FROM THE PRESIDENT Cape Fear Community College has had an amazing year. I am so proud of all we have accomplished. We’ve awarded thousands of credentials, served more than 1,500 area high school students through our Career and College Promise program, enrolled hundreds of student veterans and their dependents, helped create 133 new jobs through our Small Business Center, trained more than 600 employees through our corporate training programs, and sold more than 91,000 tickets at the Wilson Center. Our mission to provide high quality, dynamic, innovative, educational, cultural training and workforce development opportunities is exemplified each day at CFCC. This year has been a tremendous year for developing partnerships. We have worked diligently to enhance our University Transfer agreements across the state and beyond. We signed the Pirate Promise agreement with East Carolina University and the SEA-Path agreement with UNC Wilmington. Both programs create seamless pathways for students to continue their educations after finishing at Cape Fear Community College. What’s more, our agreement with UNCW allows for dual enrollment at both CFCC and UNCW and provides scholarship support for qualifying students. The 2018-19 academic year was also a time for expansion – both in program offerings and in facilities. We began a new program – Cybercrime Technology – to address emerging employment trends, and we expanded our footprint in Burgaw. The completely renovated Schwartz Center re-opened. It’s a beautiful facility and our talented athletes are proud to call it home. We also moved our Barber School to the downtown campus, allowing barbering students to take advantage of increased walk-in traffic, and providing the downtown community with a quality, low-cost option for haircuts. CFCC received a $1.9 million grant from the Department of Education to help ensure student success. We’re now able to identify struggling students and connect them with resources before it’s too late. We also were awarded a $633,408 U.S. Economic Development Administration Grant to enhance our popular Electrical Lineworker program and expand enrollment. To date, we’ve graduated 186 students from that program, and the vast majority of those graduates have been offered employment on the spot. We continue to positively impact the local economy through the Wilson Center. In fact, a recent UNCW study estimated the Wilson Center’s economic impact at $17,000,000 annually. It’s thrilling to know that the community’s investment in the Wilson Center has not only had a significant cultural impact in our region, but that the patrons it draws to our area also positively affect the bottom line of our local businesses. As we begin a new decade, Cape Fear Community College is committed to building upon our successes and developing new programs and partnerships that will benefit our students and community. I thank you and our students for your support of CFCC and invite you to stop by and see all that CFCC has to offer! Go Sea Devils!
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