Central Piedmont Sporting Clays Classic Raises Over $190K
May 19, 2023
The Central Piedmont Sporting Clays Classic benefits the College's U.S. military veteran and first responder students and programs, and 2023 marked the 19th year of the event's history. The event was once again held at Meadow Wood Farm in Waxhaw, NC.
After a bit of a rain scare, the sky cleared up for a beautiful April day of sport, community, and conversation.
The College raised nearly $193K through the support of corporate sponsors, team registrations, raffle tickets, and donations. We are especially grateful for the support of our tournament sponsors: Piedmont Natural Gas (Clay Pigeon Challenge), Juneberry Ridge (First Responders Cup), and Concrete Supply and Rodgers (B.D. Rodgers Cup).
Almost 300 participants joined us for the day-long event featuring 17 stations including a Frenzy and a Flurry - which proved key in providing the tie-breaker for two of the tournaments. Our winners for the day's event are below:
B.D. Rodgers Cup: Individual
1st Place: Chris Dorton | 44 (Streak of 31)
2nd Place: Gerald Tucker | 44 (Streak of 17)
3rd Place: Page Tucker | 43
B.D. Rodgers Cup: Team Champion
Rodgers | 212: Taylor Miles, Jason Money, Paige Tucker, Gerald Tucker
Clay Pigeon Challenge: Individual
1st Place: Carter Loetz | 43 (Streak of 18)
2nd Place: Thomas Hovis | 43 (Streak of 17)
3rd Place: Tim Hileman | 42
Clay Pigeon Challenge: Team
1st Place: Pinnacle Financial | 205: Tim Hileman, Paul Cochrane, Greg Everhart, Lain Reavis
2nd Place: Warco Construction | 199: Thomas Hovis, Austin Claytor, Drew Rochester, TM
3rd Place: Piedmont Natural Gas | 177: Randy Bost, Jeremy Koster, Carl Peterson, Brad Holbrook
First Responders Cup: Individual
1st Place: William Wallis | 50
2nd Place: Mike Small | 45
3rd Place: Hunter Hampton | 44 (Streak of 22)
First Responders Cup: Team
1st Place: MEDIC | 223: William Wallis, John Gibson, Bill Ward, Janet Geradot
2nd Place: CMPD | 215 (Flurry 39): Curt Bell, Gene Rivera, Mark Smith, Bill Booth
3rd Place: CFD #1 | 215 (Flurry 32): Mike Small, Derek Alexander, Jason Cloninger, Mike Stroup
The two Janet Chernaga award winners were Deborah Edwards (morning) and Janet Gerdot (afternoon).
Over lunch, the guest speaker, Dale Thomas (pictured right), inspired the audience with his story of trials and triumphs. Dale Thomas served in the U.S. Army for four years as an Infantryman at Ft. Hood, Texas. He graduated from Central Piedmont last week with an Associate of Applied Science in Human Services Technology. Dale plans to utilize his education in Human Services to empower, advocate, and bring awareness to marginalized populations, such as helping those with disabilities and veterans. You can read more of his story here. We look forward to seeing how far he'll go!
We are so grateful to all those who supported this event, be it as a sponsor, a team, a volunteer, or a vendor. Thank you.
View pictures from this year's event here.
Stay tuned for information on how you can support the 20th-anniversary event.
Read moreCentral Piedmont Holds Spring 2023 Commencement
May 11, 2023Central Piedmont Community College held its 2023 spring commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 11, in Charlotte. Approximately 900 students "marched" and received their college credentials during the morning and afternoon ceremonies. More than 1,500 students were eligible to graduate.
During the morning festivities at the Bojangles Coliseum, Maria "Fernanda" Moreno Tovar, a 2023 graduate, addressed her peers by delivering the commencement address. RaeDeja Sawyer, also a 2023 graduate, spoke at the afternoon ceremony. It has become Central Piedmont's tradition to have graduating students serve as commencement keynote speakers. Both Maria and RaeDeja were graduating with associate in arts degrees.
Maria shared her experiences and challenges as an immigrant from Mexico. She concluded her address by saying, "As I am standing here today, I am confident that Central Piedmont gave me the right tools to continue chasing my academic goals. I am also confident that just like mine, your struggle can make magic if you take the leap of faith."
RaeDeja recounted how she had lost loved ones during her time at Central Piedmont and how the college provided her much needed support. "This journey has been charged with intense emotion. I have experienced elevating highs and depleting lows, but seeing it through has been most valuable and unforgettable. And the truth is, graduation today does not mark the end of our studies, nor does it mark the end of deadlines, decisions, or expectations," she explained.
