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Awake58 by EdNC

The NCCCS presidency job posting is up

A note from us

Hello, Emily and Nation here. If you missed last week’s Awake58 edition, you can read it by clicking here.

The system presidency job has officially posted… The State Board of Community Colleges meets this week… myFutureNC released their 2022 year-in-review… The Hunt Institute released two briefs on HBCU funding… Winston-Salem State University chancellor Elwood Robinson announced his retirement… Impact58 stories continue…

The State Board of Community Colleges will meet this week.

Among topics likely discussed will be the continued search for the next system president now that the job posting is officially live. The Presidential Search Committee will also meet Wednesday to discuss processes for candidate selection and interviews.

The aspiration for the next president is laid out in the posting: “This candidate will serve as the architect of the future of North Carolina’s economic engine and as the bridge between North Carolinians and the great careers in their communities.”

The reality of the day-to-day for the president will be shaped in part by the upcoming legislative session that is now officially underway.

After many committee meetings and debates in recent months, the posting lays out a few specifics, including the following:

  • Strong preference for at least five years of senior leadership experience in a community college system college and/ or in public higher education; or ten years of senior leadership experience in a government organization, nonprofit organization, or private sector business environment.
  • Strong preference for demonstrated success in working with a board formulating policy, guidelines, budgeting, and management.
  • Strong preference for a demonstrated ability to secure private donations to support System-wide initiatives.
  • Appropriate academic credentials; strong preference for a terminal degree; however, interested individuals with outstanding success in business or a professional career are encouraged to apply.

For other details on the posting, you can find Hannah’s article here.

You can also read the latest from our Impact 58 tour below – with stories from Bladen, Isothermal, and Cleveland.

We’re on the road this week, visiting Edgecombe and Brunswick community colleges. Check out Twitter to follow our travels.

With gratitude,

Emily and Nation


EdNC reads

N.C. Community College System aims to fill president job by end of May

The job posting for the next North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) president is officially live. Hannah McClellan reports:

The State Board of Community Colleges said last month that it aimed to post the job at the start of the new year, a week after the system announced Buffkin/Baker as the national firm to lead the search.

The State Board’s search committee met with the firm for the first time on Dec. 14 to refine its position description. The search committee will have three total in-person meetings with Buffkin/Baker, search committee co-chair Dr. Shirley Carraway previously said.

The posting highlights the system’s mission and goals moving forward, their new strategic plan, and working and living in Raleigh along with responsibilities and qualifications for the job.

You can read the full story here. The job posting can be found here.

Impact58 | More stories about the economic impact of North Carolina's community colleges

We made it to all 58 community colleges this fall as part of our Impact58 tour. Here are several more stories highlighting how community colleges serve the unique needs of their communities.

Future focused: Bladen Community College is putting students first

EdNC’s Cheyenne McNeill shares how Bladen Community College is keeping students and its community at the forefront by providing relevant training programs that match the needs of their service area.

Keeping students centered at the college also involves making academics more accessible. By expanding its course offerings to weekends and evenings and making preparations to host courses in other parts of the county, BCC is learning the value of accommodating students’ needs.

From law enforcement and health care programs to agribusiness and electrical, BCC is trying to serve its community by partnering with local leaders to help train a qualified workforce.

“We’re training people who live here, who love the community, and who serve the community, as well,” Lee said.

Letting go of fear: Cleveland Community College’s apprenticeship program helps students accomplish life goals

This story shows how apprenticeship programs connect all ages to careers that offer upward mobility. Emily highlights two apprentices from Cleveland Community College – a recent high school graduate and an adult learner – both of whom praise the apprenticeship model for meeting their needs professionally and academically.

And for Shane Rogers, the apprenticeship program helped him realize that letting go of fear and returning to school pays in more ways than one.

“I really like maintenance work. I’ve always worked with my hands,” Rogers said. “And that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. My biggest thing was, I was just scared of going back to school.”

But with the opportunity to advance in his career, Rogers decided to take a leap and start the years-long apprenticeship program – receiving support and encouragement from his wife along the way.

Isothermal Community College partners with Duke Energy to power communities

Duke Energy needed skilled protective relay technicians and Isothermal knew how to train them, so the two partnered to meet an industry need and offer community members a chance to increase their earning potential.

With the potential for higher wages, Isothermal’s president Dr. Margaret Annunziata said the impact of the program is significant for the community.

“It allows individuals to gain the knowledge and skills to enter and advance in the electric utility industry,” she said. “With the opportunities afforded through the program, students can excel in a career that provides significant earning potential while being integrally involved in a high impact field in our community.”


Around NC

The Hunt Institute is recruiting the next cohort of John M. Belk Endowment Impact Fellows for 2023. College students across the state are encouraged to apply. Details can be found here. Please spread the word.

The Hunt Institute also issued two briefs on HBCU underfunding at the end of 2022. One brief is focused on leveraging litigation in Maryland and the other is focused on bipartisan legislation in Tennessee.

The Institute for Emerging Issues will hold their first in-person Emerging Issues Forum in several years on February 13. You may register here. IEI describes the event as follows: “The 2023 Emerging Issues Forum will examine ways to overcome barriers and help workers find employment and stay engaged in the workplace. By putting talent first—increasing our understanding of what employees are looking for and how employers and systems can respond—we can better energize, equip and unleash North Carolina’s full abundance of talent.”

The 2022 myFutureNC year-in-review can be found here.

In case you missed it, anyone who wants can join myFutureNC virtually on Monday, Feb. 6 from 3 to 3:45 p.m., for the State of Educational Attainment in NC, according to an invitation from the organization. They will “share the top findings from the North Carolina’s State of Educational Attainment Report and propose solutions to address the state of emergency around workforce talent and the education pipeline in NC.” You can sign up here to attend the event.

On the early childhood front, Blue Ridge Community College announced a new investment via press release: “In response to a local shortage of pre-kindergarten educators, Blue Ridge Community College will expand its Early Childhood Education (ECE) program next year thanks to a $1M grant provided by Dogwood Health Trust.”

This perspective discusses the needs of North Carolina’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Winston Salem State University’s chancellor Elwood Robinson will retire this summer. Robinson has been chancellor of the university since 2015.

Vance-Granville Community College is hosting a series of courses to help people 50 and older cultivate online skills.

Guilford Technical Community College launches Esports.

The Hunt Institute is hosting two webinars this month. On Jan. 19, education leaders will discuss supporting transfer students and the ways state education policy influences the ability to transfer seamlessly. Register here. On Jan. 31, a special series will launch in partnership with NC State’s Belk Center to discuss the role of two-year institutions in re-engaging adult learners. Register here. 


Other higher education reads

Nation Hahn

Nation Hahn is the chief of growth for EducationNC.

Emily Thomas

Emily Thomas is the Director of Postsecondary Attainment for EducationNC.