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Last fall, the General Assembly established a Hurricane Helene Emergency Grant Program for postsecondary students to provide grants of up to $2,500 to eligible students experiencing financial hardship due to Helene.
At the time, the General Assembly allocated $10.5 million in funding for emergency grants for affected community college students “for tuition, fees, and emergency expenses that impact a student’s ability to remain enrolled.”
As of Feb. 3, 2025, nearly $6.5 million had been awarded to affected students, according to a report discussed by the State Board of Community Colleges at its April meeting.
“Over 6,303 students received funds to assist with hurricane‐related expenses, enabling them to continue their education,” the report says. “Colleges continue to receive student applications and award grants.”
In November, the State Board of Community Colleges allocated the funds to the 14 community colleges located in counties that were designated under a major federal disaster declaration: Asheville-Buncombe Technical, Blue Ridge, Caldwell, Catawba Valley, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Isothermal, Mayland, McDowell Technical, Southwestern, Tri-County, Western Piedmont, and Wilkes community colleges.
Funds were allocated to colleges “based on the level of impact in the college’s service area and the size of the student body attending the respective college,” the Board document says.
The N.C. Community College System (NCCCS) also retained $50,000 “to allocate to students living in a county impacted by Hurricane Helene but who are attending a community college other than the fourteen affected community colleges.” According to the report, the system had allocated $37,020 to 26 students as of Feb. 3.
Catawba Valley Community College voluntarily returned all of the $367,516 in emergency scholarship grant funding it was awarded, the report says, which was then dispersed to the other 13 impacted colleges.
The majority of the nearly $6.5 million in scholarship funds spent so far has gone toward living expenses and transportation, according to the report.
According to the Board document, the 5% labeled as “other” reflects funds used for expenses like child care, relocation, and replacements of food, clothing, and computers.
Three colleges have spent all the emergency grant funding: Haywood, Isothermal, and Tri-County community colleges.
Cleveland Community College had not spent any of its funding as of Feb. 3.
Here’s a look at how much each community college has spent of its emergency grant funding.
In addition to the NCCCS, the General Assembly also allocated funds for the emergency scholarship program to the UNC System and private colleges in North Carolina.
“An emergency scholarship grant shall be used to mitigate the impact of Hurricane Helene on a student so that the student’s postsecondary education in a North Carolina institution of higher education continues uninterrupted,” the hurricane relief law says.
The law authorizes colleges to use the remaining funds in subsequent semesters. The law text does not include a date by which funds must be spent.
The report, which the Board approved on Friday, had already been sent to the General Assembly, as it was due by March 15.
“Reviewing and evaluating the Hurricane Helene Emergency Scholarship Grant Program ensures oversite of funds approved by the General Assembly,” the Board document says. “This information also provides useful information as to potential impacts and needs during any future disasters.”
Update on accreditation and legislative session
On Friday, Dr. Brian Merritt, the system’s senior vice president and chief academic officer, also gave the Board a brief update on accreditation across the system.
A law passed during the 2023 long session now requires colleges and universities to change accreditors every 10 years, or after each cycle. The law did not allocate any funding toward the process.
“This is going to be a big lift for our institutions, especially our rural institutions,” Merritt said in Nov. 2023. “There is a lot of anxiety across our system about this.”
The state’s 58 colleges are at different stages in their accreditation cycles. The law does allow colleges to stay with their current accreditor for consecutive cycles if they are “not granted candidacy status” from another accreditor three years before the current accreditation expires.
There are six accrediting agencies for higher education listed in the law.
On Friday, Merritt said the system used Board reserve funds last year to create tool kits and help pay consultant fees for colleges most impacted by the change.
“Roughly a dozen colleges have received those funds. All the colleges that have received those funds to learn about a new accreditor have chosen to go to the Higher Learning Commission Conference, which actually takes place next week in Chicago,” he said.
The system has eight colleges up for reaffirmation in 2025, four colleges in 2026, and five colleges in 2027, he said.
“Those 17 colleges over the past few years made attempts to change accreditors,” he said. “However, that runway was far too short. They have chosen to exercise that provision in the law and to stay with SACSCOC.”
Merritt said two out of three colleges up for reaffirmation in 2028 have successfully made progress to switch accreditors.
“(I) just can’t emphasize enough how much of a lift this has been on our colleges,” he said. “The institutions in the class of 2029 are all small-to-medium-sized colleges. It’s about at least a $25,000 jump starting fee to be able to change your accreditors. So we’re going to need to really think about that, about how to support colleges in their transition with considerable resources and funding.”
The Board also heard a brief update on the legislative session from NCCCS Legislative Liaison Deanna Brunner.
This year, the system’s primary legislative ask is to fund Propel NC, the system’s new funding model. So far, two bills have been filed related to Propel NC: House Bill 490, Propel NC Funding and Tuition Surcharge, and House Bill 365, Workforce Education Act.
