On Aug. 29, 2024, the NC Chamber hosted its annual education and workforce conference convening the state’s key stakeholders in education, business, government, and nonprofit sectors. The conference highlighted “the future of work” against a backdrop of competitiveness and technological advances, specifically artificial intelligence (AI).

Daggett opened this year’s convening with a cautionary message.

“Maybe we just can’t continue doing things the way we used to do them,” he said. “Maybe we simply can’t afford it and don’t have enough workers.”

Students, the workforce, and demographics are drastically different than they were 50 years ago, Daggett said.

More from Daggett’s keynote address can be found here. 

In June 2024, during a convening of our board, strategic council, team, and external stakeholders, EdNC held a conversation about “best practices,” and what that term actually means.

North Carolina doesn’t have an infrastructure for innovation. The state doesn’t have a comprehensive way to identify, assess, share, and then scale best practices.

The article includes a framework for the different stages of best practices and lifts up some of the ways the categories of best practices show up in EdNC’s work.

Click here to view the framework and read excerpts from the leaders who shared their take on best practices and how they show up in their day-to-day work.

Twenty-six North Carolina private colleges and universities are offering eligible students more immediate acceptance to their campuses for the 2025-26 academic year, according to a press release.

North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU) announced last week the NCICU Direct Admission Program for North Carolina high school seniors and their families.

This initiative simplifies the college application process for North Carolina high school seniors with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher.

“In just five minutes, students can complete their application at www.ncicu.org without the worry of any application fees,” says the press release. “By answering a few straightforward questions, students will receive information directly from the colleges and universities of their choice, including details about conditional acceptance, specific campus requirements, and available financial aid options.”

Here is more information about the direct admission program.

Of the 36 NCICU campuses, 26 are part of this innovative program.

Click here to view the 26 colleges and read more about the program.

A new lab devoted to artificial intelligence (AI) will open at Isothermal Community College (ICC) this school year, following a grant of more than $250,000 from Meta.

The Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence Lab (XRAIL) will provide students with a technological “maker space,” according to a press release from the college, for both curriculum and continuing education programs. The lab will also provide space for community groups, K-12 partners, and local businesses and entrepreneurs.

College leadership says the lab will help establish a strong technology workforce in Rutherford and Polk counties, with hopes of attracting opportunities for jobs in the tech industry to the area.

Here’s the full article.

Dr. Ken Robol is a lead instructor and director of digital media at Johnston Community College. In this perspective piece, Robol shares his experience as a student and how it fueled his passion for teaching at a community college.

When a student walks into my classroom, I don’t see their past academic performance or the labels that may have been attached to them. I see potential. I see a blank canvas ready to be filled with knowledge, skills, and the confidence to succeed in the ever-evolving world of digital media. My role isn’t to judge them but to guide them, to provide them with the tools they need to become professionals in their field, to watch them learn, grow, and eventually surpass even their own expectations.

Read Robol’s perspective on our website. 

Direct admissions for UNC System and NCCCS | NC College Connect launched last week. The pilot program is a simplified admissions program that allows “qualifying high school students to bypass the traditional application process to participating colleges — including all 58 community colleges across the state.” The press release includes a list of the participating colleges in the UNC System.

Enrollment increases | We’re seeing many reports of increased fall enrollment across the state’s 58 community colleges. Alamance Community College’s student population rose 13.7% from last fall. It’s the college’s best enrollment growth in ten years. Nash Community College grew 11.5% in head count compared to fall 2023. And College of The Albemarle had its highest enrollment in five years. The college’s enrollment is up 11.2% from last fall. 

Student stories | Brandon Jones received a degree in emergency management from Wayne Community College this spring. It was a special day for Jones, a press release from the college said. “But it was made even more special since, just seven months earlier, he was in an accident that almost cost him his life.”

Stanly Community College graduate Toby Neal was accepted to Yale University on a full-ride scholarship. Neal received the 2024 Gov. Robert W. Scott Student leadership award last year. During his acceptance speech he gave a nod to his favorite philosopher Dolly Parton. Click here to view an excerpt from Neal’s speech.

McDowell Tech’s FAFSA Fiesta featured | The Hechinger Report featured McDowell Technical Community College’s recent FAFSA Fiesta. The college’s event was one of four that the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) hosted to boost Latino college enrollment across the state.

Training community college nursing faculty | A news release from East Carolina University discusses training nursing faculty and highlights several community college partnerships and apprenticeship programs that are helping mitigate the health care workforce shortage. You can check out EdNC’s coverage of one of those programs here. 

Call for submissions | The North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation (NCCCJTI) is calling for article submissions. Articles for the statewide journal focus on research and practice across the state. Click here to view submission requirements. The deadline to submit is Dec. 13.

9/11 commemorations | Several colleges across the state are hosting 9/11 related events to remember first responders and those who lost their lives 23 years ago, including Bladen, Craven, and Wayne community colleges.

Higher ed related events:

• NCWorks Partnership Conference | Registration is open for the 37th annual NCWorks conference, scheduled for Oct. 9-11 in Greensboro. 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.
• NCCCS Conference | Registration for the North Carolina Community College System Conference is now open. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 13-15 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Register by Sept. 24 to save $50. Participant registration can be found here. Click here for sponsor and exhibitor registration.
• Dallas Herring lecture | You can now register for this year’s Dallas Herring Lecture, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19. The lecture features Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, chancellor of the Austin Community College District, as the keynote speaker. You can find more details here.
• Adult Learning Conference | The Adult Learning Conference hosted by the North Carolina Community College System will take place Nov. 21-22 in Raleigh. Click here to register, see the agenda, and submit proposals.

Under the shadow of the shuttered mills and mines, Lincoln County, Montana, is breaking free of dependence on extractive industries. At the center of that future is a local community college.

This Hechinger Report features Lincoln County in Montana and Flathead Valley Community College — the college setting out to help smaller rural communities.

It’s an in-depth report and highlights examples similar to the work North Carolina community colleges are doing in rural communities.