News and Features

Last month, Central Piedmont Model United Nations Club members attended the UNC Carolinas Conference, together with high schools and colleges from across North Carolina. The event gave the college’s first-time and returning Central Piedmont Model United Nations delegates the opportunity to further develop their negotiating, problem solving, and public speaking skills within each committee. 

Students researched, debated, and wrote mock UN resolutions at the conference about a variety of current global topics, such as gender and the role of women in disarmament, the effects of global warming on human health, the rising tensions between China and the U.S., and preventing spillover violence from the Sudan conflict.

“I learned about topics I otherwise would not have been aware of beforehand,” said Returning Model UN member Yasmine Outtara.

Three of the newer members of the Central Piedmont Model UN team – Katherine Beekman, Emma Hoff, and Christopher St. Hilaire – were named Outstanding Delegates for representing South Africa in the Security Council and General Assembly 1st respectively.

How to Join the Central Piedmont Model UN Team

Any Central Piedmont student is welcome to join the Model UN Club. Club meetings are:

Central Campus: Mondays, 2:30 - 4 p.m., in Zeiss, Room 3120

Levine Campus: Fridays, 1-2 p.m., in Levine II, Room 1307

Learn more about how to join the Central Piedmont Model UN team.

Upcoming Conferences

Central Piedmont students will be attending two more conferences in spring 2020: the Harvard National Model UN Conference in February and the Southern Regional Model UN Conference in Charlotte in March. 

Central Piedmont Community College has launched the public phase of its “Powering a Stronger Future” campaign. The five-year fundraising effort seeks to raise $40 million – the most ambitious and comprehensive campaign in the college’s 56-year history.

The campaign will run through June 2022, and has raised $23.5 million during its two-year quiet phase.

“The Powering a Stronger Future campaign is about students and addressing the upward mobility challenges in Mecklenburg County,” Central Piedmont President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer explained. “For those who want our community to thrive and want to make an investment – education is a game changer. Central Piedmont is a great place to help students thrive and be successful in our community. I think there is no better investment for Mecklenburg’s future.”

The Powering a Stronger Future campaign priorities include:

• $15 million to fund student scholarships and support the student emergency fund;
• $9.5 million for student support services, such as academic and career advising, leadership opportunities, out-of-classroom experiences, enhanced disability services, and the Summer Bridge program that helps students prepare for their first semester of college;
• $9.5 million to further instructional excellence through support for programs, equipment and other resources and faculty;
• $5 million for specific programs that foster economic mobility, such as the Accelerated Career Training program for under- and unemployed adults, the early childhood education program that trains pre-K teachers, and strategic workforce partnerships; and
• $1 million for the college’s annual fund to respond to evolving priorities and needs.

Pat Rodgers, president and CEO of Rodgers Builders and a Central Piedmont alumna, is serving as the honorary campaign chair. The campaign chairpersons are Weston Andress, regional president, PNC Financial Services; Linda Lockman-Brooks, president, Lockman-Brooks Marketing Services; and Carl Showalter, president, Showalter Construction.

“Central Piedmont is a solid investment for donors because you see the results. You see the results in the lives of Central Piedmont graduates,” Rodgers shared. “What they carry with them from Central Piedmont is the education of a lifetime, and it changes their lives and the lives around them.

“My time at Central Piedmont was life changing. It meant so much to me to have the opportunity to go to the Central Piedmont of my day. When I look at what Central Piedmont is now and the impact it makes, it is just amazing. I know the impact it had on my life, and I think it’s fair to say, if you live in this community, Central Piedmont impacts your life as well,” Rodgers added.

For more information about the Central Piedmont’s Powering a Stronger Future campaign, call the Central Piedmont Foundation at 704-330-6869.

“Central Piedmont is a trusted entity,” Deitemeyer said. “When this community considers the number of people we need going into the workforce and how we’re going to move this great city to the next level that offers prosperity to all, it’s going to take an education provider like Central Piedmont. So this campaign is about people and providing pathways to opportunity and greater economic mobility and personal success.”

In an ongoing effort to ensure local residents are equipped with the digital skills needed to compete in today’s economy, Central Piedmont Community College has partnered with Facebook to offer a short-term workforce Digital Marketing Certificate program led through the college’s Small Business Center.

