Piedmont Community College
| Piedmont Community College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1970 |
| Type | Public, 2 Year |
| President | Dr. Walter C. Bartlett |
| Location | Roxboro, NC, USA |
| Website | www.piedmontcc.edu |
Piedmont Community College, one of 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, is a multi-campus college located 40 miles north of the Research Triangle Park and 50 miles northeast of the Piedmont Triad. Its service area includes two North Carolina counties: Person County, where its main campus is located in Roxboro, NC; and Caswell County, with a campus in Yanceyville. Its mission is to enrich lives “by providing lifelong learning, education and training programs for today’s global workforce, and cultural opportunities for Person and Caswell counties.” Piedmont CC serves over 10,000 people annually through its curriculum programs leading to degrees, diplomas, and certificates and its Continuing Education programs, including Adult Basic Skills. The College also partners with local business and industry to support economic development initiatives.
Academics
The college awards associates degrees, diplomas, and certificates in over thirty-five programs of study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics as well as fine arts and technical areas. It also offers a college-university transfer program for students who want to pursue bachelors' degrees at four-year institutions. Programs of note include Film and Video Production Technology, Digital Effects and Animation Technology, and Gunsmithing. High school students also receive college-level instruction through special programs prescribed by the NC General Assembly.
Piedmont Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Piedmont Community College. The Commission is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support an institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard. In addition to this regional accreditation, individual programs have accreditation or licensing board criteria as listed in the college catalog or at www.piedmontcc.edu. Copies of these accreditations can be obtained from the Office of Research and Institutional Effectiveness (Person County Campus, Room B115).
History
In 1970, progressive minded citizens in Person County recognized the need for a local institution to offer job training and educational opportunities for high school graduates and other adults. Person County Technical Institute began with the appointment of a Board of Trustees, operating under the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Community Colleges.
The Institute began operation on July 1, 1970, with the first full-time students enrolling on September 23, 1970. During the general election of November 1970, the citizens of Person County approved a referendum authorizing local financial support and endorsing a charter to be issued to Person Technical Institute.
Name Changes May 1971: Person Technical Institute became Piedmont Technical Institute. October 1979: Piedmont Technical Institute became Piedmont Technical College. January 1988: Piedmont Technical College name changed to Piedmont Community College.
Campus Growth July 1974: The Board of Trustees requested that the County Commissioners authorize a $2.5 million bond issue. The voters of Person County showed overwhelming support for the bond issue in November 1974. The Person County Campus facilities were built, and the institution moved to its permanent campus in November 1977. The campus was formally dedicated on June 4, 1978. Effective July 1, 1985, Piedmont Technical College was designated by the North Carolina General Assembly as the primary service provider for Caswell County. The initial building on the Caswell County Campus was constructed on property provided by the Caswell County Board of Commissioners after funds were allocated through special appropriations from the North Carolina General Assembly. November 1993: A positive vote of the citizens of North Carolina resulted in additions to both campuses that were approved for construction by the Board of Trustees from 1995-1997. The Adult Learning Center addition to the Caswell County Campus, occupied in 1997, nearly doubled the size of the Caswell County Campus facilities. The new Classroom/Faculty Office Building on the Person County Campus opened in 1998. Summer 2000: The Student Success Center (renamed the Academic Success Center in fall 2009) began providing educational support services to students in addition to providing access to computers and the Internet. October 2000: The Science Lab Initiative, led by the PCC Foundation, resulted in the renovation of science labs on the Person County Campus, equipping the labs with modern equipment and technology. November 2000: North Carolina citizens approved a $3.1 billion Higher Education Bond, providing $600 million to colleges in the North Carolina Community College System for new construction and for repair and renovation of existing facilities. 2005-2010: Resulting facility improvements on the Person County Campus included the renovation of the gymnasium to house the Learning Resources Center and Distance Education in 2005. In 2006, the former location of the Learning Resources Center was renovated to house Student Development services in one location, as well as to provide office space for two Continuing Education programs, Human Resources Development, and Adult Basic Skills. The Student Center was remodeled to include a new entrance, additional restrooms, and other upgrades. On the Caswell County Campus, an additional classroom building was constructed in 2006 with special facilities to accommodate two of the College’s signature programs, Film and Video Production Technology and Digital Effects and Animation Technology. In 2009, the Technical Education Building was constructed on the Person County Campus.
Other Milestones
The Piedmont Technical Institute Foundation (now known as the Piedmont Community College Foundation) was organized in December 1978 to support the students, faculty, and staff of the College through private solicitation of financial support.
The College opened a business incubator at its Small Business Center in uptown Roxboro in 1994 to assist new businesses in getting started. The Center now operates as the Business Development and Entrepreneurship Center.
Piedmont Community College, along with all community colleges in the state, converted from the quarter system to the semester system of instruction in the fall of 1997.
The PCC Alumni Partnership was organized in 2004 to engage alumni in ongoing support of the College.
The College was designated multi-campus status in May 2005, which increased the resources available to the Caswell County Campus.
A model of cooperation has been developed among the College, the Person and Caswell County Boards of Education, and the Person and Caswell County Boards of Commissioners. This model enhances the
capability of the College to provide post-secondary education, and job training opportunities to new and expanding industries in Person and Caswell Counties.
Campuses
Main Campus
The main campus is located at 1715 College Drive, in Roxboro near Northern Middle School. It consists of 13 buildings, most of which contain classrooms and faculty offices. Other buildings include Student Services, Bookstore, Learning Resource Center, and a Child Care Facility.
Business Development & Entrepreneurship Center
The business development center is located in uptown Roxboro. It provides business counseling and shared services for businesses in the early stages of development.
Caswell Campus
The Caswell campus is located at 331 Piedmont Drive, in Yanceyville off NC 62.
Presidents
- Dr. Craven H. Sumerell, 1970–1973
- Dr. Edward W. Cox, 1973–1987
- Dr. H. James Owen, 1987 - June 2009
- Dr. Walter C. Bartlett, July 2009 – present
External links
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Coordinates: 36°25′55″N 78°58′50″W / 36.4318419°N 78.9804339°W