More than 300 community college leaders from across the state gathered recently in Raleigh to advocate for the NC Community College System's legislative priorities. The day's events highlighted the importance of community colleges in our state.

Attending from Central Carolina Community College were Dr. Lisa M. Chapman (CCCC President), Meghan Brown (CCCC Associate Vice President of Advancement and Government Relations), Julian Philpott (CCCC Board of Trustees Chair), and CCCC Trustees James Crawford, Patricia Kirkman, and Gladys McAuley. The group met with Sen. Jim Burgin, who is also a member of the CCCC Board of Trustees, and other legislators, including those in the delegation representing the CCCC service area.

Among the speakers at the Community College Day event were NC Senate Pro Tem Phil Berger, NC House Speaker Tim Moore, and chairs of powerful education and appropriations committees. All legislators emphasized the critical mission of the community colleges to train and retrain the state's workforce.

"Businesses know what they need from their workers, and community colleges know how to build a workforce," Berger said.

Legislators also commended the community college leaders for their work at all 58 campuses. "Community colleges are 58 strong in North Carolina and are truly the lifeblood of workforce development and education improvement in our state," Moore said.

The NC Community College System is advocating for a legislative agenda focused on students and employees as community colleges work to support the businesses in their communities. The legislature is currently holding its long session when budget matters are decided for a two-year biennium.

"The NC Community College System and the NC Association of Community College Trustees had a highly successful Legislative Day in Raleigh recently. Our Trustees felt that we received positive feedback from our legislators regarding the System's priority funding proposals and those we presented on behalf of Central Carolina Community College," said Julian Philpott, Chair of the CCCC Board of Trustees.

"We believe that the discussions during the Legislative Day meetings helped to increase our General Assembly's understanding of the importance of our community colleges in meeting the workforce demands of North Carolina's new and existing industries as the state continues to expand its economic development, and increased funding for salaries is necessary to maintain and attract a first-class faculty to teach and train our students in a first-class manner," said Philpott.

"Central Carolina Community College is an important part of the state's economic expansion and CCCC's E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center will provide even more outstanding opportunities for students to receive the training and certifications necessary to secure outstanding, well-paying jobs," said Philpott.