News and Features

The results of an economic impact study conducted for Central Piedmont found the institution contributes $1.2 billion annually to the Mecklenburg County economy, an amount equal to one percent of the county’s gross regional product.

Central Piedmont’s measured annual $1.2-billion economic impact includes $155.4 million in operations spending, $36.5 million in construction spending, $42.1 million in student spending, and a $919.5-million impact made by college alumni who live and work in Mecklenburg County.

“For more than 56 years, Central Piedmont Community College has established a record and reputation for making a positive impact in Mecklenburg County,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “We know generations of students and hundreds of employers have been benefitted from having a comprehensive college and workforce development partner such as Central Piedmont serving Charlotte-Mecklenburg. We also know Central Piedmont makes a significant impact as an economic engine, boosting the county’s economy and generating an excellent return on the investment made by students and taxpayers.”

The economic modeling firm Emsi conducted the study, looking at college data from the 2017-18 fiscal year. The study found that for every dollar students invest in their Central Piedmont education they receive $3.20 in future earnings for an annual rate of return of 15.5 percent. For every dollar of public money invested in the college, taxpayers receive $1.70 for an average rate of return of 4.5 percent.

For more details about the economic impact study, review the economic impact fact sheet (PDF).

Central Piedmont’s Work-based Learning department recently partnered with Allstate on the “Good Hands College Apprenticeship,” a paid program that gives students the opportunity to obtain hands-on work experience at Allstate while completing their associate degree or certificate in cybersecurity.

More than 20 Central Piedmont students applied for the 30-hours/week apprenticeship program; however, job offers were extended to only three candidates – Sabrina Carr, Rushit Patel and Joshua Pierce – who began working for Allstate on Jan. 21, 2020, and joined Central Piedmont student Shanelle Keels, who was already on staff.

As apprentices, Central Piedmont’s students will work in teams to catch real-time hackers, attempting to break into Allstate’s systems; help monitor and create best practices for how to keep Allstate’s customers – and their data – safe; and gain valuable leaderships skills by participating in a variety of mentoring programs. For their efforts, the students will be paid to learn – $18.64/hour to be exact.

“Allstate’s model of learn and earn is the perfect example of a program that is creating upward mobility in the lives of others,” explains Ed Injaychock, director of work-based learning at Central Piedmont. “It’s helping bridge the gap, providing our students with the training and funding they need to secure a better-paying job or family-sustaining career in the future.”

“We are thrilled for the opportunities this will provide to Central Piedmont’s students and the Allstate Corporation,” added Dave St. Clair, vice president of security operations, hosting services, and the Charlotte Talent Center for Allstate Insurance Company.

Learn more about Central Piedmont’s Work-based Learning programs.

Service-Learning organized the 16th annual MLK Challenge on Jan. 20, 2020, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. One hundred and eleven Central Piedmont students, faculty, and staff chose to celebrate the holiday by providing more than 700 hours of service at eight community agencies, and one group performed “random acts of kindness” around uptown Charlotte.

Teams embraced unique and diverse challenges at Ada Jenkins Center, Carolina Raptor Center, KIPP Charlotte, Leah’s House of Refuge Community Center, Matthews HELP Center, Promising Pages, Renaissance West Community Initiative, Samaritan House, and throughout the city.

Members of the Central Piedmont community arrived early on campus to enjoy breakfast together, while Dr. Tracy Moore presented about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and led a discussion about civil rights, social justice, poverty, and civic engagement. Afterward, groups were formed, presented a challenge, and were given $100 to complete their projects.

Those challenges included repairing and replacing perching on the Raptor Trail, creating banners with quotes about historical African Americans, beautification and organizing of facilities that are frequently used, and sorting books for children to encourage reading. The group providing random acts of kindness made care packages of toiletries and food, and they passed them out on the city bus and the streets of uptown.

Afterward, groups gathered back at Central Piedmont, to share their experiences with the larger group.

Learn more about Service-Learning at Central Piedmont.

