News and Features

Peggy and Bob Culbertson of Charlotte have committed $1 million to Central Piedmont Community College to provide scholarships for financially needy students. The college will use a significant portion of the gift to establish the Peggy and Bob Culbertson 49erNext Scholarship Program to assist students in the newly created 49erNext Program. The Culbertson gift also will fund scholarships for Central Piedmont students pursuing career-focused technical degrees and preparing to enter the workforce.

49erNext is a new co-admission program to facilitate degree completion and student success by creating a seamless pathway for individuals who want to start their degree work at Central Piedmont and complete their degree at UNC Charlotte. This innovative co-admission approach allows both Central Piedmont and UNC Charlotte to engage in a fully integrated, proactive advising model, ensuring students’ progress toward the timely completion of a baccalaureate degree. As participants in the 49erNext Program, students are eligible to transfer into more than 75 undergraduate degree programs (130+ majors) at UNC Charlotte, as long as they earn an associate degree at Central Piedmont with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.

The Peggy and Bob Culbertson 49erNext Scholarship Program will provide two-year, full-tuition scholarships to full-time students with financial need who are in the 49erNext Program. News of both 49erNext and the Peggy and Bob Culbertson 49erNext Scholarship was shared today at a signing ceremony held by UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont at UNC Charlotte’s Center City Building. John Culbertson spoke at the ceremony on behalf of his parents.

“We are big on upward mobility and believe education is absolutely the best answer,” Culbertson said. “Our goal is to give those who need financial assistance the opportunity to attend school. Central Piedmont is the perfect place for our gift because we can help students training for a vocational career and college transfer students.

A pilot class of 111 students opened the 49erNext program in August. This past year, about 4,000 transfer students enrolled at UNC Charlotte—69 percent came from a North Carolina community college, and 29 percent of those came from Central Piedmont.

“Central Piedmont is excited about the 49erNext program because it offers students a direct pathway to a four-year degree as well as an avenue to greater economic mobility,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “Institutions the size of Central Piedmont and UNC Charlotte sometimes can be challenging to navigate for students. Those students in the 49erNext program will have a clearly marked map leading from one institution to the next. This program will serve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community well as we seek to produce more individuals with bachelor’s degrees to meet our growing workforce demands.

Students interested in learning more about the 49erNext program can visit the website or send an email.

The national nonprofit Year Up celebrated the launch of its new Charlotte location with a breakfast and ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning at Central Piedmont Community College.

Speaking at the event were Torrey Smith, Players Coalition Board Member and Two-time Super Bowl Champion; Year Up President Cyril Turner; Year Up Charlotte Site Director Elise Ford; National Year Up Site Director Roland Selby; Central Piedmont Community College President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer; and Bank of America Community Engagement Executive Kathryn Black.

The free yearlong program prepares students (ages 18-24) for entry-level technology and customer-facing roles. Participants spend one semester taking technical and professional skills classes taught by Central Piedmont and Year Up staff, and the following semester in a full-time, credit-bearing internship at a corporate partner firm.

The program is provided to students at no cost. Throughout the year, students earn college credits and a weekly stipend, and have access to Central Piedmont’s many services, including the college’s library and tutoring resources, as well as additional Year Up services.

“We are excited because this partnership fits so well with the mission, vision, and historic purpose of Central Piedmont,” said Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont. “Central Piedmont has always been a driver of economic mobility. The college has always worked to build and offer pathways to careers and further education. We are proud to join with Year Up Charlotte and Bank of America as we seek to transform lives and bring new possibilities to individuals and their families.”

The first 53 students began classes in August 2019; the program will grow to serve 120 young adults over the next year.

Nationwide, 90% of Year Up graduates are employed or attending college within four months of completing Year Up, with average starting salaries of $40,000/year.

The program received a grant from the Players Coalition in Jan. 2019 to support the program’s expansion into new cities like Charlotte and help Year Up change perceptions of Opportunity Youth from social liabilities to economic assets. 

