News and Features

What's going on in the Central Piedmont community and what Central Piedmont is doing in the community.

  • Drive-Thru Graduation Ceremonies Celebrate Class of 2020

    In celebration of its Class of 2020, Central Piedmont hosted drive-thru graduation ceremonies July 29 and 30 on its Cato Campus, located in northeast Charlotte. More than 440 Central Piedmont 2020 graduates participated in the two-day event, which included ceremonies for the college’s traditional undergraduate programs, as well as its College and Career Readiness programs (high school completion, Accelerated Career Training, and NCWorks Next Gen).

    Central Piedmont’s graduation committee designed the college’s drive-thru graduation ceremonies with the health and well-being of its faculty/staff, students, and their family and friends in mind. As a result, all event volunteers and graduates were asked to wear face coverings, and social distancing and state guidelines were followed during the ceremonies.

    “It was important we recognize our 2020 graduates’ accomplishments, especially during this unprecedented time, when so many of them had to overcome multiple obstacles to achieve their educational goals this year,” said Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont, who was on-site both days to personally congratulate graduates. “The Class of 2020 is a resilient group of individuals. I look forward to hearing their many success stories and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

    The college offers nearly 300 programs to get students real-world ready. Affordable and flexible Central Piedmont classes can help students earn the skills to fast track into a career pathway or lay the foundation for a four-year degree. Registration for the fall 2020 term is open. The college looks forward to welcoming new and returning students on Aug. 10.

  • Central Piedmont announces plan for fall semester

    Fall semester classes at Central Piedmont Community College will begin on Aug. 10, and be taught in multiple formats – online, hybrid, blended and face-to-face. (Hybrid and blended courses include both online and some face-to-face instruction.)

    For the safety and well-being of the campus community, the college will complete the vast majority of face-to-face instruction prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. After Thanksgiving, remaining class work will be finished online. Fall classes will end Dec. 11.

    “Over the past several weeks, Central Piedmont Community College has been preparing for a safe and successful fall 2020 term,” said Jeff Lowrance, vice president of communications, marketing & public relations at Central Piedmont. “Through numerous discussions and detailed planning across all units of the college, Central Piedmont seeks to provide a safe environment for its students to learn and faculty and staff members to work.

    The majority of Central Piedmont students will come to campus a minimal number of times during the semester, with the rest of their instruction occurring online. The college is updating class schedules and information, so current and prospective students should check the college website periodically for updates.

    “Central Piedmont is committed to delivering a high-quality educational experience regardless of the program or courses a student selects,” Lowrance said. “The college is working hard to protect the well-being of everyone in our campus community and help students stay on track in their degree, diploma or certificate programs.”

    For students who attend classes on campus, the college has adopted a number of safety protocols. Current and prospective students should read the college’s Student Guide to Returning to Campus carefully. It will be important to know and follow all of the safety practices detailed in the guide. These include wearing a face covering, keeping a social distance from others, washing hands frequently, monitoring possible COVID-19 symptoms and staying home if one feels ill at all.

    The college offers nearly 300 programs to get students real-world ready. Affordable and flexible Central Piedmont classes can help students earn the skills to fast track into a career pathway or lay the foundation for a four-year degree. Registration for the fall term is now open. The college looks forward to welcoming new and returning students on Aug. 10.

  • CoARC recognizes college’s respiratory therapy program

    The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) has awarded Central Piedmont’s Respiratory Therapy program its Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) Credentialing Success Award.

    The award recognizes a program’s success in inspiring its graduates to achieve their highest educational and professional aspirations and is presented as part of the CoARC’s continued effort to ensure the RRT credential remains a standard of professional achievement in the respiratory therapy field.

    To be selected for the award, a program must meet the following criteria:

    • Have three or more years of outcomes data
    • Hold accreditation without a progress report
    • Document RRT credentialing success of 90 percent or above
    • Meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for CRT credentialing success and retention

    “It is always an honor to be recognized for exceeding the metrics set forth by our accrediting body - CoARC,” said Jeff Ruiter, program chair for Central Piedmont’s respiratory therapy program. “Our program’s passion for the respiratory profession invigorates us to embody a professional and positive learning environment that enhances student learning. More importantly, it validates our faculty’s commitment to student success and ensuring students achieve their ultimate goal of becoming a respiratory practitioner.”