The Senate’s bill filing deadline was March 25, and the House extended its deadline from April 3 to April 10. Bills must then pass through one of the chambers by the crossover deadline on May 8.
“We continue to meet with House and Senate education and appropriation chairs and advocate for our system’s agenda and propel NC,” Brunner said. “…We will continue to have ongoing communication about bills moving through the committees and the status of them.”
On Thursday, Apprenticeship NC Director Dr. Chris Harrington said his team is also advocating for $3.1 million in funds for ApprenticeshipNC, in order to make up an anticipated gap in federal funds due to a change in grant guidelines. About 65% of the organization’s funding comes from grants, he told the Board, with the vast majority of those coming from the U.S. Department of Labor.
“It’s a fork in the road,” he said. “The ask for the Board is your advocacy. We need the funding.”
On Friday, the system also published a new data dashboard on apprenticeships in North Carolina, which you can view here. The dashboard includes data by college service area, county, sub-region, and more.
Student success initiatives
During the Board’s April meeting, members also discussed several reports related to student success initiatives across the system.
First, the Board discussed the system’s legislative report for the Vocational Rehabilitation Pilot Program, which was created in 2023 by the General Assembly to “provide support services to community college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to help students reach their goals for employment and independence without duplicating the existing vocational support network.”
The program, also known as “Bridge to Success,” currently involves six community colleges: Alamance, Asheville-Buncombe Technical, College of The Albemarle, Brunswick, South Piedmont, and Wilkes community colleges, per the report.
The program funds a case manager position at each college to work with students.
“At the time of this report, all the designated colleges hired staff with the exception of South Piedmont Community College and Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College who have struggled to get qualified applicants,” the report says. “After some discussion with the colleges, it is felt that the need in these rural areas is profound, so program leaders are restructuring to try to attract more applicants rather than moving the positions to different colleges.”
As of Feb. 20, the program had 39 participants, according to the report, and three students are using job placement services in the program. The vast majority of students served are in the 18-25 age range.
The program complements the system’s Access to Achievement model, Program Committee Chair Sarah West told the Board. That program, which started in 2022, aims to provide career pathway opportunities and resources for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
On Thursday, West said the system is looking to expand the eligibility requirements of the Bridge to Success program, which she said are more stringent than the requirements of Access to Achievement.
“We think its impacting our ability to serve more students,” she said.
The Board also approved a legislative report for the system’s Short-Term Workforce Development Grant program, which the General Assembly created in 2021. Through the program, students pursuing short-term noncredit state and industry recognized workforce credentials can be awarded up to $750 per course.
In 2023-24, $950,629 was allocated to 2,052 students, the report said.
“The Short-Term Workforce Development Grant Program positively impacted community colleges in North Carolina,” the report says. “The program expanded access to educational and employment opportunities. Students who might not otherwise have afforded educational and training programs were offered financial assistance for the first time.”
The program was especially beneficial for non-traditional students, the report said, like adult learners or students with families and jobs.
Here’s a look at the funds awarded in 2023-24 and so far in 2024-25:
Update on presidential searches
Three community colleges in North Carolina are actively looking for a new president, NCCCS Chief of Staff Dr. Kimberly Gold told the Board on April 4. Those colleges include South Piedmont, Piedmont, and Mayland community colleges.
On Friday, the Board approved a list of candidates for South Piedmont Community College, to be published by the college in the future. Those five finalists will be invited to South Piedmont’s campus for a tour and presentation between April 7 and 16, the college’s website says.
The search comes after the college’s former president, Dr. Maria Pharr, was selected as the next president of Pitt Community College, effective Aug. 13. Since then, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services/CFO Michelle Brock has served as interim president.
In January, former Piedmont Community College president Dr. Pamela Senegal announced her resignation from the role, effective Feb. 28. In February, the college announced that Dr. Kenneth Boham will serve as interim president until a new president is selected.
In December, Mayland Community College President John Boyd announced his intention to retire in the coming year. The college is currently searching for a new president.
Finally, Rockingham Community College is currently being led by interim president Steven Woodruff, following the retirement of Dr. Mark Kinlaw, effective Feb. 28. On May 1, Dr. Sylvia Cox will become the college’s sixth president.
Since 2021, Cox has worked at Southeastern Community College as executive vice president and chief academic officer, where she has led academic affairs, workforce development, and student services.
“I am incredibly honored to have been selected as the next president of Rockingham Community College,” Cox said in a press release. “RCC is not just a college; it serves as a pillar of opportunity, innovation, and lifelong learning. It is truly humbling to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Mark Kinlaw, whose leadership has been instrumental in RCC’s success.”
Finally, the Board approved four presidents for reelection:
The full Board meets next May 15-16.
