MikeMooreMedia
Rockingham Community College Update 06.25.24
Gerri Hunt, Director of Public Information. Fall enrollment, Center for Workforce Development grand opening in mid-August, Mechatronics, Small Business Center, Cooperative Innovative High School, expanded welding program, trails improvement project, Next NC Scholarship, Rock-En-Roll Fridays, kayaking for women, cosmetology programs.
www.RockinghamCC.edu
Facebook.com/RockinghamCommunityCollege
- Duration:
- 24m
- Broadcast on:
- 25 Jun 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Mike Moore Media. Hello, this is Jerry Hahn. I am Director of Public Information at Rockingham Community College. And I'm so glad to be here in Mike Moore's studio. Again, I was just here in April and thought I'd pop back in. And, you know, just because at RCC we have so much stuff going on all the time. You know, we're in the midst of fall enrollment and we are up seven percent compared to this day last year, so we're doing pretty well. Our transfer programs are, the enrollment in those is really high. And, you know, at RCC we have associate degree programs and they're two-year programs. And if it's just an associate degree, they usually go on to transfer to a university, a four-year university, and then we have the associate in applied science degrees. And those would be a lot of the industrial technologies and cosmetology, criminal justice, a lot of the other types of educational programs where people would graduate after the two years and go straight to work. We also have diplomas that are usually about a year and a lot of certificates. And the really cool thing is with the degrees and the diplomas, many of the programs you're earning certificates as you go. So you're just taking your degree classes and all of a sudden you've earned a certificate. So that's a really cool aspect of being here at the community college. I guess one of the biggest things that's on everybody's mind right now is the new center for workforce development. That was, they've been funded through the county-wide sales tax that voters put in place, I believe in 2018. And so we are hoping to get all the students in classes in that building this fall. And right now we're planning for a grand opening in mid-August. Right now it's a Monday and we were trying to get it at a point that we could have a lot of the legislators that have been really involved in it here with us when they're not in session. We'll be sending invitations to people across the community. I mean it's completely open to everyone. We would love for the entire county to show up. And so just be watching for that. You know, on our website, on Facebook, you may get an email or snail mail invitation. We're going to be sending notices through the chambers across the county. So if you're a chamber member you should be getting an invite to that as well. So it's just going to be a really, really big deal. I mean it's a huge building and I just walked through it again, I guess Thursday. I was taking some pictures for our computer integrated machining program and I went to the room, the lab, where all the machines are now in our industrial technology building which was built in like the 60s. And the instructor decided, well you know, why don't we hop over to the new building so we can get the photos with the new equipment. And we went in there and let me tell you, they were unwrapping all this machinery. So this is state of the art training that these students are getting. So we have all the computer integrated machining and they have people in there working on them. You know, getting them all geared up and you know, oiled up and everything for the students to start classes in the fall. And you know, the next room over it was the manual machining and so that was all brand new stuff too that they were unwrapping. I mean it is just incredible the stuff that's in there. There's a mechatronics lab in there that does not have anything in it so far except for extension cords hanging down out of the ceilings. And there's a electrical systems lab that doesn't have anything in it yet. And there's a lot of offices so like the small business center is going to be located in there. Customized trainings, office and a lot of the industrial technology faculty will be located in there. It's just a really, really impressive building. So yeah, we're planning on starting classes there in August. And you know, along with that, you know, because we were moving so many programs to that building, we started kind of rearranging things that were in our two current industrial technology buildings. So we were moving welding into the smaller building in the back that we call IT1, Industrial Type 1. And we doubled that in size, the welding units. So we have doubled our capacity of students in that program. So we can have 40 students in a class. And so we have regular, you know, the curriculum classes where they're, you know, earning a degree. But we also have continuing education classes in there now too. So with them moving there, we've moved electrical systems technologies. Our HVAC has moved from that building up to the bigger industrial technologies, one building. So I mean, it's just everything's moving around, everything's getting fresh. And I mean, if you go into the IT2 building where welding is now, you would not, once you walk in, you would not know that it is, you know, such an old building. They've just done such a phenomenal job with all the renovations of that. All right, moving on, we are hoping to open a new cooperative innovative high school on campus. The school system had requested, made that request. And it was approved by the Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Community Colleges. And I believe there were only three that were going to be approved across the state. The new high school would be focused on career and technical education for health sciences, advanced manufacturing and construction trades. So right now the proposal is pending funding from the General Assembly, so we're waiting on that. RCC has some incredible walking trails on its campus. One of them even goes by a waterfall. We have a huge campus and I'm pretty sure it's the largest campus of a community college in the state. And when a lot of people come on campus that have been to universities and it's got a university feel because it's not like everything's all in one big building where, you know, everything is spread out and it's just really, really, it's just a