This is a copy of the Awake58 newsletter originally sent on Tuesday, February 26, 2019. Click here to subscribe.
We want to know more about enrollment
Welcome to the latest Awake58! Send this link around to let people know about this weekly newsletter.
The myFutureNC Commission released their attainment goal last week… We are conducting research on enrollment trends for an upcoming series and we want to know your thoughts… We visited Guilford Tech, spotlighted the NC Community Colleges Archives Association, and more…
Hello. Happy Tuesday!
Thank you for reading.
We are in the midst of research and reporting on community college enrollment at the moment. We have spoken to many folks across the state, but we would love your thoughts on enrollment for your particular college. Would you take our survey and let us know about your own college? We would appreciate your voice.
In other news, the myFutureNC Commission announced a postsecondary attainment goal for North Carolina last week. By 2030, the goal for North Carolina is for 2 million 25- to 44-year-olds to receive a high-quality credential or college degree. The myFutureNC Commission was initially formed to establish an attainment goal for North Carolina. Postsecondary attainment includes college degrees and high-quality certificates that help people get jobs.
I appreciate you reading Awake58 this week and continuing the conversation. Please send me a note by replying directly to this email if you have any thoughts you wish to share!
-Nation
EdNC Reads
‘Building N.C.’s Future’ passes Senate, heads to House
Senate Bill 5, known as ‘Building N.C.’s Future,’ passed the Senate last week. This particular bill would send $2 billion dollars to community colleges for infrastructure. This piece also features an update on the Residency Determination Service legislative process. We will be down on Jones Street monitoring all of the legislation this session. Stay tuned.
myFutureNC releases attainment goal for North Carolina
For more on myFutureNC, check out this piece. One key update: “Many states have already established shared educational attainment goals, but North Carolina had not until today. But how do we get there? To ensure progress is being made toward this goal across the educational continuum, myFutureNC recommended focusing on several key performance indicators.” Those indicators include FAFSA completion and more.
Guilford Technical Community College serves as ‘ground zero’ for aviation training in North Carolina
Nestled a few miles from downtown Greensboro, a visitor may be surprised to stumble upon the global headquarters of Honda Aircraft, the national headquarters of HAECO (Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company), and a Textron service center. These businesses, employing thousands of people, are adjacent to one of Guilford Technical Community College’s aviation campuses. We had a chance to visit the campus recently to learn more about the program.
NC Community College Archives Association: Preserving the past, framing the future
Clark Adams explains the work of the association in this piece: “Our current community college system is only 61 years old, with its roots stretching back just 92 years — yet the records, documents, images, publications, letters, films, recordings, and people that help to tell its story either no longer exist, or are quickly disappearing.”
What we’re reading
Class Dismissed
This essay by a student who came from a rural, impoverished background prior to attending an elite private college is a must read this week. The opener grabs your attention and never lets go: “I had never seen so many tennis courts in my life. I had never heard of rugby or lacrosse. I mispronounced genre in class because I had only ever read the word. I didn’t know girls my age owned pearls. I felt equally stunned by black dresses and those pearls at the dining hall on display Sunday nights, something many in sororities wore. I didn’t own pearls, or a nice black dress. I was born in Indiana, where our neighbors grew popcorn.”
Community college leaders discuss partnerships
Check out this piece on transfers. This quote from McDowell Tech President John Gossett grabbed my attention: “There are some schools, which we won’t name, that it feels like they are hostile to transfers… McDowell County is a mill town. We’ve got a mill town mentality. An awful lot of the parents of high school students don’t know what they don’t know about the bureaucracy and adminis-trivia that we force our students through. We get it. We understand the language because we use it every day. Our students do not. A lot of our students call home and there’s no help at home, because mom and dad didn’t go through all that crap either.”
Join the People’s Session!
What education policies do you think the legislature should address? The People’s Session allows you to weigh in on issues that are likely to arise this session, including everything from teacher pay to school safety to community college residency determination.
After reviewing a minimum of 10 statements, you have the chance to add your own priorities for others to consider. When the project closes in a few weeks, we will publish your top priorities and share them with our legislators.
We invite you to participate in the People’s Session today ahead of the public launch of this project tomorrow. We also urge you to share this invitation with your colleagues and networks as we work to understand the education priorities of every North Carolinian.
We believe the future doesn’t just happen to us. We believe your voice can shape the direction of our state.
About EdNC.org
EducationNC (EdNC.org) believes a more informed, connected, and engaged North Carolina is a better North Carolina. Thank you so much for joining us in the conversation around our students, our state, and our future. If you have any questions about our mission and vision, feel free to email me.
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