    Learn more about Central Piedmont’s respiratory therapy program.

  • College to provide customized training for Chime Solutions

    Central Piedmont is partnering with Chime Solutions, an Atlanta-based customer-contact service provider, to offer customized training for the 250 new life/health insurance agent positions the company is bringing to the Queen City.

    As part of its expansion package, Chime Solutions was named a recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Customized Training Program.

    The community college system’s Customized Training Program provides education, training, and support services for new, expanding, and existing business and industry in North Carolina. To qualify, businesses must demonstrate an appreciable capital investment, the creation of new jobs, and/or the deployment of new technology.

    Central Piedmont will facilitate the work with Chime Solutions’ leadership team to not only design a customized life and health pre-licensing program, but also a Medicare supplement training program for the company.

    A handful of the college’s community partners will assist with several facets of the customized training program — Charlotte Works and the Urban League of Central Carolinas will support and advertise a virtual job fair for Chime Solutions, and Horizon Professional Education will facilitate the Medicare Supplement training sessions required of each candidate. All of the provided training will be available at no cost to new employees seeking a life/health insurance agent position with the company.

    To become qualified for Chime Solution’s new positions, candidates will receive computer training in Microsoft Excel and take a variety of interpersonal skills classes; while aspiring, new leaders will complete a host of supervisory skills training classes.

    “During a time period when unemployment is high in the Queen City, Chime Solutions recognized the talented workforce available in our area,” said Allison Bowers, director of economic recruitment and corporate learning at Central Piedmont. “We are delighted Charlotte was chosen as their final destination.”

    The college plans to provide the training in-person via multiple sessions over several weeks, so it’s able to adhere to the state’s social distancing guidelines during the current pandemic. Candidates will be required to complete 24 hours of life and health pre-licensing training, as well as additional hours of Medicare supplement training.

    Learn more about the college’s Corporate Engagement team

  • Central Piedmont student writer’s work featured in Teen Vogue

    Central Piedmont student Michael-Michelle Pratt, a student in the college’s Associate in Arts degree program, recently had an op-ed piece featured in the June issue of Teen Vogue called, “Growing Up Black Between Trayvon Martin and George Floyd Has My Generation at a Boiling Point.”

    When Pratt began sharing her thoughts on systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter earlier this year, she had no idea her comments would attract the attention of the political editor at Teen Vogue, who began following her online.

    In her online musings, Pratt discussed that while the recent death of George Floyd was causing a resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement, no one was talking about how the tragedy had impacted her generation — Generation Z, a segment of the population that had largely grown up between the deaths of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and George Floyd in 2020. She pitched the article topic to the editor at Teen Vogue, and they accepted.

    “I wanted my article to explain to readers that the events of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and others are not isolated incidents that happened in a bubble,” said Pratt. “I wanted to explain that everything that is happening today is a combination of past and present frustration — that it has all built up to this critical moment, a boiling point that we’re about to see spill over.”

    In the op-ed, Pratt discusses first learning about the Trayvon Martin shooting; the impact it had on her adolescence/family; how the incident inspired her to begin following strong female, African-American writers (Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, Alice Walker); and how it propelled her to seek out leadership opportunities that would allow her to not only fight back against oppression, but to also find her voice.

    Thankfully, Pratt has discovered an outlet for her voice at Central Piedmont’s Levine Campus in Matthews, NC, where she participates in the campus’s Student Writers Assembles Guild (SWAG), a student creative writing club formed in 2016 that provides individuals with a creative space to write poetry, short stories, articles, screenplays and more.

    “Michael-Michelle is a talented writer and poet,” said Elizabeth West, an associate instructor and faculty advisor for Central Piedmont’s SWAG.“She has a strong voice and is brave enough to use it to enact change in our community. She has a sweet, quiet demeanor in person, but her words ring loud and strong on the page. She is a wonderful SWAG member and we are all so proud of her accomplishments.”

    Pratt plans to graduate from Central Piedmont in August 2021 and pursue a career in journalism or film to become a director/screenwriter. “While I love being able to discuss my opinions on the cultural climate in which we all live in articles, I love being able to create my own world in a screenplay,” said Pratt.

