Despite North Carolina’s strong economy, which consistently ranks in the top three states for business, 85% of good jobs will require a degree or credential beyond high school. Recent data show that only 31% of public school ninth graders in North Carolina graduate on time and earn a college degree or certificate within six years of high school graduation, according to myFutureNC.

myFutureNC is proud to honor the 2025 Champions for Attainment — a distinction awarded to individuals and organizations demonstrating outstanding dedication to expanding access, success, and completion for adult learners across North Carolina. Your work embodies the principles of myFutureNC’s Evidence-Based Attainment Strategies, driving meaningful change and bridging the state’s attainment gap.

myFutureNC’s 2025 Education & Workforce Attainment Policy Champions demonstrate their dedication to shaping North Carolina’s future through education. These outstanding leaders have been instrumental in driving policies and initiatives that support students, families, and communities, ensuring our state remains committed to meeting its attainment goal. Their leadership, alongside the collaboration of their colleagues, has strengthened pathways to educational success and workforce readiness.

“We’ve been doing Career and College Promise in our state for over a decade, and we’ve grown (in) 2013-14 from just over 11,000 students, to our present day report of almost 86,000 students,” said Aaron Mabe, the N.C. Community College System’s (NCCCS) dual enrollment director. “And at this point in time, we are at pre-pandemic levels.”

The General Assembly meets for its “long” session beginning in January of each odd-numbered year, when it passes a budget for two fiscal years. Each year, more than 50% of the state’s budget allocations go toward funding for education in North Carolina. In recent legislative sessions, lawmakers have passed several impactful policies for public schools — including the vast expansion of private school vouchers, added flexibility for charter schools, base pay raises for most school employees, and aid for schools in western North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Educational institutions receiving federal funds — including preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies — have been directed by Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, to “cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and beyond.”

Partnerships | Cape Fear Community College President Jim Morton writes in an EdNC perspective about how the college is engaged in a health care initiative and partnership to help mitigate the critical nursing shortage across the region. “We are proud to be a partner in a groundbreaking health care initiative, the New Hanover Healthcare Career Partnership (NHHCP), which brings together CFCC, the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), New Hanover County Schools (NHCS), and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce,” Morton said.

Legislative Summit | Many North Carolina community college leaders and trustees attended the 2025 Community College National Legislative Summit. You can view more posts on the Association of Community College Trustees’ Linkedin page.

Recognitions | Vance-Granville Community College was designated a Leader College by national nonprofit Achieving the Dream. “Leader Colleges develop innovative ways to work with other colleges to share knowledge and facilitate an exchange of ideas about evidence-based reform strategies,” according to a news article. Additionally, these colleges have demonstrated “work in whole-college reform, resulting in increased completion rates for students.”

National initiatives | Central Carolina Community College will participate in Phase 2 of the national initiative, Rural Guided Pathways Project. According to a college press release, “colleges that are part of Rural Pathways work with each other — and with community partners in their regions — to implement evidence-based, institution-wide reforms grounded in the guided pathways framework.”

Grants | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College will offer free IT Support training, helping to bridge the tech workforce gap. The college is doing this through a $1 million, two-year grant from Per Scholas North Carolina.

Update on Project Kitty Hawk | Enrollment in degree programs powered by Project Kitty Hawk, a UNC System initative aimed at adult learners, has increased 65% since the start of fall 2024, according a press release from the UNC System. Project Kitty Hawk’s 14 bachelor’s degree programs served 923 students in January, up from 558 in September. In total, more than 1,100 students have enrolled in an online degree program powered by Project Kitty Hawk since the first program launched in October 2023.

Stories | State Board of Community Colleges member and self-taught weatherman Ray Russell is featured in this Assembly article. Russell discusses forecasting for Hurricane Helene, his love for weather, and more.

Hannah Pearson, an 18-year-old student at UNC Pembroke, is on track to become one of North Carolina’s youngest teachers by earning her teaching licensure before turning 20. She began earning credits for her degree through Robeson Community College while still in high school, and is now set to graduate in December 2025 and have her own classroom before her 20th birthday.

Events | The ApprenticeshipNC Conference is set for March 10-11 at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham. You can find the agenda and registration details online.

Fayetteville Technical Community College and the North Carolina Military Business Center will host a Federal Food Symposium April 1-2. More information about the event can be found here.

MerleFest, a music festival fundraiser for Wilkes Community College, is scheduled for April 24-27. You can find the full lineup and more information on MerleFest’s website.