News and Features

Beginning July 1, Central Piedmont Community College will transition its campus bookstore operations to Follett Higher Education, the largest campus retailer in North America, with more than 1,100 campus locations.

Follett will bring more than 150 years of experience in higher education and industry expertise to Central Piedmont’s campus retail operations. The company boasts an extensive range of cost-saving course material options; integrated technology that seamlessly connects students and faculty to the materials needed for academic success; a broad assortment of on-trend, branded merchandise; and a top-ranked online channel that delivers even more inventory and a world-class shopping experience.

Central Piedmont students will benefit from Follett’s fundamental mission of delivering course materials that are more affordable and accessible than ever before. Options include new and used course materials; digital materials like eBooks, digital courseware, and Open Educational Resources; and the company’s flagship text rental program, which can help students save up to 80 percent compared to purchasing new.

Follett will offer a fresh take on Central Piedmont-branded apparel, gifts, and supplies. With on-trend styles and logo accessories, students, campus members, and alumni will have access to the merchandise they need to commemorate achievements and celebrate school pride. Follett is dedicated to cultivating a retail environment that drives the Central Piedmont brand and campus culture, both in-store and online.

Follett’s collegiate online expertise will be extended to the Central Piedmont campus stores’ online channel, where shoppers can experience Follett’s renowned ecommerce platform. The company’s platform, supported by today’s leading technology, was ranked #57 on Digital Commerce 360’s 2021 Top 1000 list. Online shoppers can find an expanded assortment of merchandise – beyond what’s offered in store – and enjoy 24/7 access to the products and course materials they need.

“Central Piedmont is excited to partner with Follett, as we seek to enhance the process by which students purchase books, class materials, and college merchandise,” said Jeff Lowrance, vice president of communications, marketing, & public relations. “Students’ interactions with our campus bookstores, both in-person and online, is a significant part of their overall student experience. We want to provide students with the best experience possible as they complete their programs of study and begin rewarding careers or move on to further education.”

About Central Piedmont Community College Bookstores
Central Piedmont Community College bookstores are solely devoted to serving the college community – offering products and services to Central Piedmont and the greater Charlotte community both in-store and online via eFollett.com. Central Piedmont bookstores are located on three campuses and open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Pop-up stores are provided at the other Central Piedmont campus locations to meet demand during peak periods. For more information, contact Regional Manager, Andy Roush, aroush@follett.com.
 

The results of an economic impact study conducted for Central Piedmont Community College found the institution contributes $827.7 million annually to the Mecklenburg County economy, an amount equal to 0.7 percent of the county’s gross regional product.

Central Piedmont’s measured annual $827.7 million economic impact includes $139.9 million in operations spending, $35.6 million in construction spending, $30.8 million in student spending, and a $621.4-million impact made by college alumni who live and work in Mecklenburg County.

Expressed in terms of jobs, Central Piedmont’s $827.7 million impact supports 11,274 jobs, or about one out of 85 jobs in Mecklenburg County.

“For almost 60 years, Central Piedmont Community College has established a solid 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 2019-20 fiscal year. The study found that for every dollar students invest in their Central Piedmont education they receive $3.80 in future earnings for an annual rate of return of 17 percent. For every dollar of public money invested in the college, taxpayers receive $1.40 for an average rate of return of 2.5 percent. From a societal perspective, for every dollar invested in Central Piedmont, residents in North Carolina receive $6.40 in return from the contributions made by Central Piedmont graduates in the state’s workforce.

For more details about the economic impact study, please read the full Executive Summary of the Economic Value of Central Piedmont or view the Central Piedmont economic impact fact sheet. Both documents are accessible on the college’s Reports and Publications Web page.

“Central Piedmont creates value and helps power the Charlotte-Mecklenburg economic engine in many ways. The college helps students increase their employability and achieve their individual potential. The college helps keep students in the county, generating new dollars and opportunities for Mecklenburg County. Central Piedmont provides students with the education, training, and skills they need to have fulfilling and prosperous careers that provide real economic mobility,” Deitemeyer said.

“The college supports the vast variety of industries in Mecklenburg County, serves county businesses, and benefits society as a whole in North Carolina from an expanded economy and improved quality of life. Additionally, the benefits created by Central Piedmont extend to the state and local government through increased tax revenues and public sector savings. Now, more than ever, as Mecklenburg County emerges from the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, Central Piedmont is a sound investment and critical community partner,” Deitemeyer added.

Central Piedmont is now enrolling for Summer Bridge, a six-week, summer program that gives graduating high school seniors the opportunity to earn up to seven hours of free college credits. Classes focus on math, reading, and writing. 

Summer Bridge will be held June 13–July 21, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.–1:05 p.m. Courses will be offered in a virtual, hybrid, or blended format. (Hybrid and blended classes include both online and some face-to-face instruction.)

Interested? Apply by May 15.

Scholarships are also available for eligible students. Learn more about eligibility, program requirements, information session dates, or download the application. 

