Enrollment trends for community colleges in North Carolina and nationally are headed in the right direction, but in most cases colleges have not caught up to pre-pandemic levels – much less pre-Great Recession numbers.

State funding is largely tied to enrollment, so it is a trend colleges can’t afford not to watch.

Hannah takes a deep dive into enrollment, breaking down the North Carolina Community College System headcount data, budget FTE, and actual FTE.

Here’s a snapshot by the numbers:

• During 2021-22 approximately 574,378 students were enrolled in the system.
• From 2020 to 2022, adult learner enrollment increased from 171,759 to 189,004.
• This year, the NCCCS estimated an overall 1.7% increase for fall 2023 in budget full-time equivalent (FTE).
• Out of 58 colleges, 38 saw growth in instructional FTE from fall 2021 to fall 2022. Only 11 colleges saw increases in instructional FTE since before the pandemic in fall 2019.

Read more here.

“Being here is personal.” That’s how Dr. Patrena Elliott describes serving as president of Halifax Community College (HCC).

On Jan. 1, 2023, Elliott became the sixth and first female president of the college, assuming the role after the death of Halifax’s fifth president, Dr. Michael Elam.

Elliott sat down with EdNC to talk about growing up in Severn – a rural town in Northampton county – and what returning home to serve as president has meant for her and the community. You can read more about Elliott’s story and vision for the future here. 

In 2019-20, the NCCCS had a $19 billion annual economic impact on the state’s economy – supporting one out of every 19 jobs across the state. The system awarded over 65,000 credentials during the 2021-22 academic year.

Although the state has urbanized over the years, it’s still overwhelmingly rural. Out of 100 counties, 80 are considered rural. That means that nearly 70% of the state’s community colleges serve at least one rural county – 40 of the 58, according to the NCCCS.

Apart from generating economic impact, community colleges extend numerous resources and services to their communities. They train first responders and early child care workers, provide upskilling for the workforce, offer services to small businesses, educate justice-involved individuals and those seeking a high school diploma, and in some cases, they are a county’s largest employer. And that’s the short list.

But being a rural-serving institution is not without challenges.

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In January 2022, the Belk Center, in partnership with Achieving the Dream, launched a program to help rural-serving institutions address the challenges they face and capitalize on their opportunities. The Rural College Leaders Program (RCLP) is an immersive learning community with 10 North Carolina community colleges that serve at least one rural county. You can read more about the program here.

The convening for the inaugural Avanza cohort was held at Forsyth Technical Community College on March 27. The Spanish term “Avanza” means “to advance; to progress; and/or to move forward.” As applied to the cohort, community colleges across North Carolina have committed to strategically focusing on advancing Latino student success.

Educational partners and 10 N.C. community colleges are working together to “provide institutional leaders with a space to discuss best practices and barriers to Latino student success.”

The convening included experts Melody Gonzales and Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. Gonzales is the executive director of the White House Hispanic Initiative, centered on advancing education equity, excellence, and economic opportunity for Latino communities. Dr. Lowery-Hart is president of Amarillo College in Texas.

The 10 N.C. community colleges were selected by either their designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) or as an emerging HSI.

Read Derick’s full write-up here. 

Last month, community college leaders gathered in Raleigh to advocate for systemwide legislative priorities. You can read Central Carolina Community Colleges’s press release about the gathering here. 

HB601 was filed last week. The bill is for a study looking at the funding structure of N.C. community colleges.

A graduate of Wake Technical Community College, Khadijah Scarborough, was named the 2023 Dallas Herring Achievement Award recipient.

Check out this inspiring story about one Robeson Community College adult learner, Anniatha McMillan.

Jan Knox was named vice president of college advancement for Guilford Technical Community College. 

Pitt Community College’s Health Sciences Division will hold a career information fair for local high school students and the community on April 19. 

Wayne Community College and Smithfield Foods were honored with a national award for their apprenticeship model. 

On May 1, Cape Fear Community College will host a career day for the community to explore programs within the marine industry.

Wilkes Community College recently honored its 2023 National Technical Honor Society inductees.

This piece from InsideTrack’s Co-Founder Kai Drekmeier and Fayetteville Technical Community College President Dr. Mark Sorrells offers five strategies for enrollment campaigns to reengage students. From the Community College Daily piece:

Since 2009, the number of working-age adults with post-high school credentials has increased by 16 percentage points to nearly 54%. But there’s still a long way to go: The U.S. is not on pace to meet Lumina’s college attainment goal of 60% by 2025, and stubborn attainment gaps remain among underrepresented groups.

Additionally, the Belk Center released a series of adult learner briefs last month that highlight the work of N.C. Reconnect and how colleges are using funding and making leadership decisions to operationalize the program across their institutions. You can read the briefs here.