‘Free’ community college? ‘That’s crazy’

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WALNUT COVE (March 9, 2022) – ‘Free’ is a loaded term – somebody has to pay. But education leaders say free community-college tuition could help lift more North Carolina students out of poverty. “Community college tuition in North Carolina is an extremely good deal,” Forsyth Technical Community College President Janet Spriggs says in the accompanying… READ MORE

Background: NC and ‘free’ community college

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RALEIGH (March 9, 2022) – The Republicans in Tennessee get it. In 2014, the state legislature and then-Gov. Bill Haslam approved Tennessee Promise, which let the state’s recent high-school graduates attend community college free of tuition and fees. In its first year, the program boosted the college-going rate of Tennessee high-school graduates by 6 percentage… READ MORE

Forsyth Tech Cares: Help when life happens

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WINSTON-SALEM (March 3, 2022) – Life just happens to many community college students. Many have jobs. Some have children. Some have unreliable cars. Some don’t have a computer. Some need to put down security deposits. Some can’t afford groceries. Forsyth Tech Cares is an effort Forsyth Technical Community College launched in the early days of… READ MORE

UNC Board: Keep tuition flat a sixth year

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CHAPEL HILL (February 25, 2022) – The UNC System’s Board of Governors voted yesterday to keep in-state tuition rates the same for a sixth year in a row at the 16 UNC System campuses in 2022-23. “This marks the sixth consecutive year that North Carolina’s public universities have kept tuition flat,” said System President Peter… READ MORE

Pitt VISIONS: ‘If we just helped four or five students…’

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GREENVILLE (February 23, 2022) – At the outset in 2004, Eddie Smith thought his family’s support might help four or five students at Pitt Community College. It’s since helped more than 1,200. The family foundation run by Smith, the owner and CEO of Grady-White Boats in Greenville, has poured more than $4 million into VISIONS,… READ MORE

Community College: Seamless pathway to a four-year degree

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RALEIGH (February 16, 2022) – As tuition at four-year universities climbed over the past decade,1 increasing numbers of students chose to start their college careers at one of North Carolina’s 58 community colleges. “We provide two-year associate’s degrees, but also a seamless transition for those individuals that want to pursue a four-year degree,” Thomas Stith… READ MORE

A new, more affordable way to become a teacher

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GREENVILLE (February 16, 2022) – In a state with a growing population but a shortage of teachers, North Carolina’s state colleges and universities offer a new way to make college both more accessible and more affordable for would-be teachers. NC Community College System President Thomas Stith III notes in the accompanying video that the Community… READ MORE

Community Colleges: The Swiss Army knives of higher ed

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RALEIGH (February 9, 2022) – They’re the Swiss Army knives of higher education. That’s because North Carolina’s community colleges do so many different things, whether it’s helping a student complete a GED, learn a skilled trade, train for a specific job with a local employer, earn an associate degree in a high-demand field, or transfer… READ MORE

Forsyth Tech Aviation: ‘A wonderful opportunity’

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WINSTON-SALEM (February 4, 2022) – There’s a whole lot of aviation happening at Piedmont Triad International Airport – and with it a whole lot of really good jobs. With HondaJet’s manufacturing facility,1 FedEx Express’s Mid-Atlantic hub,2 and now Boom SuperSonic’s plan to bring more than 1,700 jobs and a $500 million investment to PTI,3 the… READ MORE