News and Features

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Wed., May 20, signed an executive order moving the state into “Phase Two” of its COVID-19 pandemic reopening plan. The state’s ongoing stay-at-home order will end on Friday, May 22, at 5 p.m.

Phase two allows restaurants, which had been limited to take-out or delivery service, to open at 50% capacity for dine-in customers. Personal care services, like hair salons, can open at 50% capacity. Swimming pools can also open at 50% capacity. Summer camps, including overnight camps, also may reopen with restrictions. Childcare centers may reopen to all families.

Bars, nightclubs, indoor fitness facilities, public playgrounds and indoor entertainment facilities like movie theaters and bowling alleys will remain closed. Mass gathering restrictions allow no more than 10 people indoors and no more than 25 outdoors.

Professional and college athletes may resume training as long as they adhere to the mass gathering restrictions. Cooper said religious services are exempt from the order, which will run through June 26.

Central Piedmont’s summer 2020 classes began May 20. The vast majority of these classes began online and some will be part online, part in-person. Most summer students should not come to campus over the next few weeks. All summer classes with scheduled meeting dates at a campus location will begin as fully online courses. Instructors will let their students know the exact dates for any on-campus activities later in the semester.

Students with any questions about classes should contact their instructors.

The vast majority of Central Piedmont employees will continue to work remotely. College leaders are working on plan for a phased-in return to campus work. The plan will be shared with all employees as soon as it’s completed.

To see the college’s most recent communication about the return of some on-campus classes, visit May 8, 2020 message to the college on coronavirus: some on-campus classes resuming.

Visit coronavirus information for all of Central Piedmont's updates on the pandemic.

AT&T has awarded the Central Piedmont Community College Foundation a $15,000 grant in support of the college’s Emergency Fund to provide immediate, short-term, financial support to students and employees who have emergency financial needs related to housing, utilities, medical expenses, food, technology and more.

“Thanks to AT&T’s gift, the college is better positioned to respond to the growing financial needs of its internal community during this unprecedented time in our history,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont. “This gift will help us purchase the technology our students, faculty, and staff need to successfully learn and work remotely and provide them with the financial assistance they need for tuition, books, child care, transportation, medical care, and other needs.”

Given the extraordinary disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the college has seen an increase in requests for assistance from students facing a variety of pressing challenges. The pandemic has significantly exacerbated these challenges. AT&T’s support expands the college’s ability to help students in need at this critical time.

“Just as all our lives have been impacted by COVID-19, everyone can play a part in helping neighbors and communities through these days,” said Kathleen Evans, regional director of external affairs for AT&T. “We are pleased to be able to support Central Piedmont in making a difference for students and their families.”

Individuals interested in making a gift to Central Piedmont’s Emergency Fund can visit cpccfoundation.org/donation.

Central Piedmont has worked hard to keep employees and students updated and safe during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For the first time since early March, the college is bringing some students back to campus for in-person classes. As we resume selected in-person classes, keeping everyone as healthy and safe as possible remains our top priority.

In this first phase of returning students to campus, some health careers and some commercial driver’s license (CDL) students will have the opportunity to resume and complete their spring semester classes that were suspended in March. Some of the health careers classes have resumed already, others will start back on May 11 and 18. The CDL classes could begin as soon as May 18. This will ensure these students stay on track leading up to the Fall 2020 semester.

These classes will require just few buildings to be open — Belk/Health Careers on Central Campus, Levine I and III on Levine Campus, and the CDL program facility at Merancas Campus. Student Affairs also plans to have few staff members available in Central High and Levine I at limited times to serve current students. The college plans to bring some construction technologies students back to Harper Campus in June.

Again, this is the first phase in bringing employees and students back to campus. The vast majority of employees and students will continue to work remotely for several more weeks. Supervisors will inform their team members of their phase-in date. As the college works to bring more employees and students back to campus throughout late-spring and summer, if you do not feel comfortable returning to campus at that time, please notify your supervisor and/or Human Resources. If you are in a high-risk category with an underlying health condition or have any other questions or concerns, please contact your supervisor and/or Human Resources. The goal is to provide as much flexibility and keep everyone as safe as possible.

Coming back to campus will mean we all must focus on being safe by taking the necessary precautions. If you feel poorly at all or come in contact with someone believed to have COVID-19, please stay at home. Do not come to campus. If, within two weeks of your return to campus, you have had a cough, shortness of breath, or two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of smell or taste, you might have COVID-19, and you should consult a doctor immediately. Please notify Human Resources.

Please keep these important safety precautions in mind as you return to campus in the coming weeks.

