News and Features

More than 15,000 students from Mecklenburg County and beyond converged at Central Piedmont Community College on Monday, Jan. 10, as the college kicked off its 2022 spring semester.

Throughout the day, Student Engagement representatives and other staff members were stationed at information tables across all six Central Piedmont campuses to help ease students’ first day of class.

Representatives were on site to guide students to classes, answer their questions, and provide them with important college information, such as valuable campus resources, parking guidelines and available extracurricular activities.

The college offers nearly 300 programs to get students real-world ready, providing them with an affordable and hands-on education that can help them fast track into a career pathway or lay the foundation for a four-year degree.

Registration for the spring term remains open. Enroll today!

Despite a pandemic, this year’s class of nursing students persevered, earning their nursing pin during a special ceremony on Dec. 9, and a 94-percent job placement rate.

The pinning ceremony is a time-honored tradition in the nursing community, symbolizing the nursing student’s hard work and commitment to serving others as a healthcare professional.

This year marks the 54th anniversary of the pinning ceremony at Central Piedmont, an institution that is home to the oldest nursing program of its kind in the state of North Carolina and renowned for producing quality healthcare practitioners who are prepared to meet the healthcare needs of residents located in Mecklenburg County and beyond.

To learn more about nursing at Central Piedmont, visit cpcc.edu/programs/nursing.

Central Piedmont is excited to announce North Carolina’s Longleaf Commitment Grant, a program that was previously only available to 2021 North Carolina high school graduates who planned to attend one of state’s “Great 58” community colleges during the 2021-2022 academic year, is now open to eligible 2020 high school graduates.

Thanks to the addition of the Class of 2020, even more high school graduates now are eligible to receive grant funds – not a loan – to cover tuition and fees that may be applied toward a degree or to attain transfer credit.

Full-time eligible students are guaranteed to receive $700 to $2,800 per academic year, for a total of two years. Part-time students may receive a partial award. The Longleaf Commitment Grant ends at the conclusion of the 2023 spring semester.

“The Longleaf Grant helped me by saving me money,” said Leila Turner, a grant recipient and Central Piedmont student. “And the process [to apply] was easy!”

In addition, the Longleaf Commitment program will provide matching grants to affiliated colleges to help the institutions expand their student advising, success coaching, and related services to support student success after students have enrolled.

Learn more about the North Carolina Longleaf Commitment Grant, including its eligibility requirements, and get connected to helpful resources.

With the Longleaf Commitment Grant, other sources of state and federal financial aid, and Central Piedmont’s $3 million in scholarship assistance, attending college debt-free is a real possibility. Check out the Central Piedmont website for more details.

Contact the Financial Aid office.

Central Piedmont has issued a Request for Proposals from area artists for the design, fabrication, and installation of a sculpture that celebrates the arts and humanities at the college.

The work will be displayed outside the college’s new Student Success Center and Library, located on its Central Campus, at 1201 Elizabeth Ave. (See the Central Campus map.)

Congratulations to Central Piedmont's Cyber Security Team and program area on its student's performance at the individual and team level during the National Cyber League Competition, which took place Oct. 8 - Nov. 7, 2021. The team placed 137 out of 927 teams that competed nationwide, beating several four-year universities. In the individual competition, Central Piedmont student Daniel Freeman placed 209th out of 3,667 competitors. This put him in the top 6% nationwide. The other team members placed 1,225, 1,826 and 1,870 respectively. 

Events like the National Cyber League Competition expose students to industry partners who may provide them with internships and full-time jobs - jobs are one of the best completion statuses our students can have. 

Learn more about the National Cyber League and its competitions.

Central Piedmont Community College recognized James “Jim” W. Allison, a long-time Central Piedmont benefactor and respected Charlotte lawyer, by naming Room 1221 of the Zeiss Building on the college’s Central Campus, the "James W. Allison Classroom” in honor of his 17-year relationship with the college.

The college will use Room 1221 for paralegal technology instruction beginning in 2022, when its paralegal program relocates from Cato Campus to Central Campus. The classroom naming aligns perfectly with Mr. Allison’s professional interests – he dedicated his career to working as a business lawyer, working primarily for Johnston, Allison & Hord PA. There, he helped counsel a number of clients representing the higher education, real estate, and healthcare fields – including Central Piedmont Community College.

Over the years, Mr. Allison has served as the college’s legal counsel, helping its leadership acquire facilities/property across the county to help expand its footprint to meet the needs of students and the community.

However, his contributions to the college’s growth extend beyond his legal work. He and his wife Judy – a Central Piedmont Board of Trustees member since 2010 – have generously donated their time and resources to Central Piedmont, establishing the Judith N. & James W. Allison Endowed Scholarship to support students in the paralegal program (with a veteran preference), and the Johnston, Allison & Hord Scholarship to support students in the college’s paralegal program.

