First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s visit to two North Carolina community colleges last week was part of President Biden’s Investing in America Tour.

Here’s an excerpt from Emily’s article:

In his 2025 fiscal year budget request, the president allocated $7.2 billion to establish or expand programs that would allow students to earn postsecondary credits through career-connected dual enrollment while still in high school.

According to a statement from the Office of the First Lady, “The funds would be provided as matching dollars to states to initiate or expand efforts to spur greater enrollment in dual enrollment programs.”

More than 78,000 students across North Carolina participated in CCP during the 2022-23 academic year.

After her remarks, Dr. Biden and Gov. Cooper joined a panel of educators and dually enrolled high school students from three North Carolina community colleges to discuss their experiences with CCP.

Panelists highlighted how CCP is a chance to identify career interests and begin earning college credit that will help them in a future job. The four students on the panel are taking college courses aligned with various careers, including EMT certification, business administration, electrical engineering, manufacturing, and computer science.

In her closing remarks, panel moderator Amy Loyd, assistant secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education, thanked the audience and expressed gratitude for the chance to learn from the state.

“We really are delighted to learn from North Carolina and lift up the great work of your great state as a model and exemplar for all of our country to learn from as we’re thinking about how we create career pathways for all young people,” Loyd said.

You can read Emily’s full article at EdNC.org.

The State Board of Community Colleges met last week and discussed the Next NC scholarship, the importance of a system-wide grant director, and a new presidential reelection amendment.

The Board voted to create a permanent grant director position at the system office with the goal of bringing in additional grant money to the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS).

This full-time grant director will help the system increase its federal, private, and local grant funding while also serving as a resource for local colleges. The latter part of the job is something for which many rural college presidents have advocated, as many small colleges have limited capacity to apply for and manage grants.

“We’ve not, at the system office, had a dedicated grant writer or grants person on staff,” said NCCCS Chief of Staff Dr. Kimberly Gold. “This would be the first of its kind for us to really have that focus and effort.”

The Board also discussed a new reelection amendment for local presidents.

State law has historically given the State Board of Community Colleges the authority to approve or deny the election of local college presidents by local boards of trustees. The 2023 budget, passed in September, adds reelection authority to the Board.

In January, the Board interpreted that added statute as requiring State Board approval for any contract renewals, extensions, or amendments for local presidential contracts. That month, the State Board proposed an amendment to the State Board of Community Colleges code to reflect that.

On Thursday, the Board’s policy and governance committee presented an updated amendment, which would give the Board final approval in the reelection of local presidents.

The amendment, if approved, would also require the chair of local boards to submit “a letter notifying the State Board of Community Colleges of its approval of a proposed presidential contract renewal or extension at least ninety (90) days prior to the expiration of the Existing Presidential Contract.” The amendment also lays out a process for colleges that do not have a contract for their presidents.

Read more about the amendment on our website.

Last Wednesday, Emily and Nation joined about 230 business, education, and government stakeholders gathered to celebrate this year’s North Carolina community college award winners.

“Students are at the heart of what we do,” said Dr. Jeff Cox, president of the NCCCS. …The event kicked off with two student award winners.

Lillia Kathyrn Diez of Alamance Community College was this year’s recipient of the Dallas Herring Achievement Award. The award was established by the system in 2010 and is given to a current or former student who best embodies Herring’s philosophy of taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go. …

Stanly Community College student Toby Neal received the Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award.

You can read the full recap of the awards ceremony on our website. EdNC also published features on several of the award winners, including Dr. Kenneth Boham and Dr. Jack Bagwell.

Dr. Kenneth Boham was recognized with the I.E. Ready Lifetime Achievement Award by the North Carolina Community College System. Boham began his career in education as an instructor at Central Prison and eventually became the president of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) for 21 years. He has also served as an interim president at four other community colleges.

After four decades, Boham’s advice to other educational leaders is simple: “If you look at your decision-making through the filter of, ‘Is it good for the student?’ then you can pretty much bet it will be the right decision.”

Dr. Ken Boham’s career in education is recognized by the I.E. Ready Lifetime Achievement Award

College of The Albemarle President Dr. Jack Bagwell was named the 2024 President of the Year for the North Carolina Community College System. Bagwell began his tenure as president of College of the Albemarle (COA) in December 2019 after spending more than 30 years in the South Carolina community college system.

“The President of the Year Award encourages, identifies, and rewards outstanding leadership and commitment to the community college mission among the presidents of the institutions of the North Carolina Community College System,” says a press release from the system office.

College of The Albemarle’s Dr. Jack Bagwell named 2024 President of the Year

At EdNC, we love to highlight collaborations happening between community colleges and their local K-12 districts. Last week, Alli Lindenberg published a piece looking at such a collaboration in Henderson County.

