Learning College
With its new Strategic Plan for 2004-2009, CPCC has made a commitment to become a more learning-centered college. A learning college places learning first and provides educational experiences for learners any way, anywhere, anytime, with a mission to produce learning with every student by whatever means work best. The college itself is a learner, continuously learning how to produce more learning with each entering student.
The purpose of a learning college is not to transfer knowledge, but to create environments that bring students to discover and construct knowledge for themselves and to make students members of communities of learners that make discoveries and solve problems. All college employees are encouraged to be learners, and to accept collective responsibility for student learning and success. To learn more about CPCC's Learning College initiative, visit the Learning College website.


Service-Learning is an innovative new program designed to deepen student learning in the classroom and enhance a sense of civic responsibility through meaningful and organized service activities in the local community. CPCC is partnering with numerous schools, community agencies, and nonprofit organizations that benefit from the service work provided by our student service-learners. CPCC is the first community college to become a charter member of North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide coalition of colleges and universities dedicated to promoting civic engagement among our students.

New Buildings and Renovations! There is so much going on at our CPCC Campuses, please visit our Hard Hat Update.

American Academy of Applied Forensics was originally funded in 2001 by a Congressional appropriation for forensics-related training. The function of the AAAF is to enhance field applications of forensic sciences and to increase the knowledge, skill, and ability levels of law enforcement and medico-legal investigative practitioners. Elevating the skill levels of those who first encounter evidence raises the likelihood that the evidence will reveal the truth and that ultimately justice will be served.

Adult and Academic English as a Second Language programs prepare students who need to improve their English language skills for college-level study or for career advancement. The programs also prepare non-native speakers of English to function successfully in institutions of higher education and in professional settings, prepare newly arrived immigrants 18 years and older who need to improve their basic literacy communication skills, and provide English language instruction at a distance.

The Integrated Counseling and Advisement Network (ICAN) is an award-winning advising system that includes faculty, staff, academic advisors, counselors, peer advisors, and technology in collaborative ways to foster total student development and enhance student success. Advising plays an essential part in student persistence and success. If advising is viewed as part of a retention and student success strategy, it cannot be narrowly defined. At CPCC, advising is viewed as an integrated, developmental process that contributes to a student’s total college performance. To enhance online advising services for students, the College has developed a comprehensive website including synchronous advising and a new student interactive orientation (www.cpcc.edu/ican). The ICAN has received best practice recognition and has become a model for other community colleges.

New Learning Trends

Courses in Bioinformatics, Geospatial Technology, and Homeland Security are following a national trend and are interdisciplinary in nature. Bioinformatics involves using the analytical power of high performance computing to solve complex problems in molecular biology. Geospatial Technology is a computer-based method for collecting, managing, analyzing, and preserving spatial data. Homeland Security is emergency preparedness training for first responders, emergency management, and civilian and corporate/private security.

Pathways to Employment is a nationally acclaimed short-term training program designed to prepare students to enter the workforce as skilled employees. Pathways programs run twelve to fourteen weeks and combine classes that teach basic academic and job readiness skills with training for jobs where skilled workers are high in demand. Central Piedmont Community College has quickly become a model for other community colleges seeking to develop their own Pathways programs.

JumpStart was designed to provide a labor pool of skilled workers to meet the growing workforce in the Charlotte region. In an effort to meet the needs of business and industry, CPCC developed a flexible, intensive training program in which competency- based curriculum is tied to skill standards. The success of this program has resulted in JumpStart becoming a model for other community colleges around the country.