According to Burning Glass Labor Insights, digital marketing skills were required in more than 20 percent of the job posts listed across 30 different occupations in 2018. A similar study conducted by Emsi (economicmodeling.com) on the local level, found that Charlotte organizations, including banks and retailers, posted more than 6,600 jobs over the past 12 months that sought candidates with digital and social media marketing skills.

Recognizing the need for more digital marketing professionals in the marketplace, Central Piedmont’s Small Business Center will offer the Digital Marketing Certificate beginning Jan. 1, 2020. Designed for working adults, the six-month program will be offered as a non-degree program. No transcript or college application is required. Mostly delivered online, the program will include seven in-person sessions. The program will cost $2,250, with partial $1,000 and $2,000 scholarships available.

Top marketing professionals from Facebook, LinkedIn, Zillow, Spanx, and others created the program content which will cover a variety of topics, ranging from email marketing and social media marketing, to marketing analytics and paid search/display advertising.

Participants who complete the program will:

• Boost their portfolio with real-world projects, including a digital marketing plan, Facebook ad, email marketing campaign, and more to add to their portfolio
• earn a certificate endorsed and co-branded by Facebook and Central Piedmont
• prove they are top candidates and job-ready with core marketing concepts and practical technical skills

Central Piedmont’s Small Business Center will begin accepting scholarship applications Thursday, October 10 at cpcc.edu/digital-marketing. To reserve a spot or to learn more, visit cpcc.edu/digital-marketing.

On October 2, 2019, the Central Piedmont Community College Criminal Justice Technology department hosted a Town Hall-style question and answer session with Arizona Appellate Court Judge Samuel Thumma. Program chair Jeri Guido and instructor Anne Marie Garmon welcomed the judge to the Levine Campus. Adjunct faculty member Sean Quarmby moderated the event. Students from Central Piedmont and UNC Charlotte were in attendance and asked the judge several intuitive questions regarding law enforcement, juvenile justice, probation and parole, and the law in general. 

The students would later be commended by the judge for their thoughtful questions. One student asked a question relating to one of Judge Thumma's written opinions. It was evident the judge was quite pleased and impressed with this student. Program chair Guido commended all of the students for their participation and attentiveness during the session.

The Central Piedmont criminal justice technology department is planning on hosting similar events in the future.      

Approximately 18,000 students from Mecklenburg County and beyond converged at Central Piedmont Community College on Thursday, Aug. 15, as the college kicked off its 2019 fall semester.

Throughout the day, Student Life 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 guided students to classes, answered their questions, and provided them with important college information, such as valuable campus resources, parking guidelines, and available extracurricular activities.

In addition, Central Piedmont’s president, Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, welcomed students at the Central Campus as they began their studies to enhance their skills and prepare for future careers.

The Central Piedmont design team of Megan Burns, Valeria Ramon Vacas, and Eric Schiavo, won first place in the fifth annual National Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs (CCCAP) Student Design Competition. Led by Architectural Technology Program Chair Travis Smith, Associate AIA, the team’s work was compared against entries from 23 other schools in 14 states.

During the competition, students were asked to design an Ecology Center in Balandra Beach, California. The students were given a specific site and program, and asked to develop a complete building design that included a material proposal and architectural details. This is the second year Central Piedmont has participated in the competition. The students completed the design as part of their ARC 213 Design Project course.

The jurors, comprised of architects Rosa T. Sheng (SmithGroup), Kristen DiStefano (Atelier Ten), and Prescott Reavis (SEED), commended the Central Piedmont team for their “very strong integrated presentation which provided a clean, clear communication of the concept and execution.” The students were commended for their “beautiful diagrams and imagery,” as well as their “cultural and geographical investigations that informed the site analysis.” The first place team received a $300 cash prize and certificates.

For more information on the competition, please contact Melanie Reddrick at melanie.reddrick@cpcc.edu. Learn more about the Architectural Technology department on our website.

Beginning this fall, the Levine Campus will offer expanded course offerings of some of its most in-demand classes on weekday evenings, Fridays, and Saturdays to give students more options to complete a two-year, college transfer degree more quickly.

