North Carolina Community College System
March 16, 2004
Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to hear first hand what is happening the field, to share your thoughts with your colleagues, and to reflect on your practice as educators as we all strive for continuous improvement.
The most important task of North Carolina’s community colleges is to prepare our citizens for productive lives – on the job and at home. College Tech Prep, pioneered in our state almost 20 years ago, is one of the most effective ways that we work top do that.
Through College Tech Prep, we raise the awareness of the ever-growing need for a seamless transition from high school to community college to prepare our students for employment and continuous learning.
Through College Tech Prep, we encourage innovation to meet the needs of diverse learning styles and diverse market segments.
Through College Tech Prep we continue to reduce remediation rates for incoming students.
Through College Tech Prep, we continue to grow partnerships among community colleges, schools and business at every level, supporting and challenging participating schools to integrate the academic and technical curriculum while ensuring academic rigor
During this conference, you will hear about many great College Tech Prep partnerships. Here’s a small sample:
- In Pitt County, College Tech prep encourages innovations in curriculum, with a Health Sciences Academy partnering Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
- In Cumberland County, college tech prep encourages sharing professional development resources for faculty development in partnerships between Fayetteville Technical Community College and Cumberland Schools.
- In Mecklenburg County, College Tech Prep addresses emerging issues such as homeland security with Central Piedmont Community College and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools using funds to plan a new integrated curriculum where high school students can get a head start on careers in security and law enforcement.
- In Craven County, Craven Community College, Craven County Schools and Cisco work together on a Cisco Academy…and in a project near and dear to the heart of this veteran of the US Navy, the aviation facilities at Cherry Point provide the College Tech Prep Consortium the chance for a stellar work-based learning program.
- Here in Guilford County, Guilford Tech, the public school system and area universities set the standard for exceptional innovation in College Tech Prep and now in Early College.
These examples represent many more thriving partnerships which define College Tech Prep in North Carolina. College tech prep is about partnership and innovation, and more opportunities are coming.
For example, all of us are eager to stay up to date on the work of the New Schools Project under the direction of the Public Schools Forum.
Do not think, however, that I assume that College Tech Prep is simple to run, because it is a partnership. Partnership requires more than a handshake and good intentions. It requires diligent, talented people, committed to common ideal, ready to maintain high standards and find ways to work for each OTHER’s benefit.
In North Carolina, that’s happening with College Tech Prep. And it’s been happening for almost two decades because of the hard work and creativity of many of the people in this room. I congratulate you on all you have accomplished, and I look forward to hearing next year about all your new ideas!
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