    Learn more about Central Piedmont’s Associate in Arts program. For information on the college’s Student Writers Assembles Guild (SWAG), please email elizabeth.west@cpcc.edu.

  • PNC Foundation $25,000 grant supports college’s Single Stop program, Emergency Fund

    The PNC Foundation has awarded Central Piedmont Community College a $25,000 grant to support the college’s Single Stop program, an initiative that connects students to the support services they need to succeed in college and administers the college’s Emergency Fund.

    “Our entire community has been affected by COVID-19, and the pandemic has been particularly difficult for students who have lost employment and income ― and who depend on campus resources for access to learning and technology,” said Weston Andress, PNC regional president for Western Carolinas and a Central Piedmont Foundation board member. “During this challenging time, we want the Central Piedmont student community to know that we understand and are committed to helping address some of the hardships they are facing.”

    Since 2016, Central Piedmont’s Single Stop program has served as a free, on-campus resource, removing barriers for students with critical needs by connecting them with resources to help them flourish academically, obtain good jobs and achieve financial stability ― through one-on-one meetings with experts representing the financial, tax and legal fields.

    In addition to matching qualifying students with specific tools to help fuel upward mobility in their lives, Single Stop administers monies available through the college’s Emergency Fund, which provides one-time support of up to $500 for students who have emergency needs related to housing, utilities, medical expenses, food, technology and more.

    The PNC Foundation’s gift is timely. The college will use the grant to help purchase the following items, which have been identified as students’ most pressing needs during the coronavirus pandemic:

    • Grocery/food gift cards. These items will allow students to purchase food, medicine and other essential products.
       
    • Technology access (laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots). The college has witnessed a surge in students needing laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots since it moved much of its course instruction online.
       
    • Resources for budgeting during a crisis. Single Stop's financial counselors are implementing and delivering online and virtual sessions for individuals and groups who need crisis budgeting assistance. Each emergency grant recipient is contacted by a financial counselor with tips on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic from a financial perspective.
       

    “As a result of the pandemic, the college has witnessed an increase in the number of students needing resources to sustain their everyday lives in addition to their studies,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont. “Many agencies in the Charlotte area have had to close temporarily, limiting the resources students can turn to for emergency crisis assistance. The PNC Foundation’s gift will help us streamline the connectivity process, ensuring resources such as nutrition assistance, technology support and financial aid reach the students who need them most in a critical time of need.”

    Learn more about Central Piedmont’s Single Stop program. If interested in supporting the college’s Emergency Fund, visit https://secure.cpccfoundation.org/donation/.

  • Central Piedmont to offer expanded evening, Friday and Saturday courses at three campuses

    Beginning this fall, Central Piedmont Community College will offer expanded course offerings of some of its most in-demand classes on weekday evenings, Fridays, and Saturdays at its Central, Harris, and Levine campuses. The added course sections give students more options so they can complete a two-year, college transfer degree more quickly.

    Central Piedmont’s new course offerings are comprised of more than 70 class sections of 20 high-demand, general education college transfer courses. The classes will be offered in sequential order and focus on a variety of subjects, ranging from biology and public speaking, to psychology and business.

    “We’re excited about our new course offerings and how they will have a positive impact on our students’ lives,” said Edith McElroy, dean of Central Piedmont’s Levine Campus. “By offering more courses in the evenings, and on Fridays and Saturdays, we’re able to better accommodate our students’ busy schedules, setting them up for success both inside and outside of the classroom.”

    This is the first time the college’s Harris Campus has offered high-demand college transfer classes to residents, giving individuals more options to complete an associate degree. In the past, its course offerings were specific to an academic program, such as baking & pastry arts, dental assisting, early childhood education, and others.

    In addition to offering more high-demand classes at Harris Campus, Central Piedmont will boast Saturday-only courses for students interested in earning a general Associate in Arts degree or an Associate in Arts degree in business administration in two years. Students seeking either of these degrees will be placed on a learning track that will require them to complete two to three courses, every eight weeks.

    The additional courses and weekend accessibility will also give residents the opportunity to experience Central Piedmont — a college that believes in providing individuals with an affordable, hands-on education that will prepare them for the real world so they can make a difference in their community and beyond.