Questions? Contact the Mentoring and Bridge office at 704-330-6656 or via email.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper met on Central Piedmont’s Central Campus Thursday with college leadership, elected officials, and students to celebrate Central Piedmont’s success with awarding the Longleaf Commitment Grant to in-need students located throughout the region.

The Longleaf Commitment Grant was originally announced by Gov. Cooper in May 2021 and gives North Carolina high school graduates who plan to attend one of the state’s “Great 58” community colleges the opportunity to receive a grant – not a loan – to cover tuition and fees toward a degree or to attain transfer credit. 

Gov Cooper chose to kick off his Longleaf Commitment Grant tour in Charlotte because Central Piedmont has the second highest number of Longleaf Grant recipients among N.C. community colleges. To date, 1,296 Central Piedmont students have received $716,089 in Longleaf Commitment Grant funds.

“We want to make education affordable. We want students to put money in their pockets,” said Gov. Cooper. “The Longleaf Commitment Grants help boost student performance because they allow students to concentrate on their school work. That’s why it’s so important that this grant keeps going and remains available in the future.”

During the press event, Gov. Cooper participated in a roundtable discussion with N.C. Community College System President Thomas Stith III, Central Piedmont President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Chris Cathcart, N.C. State Senator Joyce Waddell, N.C. House Representative Carolyn Logan, and Longleaf Commitment Grant recipients (and Central Piedmont students) Noemi Henriquez, Katherine Perez Puquir, and Leila Turner.

The group discussed how the grants are helping students pursue their education, the steps Central Piedmont has taken to successfully share publicly that Longleaf Grant funds are available, and more.

“The Longleaf Commitment Grant funds helped ease the financial burden on my mom who was paying for three college-aged children,” explained Turner. “The grant is not only enabling me to hold on to my precious college savings so I can one day use them toward my four-year degree, but it’s also helping me concentrate on my studies and not have to take on a full-time job to pay for my tuition and fees.”

Learn more about the North Carolina Longleaf Commitment Grant, including its requirements, and get connected to helpful resources. Contact Financial Aid for additional information.

Central Piedmont is excited to partner with SouthEnd ARTS to bring “OUTER LIMITS,” a 58-piece art exhibition to its Harris I Second Floor Atrium, located on the college’s Harris Campus, now through August 20, 2022.

The six-month art exhibition, curated by Zaire McPhearson and the largest in SouthEnd ARTS’ history, features the work of more than 30 local artists, including Susan Ballard, Pascale Doxy, Molly English, Daysha Lancaster, Stephanie McCall, and more.

McPhearson is a contemporary artist and Brock Family Instructor at Duke University. Her work incorporates photography, graphic design, painting, sound design, sculpture, as well as other mediums, and reflects the complex issues that shape our diverse, global, and ever-changing world. It is through this lens that McPhearson helped select the artists for the “OUTER LIMITS” exhibition and which works from their portfolios to display.

“This exhibition allows us to educate residents outside of a traditional classroom setting, in new and exciting ways,” explains Moses Fox III, director of campus affairs for Central Piedmont’s Harris Campus. “Artwork engages individuals on a variety of levels – both artistically, emotionally, and spiritually – and we’re proud to bring art to the people, serving the local community as both an educational and arts resource.”

Central Piedmont plans to host a handful of events throughout the six-month exhibition to celebrate the artists’ work. It will hold a private, Jurored Awards Ceremony on March 18 to celebrate the artists’ many accomplishments, and plans to highlight the exhibit more publicly on April 14, from 4 – 7 p.m., during its week-long Sensoria celebration, which is open – and free – to all.

Individuals unable to attend the April 14 event, are invited to visit Harris I, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., to view the exhibition in person. For directions, visit cpcc.edu/locations/harris-campus.

Central Piedmont invites rising high school juniors and seniors to attend an upcoming Career & College Promise information session, any Monday through July 18, from 4:30 – 6 p.m. (Please note: there is no session on April 18.) The sessions are held virtually via Webex.

Career & College Promise provides seamless dual enrollment educational opportunities to eligible North Carolina high school students, giving them the opportunity to earn college credit tuition-free.

To enter the program, high school students must demonstrate college readiness and meet other eligibility requirements.

See how our students are conquering possibility through the Career & College Promise program:

• Sam Video
• George Video
• Lydia Video

Learn more about Central Piedmont’s dual-enrollment program or contact the college’s Career & College Promise team at ccp@cpcc.edu.

Central Piedmont Community College has selected two local artists, Rosalia Torres-Weiner and Felicia Sky Sutton, to create a large-scale mural honoring the past history of the college, documenting the present, and reflecting the aspirations of Central Piedmont students for the future.

