with the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University; a psychologist at Duke University Medical Center; and as an instructor at several universities. 

Watts received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with honors, from N.C. State University and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in school psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill.