State Board of Community Colleges releases RFP for search firms

Golden LEAF Foundation President Scott T. Hamilton announced on Friday a $1 million investment to support AdvanceNC, a workforce initiative focused on advanced manufacturing. AdvanceNC is a consortium of 12 community colleges, three universities, seven workforce boards, and other workforce partners across central North Carolina working together with employers since 2023 to meet the region’s demand for manufacturing talent.

Moving forward, the system said in a press release that the Board, system office, and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation are co-leading “a collaborative national fundraising effort to secure additional private sector support for AdvanceNC and to replicate the success of AdvanceNC to other industries and in other regions across the state.”

Kelley spent his early years moving across some of the country’s most rural places, spanning Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, and Mississippi. This rural upbringing is why he says McDowell County feels so much like home.

Kelley comes from a long line of educators and preachers. His father was a preacher, and his great-grandfather, Kelley’s namesake, founded the Kentucky Christian University. His mother was also a first-generation educator. Raised on the notion that serving people is just what you do, Kelley’s core belief is that education and service go hand-in-hand.

Despite this background, Kelley didn’t start out in education. He dropped out of college his first year and soon after enlisted in the Army, a decision he describes as a second chance at opportunity.

For instance, Barbee recalled one of the first major purchases that he made for the college being a robot for an engineering faculty member. “I went to his office and told him I needed him to teach me about the robot,” he said. In return, Barbee remembered the faculty member meeting him with gratitude for his interest in understanding the product.

“I learned the college. I learned the departments. I learned what we did,” he said.

In pursuit of understanding the college and his colleagues, Barbee literally became a student again. Over the years, he has taken courses such as welding, small engine repair, residential wiring, and Excel, among others.

“I didn’t have some of the vocational skills, and so for me to sit in class with some of those vocational instructors to understand how they teach and to see the students on the other side of it, makes me a better leader,” he explained.

The new IAAs are with the departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State, according to the press release. The six partnerships involve oversight of programs related to elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, Indian education, foreign medical accreditation, child care access, and international education and foreign language studies. The release says that the DOE will offer “proper oversight” of the agencies taking on new education administration roles, but does not lay out what such oversight will look like specifically.

The Booker T. Washington School had been part of the Clarkton community in Bladen County for more than a century when Dr. Amanda Lee first walked its halls in 2023.

As the president of Bladen Community College (BCC), she’d been on the lookout for a site where the college could offer expanded programming.

Booker T. Washington — as locals call the building — hadn’t been used as a public school since June 2016. It served as a shelter during Hurricane Matthew a few months later, but otherwise had been sitting mostly empty for several years.

“I had heard through the grapevine that the public schools were going to try to find a new owner for it,” Lee said during a recent tour of the building. “And I came out here, and looked around, and fell in love.”

What she saw in the school was what the surrounding community had long seen — a place where students belonged.

Earlier this fall, Gov. Josh Stein announced the winners of the Governor’s NCWorks Awards of Distinction for 2025. Five individual North Carolinians, including three students, received awards for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions related to workforce development, according to a press release.

“This year’s outstanding honorees represent what makes North Carolina strong: talented, hard-working people, innovative partnerships, community-oriented businesses, and strong educational institutions,” Stein said. “These award recipients are further proof that when it comes to workforce development, no state will outwork North Carolina.”

Farming | Olivia Webb writes about a new partnership between the West Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce and Central Carolina Community College’s Small Business Center that is helping local farmers strengthen their bottom line and prepare for the future in this EdNC feature. The initiative, Impact the AREA: Agricultural Resilience, Entrepreneurship & Adaptability, is helping expose participants to a variety of options, ideologies, and methods for farmers through “educational outreach, resource awareness, and in-person networking.”

Small business startup showdown | “The NC Community College System’s Small Business Center Network (SBCN) and the Wells Fargo Foundation are launching the SBCN Startup Showdown, a new statewide competition designed to support emerging entrepreneurs through mentorship, training, and $60,000 in startup funding,” a recent system press release says. Applications open March 1, 2026, and close April 7, 2026.