beautiful campus. So we started a trails improvement project in April led by Destination by Design, which I know that company has done a lot of work in Rockingham County. So construction is underway and expected to be completed by November. Some of the trail sections will be closed. New ones will be added. Some of them will be connected. It'll be easier to navigate. There'll be new signage and a new kiosk built by Freeman Woodcrafters over in Eden. All right, let's see what else we have going on. With the fall semester coming up, we are heavily enrolling. We're having new student orientations constantly and they're just filled up. I mean, there's like wait lists for these things. And we are also having something that we're calling Rock and Roll Fridays where appointments are kind of cleared off everybody's schedules over in admissions and prospective students can just hop in. They can, you know, walk in and get everything done just right then and there. So we've had a lot of success so far since we started doing that because normally the admission staff they really try and have appointments for everything. But yeah, all these walk-ins on Fridays have been really great. Also to kind of help, well, the hours for that are eight to noon on Fridays because that's the college hours on Fridays during the summer. We're having a one-stop enrollment day, which we had kind of started last year and this one will be Saturday, July 20th. So people can come in and they can get everything done in one day. Most people can get everything done in one day and walk out of there, enrolled in college and enrolled in your classes. And for this event, it's also, we're calling it a FAFSA Fiesta. So the free application for federal student aid is an application that high school students or anybody that's getting ready to go into college can fill out. And they immediately know if they're eligible for any financial aid, any extra money to help them pay for college. So that's part of what will be going on on that one-stop enrollment day on July 20th. And we're also going to be serving tacos. So the students that are coming, when they fill everything out, they and their families can have some free tacos on us. So, yeah, y'all come out on July 20th. Let's see, well, so going back to the FAFSA, that's hard to say, FAFSA, there is a scholarship. It's called the Next Energy Scholarship and it awards eligible students at community colleges at least $3,000. And all you have to do is fill out that form, the FAFSA form. And it's online, you just go on there and it's real easy to fill out. There's information about your household income, so your parents, if you're a younger student, your parents would need to kind of help out with that. So one of the requirements for this scholarship is that your household income is $80,000 or less. So anybody that fills out the FAFSA form, whether or not they're trying to apply for that scholarship, they will be told that they got it or not. And it also, it'll do at least $5,000 for a four-year university. But we're talking about the community college, we'll go with the three grand. And we also, we have so many ways to help students. We have so many resources for financial aid. And yet some people might not understand what exactly is financial aid or they don't know how to come and ask, but I need help paying for college. And we can help. We have a lot of scholarships and grants and this and that. We can figure out a way to help you. All right, so one of the programs that is moving into the brand new building is Mechatronics. We just had a continuing education class on Mechatronics electronics. And so seven students finished that class and each of them earned three industry recognized credentials through the national coalition of certification centers. And this is the type of thing RCC is really working toward having longer, I guess more intense continuing education classes that will lead to a certificate. You know, we're just trying to, you know, beef up the workforce in Rockingham County. And this is one of the, you know, one of the ways that we can do it. You know, there's such a support network for all these certifications and everything that, you know, it's just a great, it's a great time to be coming to RCC. We're helping so many students just get trained for jobs that they can get when they finish up their certificate or their diploma or their degree here. All right, what else do we have? You know, with continuing education, cosmetology, you know, we have a great cosmetology program with a cosmetology lab that was renovated maybe two years ago. It is beautiful in there. You wouldn't know that you were not in on a college campus when you go in there. It's a very professional and you can tell all the students that they really enjoy being in a learning environment like that. You know, it's very true to life. And we take, the public can come in and get their hair cut. It's really, really cheap. And it gives the students some experience. So there's hours that the lab is open for the public and they'll do manicures and they do all kinds of stuff in the cosmetology lab. But they've got, they have some continuing education cosmetology courses and there's one of them that is coming up. It starts August 14th and it runs through next July 23rd and it's evenings, Monday through Thursday evenings. And they, it's for English and Spanish speaking students. So if you know anybody that wants to be in cosmetology and they're having a hard time with English, we can take care of that. We've, you know, we'll have somebody there that, that can translate and talk to them. So, so this program, it's $206 plus you buy kit, but we have scholarships. We have something called the Eagle Training Gain Scholarship and it will pay $180 toward the tuition of, of actually these three continuing education cosmetology courses along with a bunch of other ones. So, I mean tuition of $206 and then $180 scholarship, that goes a long way. So for, for this evening cosmetology program, you take cosmetology one and two. So, so it would be like a, basically a two year program. And we have a manicurist program that is starting in September, it runs September 6th to March 8th. It is 830 to 430 Fridays and Saturdays and that one as well is 206. And there's a kit to purchase for that and it has the scholarship available for that. And then we have a natural hair care specialist. Again, $206 at September 6th to March 8th, Fridays and Saturdays, 830 to 430. So