Congratulations are extended to Central Piedmont’s nursing students for earning a 100%-employment rate and passing rate on their respective NCLEX-RN certification exam in 2019.

National certifications are considered the highest credential in the nation’s healthcare system and are widely recognized by today’s employers. That may be why our nursing graduates continue to be heavily recruited by many of today’s leading healthcare providers, including Atrium and Novant Health (as referenced in the following video).

Are you ready to #ConquerPossibility at Central Piedmont and join this in-demand career field? Learn more about Central Piedmont’s nursing program.

Students from Mecklenburg County and beyond are converging at Central Piedmont Community College this week, as the college kicks off its 2020 spring semester.

Student Life representatives and other staff members are busy working multiple information tables across all six Central Piedmont campuses to help ease students’ first day of class.

Representatives are guiding students to classes, answering their questions, and providing them with important college information, such as valuable campus resources, parking guidelines, and available extracurricular activities.

Also welcoming students this week is Central Campus’s new 154,100-square-foot North Classroom Building. The largest facility ever built by Central Piedmont, it opened its doors just in time for the start of the semester.

Learn how you, too, can earn a real-world, affordable, hands-on education that will transform your life at Central Piedmont. Visit cpcc.edu/admissions/enroll.

Congratulations to Central Piedmont Community College student Koichi Takara who was recently recognized for outstanding leadership and service by North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities with a shared commitment to civic engagement.

Takara received the organization’s 2019 Community Impact Student Award, which honors one student leader at each school, who has demonstrated a deep commitment to community involvement and an ability to inspire others.

Takara has made significant leadership and service contributions both inside and outside the Central Piedmont community since becoming a student in 2018. He is a Foundation Scholar for Peer Mentoring, was elected President of the Student Government Association, and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Rotaract, and the NC Scholars of Global Distinction program.

As SGA Student Body President, he not only leads the constitutional revision committee to address the needs of the student body, but also strives to engage all six of the college’s campuses by boosting student engagement in the many opportunities and campus organizations the college offers. His efforts have resulted in more students being involved civically and adopting leadership roles.

Says Jesse Bennett, the director of service-learning at Central Piedmont who nominated Takara for the award, “Koichi’s approach is always enthusiastic and compassionate. He possesses a willingness to share skills, knowledge, and expertise on a wide array of subject matter.”

Takara, a Huntersville resident, plans to major in political science and international relations and eventually attend law school after completing his associate in arts degree at Central Piedmont.

A donor who wishes to remain anonymous has made a significant gift commitment to Central Piedmont Community College to support the creation of a new Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. The center will advance the best practices of impactful teaching at the college to inspire, guide, and support instructors in the key areas of pedagogy, course content and information delivery.

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Central Piedmont will facilitate the professional development of the college’s full- and part-time faculty, with the goal of enriching students’ learning and overall educational experience, motivating them to persist and complete their programs of study.

The gift to help create the center comes as part of Central Piedmont’s ongoing “Powering a Stronger Future” campaign. The five-year fundraising effort seeks to raise $40 million – the most ambitious and comprehensive campaign in the college’s 56-year history. The campaign will run through June 2022, and has raised more than $23.5 million to date.

The center’s focus areas will include:

• developing pedagogy that is inclusive, equitable, and centered on student learning and success,
• using technological tools and resources to enhance classroom teaching,
• encouraging and supporting instructional innovation,
• furthering the continued growth and instructional effectiveness of all faculty,
• fostering and disseminating strategies that improve classroom experiences for students,
• promoting the ongoing assessment of teaching strategies and student learning, and
• developing instructional content and methods that promote critical thinking and skills needed for careers and further education.

Current programming plans for the center include:

• conducting workshops for instructors,
• sponsoring guest speakers to share best practices,
• providing semester-long orientation and training programs for new instructors and skills-refreshment programs for established faculty,
• establishing mentoring relationships for new instructors with successful classroom instructors,
• conducting training sessions focused on the needs of part-time instructors, and
• sharing scholarly research and articles related to best practices in classroom teaching and learning.

