This is a copy of the Awake58 newsletter originally sent on Monday, October 1, 2018. Click here to subscribe.
Your opinion matters
This week we are asking for your thoughts on our coverage, spotlighting key events you should try to attend, and discussing how colleges are assisting opioid-addicted students.
Last week, we were inspired by how many of you were eager to help the colleges who were hardest hit by Hurricane Florence. Many of you wrote back to share your interest in giving back. Others wrote to tell us of the devastation their community faces.
We appreciate your willingness to give back — or share heartfelt stories in the midst of your own challenges.
Our friends at Golden LEAF Foundation have since opened up an application process for disaster relief. Please apply if you need help — or forward to entities who you know are in need.
We need to hear from you
We are a few months in to our dedicated community college coverage and we want to know how we are doing. Will you please take a few minutes to answer our survey? We want to know how we are doing, the stories we need to tell, and how we can improve.
What’s going on
Are you attending the NC Community College conference? Or do you want to spend a Monday evening in Raleigh? EducationNC invites you to be our guest for a reception the evening of October 8th at Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh featuring Sam Jones BBQ, additional food, drinks, and live music. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. Space is limited and you have to RSVP.
If you are an early college instructor, or know someone who teaches in a high school in North Carolina, let them know that First Vote, a project of EdNC, will be offering our simulated mock elections this year to prepare students to be civic ready.
The Dallas Herring Lecture is coming up at NC State. The keynote this year is Karen Stout, the President of Achieving the Dream, and the event will be held on Wednesday, November 28. To RSVP, click here.
The myFutureNC Commission is launching a webinar series called Breakfast with Becky which kicks off on October 2. The series will take a look at transition points for students in North Carolina on the path to attainment.
EdNC Picks
Schools, communities bear the burden of 2 ‘500-year floods’ in less than 24 months
What happens when you have two major floods so close together? My colleagues Analisa Sorrells and Bryan Noreen went to Lenoir and Jones County to see what happened.
Edgecombe Community College: Watermelon seeds, historic preservation, virtual reality, STEM guitars, and balloon lifts
What do watermelon seeds have to do with a community college exactly? Nancy Rose explores.
A cosmetology student who won’t give up
It’s very quiet in Jabrina Munn’s world, so she finds her voice in the cosmetology department at Bladen Community College.
Whiskey Quebec Four Alpha: Get to know Martin Community College President Dr. Hutchins
NCC students prepare for careers of service
Worth a click
A new challenge for college: opioid-addicted students
“Almost unheard of five years ago, collegiate recovery programs are multiplying amid an opioid epidemic that claimed the lives of 4,110 Americans under 25 in 2016, the last year for which the figure is available.”
High demand for commercial truck drivers boosts program growth at Beaufort College
All about the skills gap: “There were 36,500 fewer truck drivers than needed in 2016. In 2017, that number was closer to 50,000, and there will be an estimated 90,000 new drivers needed annually over the next decade.”
Forsyth Tech’s presidential search turns up four finalists
Forsyth Technical Community College has four finalists to replace Dr. Gary Green.
By the numbers
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit two early colleges in Greensboro, the STEM Early College and the Middle College at NC A&T. As we tweeted about our visit, numerous people tweeted back asking us to share more about the early college landscape in North Carolina.
5.4% improvement in graduation
A 2013 study by American Institutes for Research found a statistically significant improvement in graduation rates for high schoolers in early college, with 86% graduating in early college vs 80.6% otherwise.
10% increase in college enrollment
That same study found 77.4% of early college students enrolled in college within 5 years of starting 9th grade. That is 10% higher than students not enrolled in early colleges.
Twice as many in NC
In the last 10 years, early college schools have more than doubled in North Carolina.
What is Awake58?
In case you were forwarded this email and are wondering what we are, Awake58 is a weekly newsletter from EdNC.org. If you were forwarded this email, click here to join us on this journey
EdNC also features four other newsletters. The Daily Digest brings you essential education news each morning Monday through Friday, the Weekly Wrap-Up provides you a one stop for all EdNC articles each Friday, Friday@Five is our exploration of public policy from the Center for Public Policy Research, and the Reach Roundup brings your voice into the conversation around the issues of the day. Click here to subscribe to any or all!
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