A note from us
Welcome to Awake58 — a weekly newsletter where you’ll find the latest updates on community college related news and events around the state. Plus, a look at what’s trending nationally in higher education.
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A model analysis about child care on community college campuses… A recap of the State Board of Community Colleges’ May meeting… Dr. Stacy Waters-Bailey was named as South Piedmont’s next president… Postsecondary bills that made crossover… A new EdNC podcast about those who were the first to help during and after Hurricane Helene… A perspective about supporting military spouses in the college transfer process… New analysis forecasts a possible drop in public school enrollment… Plus, seven leaders from across the N.C. Community College System made Business North Carolina’s 2025 Power List…
Hi all — Emily Thomas with this week’s Awake58.
The State Board of Community Colleges held its monthly meeting last week. During the meeting, the Board approved the reelection of six local presidents and voted to approve the new president of South Piedmont Community College. Dr. Stacy Waters-Bailey was unanimously selected as the next president of South Piedmont, according to a college release. She succeeds Dr. Maria Pharr, who stepped down to become president of Pitt Community College. Waters-Bailey has more than 15 years of leadership experience in higher education and will assume the role in July.
The Board also received an update during the meeting on the system’s five-phased approach to modernize Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for the state’s 58 community colleges and system office. Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the plan are complete and Phase 4 is underway. Phase 4 is set to be complete by December 2025 and Phase 5 by December 2028. The Board also heard an update about the Access to Achievement program, which aims to serve students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). “During the 2024-25 school year, 316 students accessed high intensity services through Access to Achievement with a Person-Centered Plan. Nearly 500 other students received less intensive support,” according to an annual report.
You can read the full Board recap here.
EdNC’s Mebane Rash published a model analysis about child care on the campuses of community colleges. Thank you to all of you who worked with her on this project. Since the pre-publication review process, Mebane has added information about federal funding for on-campus child care and she cross compared the federal IPEDS data. If you have any further feedback for her, please email mrash at ednc.org.
Right after Hurricane Helene hit, I spent time with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College President Dr. John Gossett. At the time, Gossett talked a lot about the devastation in the area and those who ran immediately into the storm — all the first responders, electrical lineworkers, and EMTs. His words inspired my colleague Caroline Parker to create a podcast, featuring those who lived through Helene and helped during and after. The “Running Towards Disaster” podcast is worth a listen, I promise. And we’ll have even more episodes for you next week.
Last week, we previewed several postsecondary bills that made crossover. Here is the full list of education bills, including those that impact community colleges, still in consideration at the General Assembly. Neither Propel NC bill passed one of the chambers ahead of the deadline. However, because the bills allocate funding to implement the new funding model at the N.C. Community College System (NCCCS), the bills can still be considered, or end up in the budget.
Each week, we publish perspectives from community members. EdNC does not have dedicated funding for this part of our work, but as a team, it’s a priority. We recently published this perspective from Dr. Jennifer Wisely, a full-time faculty member at Coastal Carolina Community College. Wisely, who is a Marine Corps veteran and military spouse, shares how military spouses are often left out of the conversation when it comes to postsecondary transfer policies. It’s an interesting take on a population of adult learners who must “uproot their lives every two to three years.”
We have a lot more news and stories from around the state below, including a special award announcement about EdNC’s CEO and editor-in-chief, Mebane Rash.
ICYMI: As we prepare for the upcoming school year, what do you want us to know about the work you’re seeing and doing across campus and in your communities? We always appreciate input when it comes to identifying stories and innovative practices. You can reply to this message or email me directly: [email protected].
Until next week,
Emily Thomas
Director of Postsecondary Attainment — EdNC.org
EdNC reads
EdNC’s analysis of models to provide early childhood education on the campuses of community colleges
Community colleges play an integral role in the provision of early childhood education in North Carolina.
Faculty are seen as thought leaders locally and statewide on early childhood development. Community colleges train early childhood educators, and some campuses have early childhood classroom laboratories for training. The N.C. Community College Child Care Grant program gives each of the 58 community colleges grant funding to distribute to their student parents to help them cover child care cost. Small business centers at community colleges provide support for local providers of early education.