Learn more about Year Up.

Congratulations to Jeani Orr, Central Piedmont Cytotechnology student, who recently was awarded the Cytotechnology Bob Gay scholarship.

The scholarship was established by Kim Kowalczik in memory of her father, Bob Gay, who made significant contributions to the education of cytotechnology students and was a founding member of the American Society of Cytotechnology (ASCT). The scholarship awards $1,000 and sponsorship (travel and accommodations) to the upcoming ASCT annual conference to an outstanding student.

Candidates must have completed the first six months of training in an accredited cytotechnology program and must be members of the ASCT. The award is based on academic performance, financial need, service and a demonstrated potential to make significant contributions to the cytotechnology profession. Student membership with ASCT is complimentary and is a requirement for the scholarship application.

Approximately 18,000 students from Mecklenburg County and beyond converged at Central Piedmont Community College on Thursday, Aug. 15, as the college kicked off its 2019 fall semester.

Throughout the day, Student Life representatives and other staff members were stationed at information tables across all six Central Piedmont campuses to help ease students’ first day of class.

Representatives guided students to classes, answered their questions, and provided them with important college information, such as valuable campus resources, parking guidelines, and available extracurricular activities.

In addition, Central Piedmont’s president, Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, welcomed students at the Central Campus as they began their studies to enhance their skills and prepare for future careers.

The Central Piedmont design team of Megan Burns, Valeria Ramon Vacas, and Eric Schiavo, won first place in the fifth annual National Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs (CCCAP) Student Design Competition. Led by Architectural Technology Program Chair Travis Smith, Associate AIA, the team’s work was compared against entries from 23 other schools in 14 states.

During the competition, students were asked to design an Ecology Center in Balandra Beach, California. The students were given a specific site and program, and asked to develop a complete building design that included a material proposal and architectural details. This is the second year Central Piedmont has participated in the competition. The students completed the design as part of their ARC 213 Design Project course.

The jurors, comprised of architects Rosa T. Sheng (SmithGroup), Kristen DiStefano (Atelier Ten), and Prescott Reavis (SEED), commended the Central Piedmont team for their “very strong integrated presentation which provided a clean, clear communication of the concept and execution.” The students were commended for their “beautiful diagrams and imagery,” as well as their “cultural and geographical investigations that informed the site analysis.” The first place team received a $300 cash prize and certificates.

For more information on the competition, please contact Melanie Reddrick at melanie.reddrick@cpcc.edu or at 704.330.2722, ext 7473. For more information on the Architectural Technology department, please visit cpcc.edu/programs/architectural-technology.

Beginning this fall, the Levine Campus will offer expanded course offerings of some of its most in-demand classes on weekday evenings, Fridays, and Saturdays to give students more options to complete a two-year, college transfer degree more quickly.

The new course offerings are comprised of more than 40, high-demand courses. The classes will be offered in sequential order and focus on a variety of general education subjects, ranging from biology and public speaking, to psychology and business. 

Offering more courses in the evenings, and on Fridays and Saturdays, will allow the college to better accommodate students’ busy schedules, setting them up for success both inside and outside of the classroom.

To learn more, please call Edith McElroy, dean of the Levine Campus, at ext. 4386.

Central Piedmont is excited to announce that both construction projects at its Levine Campus – the new Levine III classroom building and the Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology expansion – are complete.  

Levine III

The new 88,000 square-foot facility includes the Georgia Tucker Fine Arts Hall, a new campus library, a new campus bookstore, health and science labs, and classrooms.

Levine III includes:

• Georgia Tucker Fine Arts Hall
• Library
• Science Labs
• Health Simulation Labs
• Math Emporium
• Academic Success Center
• Classrooms
• Faculty/Staff Offices

The facility’s 2,300 square-foot fine arts hall is named in memory of Georgia Tucker, an accomplished ballerina and choreographer who performed throughout the U.S. prior to coming home to Charlotte. She attended Central Piedmont and taught at the college as a dance instructor.