The new course offerings are comprised of more than 40, high-demand courses. The classes will be offered in sequential order and focus on a variety of general education subjects, ranging from biology and public speaking, to psychology and business. 

Offering more courses in the evenings, and on Fridays and Saturdays, will allow the college to better accommodate students’ busy schedules, setting them up for success both inside and outside of the classroom.

To learn more, please call Edith McElroy, dean of the Levine Campus, at ext. 4386.

Central Piedmont is excited to announce that both construction projects at its Levine Campus – the new Levine III classroom building and the Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology expansion – are complete.  

Levine III

The new 88,000 square-foot facility includes the Georgia Tucker Fine Arts Hall, a new campus library, a new campus bookstore, health and science labs, and classrooms.

Levine III includes:

• Georgia Tucker Fine Arts Hall
• Library
• Science Labs
• Health Simulation Labs
• Math Emporium
• Academic Success Center
• Classrooms
• Faculty/Staff Offices

The facility’s 2,300 square-foot fine arts hall is named in memory of Georgia Tucker, an accomplished ballerina and choreographer who performed throughout the U.S. prior to coming home to Charlotte. She attended Central Piedmont and taught at the college as a dance instructor.

The Georgia Tucker Fine Arts Hall is a two-story facility with views of the campus lake. The arts space includes:

• A performance space to accommodate up to 200
• A large instructional classroom, with a seating capacity of nearly 100
• Reception space for functions with a capacity of 160 attendees
• A box office and dressing rooms

Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology

The Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology expansion took a little over a year to complete. The 10,330-square-foot expansion helped the college add the following amenities to its campus:

• a new alignment and suspension shop with seven vehicle bays
• a four-vehicle bay training lab with classroom
• a two-vehicle bay training lab with classroom
• additional faculty offices and storage rooms

“Levine’s new facilities will significantly enhance Central Piedmont’s ability to put students on a pathway to meaningful lives and family-supporting careers and will help prepare the talented workforce needed to support the economic growth of our community,” said Central Piedmont President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer. “They will help to advance the mission of the college by offering access to education and career development for additional students. These new buildings will transform lives and transform this community.”

Learn more about the Central Piedmont Levine Campus.

Central Piedmont Community College announces a recent appointment and two re-appointments to its Board of Trustees.

Michael D. Evans of Charlotte has been appointed to the Central Piedmont board by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners to a four-year term that began July 1. Evans is a retired university business professor and department chair, serving both Winthrop and Johnson C. Smith. He also taught at UNC Charlotte. In addition, he was a founding director and board member of Park Sterling Bank.

Evans earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration at Bradley University. He is also a certified financial planner. He currently serves as a board member and treasurer of the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority. He is a former president of the Financial Planning Association of Charlotte and Leadership Charlotte.

“We are pleased to have Michael Evans join Central Piedmont’s Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, college president. “He brings a unique blend of higher education, business and community service experience to the board. His insights will be welcomed as the college moves forward with its new strategic plan.”

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper re-appointed Edwin A. Dalrymple to another four-year term as a college trustee. He first joined the Central Piedmont board in 2008. He has chaired the board since 2014. He also has assumed national-level community college leadership. In 2018, he became a member of the Association of Community College Trustees Board of Directors, based in Washington, D.C. Professionally, Dalrymple is a managing director-investments of Wells Fargo Advisors. He has worked in the investment and financial services industry for more than three decades.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education re-appointed Cecilia A. Ramirez to a second four-year term on the college board. She first became a Central Piedmont trustee in 2015. Ramirez is retired from Nova Digital Systems Inc., where she served as vice president of administration. From 1980 to 1996, she taught Spanish and led ESL programs at a number of CMS elementary and high schools. She previously chaired the N.C. Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs and served on the Governor’s Hispanic Advisory Council Education Committee.

“The college is grateful for the re-appointments of Ed Dalrymple and Cecilia Ramirez,” Deitemeyer said. “They have served with great distinction and engagement. Their continued counsel will be appreciated as the college works to create pathways to economic mobility all of our students can navigate with greater equity and success.”