“The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence will be a permanent resource and catalyst for instructional excellence at Central Piedmont,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “The center will be based on Central Campus, but it will serve instructors and offer programming at all of the college’s campuses.  The center will be critical to ensuring outstanding classroom instruction and learning for all of our students.”

The college will hold a ceremony to dedicate the center during the 2020 spring semester. 

Last month, Central Piedmont Model United Nations Club members attended the UNC Carolinas Conference, together with high schools and colleges from across North Carolina. The event gave the college’s first-time and returning Central Piedmont Model United Nations delegates the opportunity to further develop their negotiating, problem solving, and public speaking skills within each committee. 

Students researched, debated, and wrote mock UN resolutions at the conference about a variety of current global topics, such as gender and the role of women in disarmament, the effects of global warming on human health, the rising tensions between China and the U.S., and preventing spillover violence from the Sudan conflict.

“I learned about topics I otherwise would not have been aware of beforehand,” said Returning Model UN member Yasmine Outtara.

Three of the newer members of the Central Piedmont Model UN team – Katherine Beekman, Emma Hoff, and Christopher St. Hilaire – were named Outstanding Delegates for representing South Africa in the Security Council and General Assembly 1st respectively.

How to Join the Central Piedmont Model UN Team

Any Central Piedmont student is welcome to join the Model UN Club. Club meetings are:

Central Campus: Mondays, 2:30 - 4 p.m., in Zeiss, Room 3120

Levine Campus: Fridays, 1-2 p.m., in Levine II, Room 1307

Learn more about how to join the Central Piedmont Model UN team.

Upcoming Conferences

Central Piedmont students will be attending two more conferences in spring 2020: the Harvard National Model UN Conference in February and the Southern Regional Model UN Conference in Charlotte in March. 

On October 2, 2019, the Central Piedmont Community College Criminal Justice Technology department hosted a Town Hall-style question and answer session with Arizona Appellate Court Judge Samuel Thumma. Program chair Jeri Guido and instructor Anne Marie Garmon welcomed the judge to the Levine Campus. Adjunct faculty member Sean Quarmby moderated the event. Students from Central Piedmont and UNC Charlotte were in attendance and asked the judge several intuitive questions regarding law enforcement, juvenile justice, probation and parole, and the law in general. 

The students would later be commended by the judge for their thoughtful questions. One student asked a question relating to one of Judge Thumma's written opinions. It was evident the judge was quite pleased and impressed with this student. Program chair Guido commended all of the students for their participation and attentiveness during the session.

The Central Piedmont criminal justice technology department is planning on hosting similar events in the future.      

UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College today announced 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 at Central Piedmont and complete their degree at UNC Charlotte.

This innovative co-admission program, called 49erNext, 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.

“UNC Charlotte admits the most transfer students of all universities in the UNC System so this partnership with Central Piedmont will ensure that we are meeting students’ academic, financial aid, and career planning needs while making the transfer experience more seamless,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “Nearly 60% of students in the inaugural 49erNext class are from underrepresented populations, and this program is designed to produce a greater number of workforce-ready, qualified graduates at a significant cost savings to them.”

In addition to proactive advising, students enrolled in the program will also have access to:

• a coordinated set of support services in critical areas like career planning and financial aid; 
• free student privileges on UNC Charlotte’s campus including admission to select Charlotte 49ers athletic events, library access, and admission to campus events;
• discounted CATS all-access light rail and bus pass;
• discounted access to UNC Charlotte recreational facilities.

For fall 2019, 111 students are enrolled in the 49erNext program. 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 Community College.

“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.”

Both institutions have agreed to make collective institutional decisions and implement policies and processes that commit to:

• Put students first -- enable students to earn a quality degree in a timely manner;
• Foster success -- ensure and expect all students to achieve their full potential;
• Ensure equity -- ensure that all students, regardless of gender, race, income or family educational history, have equal opportunity.

Building on the partnership with Central Piedmont, UNC Charlotte hopes to expand 49erNext to other North Carolina community colleges.

Students interested in learning more about the 49erNext program should visit our web page or send us an email.