And some community colleges provide early childhood education on campus. Currently, of the 58 community colleges in North Carolina, 17 offer on-campus child care, 21 have shuttered on-campus child care, and 20 have never operated on-campus child care that we can document.
State Board of Community Colleges discusses ERP modernization, IDD program growth
Members also discussed 10 upcoming expiring terms on the Board: Paula Benson, Dr. Shirley Carraway, John Kane, Geoffrey Lang, Mark Merritt, Hari Nath, Ray Russell, Terry Van Duyn, Ann Whitford, and student representative Autumn Queen.
Those Board members’ terms expire on June 30, 2025, but the Board is not set to meet in June, meaning last week could have been those members’ last meeting.
However, only Whitford is ineligible to serve on the Board again after having served since 2009.
Whitford, Merritt, Russell, Van Duyn, and Carraway were all appointed by the governor, meaning the governor can appoint someone else, or reappoint eligible members. The other members were appointed by either the House or Senate.
Queen will be replaced by the next president of the NC Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association (N4CSGA).
Introducing a new podcast from EdNC: Running Towards Disaster
You are about to hear from residents of your state who are public servants, trained to serve and save — and have been educated at a community college. Each episode will lift up first-person perspectives of those who lived through and helped in the aftermath of Helene. There will be a new episode each day this week, and they will all be listed at this link as they are released.
Which education bills are still under consideration at the General Assembly?
The General Assembly’s crossover deadline was May 8. After that day, most bills that haven’t been passed by at least one chamber — and therefore haven’t “crossed over” to the other — are no longer able to become law this session
However, there are some exceptions to the crossover rule. Most notably, appropriations bills (such as the forthcoming House budget) can still be considered after the deadline. Other bills that could still be considered include those amending the North Carolina constitution, addressing election laws, or drawing district lines, among others. Existing bills that have already made the deadline could also be amended to address new topics.
EdNC has collected information on notable education-related bills that made the deadline.
Perspective | Missing from the conversation: Supporting military spouses in the college transfer process
…Military spouses are tied to their location, or as one spouse in my research stated, “Our lives revolve around our spouses’ careers; we don’t get a say in where we live or when. We [military spouses] are the only constant in our children’s lives, which makes it hard to ever put ourselves first.”
This is the quiet cost of military service — the unseen sacrifices families make to keep our nation strong.
Unfortunately, the higher education landscape isn’t built with this kind of mobility in mind.
Around NC
Data | A new analysis forecasts the number of students enrolled in North Carolina public schools could drop over the next five years.
Recognitions | EdNC CEO and Editor-in-Chief Mebane Rash was recently awarded the 2025 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award by the Public School Forum of North Carolina. Rash was also presented with the The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, “the highest award for state service granted by the Officer of the Governor.”
Seven leaders across the North Carolina Community College System are on Business North Carolina’s 2025 Power List. “The annual list features approximately 500 people who are shaping the future of North Carolina through leadership in business, policy, and community impact,” according to a system press release.
Ann Whitford, State Board of Community Colleges member and longtime trustee of Carteret Community College, was recently honored with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine during the college’s annual award ceremony.
On campus | North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Luke Farley recently visited Catawba Valley Community College’s Furniture Academy. You can check out some of EdNC’s previous reporting on the academy here.
Reentry | Instructors in Mayland Community College’s Pre-College Programs Department recently participated in a Reentry Simulation. “Sponsored by the NC Department of Adult Correction, Regional Reentry Councils, and Freedom Life Ministries, the event provided a deeply moving, hands-on experience highlighting the challenges faced by individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community,” according to a recent news story.
New program | “This summer, Central Piedmont Community College will launch ‘Accelerate to Success,’ a new program that gives 25 rising seniors from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools the chance to take advanced automotive classes and earn a 14-credit College & Career Promise Certification, fast-tracking them toward a career in the automotive industry,” according to a recent college press release.
Other higher education reads
