Community colleges serve a lot of people in a lot of ways. Vance-Granville Community College is a pretty good example, with a service area that runs from the northern suburbs of Research Triangle Park all the way to the Virginia line. To be successful VGCC has learned to connect with its community & strengthen its ties to local industry. Rick Sullivan takes a look at the forward-looking school.

Over the past 50 years community colleges in NC have proven to be solid performers when it comes to jumpstarting students into 4 year colleges. They've also trained thousands of people for the workforce & sometimes even connected them directly to jobs & promotions that would not have otherwise been available to them. Craven is one community college that does not always fit into a traditional mold.

For 50 years the NC community college system has been helping communities to help themselves. Sometimes that help can be pretty straightforward. Traditional programs that connect students to 4 year schools or gainful employment are available at all 58 schools. At Lenoir Community College, even some of the traditional programs are being enhanced by some not so traditional thinking & technology.

We continue our series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the NC Community College System with a visit to Halifax Community College in Weldon - where "learning comes to life."

We continue to observe the 50th anniversary of the creation of the NC Community College System with our series on each of the colleges. All of them bolster their local communities with workforce development, & courses that help students prepare for transfer to 4-year schools. Some of them, like Montgomery Community College, offer programs not often found in other schools.

Students of NC's Community College System sometimes choose their schools for a variety of reasons. It might be location, or a specific program, or to save money. Back in 2004, THE PRESIDENT of Southeastern Community College, Dr. Kathy Matlock, made HER choice to return to The System. She made a move to her present college for just about every reason she could factor.

Founded in 1957, Guilford Technical Community College is one of the most comprehensive community colleges in the state. Producer Rick Sullivan says you'll find all of the basic studies at Guilford Tech, and a few that are hard to find anywhere else.

Randolph Community College reminds our producer Rick Sullivan of his high school football coach from years ago. Rick says that coach drilled him with the FUNDAMENTALS of blocking & tackling in much the same way the instructors & staff of Randolph Community College prepare their students for their futures in the workplace.

Cleveland Community College in Shelby is an institution that appreciates reduced consumption, and increased production, when it comes to training a local workforce. Rick Sullivan explains to us how the school is finding ways to do more training, for more people, using less energy resource than you might expect.

Bladen Community College, headquartered in Dublin, serves about 1800 students a year in a county that spans about 900 square miles. With a rural population that spread out, it takes some creativity to help them achieve their goals. But that's a mission BCC's staff and faculty takes very seriously.

The "great outdoors" is one of the most important classrooms at tonight's featured community college. We're profiling them ALL this year in observance of the 50th anniversary of North Carolina's Community College System. Tonight's featured school is blessed with more natural beauty and resources than most, and Rick Sullivan took this chance to venture DEEP into the forest, without ever leaving campus.

The North Carolina Community College System is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and we're travelling to all 58 of its member colleges to take a look at their facilities and programs. Tonight Rick Sullivan profiles McDowell Technical Community College in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Rick Sullivan points his lens at Stanly Community College where networking know-how and technology have had a big impact, not just on the school, but to several other institutions in North Carolina and the southeastern region of the United States.

Our tour of the North Carolina Community College System, and its 58 colleges, makes a stop at Mayland Community College. If you're scratching your head to figure out where Mayland might be located, don't search the map for a Mayland County. You won't find one, and Rick Sullivan says this school takes its mission to serve THREE counties, very seriously.

Rick Sullivan takes a trip to Davidson County Community College, a school that represents a community which has lost thousands of jobs in recent years, but never lost its way. An energetic president, generous donors, and determination, have made the difference!

This year is the 50th anniversary of the North Carolina Community College System and in observance, North Carolina Now is profiling each of the 58 colleges in the system. Rick Sullivan visits the smallest of them all, Pamlico Community College in Grantsboro. But while the school might have the fewest students, there 's nothing meager about the programs it offers.

Johnston Community College in Smithfield offers more than 40 occupational study programs & numerous continuing education courses. It is also the home of the NC Truck Driver Training School, the oldest truck driving training program in the country.

Roanoke Chowan Community College has multiple speciality programs including Building Construction, Visual Arts, Education, & Criminal Justice. Rick Sullivan visits the campus as part of our series commemorating the NC Community College System's 50th anniversary year.

This is the 50th anniversary year for the North Carolina Community College System and we are profiling every member college to celebrate. Tonight Rick Sullivan visits Isothermal Community College… a school with a popular international business partner, and a different way of looking at its educational mission.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the North Carolina Community College System and in observance, UNC-TV is sending Rick Sullivan on the road to profile each of the 58 colleges in the system. Tonight Rick visits one of the powerhouse community colleges in the NATION, Central Piedmont, in Mecklenburg County.

There are few communities in North Carolina that ever had a more vibrant textile industry than the Gastonia area near Charlotte. And there were few who took a bigger hit from the off shoring of textile jobs. Tonight as part of our ongoing series of community college profiles, Rick Sullivan visits Gaston College, a school helping its community to rise up after the loss of thousands of jobs.

The North Carolina Community College System is celebrating its 50th year and in observance of that milestone, North Carolina Now is profiling all 58 colleges. Rick Sullivan visits Southwestern Community College with its main campus in Sylva, but a service area that reaches out to three different counties with a variety of important programs.

The North Carolina Community College System is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Tonight, Rick Sullivan takes us to Wayne Community College in Goldsboro. A school with a history that even pre-dates the system!

Go anywhere in NC & you won't find any other city quite like Asheville where there's architecture & arts, food & fun, & country or cosmopolitan culture, all in one place! That diversity of attractions & the mindsets is reflected in the educational opportunities available at the local community college as well. Rick Sullivan continues his tour of the NC Community College System.

Beaufort County Community College has the largest service area of ALL the 58 community colleges in our state. To drive from Ocracoke at one end of this community, to the campus in Little Washington, is over 4-hours! It's not an easy task to bring education and job training to this region. That's where Rick Sullivan picks up the story.