Dozens of Henderson County Public Schools (HCPS) students attended the first Future Educators of Henderson Summit hosted by Blue Ridge Community College. Local education leaders and teachers gathered to hear from the students about their hopes for becoming teachers while students attended sessions to learn more about the field.

Representatives from colleges near and far attended the summit to showcase their education offerings to the prospective students. Blue Ridge Community College, Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, UNC Asheville, Brevard College, and UNC Wilmington were all present.

Students heard from local education leader Jan King, who kicked off the summit. King spent her entire career, nearly three decades, in education. She started out as a classroom teacher with HCPS in 1992 and went on to become a principal, a professional development lead for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and assistant superintendent of the district. King was the North Carolina Principal of the Year during the 2010-11 school year.

“To see this many Henderson County public school students who say, ‘I would consider teaching,’ that just means the world to me,” said King.

Read the full article online.

In favor of Propel NC | John Locke Foundation Board Member John Hood recently published an EdNC perspective in favor of Propel NC, the system’s new funding model proposal. The General Assembly will now consider the model during its short session, which starts on Wednesday. ICYMI, Richmond Community College President Dr. Dale McInnis made the case for Propel NC in an April 15 perspective.

Highlighting the Next NC scholarship | myFutureNC is encouraging students and families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so students can gain access to the Next NC Scholarship. The scholarship combines the Federal Pell Grant and state need-based grants into one easy-to-understand award — at least $3,000 per year for any community college, or at least $5,000 per year for colleges in the UNC System.

UNC System’s DEI policy | The UNC Board of Governor’s Committee on University Governance voted unanimously — and without discussion — last week to repeal and replace the UNC System’s current diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy. The Board’s proposed policy, among other things, would eliminate system-wide DEI metrics and goals across the UNC System, along with the requirement for schools to appoint a senior-level DEI officer. This decision could have ripple effects on other institutions of education from K-12 to community colleges, as well as on issues from the preparation of educators to the chilling of the talent pool.

Haywood Community College serves former mill workers | The Mountaineer recently published a feature about David Burke, a former mill worker in Canton who ended up enrolling in Haywood Community College’s HVAC program after the mill closed. The program led Burke to his dream job, according to the article, working at Mountain Creek Apartments in Waynesville as a service technician.

A new student emergency fund | The McDowell Technical Community College Foundation has created a new “McDowell Tech Student Emergency Fund,” according to the college, designed to help students experiencing a crisis that impacts their ability to continue with their college education. Two anonymous donors gave startup funds totaling $10,000. Before the fund was announced, the McDowell Tech International Club also donated $125 to encourage students and others to contribute to the fund.

Expanded nursing program | Halifax Community College recently announced the expansion of its practical nursing program, allowing more students (33 up from 18) to enter the program with the option to take evening classes. The college said this expansion was made possible through a $400,000 grant from the State Board of Community Colleges’ High-Cost Workforce Start-Up and Expansion fund.

Cape Fear hosts CTE Educator’s Day | Cape Fear Community College recently held its first Career and Technical Education (CTE) Educator’s Day, which is “an event designed to strengthen collaboration between New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) and CFCC,” according to the college. Around 115 middle and high school teachers took part in the event, which included discussions of career paths, dual enrollment, and post-graduation planning for high school seniors.

County capital investment | Randolph County Commissioners recently voted to spend $8.5 million on three new Randolph Community College projects. Those projects include work at its Archdale campus, aimed at addressing expected workforce needs driven by coming industrial development.

New transfer pathway at CCCC | Central Carolina Community College and Methodist University recently signed an agreement that will give CCCC students an “assured-entry pathway to Methodist available upon graduation.” Under the agreement, CCCC students can apply to Methodist without paying application fees and take two courses at Methodist while completing their associate degree at CCCC at the current tuition rate at CCCC. The agreement guarantees admission for CCCC students who complete their associate degree with at least a 2.0 GPA.

The 74 has a new article out looking at how “exclusionary” transfer practices are failing community college students, particularly Black, Latino, and low-income students. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which I recommend reading in full:

A new report has revealed only 16 percent of community college transfers earn a four-year degree with Black, Latino and low-income students taking the brunt of the completion outcomes.

The data, released by the Community College Research Center and the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, found about one-third of community college students transfer to a four-year school with less than half graduating within six years — equating to the net completion rate of 16 percent.

But the report, in collaboration with the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, saw even smaller completion rates for students who are Black, Latino and low-income at 9, 13 and 11 percent respectively.

John Fink, a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center, said this is because the transfer system is “riddled with barriers” from the historic lack of collaboration between community colleges and four-year schools.

“It’s not an equitable system when we rely on [community college] students to come in with knowledge of this hidden curriculum on how to transfer instead of holding institutions responsible for creating clear pathways and adequate advising along the way,” Fink said.

You can read the full article on the 74’s website.