Letter from the President
A Year of Building a More Prosperous Community
As we celebrate a year of completion, we remain dedicated to focusing on how the College can continue to find new and innovative ways to help our community navigate forward. The successes and achievements outlined in this year’s Annual Report highlight many of the ways that the College has served our students and strengthened our region. I hope you will share this report with others – especially those who want to begin or change their careers and their lives.
As you will see, the College strives to be a catalyst for change – both at the student level and the larger community level. We have strengthened our relationships with our three school systems and our two county commissions this year and we are all pulling together to raise the educational expectations, workforce capacity and prosperity of our region. From studies (EMSI), we know our alumni contribute more than $234 million annually in additional income from the jobs they obtained as a result of their degrees, diplomas, certificates and job skills earned here. We encourage them to gain 21st century skills by updating their qualifications.
In addition to our outstanding transfer programs to universities, we have expanded short-term programs for entry-level skills such as certified nursing assistant and for consolidating and updating skills with our certified production technician programs. These along with our new truck driving program produce graduates that eager employers are hiring for good wages.
We are entering an era of a labor shortage and skills gaps. We can address both through the programs you will see in this report and on our website. Our new Advanced Technology Center (ATC) will also add more career options as we develop programs in mechatronics, advanced welding, the associate in engineering degree and associated engineering programs including AAS in electrical and mechanical engineering. The ATC will be built beside our current building on the North Carolina Research Campus on the nearly three acre site donated by Mr. David Murdock, the President of Dole Foods and the Founder of the campus. We are thrilled that the ATC is regarded as a valuable component of the campus and a regional innovative asset.
Thank you for your continued support and ongoing commitment to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Without your confidence and funding, we could not accomplish the important work that we do every single day to improve lives through the power of learning.
Sincerely,
