Highlighting efforts to increase postsecondary access for students

A note from us

Welcome to Awake58 — a weekly newsletter with the latest updates on community college news and events. If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up for the Awake58 newsletter here, and you can find last week’s edition on our website.

This week’s edition is by Hannah Vinueza McClellan, director of news and content at EdNC.

NC College Connect is now open, and all seniors on track to graduate are receiving admission letters to their local community college… Learn more about the inaugural Credit for Prior Learning Awareness Week… Colleges impacted by Hurricane Helene or Tropical Storm Debby can now apply for disaster relief funds for on-campus childcare… Plus, the State Board of Community Colleges meets this week…

Good morning and welcome to Awake58 — Hannah here.

Last week, I was in Washington, D.C. at Howard University attending the Education Writers Association’s (EWA) higher education seminar, where I got the chance to talk with education reporters and stakeholders across the country about AI literacy, college finances and enrollment, and how colleges are serving students amid a shifting federal education landscape.

During a panel on challenges for students without legal status, panelists spoke about the difficulties involved in serving all students well — even before factoring in federal policy shifts, such as the Trump administration’s prohibition on in-state tuition for students without legal status. In North Carolina, students without legal status do not receive in-state tuition, but students have advocated in the past for tuition fairness.

During the panel, Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts, talked about navigating these and other policies that impact student services. He also highlighted the unique student populations served by community colleges in particular, telling reporters that community colleges “have challenges and opportunities that are like other spaces in higher ed, but (that are) also very distinct and different.”

While talking to leaders last fall about federal policy changes, I found a widespread commitment across the education continuum to finding creative ways to serve all students. You can see that commitment reflected in much of our coverage this week, which highlights initiatives and resources meant to increase postsecondary access and attainment.

First, check out coverage of North Carolina’s inaugural Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Awareness Week, scheduled for Sept. 21-25. The week will highlight the importance of CPL for attainment, especially for adult learners. In an interview with EdNC, Seth Kamen — director of transfer, learning recognition, and credential alignment at the N.C. Community College System — said many community college students face barriers as they seek a degree or a credential, so giving them access to CPL makes attainment “all that much easier.” 

“We have so many students who never went to college, are in the process of upskilling, or started college and didn’t finish. Those noncredentialed students, they’ve been out in the workforce,” Kamen said. “(If) we’re asking them to move forward in their educational career, we need to help them do that. And to do that, we need to give them the credit.”

Be sure to also check out our coverage of NC College Connect, the state’s direct admissions program; free education preparation training at Sampson Community College; and a perspective on NC LIVE, a free statewide digital library that allows students to access high-quality subscription tools to advance their education and learn new skills.

While challenges remain, I am constantly encouraged by the wide array of ways colleges and leaders across North Carolina are working to serve students, families, and communities.

Gratefully,

Hannah Vinueza McClellan

Director of news and content