As mentioned above, the State Board of Community Colleges discussed the importance of the enrollment growth increase at length last week. Without the $69 million, many colleges are facing significant budget shortfalls.

“We are advocating daily for the enrollment adjustment increase and our colleges’ need of $69 million,” Alexander Fagg, the system’s director of government relations, told the State Board of Community Colleges last Thursday. “We continue to advocate for and educate about Propel NC, but right now the big star is our enrollment adjustment increase that our colleges vitally need.”

Fagg said not having the enrollment adjustment increase is “unchartered territory” for the system. While the adjustment is not statutorily required, Fagg said it has historically been included in the state’s two-year and adjustment budgets.

Board Chair Tom Looney suggested the system advocate for the enrollment adjustment to be required by state law in the future to avoid a similar situation from happening again.

Cox said, “The deficit is so much more than we’ve ever encountered.” In other years where no adjustment budget was passed, Cox said enrollment across the system either decreased or remained relatively flat. However, last year, he said, enrollment growth “was robust.”

“You can’t adjust with money you don’t have,” said Lisa Estep, chair of the Board’s finance committee.

The Board also discussed the presidential reelection process, accreditation, and efforts to serve adult learners. You can read the full recap on our website.

Open enrollment for the State Health Plan begins Sept. 30 and runs through Oct. 25, 2024.

This will mark the first year (2025) of Aetna being the third-party administrator for the State Health Plan.

Here’s what you need to know:

• During open enrollment you will need to select your primary care provider (PCP).
• For 2025, the State Health Plan will continue to offer two Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans, the Base PPO Plan (70/30) and the Enhanced PPO Plan (80/20). There are no benefits changes and copays and deductibles are staying the same.
• All educators will be automatically enrolled in the Base PPO Plan (70/30), which will have an $85 subscriber-only premium. You can reduce this premium by $60 to a $25 subscriber-only premium by completing the tobacco attestation.

You can read more about the plan here. 

Chantal has the latest on a new virtual educator preparation program at Wake Technical Community College.

Wake Technical Community College announced a new, online accelerated pathway in July for those interested in becoming a licensed elementary school teacher.

The program, which launches this fall, is part of a collaboration with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Community College System called the Cultivating Carolina Classrooms initiative. The program provides individuals with a bachelor’s degree an alternate path to earning credentials for elementary education licensure.

More about the program:

• People pursuing this pathway can earn a residency license, which is given to those who use alternative pathways other than a traditional degree program, often known as lateral entry.
• The program contains six courses and offers fall and spring enrollment options. It can be completed in 18 months.
• The program costs less than $2,500 and financial aid options are available.
• To be admitted, students must have a bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.7 grade point average. They will also need a letter of employment or promised placement from a local educational agency or public school unit in North Carolina, according to Wake Tech’s program page.

You can read the article on our website. 

Also from Chantal, a summary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Tracking Innovation report.

The report tracks North Carolina’s performance across 42 innovation measures. Those statistics are then weighed against those of the United States overall and six key comparison states (California, Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia, Colorado, and Washington). These measures provide insights into the links between innovation, resources, and economic results in the state.

According to the researchers’ findings, North Carolina matches or outperforms the United States as a whole in about half of the measured categories.

The report said that North Carolina’s statewide innovation ecosystem is healthy, and the state has improved since the early 2000s at a rate comparable to the country as a whole. However, the state’s poverty rate is above the national average, and income and wages of residents are also behind, despite having one of the fastest growing populations.

More from the report:

• According to the report, both academic and business research and development have grown faster than the national average since 2000.
• North Carolina ranks 16th nationwide for the percentage of people who have jobs related to science and engineering.
• North Carolina ranks 28th in the nation when analyzing the ratio of science and engineering bachelor’s degrees to the population aged 18–24 years, which “represents the extent to which a state prepares young people to enter technology-intensive occupations that are fundamental to a knowledge-based, technology-driven economy,” the report says. The state’s results are below the nationwide average, which means there is room for improvement.
• North Carolina ranks 21st in the nation for educational attainment, based on a composite score that uses data for residents over the age of 25.

Read the full summary here. 

State Board of Elections approved 12 additional IDs for voting in 2024 | Twelve additional student and government employee identification cards to be used for voting purposes in North Carolina have been approved by the State Board of Elections. You can view the list of 12 here. The full list of acceptable IDs for voting can be found here. 

Central Carolina Community College receives robotic arm donation | Jerry Pedley and Mertek Inc. recently gifted a state-of-the-art Fanuc Robotic Arm to the college. Per a college release: “The Fanuc Robotic Arm will be utilized by CCCC Industry Services. Its primary purpose is to provide comprehensive training to industry operators, focusing on mastering safety protocols and optimizing efficient utilization of robotic technology.”

Robeson Community College will offer residency licensure certificate program for educators | “The new certificate program is designed for individuals seeking to obtain a professional educator’s license in Elementary Education to teach in a school located within North Carolina.” The program will begin this fall and is designed as a 3-year cohort model.

Johnston Community College celebrates historical enrollment | The college reached record-breaking enrollment figures for the third consecutive semester. Per the college: “The college has enrolled 5,708 degree-seeking students at the start of the fall semester, marking an increase of nearly one thousand students compared to last fall, which was also a landmark moment for the college as it saw its first double-digit increase in enrollment.”

Beaufort County Community College receives grant to combat food insecurity | The Louise R. Lester Foundation gave Beaufort County Community College a $10,000 grant to help combat food insecurity. The funds will go toward purchasing food for the campus pantry including fresh produce and nutritious food. About 16% of Beaufort County households receive SNAP benefits.

NCWorks Partnership Conference | Registration is open for the 37th annual conference which is scheduled for Oct. 9-11 in Greensboro, NC. The conference brings together workforce development professionals from across North Carolina representing various sectors. Register online at www.train.ncworks.gov. If you do not have a TRAIN account, click on “Create an Account” or contact the NCWorks Training Center at [email protected] for assistance.

FAFSA Summit |  ICYMI: A recap of this year’s second annual North Carolina Financial Aid Summit. Read the full article here. 

Latine Education Summit | Registration for the 2024 Latine Education Summit closes Aug. 26. Read more about the event and register here. 

Dallas Herring Lecture | Register for this year’s Dallas Herring Lecture. The lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19, and features Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, chancellor of the Austin Community College District, as the keynote speaker. Check out EdNC’s article with more details and registration instructions.