    To learn more about Central Piedmont’s expanded weekday evening, Friday, and Saturday classes, please visit our transfer degree page or contact Suzanne Marcoux at 704.330.4278 or suzanne.marcoux@cpcc.edu.

  • College launches 'community' ad campaign

    Central Piedmont understands there are so many traditional age students and adults in Mecklenburg County with questions about the future. “Will they be able to go back to or start college?” “Is it time to make a career change to something with greater consistency and stability?” 

    With this in mind, the college’s Communications, Marketing, & Public Relations team worked with the Charlotte marketing and advertising agency, Mythic, to produce 60-second, 30-second, and 15-second “community” commercial spots.

    The team asked faculty, staff, and students to submit content showing how they were coming together while apart during this unprecedented time.

    Communications, Marketing, & Public Relations received a number of responses and submissions, which were incorporated into the ads that will run across Charlotte, on network and cable tv, as well as on digital/streaming platforms, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

    The ad's message is simple. It highlights Central Piedmont’s sense of community, and that when a student chooses to attend Central Piedmont, they immediately become a part of something bigger – an institution, a community, that will help them conquer possibility.

  • $15,000 AT&T grant to support Central Piedmont’s Emergency Fund

    AT&T has awarded the Central Piedmont Community College Foundation a $15,000 grant in support of the college’s Emergency Fund to provide immediate, short-term, financial support to students and employees who have emergency financial needs related to housing, utilities, medical expenses, food, technology and more.

    “Thanks to AT&T’s gift, the college is better positioned to respond to the growing financial needs of its internal community during this unprecedented time in our history,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont. “This gift will help us purchase the technology our students, faculty, and staff need to successfully learn and work remotely and provide them with the financial assistance they need for tuition, books, child care, transportation, medical care, and other needs.”

    Given the extraordinary disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the college has seen an increase in requests for assistance from students facing a variety of pressing challenges. The pandemic has significantly exacerbated these challenges. AT&T’s support expands the college’s ability to help students in need at this critical time.

    “Just as all our lives have been impacted by COVID-19, everyone can play a part in helping neighbors and communities through these days,” said Kathleen Evans, regional director of external affairs for AT&T. “We are pleased to be able to support Central Piedmont in making a difference for students and their families.”

    Individuals interested in making a gift to Central Piedmont’s Emergency Fund can visit cpccfoundation.org/donation.

  • Small Business Center to launch 'Small Business Rebound Program’

    Central Piedmont Community College’s Small Business Center is excited to announce it has launched a new initiative — the Small Business Rebound Program — to connect small business owners impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with Master in Business Administration (MBA) students from top universities and colleges located across the United States. The program will be available May 11–July 3, 2020.

    The program will provide business owners with exclusive access to business advisors, studying for their MBAs at some of the country’s most elite universities, including Stanford University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Advisors will conduct virtual counseling sessions with participants, helping small business owners identify and apply for loan opportunities, redesign their business models, evaluate their budget, and analyze their cash management process.

    “Growing up in Charlotte, I saw how small businesses defined the character of our community,” said Ladd Hamrick, a Stanford University MBA student. “Our team of MBAs hopes to help by offering what we’ve learned in the classroom, from financial planning and marketing to crisis leadership.”

    One of the many perks of the Small Business Rebound Program is some participants may be eligible for a professional service grant. The MBA business advisors will work with small business owners to help assess and/or gather the information needed to help them apply for the grant.

    If awarded funding, eligible small business owners would have the opportunity to receive four hours of counseling from a Small Business Center Network-affiliated certified public accountant (CPA), digital marketing strategists, human resource expert, or attorney (a $1,200 or $1,500 value), depending on their area of need. Potential services include establishing a financial chart of accounts, developing social media accounts/a Google Business page, creating HR policies, and more.

    “The goal of this program is to help provide small business owners with the sounding board they need to analyze the current state of their business,” said Renee Hode, executive director of Central Piedmont’s Small Business Center. “Advisors will provide guidance, helping each small business owner sustain their business practices during this challenging time in the marketplace.”

    To learn more, visit the Small Business Rebound Program.