Legislative Network: Creating Success

The October NCCCS Annual Conference, "Beyond the Horizon: Preparing Students for Global  Advantage"  also prepared and encouraged NCCCFA members to inform our elected officials about the benefits and challenges of our local community colleges - where we live and work.  Our legislative networking "Pass the Word" workshop carried out the theme by providing details on the System's budget initiatives for 2009 and hosting a strategy session on how all of us can be powerful advocates for individual colleges and the entire North Carolina Community College System. By speaking with one voice, building networks, and engaging our legislators at a local level, we can ensure that our individual budgets and our system will remain strong and growing in this tough economic time. This information will soon be posted on our quick links, and our Legislative Network is mobilizing to visit legislators and other decision makers. 

Our goal is to have a Networking team of faculty, students, and administrators representing each campus statewide. These advocacy teams will visit legislators and other decision makers in their home towns and districts, providing information about of their local campus needs and success stories. We now have Network members at more than 25 institutions, including a very active team at Johnson Community College. Help us cover the state with the good news stories of your local students and community college programs. To join the network and receive information and advocacy tools, please contact Benita Budd at babudd@gmail.com 

Curriculum Demonstrations 2009

We are updating and revising the curriculum demonstration materials. Curriculum demos during the legislative session spotlight the best and most effective programs and help legislators appreciate the depth and breadth of our initiatives and programs. Below are highlights of past curriculum demonstrations to spark ideas for your own college's demo.  Start planning today!

Demos from 2007

Gaston College Textile Technology Center and Catawba Valley CC Textiles

James Sprunt CC Electrical/Electronics and Viticulture and Enology

Piedmont CC Film and Video Production

Southeastern CC Agricultural Biotechnology-Micropropagation, Environmental Science Technology-Invasive Species, From Chemistry to Biodiesel

Pamlico CC Medical Assisting and Electroneurodiagnostic Technology

Pitt CC General display on our Health Sciences with emphasis on Nuclear Medicine and the Positron Emission Tomography program which is, to our knowledge, the only one in the country Respiratory Therapy (faculty and students demonstrated small equipment) Nursing (students will take blood pressures) Bioprocessing Center (Center Director showed small equipment and provide brochures; Pitt CC hosted one of six NC centers originally funded by Golden Leaf grants) University Transfer with emphasis on advising students for successful transfer to universities (the Department Chair of University Transfer and one of our counselors provided information) Basic Law Enforcement Training (faculty and students answered questions)

Bladen CC Seamless education, high school to CC, Industrial Systems Technology, Biotech, perhaps Programmable Logic Controller. The theme was seamless education. Ninth- through twelfth-grade high school students, first- and second-year college students and a seamless education avenue that shows and allows students to travel down several paths, to include four-year colleges, maintenance employment, bio-tech employment, and PLC employment.

Lenoir CC Machining and Computer Engineering

Forsyth Tech CC Nanotechnology. Students opearated an atomic-force microscope.

Forsyth Tech CC Mechanical Engineering Technology The instructor and two students  showcased the latest manufacturing design hardware and software using a computer workstation and a three-dimensional rapid prototyping printer. They demonstrated how a designer can take a design idea from concept through the actual production of a prototyped part. They also used an LCD portable projector to display the work as it was being created.

Surry CC Viticulture and Enology, and Community Spanish Interpreter

Catawba Valley CC Polysomnography Technology (sleep studies)

Central Piedmont CC Transport Systems Division, including Auto Body, Automotive and Heavy Equipment.

Wake Tech CC Simulation and Game Development