Awake58: What happens to your local community college if the state doesn’t pass a budget?
This is a copy of the Awake58 newsletter originally sent on Tuesday, August 13, 2019. Click here to subscribe.
The state’s budget debate remains at an impasse, and we are wondering what you think about it… The system office has officially rolled out their marketing campaign… Wake Tech CC enrollment is up. How is your college performing so far?…
This has been a busy week for the community college system.
First, the new marketing campaign has launched. The tagline “Your Hire Education” defines the focus of the campaign. The campaign includes a website, billboards, television ads, and more. The hope is to encourage prospective students to explore the range of opportunities that community colleges offer.
What do you think of the campaign? How do you feel about “Your Hire Education”? Is your local college beginning to amplify the message? Let us know by replying directly to this email. We will continue to report on the campaign as it rolls out.
Second, the State Board of Community Colleges approved last week new community college presidents for Nash Community College, Guilford Technical Community College, and Roanoke-Chowan Community College. Alex has details on each of the presidents.
Finally, all eyes remain on Raleigh as the state budget negotiations remain at an impasse. The impacts on colleges may well be significant if a budget is not passed given that the system office will have to submit a budget based off of recurring funding from last year as opposed to the additional funding the budget secured for the overall system during the budget process. If you remember our reporting from the state board, additional funding was secured for short-term workforce development, workforce development-focused IT, stabilizing budgets for Hurricane Florence-impacted colleges, and more.
We are going to be traveling the state over the next few weeks to understand the potential budget impacts for your local community. Please take our survey to help us plan our travel and the questions we need to raise.
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Have a great week,
Nation
EdNC Reads
The marketing campaign rolls out for NC community colleges
The Community College System has officially launched its marketing plan to inform students about the benefit of community colleges. Community College System President Peter Hans said at a previous State Board meeting that the system raised $2.5 million for these efforts, and that the marketing plan is aimed at a young audience. What do you think about the campaign? Click on the article to see some of the marketing materials.
E(race)ing Inequities: Read the report
We just published a new report by the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED). The report finds that students of color trail their white peers in access to educational resources, which directly links to lower achievement. The report was researched and written in part by James Ford, executive director of CREED. The report reads: “Without exception, we find that the influence of race functions to diminish both the access and the outcomes of non-Asian students of color.”
Guilford Tech picked a president
Anthony Clarke, who is the current president of Southeastern Community College, will take the helm of Guilford Tech once his appointment is approved by the State Board.
Other Reads
Community college ad campaign seeks to boost NC workforce
President Peter Hans makes the case for the new marketing campaign in this op-ed: “The community college system has about 700,000 students. Traditionally our enrollment has climbed in economic hard times and fallen when the job market is robust. But even though unemployment in North Carolina stands at a low 4 percent, we know the picture won’t always be this rosy. Progress is uneven around the state, with prosperity in our urban areas, and many rural areas left behind.”
Does requiring seniors to fill out FAFSA forms increase college attendance?
Bolstering FAFSA completion rates is one tactic for boosting attainment for states around the country. Louisiana experienced a 6% uptick in higher education enrollment after requiring FAFSA completion for graduation, but what are the ripple effects? Education Dive takes a look.
What happens when a state begins to phase out remedial classes?
Colorado will phase out remedial college courses that do not provide course credit by 2022. The Denver Post explores what colleges are beginning to implement instead of their usual remediation path. One faculty member explains why: “The majority of people who don’t finish college, they didn’t finish because they didn’t finish a math class,” she said. “Students were getting stuck in long developmental sequences and they were never getting to their college-level math course.”
Around North Carolina
New community college presidents named
The State Board of Community Colleges approved last week new community college presidents for Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, Guilford Technical Community College, and Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie.
Lew Hunnicutt will be leading Nash Community College. He will succeed Bill Carver, who is closing out his term in October. Hunnicutt is presently the assistant provost and campus director for the University of Georgia.
Anthony Clarke is taking over Guilford Technical Community College. Right now, he is president of Southeastern Community College in Whiteville. He starts his new role November 1.
And Audre Levy will be serving immediately as interim president at Roanoke-Chowan Community College, leaving her more recent post as president of Lone Start College-CyFair in Texas.
A-B Tech layoffs possible if the county doesn’t help
From the Asheville Citizen Times: “About 7% of A-B Tech’s budget comes from the county’s annual contribution. Though a standoff in Raleigh has meant that state numbers aren’t yet finalized, Chief Finance Officer Dirk Wilmoth said officials are anticipating a balanced budget. Wilmoth told trustees the deficit stems from a $2 million drop in funding the county handed to A-B Tech in 2013 – a roughly 25% decrease. Before that, the college was receiving about $8 million annually. It hasn’t been restored to that level since.”
Central Carolina Community College and NC LIVE Conference Announced
On October 7, 2019, Central Community College and NC LIVE will host a one-day conference focused on development and use of low cost and free Open Education Resources (OER) for college level courses. Proposals are due on August 16 and early registration closes on August 30. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Richard Sebastian who is the Director of Achieving the Dream’s OER degree Initiative. Visit their website here.
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