Central Piedmont’s COVID-19 Response

Central Piedmont adapted quickly to a radically different environment in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Over the last year, the college has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic promptly by quickly developing new safety protocols and practices and addressing it students’ and employees’ needs in the following ways:

  • moving more than 1,500 class sections online. Staff also moved all necessary student services to online/virtual delivery.
  • providing more than 1,270 laptops and 1,120 Wi-Fi hotspots as free loaners to students and employees. (As long as students are enrolled, they can keep and use the devices free-of-charge.)
  • raising more than $120,000 specifically for the Student and Employee Emergency Funds.
  • developing safety protocols and contact tracing procedures. (Even though some students and employees have contracted COVID, the college knows of no cases in which a person caught the virus from someone else on campus.)
  • welcoming students back in programs that require in-person instruction. Some students returned to campus as early as May 2020
  • hosting a drive-through graduation ceremony for 2020 graduates at Cato Campus in July.
  • establishing Central Piedmont Cares. To date, the Central Piedmont Cares and Single Stop teams have assisted more than 70 employees and 3,800 students. Categories of assistance provided include financial needs, food pantry, medical concerns, mental/emotional wellness, technology, and legal services.
  • expanding on-campus instruction for the summer 2021 semesters.

Given the ongoing rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, Central Piedmont hopes to return to normal on-campus operations in time for the fall 2021 semester. Regardless of when things get back to “normal,” the college will continue its work around student success and community service, both of which are guided by its vision, mission, and values.

To learn more Central Piedmont’s other COVID-related news, visit cpcc.edu/news and select “COVID-19/coronavirus updates” from the left navigation.