Our latest Awake58 podcast guest is David Shockley of Surry Community College. Shockley has been president of Surry CC since 2011, and he has also served as president of the North Carolina Community College Presidents Association.
Shockley’s many years at Surry, as well as his statewide role, give him a special perspective on the opportunities and challenges that face rural institutions as we look to a world after COVID-19.
Shockley pointed to one bright spot in a challenging year — the Surry-Yadkin Works internship program.
“These are real positions,” he said. “They’re not just job shadowing. They go, and they actually perform duties. That’s the beautiful part of this — and they’re applying the theoretical that they learned in the classroom to real world … while getting credit through the dual enrollment programs, through CCP, through all those programs.
“It’s one of the most amazing things that I have seen, and not just because of the cooperative effort, but what an amazing opportunity for a young student to be able to come out of public schools in a community college upon graduation with a credential and already job experience.”
Listen to the podcast for more details on the program — as well as what Shockley sees as the future for rural colleges in a post-pandemic environment.
