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2023 PCC Year-in-Review: Part III (September – December)

Collage of photos recapping the final four months of 2022 at PCC.

WINTERVILLE—President Lawrence Rouse set the tone for the final four months of 2022 at Pitt Community College when he reminded employees during Convocation the school would concentrate on its “four pillars of success.”

Rouse explained PCC would always put students “first in everything we do and build strong relationships with them.” The remaining three pillars, he said, involved engagement with community stakeholders, student recruitment and retainment, and removing barriers to help students complete credentials.

Perhaps no better illustration of Pitt’s commitment to “educating and empowering people for success” came a month later, when a visiting committee from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) told PCC administrators they had “no recommendations” regarding the college’s bid for reaffirmation of accreditation. It essentially meant Pitt’s accreditation had been re-approved for 10 years but won’t be official until SACSCOC’s governing board meets in June.

As 2023 approaches, the following is the final of three installments recapping the past 12 months at PCC.

September

  • Greenville provides Pitt $20,000 to continue an educational partnership that’s helped local residents in financial need earn short-term certificate training that leads to jobs.
  • In an effort to provide quality educational programming despite COVID-19, PCC’s Paralegal Technology curriculum program partners with its Fire-Rescue continuing education program to offer a “Law and Administration” course through a hybrid flexible format.
  • Golden LEAF Foundation President Scott Hamilton and Program Officer Jason Rochelle discuss workforce development with PCC administrators and tour programs and areas of campus their organization has supported over the years.
  • PCC receives more than $1 million in federal grant funding to enhance its biotechnology programming.
  • William Carver, N.C. Community College System interim president, tours Pitt’s Building Construction Technology program.
  • PCC launches a new student organization, AMEXCAN at PCC, to help foster a more inclusive campus community for Hispanic & Latino students.
  • A PCC networking event gives people interested in real estate careers a chance to learn about them from professionals in the field.
  • After conducting interviews and reviewing documentation, a SACSCOC reaffirmation committee tells Pitt administrators they have “no recommendations” for the college to address in its bid for accreditation renewal.
  • The “Better Skills, Better Jobs” Career Fair—organized, in part, by PCC—gives more than 750 adult jobseekers and Pitt County high school students a chance to explore the region’s workforce development needs and educational options.
  • Health sciences students participate in “Interprofessional Simulation Day” to gain insight on the teamwork that goes into providing quality patient care.

October

  • The PCC Foundation recognizes 2022-23 scholarship recipients and the donors who made their awards possible.
  • The foundation’s 2022-23 Employee Fund Drive raises $94,232.25 for student scholarships.
  • Pitt’s Biotechnology Department teams with BioNetwork and Thermo Fisher Scientific to host “Family STEM & Career Night,” which features activities that spotlight PCC’s biotechnology program and biotech career options.
  • Biotechnology student Gregory Ackerson receives the $1,500-Samuel M. Taylor Memorial Life Sciences Scholarship.
  • The PCC Symphony Orchestra performs its fall concert in Farmville.
  • TRiO students visit N.C. State University to learn about college transfer opportunities. It’s part of the program’s effort to increase graduation and college transfer rates among participants.
  • PCC is selected to participate in the inaugural N.C. Educator Pipeline Collaborative cohort to help ensure the state’s methods of recruiting and preparing educators are effective and innovative.
  • The Pitt County Schools Early College High School on PCC’s campus holds an outdoor fair featuring activities and demonstrations representative of The Renaissance.
  • Respiratory Therapy holds an open house during “Respiratory Care Week” to highlight the program and respiratory care profession.
  • The State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation awards $500-scholarships to 10 students pursuing short-term health care training through continuing education.
  • Two houses built by Construction & Industrial Technology (CIT) students sell for a combined $228,000, which will fund future home-building projects. A pair of sheds built by students taking carpentry also sell for a combined $5,200.
  • Administrators receive welcome news about improvement to Pitt’s six-year completion, retention and persistence rates and the percentage of students completing at least 24 credits within an academic year.

November

  • PCC’s Bulldog Cafe re-opens for the first time since 2020, when it closed due to the pandemic.
  • The PCC Foundation’s Down East Holiday Show raises $144,779.16.
  • PCC honors current and former military members during its annual Veterans Salute.
  • Pitt observes “National First-Generation Day” with a program celebrating students and employees who were the first members of their families to attend college.
  • A career fair for CIT students features representatives from 12 area businesses discussing jobs, internships and apprenticeships.
  • Janice Walker, senior art director with DC Entertainment’s Creative Affairs Division, discusses her career with students preparing for fine arts and graphic design jobs.
  • PCC’s Marketing Department and VisionPoint Marketing receive a Gold Medallion in the “Social Media or Online Marketing Campaign” category from District 2 of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.
  • English Language Acquisition students enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner that gives them a chance to practice English-speaking skills.
  • The PCC Criminal Justice Association reaches its community service goal of filling 72 Christmas stockings for members of the nation’s military.

December

  • Music students join the PCC Symphony Orchestra in performing a holiday concert.
  • A luncheon gives employees an opportunity to celebrate the holidays and Pitt’s successful bid for reaffirmation of SACSCOC accreditation.
  • PCC’s Minority Male Success Initiative organizes a “No-Shave November” fundraiser and donates $1,102 for the American Cancer Society’s McConnell-Raab Hope Lodge.
  • PCC Athletics hires The Oakwood School’s Amy Gardner as softball coach.
  • Briley, a yellow lab with Pet Partners of East Carolina, puts smiles on the faces of everyone who visits the PCC Library to study for final exams. Her appearance is part of an effort by the Tutorial and Academic Success Center and library to help students finish fall semester strong.
  • PCC honors 578 summer and fall graduates during commencement at Koinonia Christian Center.

01/04/2023