ECU chancellor meets with community college presidents
East Carolina University Chancellor Bill Shelton this week met with presidents and officials from community colleges across eastern North Carolina to discuss collaborations in education and economic development.
The meetings aimed to strengthen current partnerships between the region’s colleges and ECU.
Shelton said the discussions help reaffirm the importance community colleges have for students in their academic careers. Effective communication among the institutions, he said, can aid the articulation of community college and university education paths.
Shelton said, “The educational partnerships in eastern North Carolina will continue with the leadership of East Carolina University and the community colleges.”
ECU Chief of Staff Austin Bunch said the meetings are held in regions where relationships have already been established. Bunch said, “These meetings give us a chance to strengthen our partnership with the community colleges for the good of Eastern North Carolina.”
Partnership East is one example of a collaboration of the two systems, Bunch said. The program allows students to obtain a four-year degree in education from ECU while remaining at their community college. In March, ECU and Edgecombe Community College announced the creation of a second Partnership East hub location at the ECC’s Rocky Mount campus. The first was set up at Craven Community College in New Bern. Partnership East eventually plans to have four hubs throughout eastern North Carolina.
University and college officials are optimistic other academic and economic initiatives will be developed as a result of the meetings held this week.
On Monday Shelton met at Craven Community College in New Bern with presidents and officials from Craven, Beaufort, Carteret, Pamlico and Pitt community colleges. The meetings continued Tuesday at the Rocky Mount Center of Edgecombe Community College with officials from Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Vance-Granville and Martin community colleges. Wednesday the chancellor will meet at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro with Wayne, James Sprunt, Johnston, Lenoir and Sampson community colleges.