Sandhills Community College is a public community college in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Sandhills was chartered in 1963 and officially opened October 1, 1965. It was the first comprehensive community college authorized and established as the result of legislation passed by the 1963 General Assembly of North Carolina. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. Sandhills Community College has about 4,000 students enrolled in college-credit curriculum courses and over 11,000 students who take continuing-education courses annually. History Shortly after the passage of legislation establishing Sandhills Community College, H. Clifton Blue of Aberdeen, NC, led a group of prominent Moore County, NC, citizens in petitioning the State Board of Education to establish a community college in Moore County. Upon approval of the petition, the citizens of Moore County voted in favor of a $1 million bond issue for capital construction and a tax levy for the maintenance of college facilities. The first board of trustees meeting occurred on December 4, 1963. On December 27, Dr. Raymond Stone was named the first president of the college. Sandhills was chartered in 1963. The buildings were designed by local architects Hayes-Howell and Associates, and built on 180 acres donated by Mrs. Mary Luman Meyer. The groundbreaking was in November 1964. Legend has it that Dr. Stone and a few others were having lunch at The Gray Fox in downtown Pinehurst and Stone admired the courtyard of the restaurant (now Theo's Taverna). He requested courtyards be implemented into the design of the college buildings. The palladium windows were said to be inspired by the Boyd House in downtown Southern Pines. Sandhills Community College officially opened October 1, 1965, with classes being held in nine different temporary locations in the downtown area of Southern Pines. The administrative offices were above Patches Department Store, which is now The Ice Cream Parlor. The college moved to the current location in September 1966. Dr. John Dempsey assumed the presidency in 1989 and serves to this date. Administration Governance A board of trustees governs the college and is composed of appointees by the governor, the Moore County Board of Commissioners, and the Moore County Board of Education. Campus Sandhills Community College is located on of longleaf pine-filled land in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The college moved to its present location from downtown Southern Pines in March 1966. The Sandhills Community College campus comprises 13 instructional buildings. Several recent additions