| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: April 2, 2001 |
Community College rolls in 18-wheeler to lobby legislators
RALEIGH:
Tractor trailers usually haul valuable and important products across the country. On Wednesday, April 4 from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM, one particular 18-wheeler will haul an important message to the General Assembly.The Truck Driver Training program at Johnston Community College is the latest in a series of community college programs highlighted at the North Carolina General Assembly this session. The instructors and students are guaranteed to get the attention of the members and visitors. They will park an 18-wheeler in front of the Legislative Building and members and others will be encouraged to get into the truck and see first-hand what it’s like to sit behind the wheel of one of the "big rigs."
This demonstration is part of a series planned by the North Carolina Community College Faculty Association. Several programs on various community college campuses are sponsoring Legislative Awareness Days to remind the North Carolina lawmakers of the important role community colleges play in the state’s economy. The instructors also want to point out to the lawmakers the need for a substantial faculty and staff salary increase in North Carolina’s Community Colleges.
NCCCS faculty salaries rank near the bottom nationally and dead last in the Southeast. Because of the low pay, community colleges find it hard to retain many instructors and difficult to recruit new teachers. The NCCCS has requested $57 million in the expansion budget to bring faculty and staff salaries up to the Southern Region Education Board average.
In addition to the 18-wheeler parked in front of the Legislative Building from 9:30 AM to 2:00 P.M., Johnston Community College will also have a demonstration about the Truck Driver Training Certificate Program in the North Lobby of the Legislative Building at the same time. Graduates of this program find employment with commercial trucking firms or may become owner/operators and work as private contract haulers.
On April 24, Catawba Valley Community College will demonstrate the very successful Furniture Production Technology/Design and Product Development Program. Students will complete the upholstering of a chair while at the Legislative Building and present the chair to the winner of a drawing they will hold that day.
The North Carolina Community College System serves more than 760,000 students with its 59 institutions, making it one of the largest community college systems in the country. The System is the primary agency for delivery of job training, literacy and adult education in North Carolina.
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