Representatives from more than 40 community colleges set up tables on Halifax Mall on Wednesday to demonstrate their programs to lawmakers and share stories about their impact as part of the annual Community College Day at the legislature.
Lawmakers, community college presidents and trustees, State Board of Community Colleges members, and North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) staff perused a large tent that featured, among other things, robotics demonstrations, forensic testing, information on apprenticeships — and a goat, gnawing on the grass.
Throughout the day, students, instructors, and community college leaders met with lawmakers to advocate for NCCCS’s legislative priorities, including an estimated $102 million to cover enrollment growth and $93 million for the implementation of Propel NC, an overhaul of the system’s funding model.
Jeff Cox, president of NCCCS, said the opportunity to showcase so many community college programs was “fantastic.”
“I think people increasingly are seeing what the value proposition is for our community colleges. It’s such a good investment, so economical to attend, and (provides) such good outcomes on the other side, on the job front,” Cox said. “It’s a great time to be in the community college world.”
NCCCS president on system priorities
Cox said he heard from a senator that a budget deal is likely to come during the short session, after House and Senate Republicans failed to compromise and pass a budget last year. He is confident that the system’s Propel NC funding request will be at least partially fulfilled.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations for three years with the General Assembly about Propel NC,” Cox said. “We really feel like to continue to be competitive in the labor market and prepare students for all the great opportunities that are out there, we have to reexamine our funding model — and I think the General Assembly gets it.”
The system currently allocates resources to colleges in proportion to the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students they enroll in each of their programs; certain courses receive more state funds than others based on a four-tier funding model. Propel NC would shift funding toward a labor-market driven model that instead allocates funding based on FTE and workforce sectors.
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Asked whether partial funding for Propel NC is workable, Cox said yes.
“Yeah, we can work it out,” he said. “We’ve got several different scenarios that would work if we get partial funding.”
Cox, a member of the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, also noted the council’s goal to double the number of apprentices in North Carolina. The NCCCS’s $3.1 million request for ApprenticeshipNC, the state’s apprenticeship agency, is very important, he said.
“(If) we don’t get funded, instead of doubling the number (of apprentices), we could cut it in half,” Cox said. “And that’s not good for business or industry. It’s not good for the citizens of North Carolina.”
The apprenticeship funding ask aligns with myFutureNC’s “Workforce Act of 2026,” which was introduced last week and would also fund NCcareers.org, NC Workforce Credentials, and an expansion of transfer technology. The total cost of the Workforce Act is roughly $9.1 million.
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What other leaders are saying
Luke Farley, North Carolina’s commissioner of labor, made an appearance at the Community College Day tent to speak with students, instructors, and administrators. Farley is also a member of the State Board of Community Colleges.
Farley told EdNC that he’s supportive of the NCCCS legislative request and that using labor market data to make funding decisions will allow graduates to get good-paying jobs, fulfilling North Carolina’s labor needs.
“We are a growing state. I think that’s going to mean continuing economic opportunities in North Carolina, but we do have to get caught up on our workforce development,” Farley said. “We are No. 1 in the country for workforce development, so things are going really well, but we still need more skilled crafts and trades, people in skilled manufacturing, health care — all of those things are places we need more people, and community colleges are well positioned to help us fill those workforce needs.”
He said the return on investment, for both the state and its citizens, doesn’t get any better than the community college system.
Sen. Tom McInnis, R-Moore, was also present under the tent. McInnis, a member of the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee and an alumnus of both Richmond Community College and Sandhills Community College, said he is 100% supportive of Propel NC.
“I know that we’re in a tight budget year. I don’t know how much will be brought forward on it, but I certainly hope that we make a good faith effort on it,” McInnis said. “I’ve heard nothing negative.”
McInnis said that if North Carolina is going to retain its economic ranking, manufacturing and vocational training has to remain up to speed, and that community colleges are “without question” the way to do that.
“We already got the courses, we already got the infrastructure, we already got the instructors. All we need is the students and to make sure that we have the funding to get them to victory lane,” he said.
James Sprunt exemplifies the need for enrollment funding
James Sprunt Community College, located in Duplin County, has seen a 1300% increase in enrollment in its electrical systems technology program since 2020, its president said. Graduates aren’t just going into the workforce — they’re returning to become instructors in order to meet student demand.
Further expansion of the program will take place as soon as a new facility opens to provide the program with more floor space, according to James Sprunt President Shannon Hair.
“We’ll move from 150 students to close to 300 students because of the demand in eastern North Carolina, specifically in Duplin County,” said Hair. “(It takes) being courageous and making sure that we’re responding to the needs of our community. And when we respond to the needs, then industry benefits, our students benefit, and then our community, Duplin County, benefits.”
Philip Anderson, an architect of the electrical systems technology program, highlighted what the program means beyond meeting workforce needs.
“We sit down every day and we eat together,” Anderson said. “We all share the same view points, and we all have the same creative ideas, professionalism, and we’ve created a family-oriented culture.”
Data shared in March during a meeting of the State Board of Community Colleges showed that enrollment across the state’s 58 colleges had surpassed pre-pandemic enrollment for the first time since 2019, prompting the system’s request for an estimated $102 million in enrollment growth funding. Between 2018-19 and 2024-25, FTE enrollment at James Sprunt Community College increased by 83%, the highest rate across the system.
Fully funding the community college system’s enrollment growth request is critical, McInnis said.
“I’m certainly a proponent of that,” he said. “Of course, enrollment growth needs to be 100% funded.”
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