that's, that's running at the same time as a manicure program. And again, $206 but we have the scholarship. So it's really, we have some really good opportunities for, for anybody that wants to get into cosmetology. So you can do those con ed programs or you can go into our curriculum programs and get a, get an official degree. One of the fun things that we have coming up is actually one of them is June 27th. We have some kayaking for women classes. So we have an intro class that is Thursday, June 27th. We have a, it's, it's in the evening. We have a level one kayaking for women. It's, that is Thursday, July 11th and level two kayaking for women. Is Saturday, July 20th and the morning, that's 10 to 1. And then we have on Thursday, July 25th, we have intro to stand up paddle boarding. So, and that's in an evening and all, all four of these are on a local lake. So, and they're $68 but goodness, we have so many waterways around here. This is a really good program for, for anybody that, any of the women that want to be on the rivers. And they are some beautiful rivers, I kayak. So, so I've been on, on a lot of these local ones. So, and I've been in Baloo's Lake, which was a little bit, a little bit odd, not having a, you know, being used to a current. And, and there it's like, it's all paddle power. So, let's see. Our director of corporate education and training, Jennifer Lester, has just been accepted into the educational leadership with a concentration in community college leadership doctorate program at UNCW. So, congratulations to Jennifer. And we also have our, our chief information officer, Beth Pulliam, just graduated from the certified government CIO program at UNC Chapel Hill School of Government. And also with, with Beth, she is a finalist for a Carolina Orbea Awards. It recognizes CIOs across the Carolinas for their leadership and technology innovation. So, she's one of five finalists in the nonprofit and public sector category. So, she'll, the award winners will be announced at an event in Charlotte on September 13th. So, we're just really excited. We're, you know, we have, you know, so much stuff going on on campus, you know, so much stuff to offer the students and then our employees are doing all these great things. So, it really is, no matter, no matter what your role is, it's great, a great time to be at RCC. I'm going to jump in here. I'm on your Facebook page, Jerry, looking at this kayaking for women and taking notes, but I ran out of paper. All the good things you're talking about at RCC. So, the best way to, and congratulations on the employees and looking at the 7% increase. You mentioned right up front with fallen enrollment. That's good news. Yes, it is. And I was looking, I guess you did the video here on the new workforce development. There's all the equipment. So, I'm kind of on Facebook following you along. I wasn't even going to contribute anything to the program, but I'm thinking, you know, your website is always filled with such good information. Rikinghimcc.edu, and then your Facebook page, it just goes on and on and on with the programs and all of the upcoming events and all of that. So, that would be the best way to, and here's the information here about Riking Road Friday and all of that. So, that's the best way to find out what's happening. Absolutely, absolutely. Anything else you need to mention? That's about everything going on. Oh, well, let me jump back for a second. We do have a really cool class, if I can find it in this book. I'm looking through the continuing education booklet that we mail out three times a year. We're getting ready to do our next one. Everything, all the classes were due Friday, so I should be getting all that information to be able to lay this out, and I am looking forward in here. Mine is close by here. That's a great publication, and you're the one who puts that together. I put that together. I start with a blank page and fill it up, so this last one was, I think, 20 pages. I've changed it around. It used to be a list. It looked like an Excel spreadsheet, and I've just turned it into basically a booklet full of advertisements for all of our classes. That's what I do, graphic design. So, if you're interested in hotel and lodging operations, we have this certified guest service professional, and it's online. So, you don't have to go anywhere. October 27th to December 10th, and you get an overview of the lodging industry, and an in-depth look at a lot of the positions within hotels. In the food and beverage divisions, front desk, reservations, housekeeping, bell services, restaurant service, banquet setup, property management systems. When you finish the class, you will have the knowledge base to sit for the certified guest service professional certification from the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. It's, again, that's another one of the programs that we brought to RCC that will offer a certificate. So, we're just trying to up the game of everybody that wants to be in these programs. So, this, again, it starts August 27th. It's $185, but we have a scholarship, $180 scholarship. So, $5, and you take an online course and you get a certification. You will have the knowledge to get certified at the end of it. So, that's a really cool class that we're getting ready to do. Yeah. You know, when you say it that way about the scholarships, and you have $5, you mention that one specifically. Right. Just now. Yeah. So, those scholarships go a long way to helping somebody. And I want to go back to what you said for our time. It gets completely away here. And we had someone on this RCC program recently. And you just mentioned, again, about the campus and how big it is and how beautiful it is. The seasons. Right. You can enjoy them right there on campus. And we're so fortunate to have Rockingham Community College. And look at all of the advances and improvements. It's not the word, I guess, but just what, how you keep adding, adding, adding, and making it just so important for people to attend Rockingham Community College. Absolutely. Thanks to your staff and everybody who makes that happen. Thank you so much. And thank you, Jerry Hunt. Absolutely. All right. Jerry Hunt is director of public information at Rockingham Community College. Delighted to have her in our studios today. And please go to RCC.edu and Rockingham Community College on Facebook. And keep up to date on all of the good things happening at our Rockingham Community College. [BLANK_AUDIO]