The Georgia Tucker Fine Arts Hall is a two-story facility with views of the campus lake. The arts space includes:

• A performance space to accommodate up to 200
• A large instructional classroom, with a seating capacity of nearly 100
• Reception space for functions with a capacity of 160 attendees
• A box office and dressing rooms

Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology

The Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology expansion took a little over a year to complete. The 10,330-square-foot expansion helped the college add the following amenities to its campus:

• a new alignment and suspension shop with seven vehicle bays
• a four-vehicle bay training lab with classroom
• a two-vehicle bay training lab with classroom
• additional faculty offices and storage rooms

“Levine’s new facilities will significantly enhance Central Piedmont’s ability to put students on a pathway to meaningful lives and family-supporting careers and will help prepare the talented workforce needed to support the economic growth of our community,” said Central Piedmont President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer. “They will help to advance the mission of the college by offering access to education and career development for additional students. These new buildings will transform lives and transform this community.”

Learn more about the Central Piedmont Levine Campus.

Central Piedmont Community College announces a recent appointment and two re-appointments to its Board of Trustees.

Michael D. Evans of Charlotte has been appointed to the Central Piedmont board by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners to a four-year term that began July 1. Evans is a retired university business professor and department chair, serving both Winthrop and Johnson C. Smith. He also taught at UNC Charlotte. In addition, he was a founding director and board member of Park Sterling Bank.

Evans earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration at Bradley University. He is also a certified financial planner. He currently serves as a board member and treasurer of the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority. He is a former president of the Financial Planning Association of Charlotte and Leadership Charlotte.

“We are pleased to have Michael Evans join Central Piedmont’s Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, college president. “He brings a unique blend of higher education, business and community service experience to the board. His insights will be welcomed as the college moves forward with its new strategic plan.”

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper re-appointed Edwin A. Dalrymple to another four-year term as a college trustee. He first joined the Central Piedmont board in 2008. He has chaired the board since 2014. He also has assumed national-level community college leadership. In 2018, he became a member of the Association of Community College Trustees Board of Directors, based in Washington, D.C. Professionally, Dalrymple is a managing director-investments of Wells Fargo Advisors. He has worked in the investment and financial services industry for more than three decades.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education re-appointed Cecilia A. Ramirez to a second four-year term on the college board. She first became a Central Piedmont trustee in 2015. Ramirez is retired from Nova Digital Systems Inc., where she served as vice president of administration. From 1980 to 1996, she taught Spanish and led ESL programs at a number of CMS elementary and high schools. She previously chaired the N.C. Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs and served on the Governor’s Hispanic Advisory Council Education Committee.

“The college is grateful for the re-appointments of Ed Dalrymple and Cecilia Ramirez,” Deitemeyer said. “They have served with great distinction and engagement. Their continued counsel will be appreciated as the college works to create pathways to economic mobility all of our students can navigate with greater equity and success.”

Central Piedmont is excited to announce that its new Harper IV building, located on its Harper Campus, located at 315 W. Hebron St., is open and ready to welcome students in time for the fall semester.

The new 84,357 square-foot facility features:

• A new campus library with computer classroom
• A Student Commons with lounge areas, bookstore, food service, and student government spaces
• Construction trades classrooms and labs for architectural technology, electrical, plumbing, and welding
• General and computer classrooms
• Science labs
• Developmental reading and math labs
• Student services suite
• Student study areas
• Faculty offices

The new structure expands Central Piedmont’s footprint in southwest Charlotte, helping the college better respond to the educational and workforce training needs of Mecklenburg County’s residents and business community.

As a result of its construction, Harper Campus is now better equipped to help students interested in the following programs, housed on the campus:

• Advertising + Graphic Design
• Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration
• Construction Management
• Electrical Systems Technology
• Graphic Arts and Imaging Technology
• Non-Destructive Examination Technology
• Welding Technology

To learn more about all our Harper Campus has to offer, visit https://www.cpcc.edu/locations/harper-campus.