NCC Celebrates 2021-2022 Milestones
“To sum up the 2021-2022 academic year I can use one word: resiliency,” Nash Community College President Dr. Lew Hunnicutt said. “Our faculty, staff and students have demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, true and incredible resiliency. All have overcome so many obstacles since the onset of the pandemic and have done so with incredible strength of spirit and grace.”
Nash Community College once again closed a productive academic year and students, faculty and staff look forward to a great fall semester which began on Monday, August 15.
Major highlights of the 2021-2022 year include NCC students being recognized at the national SkillsUSA championship, the addition of 14 acres to the campus footprint, an enhanced partnership with Nash County and the Vet Tech degree program and more.
In September, NCC held a ceremony celebrating the naming of the Gene Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The 16,000 square foot facility is used as an academic and training space for students and is home to the Electrical Systems Technology, Computer-Integrated Machining, Electronics Engineering Technology and Robotics programs of study. The Gene Haas Foundation provided a $250,000 naming rights gift to support the Advanced Manufacturing program. The perpetual naming rights award funded much-needed classroom technology and supportive information technology.
In January, the college welcomed Dr. Jay Sullivan as Vice President of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer. A native of eastern North Carolina, Sullivan previously served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Beaufort County Community College. In his position, he provided leadership for academic programs and oversight for degree programs, library services, distance learning, faculty professional development, dual enrollment programs and institutional effectiveness. He also served as faculty within the NC Community College System and at Virginia Commonwealth University.
In March, students in the High Altitude Balloon Team won two awards in the 2022 NC Space Grant Community College High Altitude Ballooning Challenge and Competition. Known as the Nashtronauts, they were awarded for Best Outreach for their work with the Nashville Elementary School STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) class. The group also won the 2022 Best Overall Team Award.
The campus also was awarded the 2022-2023 Military Friendly® School designation. Institutions earning the designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard.
In April, students enrolled in Nash Community College Career and Technical Education programs tested their skills against peers throughout the state at the SkillsUSA North Carolina championship competitions held in Greensboro, NC. They ranked among the top contestants in 12 categories. Seven Nash Community College students won, ranked or received a Skill Point Proficiency Certificate in the national championship in June as part of the 58th SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.
In July, NCC joined Nash County leaders at the groundbreaking ceremony for the County’s new animal shelter, the Nash County Pet Connection Center. The center will be located adjacent to the college campus at 3600 Eastern Avenue. “We at Nash remain so thankful of our partnership with Nash County,” NCC President Dr. Lew Hunnicutt said. “The Nash County Board of Commissioners, as well as county employees, are fully supportive of the college and maintain a definite interest in our success. After all, we are Nash County’s Community College.” Students enrolled in the NCC Veterinary Medical Technology program already serve animals through the county shelter, and this partnership will expand once the new facility opens. As a result of the land acquisition for the facility, the County was able to deed 14 acres to the college to provide space for a Driver Training Center to be utilized by the commercial driver’s license, fire, EMS, law enforcement, motorcycle training and electric line programs.
For more information about the College’s 2021-2022 accomplishments, click here to read the annual community report.