Torres-Weiner and Sutton, former Central Piedmont students, were chosen from a highly skilled pool of applicants to work collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to create an interactive mural. The art work will be located in the dining area of the college’s new student union, a part of Central Piedmont’s new Parr Center complex, located on the Central Campus. The Parr Center will serve as the student services hub and include a new campus library, a 430-seat theater, a rooftop terrace, a 1,100- square-foot art gallery, and a maker’s space for students to explore careers and creativity. The Parr Center will open to students and the public later this year.

According to the project’s request for proposal, the mural’s graphic design will span an 8-foot by 90-foot wall on the first floor of the 184,000-square-foot building. Its placement will benefit from the nearby dining space, which is flooded with natural light thanks to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlook the Charlotte city skyline. The mural will demonstrate the college’s commitment to the fine arts and its support for the creative culture of its surrounding community.

Rosalia Torres-Weiner is an artist, activist and community leader in Charlotte. Her art captures the themes, colors and rich symbolism of her native home of Mexico. She took her first steps toward a creative career by taking graphic design courses at Central Piedmont. After operating a successful interior arts business, Torres-Weiner shifted the focus of her work from commercial art to art activism in 2010, by using her art to document social conditions and to raise awareness about issues affecting immigrant communities such as family separation, access to public education, racism, and moving beyond common stereotypes. Her work is featured in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum and has been exhibited in a variety of venues, including the McColl Center for Arts and Innovation, Levine Museum of the New South, the City of Raleigh Museum, the Latin American Center for Arts Gallery, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and the Mexican Cultural Institute at the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. Her story “The Magic Kite” was adapted by The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte.

Felicia Sky Sutton is an educator, muralist, and multimedia artist who believes art creation and art education are an important pathway to self-empowerment. Working with paint, video, digital illustration, and most recently animation, She captures the essence of her subjects and tells stories through colorful portraiture, symbolism, and visual metaphors. Sutton is passionate about the use of public art to empower, build, and strengthen communities, and to bring new life to forgotten spaces. She attended Central Piedmont’s dual enrollment program before transferring to and graduating from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in art and visual culture. Her work has been in a number of group and solo exhibitions in Boone, N.C.; Charlotte and, most recently, in Philadelphia. In addition, she has been published in multiple publications and magazines.

Congratulations to our fall 2021 ACA Scholarship winners!

Each fall and spring semester, the college's Academic Related Courses (ACA) area selects seven recipients for the ACA Scholarship for awards of $600 each. To apply, students had to write an essay answering the question “Being resilient (the ability to recover quickly from difficult conditions) is a life skill that we often do not recognize. How have you been resilient in your journey as a community college student, and what does this journey look like?" Applicants are reviewed based on meeting the scholarship eligibility requirements and on their essay's quality of writing.

Learn more about the ACA Scholarship.

In celebration of Black History Month, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Council at Central Piedmont Community College hosted a virtual panel discussion today featuring prominent leaders from some of its key partner organizations in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. The panel was comprised of:

• Kieth Cockrell, president, Bank of America Charlotte
• Chiquitha Lloyd, director of diversity and inclusion, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Dr. Dana McDonald, vice president of talent development, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont
• Fernando Little, vice president and chief diversity officer, Atrium Health

During the event, Central Piedmont employees and students had the opportunity to hear the group discuss their personal stories as they relate to equity, diversity, and inclusion; and most importantly, learn about each individual’s professional experiences with actively advocating for and promoting opportunity, access, and fairness within their organizations and in the community-at-large.

“I’d encourage all of you, no matter how you classify yourself or what you think about this campus, to speak up,” said Cockrell during the event. “We all have a voice and we all need to show a willingness to make things better.”

Over the last 18 months, Central Piedmont has hosted a number of EDI related events for both its employees and students to attend. Examples include: inclusive leadership trainings, inclusive teaching practice sessions, examining best EDI practices from other institutions, courageous conversations, and more.

Central Piedmont is offering the events to foster the growth of its employees and students, as well as the institution as a whole. The goal is to deliver a superior collegiate experience for students that supports their success both personally and professionally, while embedding an enhanced EDI philosophy and awareness in the college’s daily practices and processes.

Forbes partnered with Statista to compile their third annual list of “America’s Best Employers by State,” and Central Piedmont ranked #20 among North Carolina’s businesses. The findings are based on a survey conducted from October 2020 to June 2021, of 80,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees. View the complete list of honorees.

Central Piedmont is an attractive employment option for individuals seeking employment. The college is recognized as Mecklenburg County’s resource for academic excellence and cultural enrichment. In addition, it’s in close proximity to the Queen City’s robust public transportation system, professional sports arenas, and a number of premiere restaurant and shopping outlets that attract visitors from Mecklenburg County and beyond.

At present, close to 40,000 students call Central Piedmont home. With eight locations, it is one of the largest community colleges in the Carolinas and serves people of all ages who seek a real-world, affordable, hands-on education that will transform their lives and strengthen the economic, social, and cultural environment of Mecklenburg County.

To learn how to join the Central Piedmont family, visit the college’s Human Resources Web page.