• Employees and students will need to wear a face covering during this first phase, in places on campus where social distancing is hard to maintain. Such places include classrooms, labs, restrooms, hallways, stairways, elevators, Student Services areas, campus bookstores, and in-person meetings. If you don’t have a face covering, the college will provide one when you first return to campus. Face coverings must cover your nose and mouth completely and can include masks, homemade masks, and bandanas. The need for face coverings will be re-evaluated as we enter future phases of returning people to campus.
• Students and employees will have to attest on an online form that they are healthy with no COVID-19 symptoms and have not traveled recently to pandemic hotspots outside Mecklenburg County.
• To practice social distancing, departments will be asked to use staggered scheduling so all team members aren’t in the office the on same days.
• The college asks that no more than two persons at a time use an elevator and that they stand as far apart as possible. Please use the stairs if you are able.
• Please maintain at least six feet between yourself and others on stairways, in hallways, in parking decks and lots, and other campus spaces.
• Access to some common areas such as lounge spaces, as well as vending machines, could be limited for a while.
• Meetings should be by phone/Webex whenever possible.
• In-person meetings should include no more than 10 people. Such meetings should be held in rooms large enough to allow at least six-feet of space between persons.
• We encourage you to wipe down your keyboard and other high-touch surfaces in your workspace with disinfecting wipes or other cleaning products every morning when you first arrive.
• You should continue washing your hands regularly and frequently with soap for at least 20 seconds, and avoid touching your face as best you can.

The college will do its part by having classrooms and labs, restrooms, stairway handrails, elevators, door handles, other frequent touch points, and common areas deep cleaned every evening.

We are excited to resume some on-campus, in-person classes. We want to do all we can to help students stay on track and complete their programs of study. By everyone working together — wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, washing our hands, staying home if we feel ill, and keeping our campus spaces clean — we can make the resumption of on-campus classes a success while keeping everyone safe.

Please keep in mind that this is an ever-evolving situation. These directives could change as new developments occur and as we move toward bringing more people back to campus at some point during the summer semester. Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to support our students and our community.

Visit coronavirus information for all of Central Piedmont's updates on the pandemic.

Central Piedmont Community College’s Small Business Center is excited to announce it has launched a new initiative — the Small Business Rebound Program — to connect small business owners impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with Master in Business Administration (MBA) students from top universities and colleges located across the United States. The program will be available May 11–July 3, 2020.

The program will provide business owners with exclusive access to business advisors, studying for their MBAs at some of the country’s most elite universities, including Stanford University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Advisors will conduct virtual counseling sessions with participants, helping small business owners identify and apply for loan opportunities, redesign their business models, evaluate their budget, and analyze their cash management process.

“Growing up in Charlotte, I saw how small businesses defined the character of our community,” said Ladd Hamrick, a Stanford University MBA student. “Our team of MBAs hopes to help by offering what we’ve learned in the classroom, from financial planning and marketing to crisis leadership.”

One of the many perks of the Small Business Rebound Program is some participants may be eligible for a professional service grant. The MBA business advisors will work with small business owners to help assess and/or gather the information needed to help them apply for the grant.

If awarded funding, eligible small business owners would have the opportunity to receive four hours of counseling from a Small Business Center Network-affiliated certified public accountant (CPA), digital marketing strategists, human resource expert, or attorney (a $1,200 or $1,500 value), depending on their area of need. Potential services include establishing a financial chart of accounts, developing social media accounts/a Google Business page, creating HR policies, and more.

“The goal of this program is to help provide small business owners with the sounding board they need to analyze the current state of their business,” said Renee Hode, executive director of Central Piedmont’s Small Business Center. “Advisors will provide guidance, helping each small business owner sustain their business practices during this challenging time in the marketplace.”

To learn more, visit the Small Business Rebound Program.

The PNC Foundation has awarded Central Piedmont Community College two grants totaling $500,000 to support the college’s early childhood education program and help train more pre-K teachers as Mecklenburg County works to provide more pre-K opportunities for local children.

“As our communities face the serious health and economic challenges presented by the current crisis, it’s important to acknowledge that pre-K education is essential to helping today’s children and tomorrow’s workforce achieve economic mobility,” said Weston Andress, PNC regional president for Western Carolinas and a Central Piedmont Foundation board member. “These grants will help train and develop the pre-K educators who will be integral to the growth, quality and resilience of pre-K education in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”

The first grant of $255,000, awarded over five years, will enable the college to hire an early childhood education recruiter/academic coach. With a focus on Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Title 1 high schools and low-income students from other area high schools, the recruiter/academic coach will promote the program in schools and youth programs such as Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas and the City of Charlotte Mayor's Youth Employment Program. Upon identification of interested students, the recruiter will work with students and families to assist with enrollment and registration. Once students are enrolled, the recruiter will serve as an academic coach, shepherding them along their chosen career pathway.