In the news | Brandon Goetz, senior policy advisor at New America, highlighted Surry Community College’s career and technical (CTE) dual enrollment program in health care during a House hearing on Nov. 19. “It’s an outstanding program, and we need more of them,” Goetz said. The hearing focused on CTE programs, dual enrollment, and degree apprenticeships.

Gaston College’s Fiber Innovation Center also recently made headlines. The center, which opened in July, helps clients around the world experiment, test, and develop textile technologies. With NC’s history in the textile industry, the center has adapted itself to the state’s evolved industry needs and plays an important role in training textile professionals.

New programs | Robeson Community College recently launched its utility fundamentals program. The program was developed in close collaboration with industry partners and is an accelerated 12-week program “designed to meet the growing demand for skilled, safety-focused technicians across the utility, power generation, and industrial maintenance sectors,” the college said in a recent press release. College leaders said its the first of its kind in the system.

Craven Community College will offer a forest worker training program beginning next year. The program is credentialed through ForestryWorks® and prepares students with the essential skills needed to enter the forestry industry. You can read more about the forest worker training program here.

Recognitions | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and Western Carolina University were both recognized for cutting energy use in state owned buildings. The news article states that the two schools were among the state’s top performers.

An independent research team at Cybersecurity Guide, which reviewed 199 associate degree programs in country, ranked Forsyth Technical Community College first on the list, followed by Alamance Community College in second place and Catawba Valley Community College in third. In total, seven North Carolina schools were recognized.

Partnerships | The ongoing partnership between Isothermal Community College and Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics has allowed the company to operate an incubation, testing, and training facility in one of the college’s engineering bays. Trelleborg was able to use the space to refine a new process and product ahead of the opening of its new facility, a recent college press release said.

Graduates | Western Piedmont Community College and UNC Health Blue Ridge recently announced the graduation of the first cohort of the Nursing Critical Care Residency Program. Thirteen nurses graduated from the residency program. The college’s press release says the graduation is a “significant milestone in enhancing advanced nursing education and strengthening critical care services within the region.”

Study abroad | Davidson-Davie Community College is offering a study abroad opportunity for students enrolled in one of the state’s 58 community colleges. Participants will spend two weeks in Bordeaux, France, from June 14 to June 28, 2026. Participants will be working, collaborating, and learning with students from IUT-University of Bordeaux. They will be housed in a dorm and attend classes or enrichment activities alongside French students in Bordeaux. Davidson-Davie asks that students’ home colleges pay $1,000 for each student they send. Each student also pays $2,775, for a total cost of $3,775. The program fee includes flights, housing, insurance, ground transportation, daily programming, breakfast, and several additional meals. Space is limited. Schools can request slots by emailing Sarah Wright at [email protected].

Forsyth Technical Community College is offering a study abroad experience in Costa Rica from June 24 to July 4, 2026. The cost is $3,000 and includes flights, 10-nights of housing, airport transportation in Costa Rica, all planned excursions, transportation in Costa Rica pertaining to the course, some meals, speakers, and a 3-credit course (HUM 180 or INT 180). Participants’ home base will be in the capital of Costa Rica: San Jose. Spanish is not a requirement to travel. The college can offer a payment schedule, with your initial (nonrefundable) deposit on or before Dec. 10. Questions can be directed to Dr. Renee Just at [email protected].

Fellowship opportunity | Applications for the John M. Belk Impact Fellowship are now open. The 10-month paid fellowship is a “training ground for future generations of social impact leaders” who will have the chance to deepen their experience across a wide array of focus area and gain marketable skills toward future employment. Full-time community college, undergraduate, or graduate students at an accredited North Carolina college or university interested in fields of education, public policy, political science, data analytics, psychology, or related fields can apply. The application portal closes March 20, 2026. You can find out more details about the fellowship and how to apply here.