“Jim and Judy have been generous supporters of the college, establishing endowed scholarship funds to extend opportunities to financially-needy students in our paralegal program,” said Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont. “This generosity has made it possible for numerous students to prepare for meaningful careers as paralegals. The gift to name this classroom will increase available scholarship resources and provide additional life-transforming financial assistance to students.”

Watch a recording of the dedication event.

The Central Piedmont Annual Report is ready to view online at cpccfoundation.org/annualreport.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-2021, the college continued to serve as the community’s college, providing the support services, courses, and career training its students needed to stay on track, within an environment that fostered a culture of care.

We are grateful for the continued support of our donors, industry partners, and friends who believe in our vision of providing learning experiences that transform lives and strengthen the local community.

Please enjoy this interactive reading experience, while learning more about our 2020-2021 accomplishments and celebrating our many successes with us through videos, photos, and more.

On Oct. 27, approximately 50 Central Piedmont Opportunity Scholars gathered in the Worrell Gym, located on Central Piedmont’s Central Campus, to participate in a special “Spread the Love” event.

During their time together, the students:

• prepared 300 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be delivered to Central Piedmont’s local community neighbors Roof Above and Angels and Sparrows.
• assembled 60 hygiene kits. Thirty kits (each) were delivered to Project Outpour and Hoskins Park.

Each month, the college’s Office of Mentoring and Bridge hosts bi-weekly Pop Series workshops to help Opportunity Scholarship recipients bridge the transition between high school and college by informing students of campus resources in an attempt to sharpen their self-advocacy skills, learn the importance of professional communication, and maintain a healthy work/life balance. Workshop attendance is required for all first-year Opportunity Scholars, while second-year Opportunity Scholarship students have the choice to attend.

The Mentoring and Bridge team changes the workshop theme monthly to reflect an area that can best benefit students. Featured themes have included and / or will include study habits and learning (September), health and fitness (November), and stress management (December). The Spread the Love event held on Oct. 27 supported the team’s October theme – community and giving back.
 

Gabriel J. Esparza and Khalif J. Rhodes, both of Charlotte, have been appointed by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners to the Central Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees.

Esparza is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of experience leading businesses spanning both large corporations and nimble start-ups. He serves as both advisor and investor in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures. In one notable example, he played an integral part of the success story at RapidSOS – a gov-tech platform that radically transformed the way people communicate with 911, making it a data-driven experience that transmits precise location and other critical information to first responders.

Esparza’s term on the Central Piedmont board runs through June 2023. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in International Relations and Psychology from Stanford University.

Rhodes is an attorney and founder of The Rhodes Firm, PLLC. He established the firm in 2012, after earning his J.D. and LL.M., from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. During his tenure at The Rhodes Firm, he has assisted various small to medium-sized businesses in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate compliance and due diligence. In 2017, he was appointed the Chief Magistrate of the 26th Judicial District. Under his guidance, Mecklenburg County attempted to address the significant disparities in the criminal justice system. He was a part of a team that re-wrote Mecklenburg County's bail policy.

Rhodes’ appointment as a Central Piedmont Trustee runs through June 2025. In addition to his law degrees, he earned a BA in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University.

“I am excited to welcome Mr. Esparza and Mr. Rhodes to the Central Piedmont Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “This is an important period in the history of the college as we endeavor to help so many Mecklenburg County residents rebuild their careers or start their higher education journeys in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The college will rely on its Board of Trustees for experienced insight and wise counsel."

Central Piedmont Community College today dedicated the Leon Levine Health Sciences Center on the college’s Central Campus. The naming is in recognition of a $2.5-million grant from The Leon Levine Foundation to support health sciences education and health careers preparation at Central Piedmont.

College leaders and community partners including Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, president, Central Piedmont; Linda Lockman-Brooks, chair, Board of Trustees, Central Piedmont; Weston M. Andress, president, Board of Trustees, Central Piedmont Community College Foundation; and Thomas W. Lawrence III, president and director, The Leon Levine Foundation were in attendance at the 11 a.m., ribbon cutting event.

“Not many partnerships last 20 years and yet today, we write the beginning of another chapter in this amazing story [between Central Piedmont and The Leon Levine Foundation],” said Lawrence. “What has happened in this particular 20-year partnership? Hundreds of students educated, thousands of lives transformed, and now, with this grant, the crossing of $10 million of investment entrusted to Central Piedmont by The Leon Levine Foundation.”

The Leon Levine Health Sciences Center opened its doors in August 2020, and boasts 74,450 square-feet of space. The facility was designed by Creech & Associates, working with Morris-Berg Architects; was constructed by Rodgers; and provides a home base for multiple health professions programs, including:

• dental assisting
• biomedical equipment technology
• surgical technology
• polysomnography

It also hosts a state-of-the-art virtual-anatomy classroom.

The Leon Levine Foundation grant comes to the college as part of its ongoing “Powering a Stronger Future Campaign,” which seeks to raise $40 million to support students, programs, and faculty development.

Learn more about Central Piedmont’s healthcare programs.

Watch the event recap video.