The college will use the second five-year grant of $245,000 to provide scholarships and other assistance to incumbent child care workers in need of additional college classes and credits to earn an associate degree in early childhood education. Specifically, early childhood education students participating in the Reinforced Instruction for Student Excellence (RISE) developmental math and English program at Central Piedmont will have access to:

• online tutoring service through Smart Thinking available 24 hours a day/seven days a week;
• peer mentors;
• on-site, face-to-face tutors;
• an academic coach/career navigator; and
• laptop computers to aid out-of-class learning, for those with demonstrated financial need.

“The college is grateful to PNC for its generous support of Central Piedmont’s early childhood education program,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “Providing opportunities for more Mecklenburg County children to attend pre-K school is an important economic mobility initiative in the county. The success of this effort will depend in large part on having enough Pre-K teachers.

“PNC is a true partner with the college and Mecklenburg County as we endeavor to ensure all children have the education they need to pursue their academic and life goals,” Deitemeyer said.

Dr. Jacob Garbini, chair of Central Piedmont’s engineering program, continues to produce components for healthcare workers’ face shields, using the 3D printers in Central Campus’s Advanced Technology Center.

Dr. Garbini received more 3D printing material on April 20, and, since that time, he has printed approx. 1,000 face shield parts. He delivered the parts to Charlotte MEDI on April 28.

While dropping off the parts, he learned from one of Charlotte MEDI’s representatives and a few healthcare workers, that an issue with the current design of the face shields is cutting into the heads of users. Considering a nurse’s shift is 12+ hours, this was unacceptable to Dr. Garbini.

As a solution, Dr. Garbini suggested he design his own face shields/masks, independently of Charlotte MEDI’s design, using only Central Piedmont equipment in the engineering lab. His design would address the practical nature of the shield. His request was approved!

Beginning this week, Dr. Garbini will work virtually with a design team, consisting of five personally-selected Associate in Engineering students studying civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. They are: Alexander Stephenson, Bailen Huggins, Lauran Echols, Laurick Amadi, and Luke Sewing.

The design team will meet virtually to develop a prototype based on utility, which includes comfort, cleaning, and assembly, by May 1. It will be tested by Atrium Main Hospital nurses by the end of the week so the team can receive feedback on its design/fit and make any necessary adjustments before Dr. Garbini mass produces the units in the college’s Engineering Lab.

One of the student volunteers, Lauran Echols, also serves as president of Central Piedmont’s Society of Women Engineers. She and her peers are on standby, waiting to contribute to the effort as well.

Dr. Garbini will need the assistance of as many individuals as possible as he strives to meet the demand created by in-need Atrium Main Hospital oncology nurses, local dental hygiene clinics, SC hospitals, and the Medical University of South Carolina.

“It's exciting to think about the number of people we are helping with our innovation, effort, and collaboration — especially in this time of need,” said Dr. Garbini.

Learn more about Central Piedmont’s STEM programs.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced yesterday he is extending his statewide stay-at-home order through Friday, May 8. The order continues to restrict gatherings of more than 10 and allows only essential businesses and institutions to operate. The stay-at-home order is aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

As announced previously, Central Piedmont Community College will complete the spring 2020 semester with students learning — and the vast majority of employees working — remotely.

The spring 2020 graduation ceremony scheduled for May 14 has been postponed. The college plans to hold a number of smaller, in-person, program-focused ceremonies on Central Campus, July 29-31. We will communicate the specific plans as soon as they are complete, but please mark these dates on your calendar. In the meantime, the Graduation Committee is exploring other ways to honor graduates during the month of May. More details to come.

Our summer terms will take place as scheduled. The method of instructional delivery — in-person, online, or a combination of the two — will depend on the future severity of the pandemic. Our top priority will be keeping everyone safe. Priority registration for our current students for the summer and fall semesters began April 17. Open registration for new students begins April 27.

Current students who have not done so already should register for their summer and fall classes quickly while plenty of seats are still available.

Please continue to take precautions to stay home and stay healthy. The college has established the Central Piedmont Cares initiative to connect with you and to connect you with helpful resources, as we all continue to navigate this rapidly changing situation. Visit the Central Piedmont Cares website for information regarding available resources.

Visit coronavirus information for all of Central Piedmont's updates on the pandemic.

The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Program has awarded the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership, located at North Carolina State University, in collaboration with community college partners the North Carolina Community College System, Central Piedmont Community College, Wake Technical College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, a $443,619 grant to establish a Robotics/Automation and Cybersecurity Knowledge Sharing Coordination Network (TRACKS-CN).

The TRACKS-CN project is anticipated to take three years to complete, with a projected timeline of July 1, 2020–June 30, 2023.

TRACKS-CN will focus on workforce development efforts at the intersection of robotics/automation and cybersecurity, bringing together organizations and expertise with a focus on workforce development and improving manufacturing in the United States, including community colleges, Manufacturing Extension Partnerships and Manufacturing USA Institutes.

Thanks to Central Piedmont’s past work on a U.S. Department of Transportation’s TAACCT-funded project, which focused on mechatronics (Mechatronics Re-Envisioned), the college was identified as having the subject matter expertise and capacity to serve as a community college partner on this project.

As a result, Central Piedmont’s Jami Dale, chair of the Mechatronics Engineering Technology Program, has been identified as the subject matter expert and will serve as co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) on the three-year project. A portion of the grant fuds will support Dale’s role, which includes participating on quarterly partnership calls with TRACKS-CN participants, attending two annual workshop meetings and working on Advanced Technological Education projects that focus on robotics/automation to ensure they align with the work and goals of the TRACKS-CN.

“The network this grant establishes couldn't be more timely,” said Dale. “As learning environments transition to needing an increased catalog of online technical engineering training materials for college instructors, it’s important our partners in education and industry work together to encourage and facilitate the creation and distribution of educational materials for use in North Carolina and beyond.”

Dale was a natural choice to fill the project’s co-PI role. Central Piedmont has operated a mechatronics engineering technology program since 2005. Robust automation content is woven throughout the college’s curriculum and aligns with the goals of the TRACKS-CN. In addition, the college has a strong cybersecurity education program and is exploring the links between these two technology areas as a contributor to the TRACKS-CN.

For more information about STEM programs of study at Central Piedmont and STEM career fields, see cpcc.edu/stem, or contact Chris Paynter, Central Piedmont dean of STEM, at chris.paynter@cpcc.edu or at 704.330.6531.

Central Piedmont Health Professions and Human Services donated more than 30,000 pairs of gloves, 670 N95 masks, 350 isolation gowns, 250 level 3 masks, and 400 bouffant caps to Atrium Health and Novant Health.

All of our health programs and Environmental Health and Safety offered their supplies to meet the community's needs. Faculty from all of the college's Health Careers areas wanted to come in and help pack but we wanted to limit the number of faculty involved to just a few. They were:

• Karen Summers, Interim Dean ,Health Professions and Human Services
• Eileen Clark, Dental Hygiene
• Cathy Flores, Medical Assisting
• Mel Angelisanti, Surgical Technology​

Learn more about Central Piedmont's Healthcare programs.

Central Piedmont’s Dr. Adam Harris, chair of the computer engineering technology, electrical engineering technology and electronics engineering technology programs, and Dr. Jacob Garbini, chair of the engineering program, are partnering with Charlotte Latin to produce the parts needed for CharlotteMEDI to make face shields for area hospital personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As instructors, Dr. Harris and Dr. Garbini regularly work in the college’s FabLab, home to 10 3D printers, which the duo has been visiting tirelessly, sometimes twice a day, to manufacture the headbands and bottom clips needed to complete the assembly of CharlotteMEDI’s face shields.

To date, the Central Piedmont team has made approximately 300 3D printed parts, such as bottom clips and headbands.

But, according to Dr. Garbini, that’s only the beginning.

Once the team receives more filament — the material used to produce the parts — and services a couple of the machines to get them all working at 100 percent capacity, Dr. Garbini anticipates being able to print approximately 160 clips a day going forward.

However, productivity isn’t his only concern, so is safety. “I’ve sectioned off the lab in the building to prohibit the parts from being exposed to any external germs or elements before they are shipped,” adds Dr. Garbini. “At the end of the day, Adam and I are grateful to be given the opportunity to use our college’s equipment to contribute to a community need. Any support we can offer to our healthcare providers during this critical time is extremely important — both for their safety and the well-being of the greater Charlotte community.”

Dr. Garbini delivered the face shield parts he and Dr. Harris produced to an approved CharlotteMEDI drop-off location on April 8. The parts will immediately be assembled into face shields, to later be shared with healthcare personnel working at area hospitals throughout Charlotte.