Students graduating from Central Piedmont with a degree, diploma, or certificate had the option of participating in either the morning or afternoon ceremony. Central Piedmont combined its for-credit and non-credit program conferrals into both ceremonies, giving graduates the choice to "walk" at the time that best fits their families' schedule.
Central Piedmont and Partners Host Free Dental Clinic
May 4, 2023Central Piedmont Community College, the North Carolina Dental Society Foundation Missions of Mercy, the Charlotte area Dental Society Foundation Missions of Mercy (MOM), and other members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg dental community came together to offer a free dental clinic on April 29.
The joint clinic treated 85 patients who received more than $57,700 in free dental care. Held at Central Piedmont's dental clinic teaching labs, located in the Leon Levine Health Sciences Center, on the college's Central Campus, the goal of the nine-hour clinic was to provide essential dental services, such as restorative dental care and extractions, for underserved, in-need community members. Many of the patients had been treated by Central Piedmont dental hygiene students but needed additional treatment they could not afford.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first free dental clinic held in Charlotte since 2019. In the past, such clinics have been held at Bojangles Coliseum or the Charlotte Convention Center. The college opened the Levine Health Sciences Center and its dental clinic facilities in 2020. The college approached Charlotte MOM about the possibility of hosting a free clinic in the new, state of-the-art facilities. This was the first time in Charlotte and perhaps North Carolina that dental educational facilities were used to provide care to those in the community with no other care options.
"This was truly a collaborative effort between the college and the Charlotte-area dental community that brought this clinic to fruition," explained Linda Polito, dentist and associate dean of outpatient programs at Central Piedmont. "We thank North Carolina Dental Society Foundation MOM and Charlotte MOM for collaborating with the college and working together to provide care to community members in need."
Clinic organizers say the event partnerships and operation could become a pattern for other communities to follow. "We feel like the clinic was a great success and believe this kind of partnership and utilization of educational facilities could become a statewide and perhaps a national model," said Dr. Evan Miller, Charlotte MOM ambassador.
Central Piedmont offers a one-year dental assisting program and a two-year dental hygiene program. For more information, visit the college's healthcare career page, inquire by email at healthsciences@cpcc.edu, or call 704.330.6496.
Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer included in the ‘Power List’
May 1, 2023Central Piedmont Community College President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer has been recognized as a member of Business North Carolina magazine's 2023 Power List.
According to Business North Carolina, "the annual report on the state's most influential business leaders is divided into 18 categories. These are the power brokers with an extraordinary ability to lead their enterprises and influence North Carolina's direction."
Deitemeyer is one of only two community college presidents included in the 2023 list.
Review the Education Power List 2023.
Lisa Schlachter to Join Central Piedmont as Vice President of Institutional Advancement
April 25, 2023
Lisa Schlachter of Charlotte will join the leadership team at Central Piedmont Community College as the new Vice President of Institutional Advancement. Schlachter will serve the college as its chief fundraising officer and as director of the Central Piedmont Foundation.
Schlachter comes to Central Piedmont from the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, where she serves as vice president of financial development. She has more than two decades of experience in fundraising and alumni relations. She began her career in alumni relations at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and she held several roles at Belmont University including capital, donor relations, foundation relations, and stewardship.
"We are delighted to welcome Lisa Schlachter to Central Piedmont," said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, college president. "Lisa brings a deep connection to our community through her great work at the YMCA. With her previous experience in higher education and the energy and passion she possesses, she will be a wonderful addition to our team."
In addition to earning a master's degree in institutional advancement from Vanderbilt University, she worked on Vanderbilt's Alumni and Development team. She also served as the assistant head of school for advancement at St. Paul Christian Academy in Nashville, Tenn., where she led the annual campaign, a capital campaign, and major gifts.
"We are very excited about Lisa Schlachter joining Central Piedmont as its new Vice President of Institutional Advancement," said Weston Andress, Central Piedmont Foundation board president. "Lisa's energetic personality and her experience at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and other non-profits will help take Central Piedmont's already successful advancement efforts to a new level."
Central Piedmont completed its "Powering a Stronger Future" campaign in June 2022. It was the most ambitious and successful campaign in the college's history, raising $66.3 million and surpassing its goal by more than $26 million.
In addition to her master's degree from Vanderbilt, Schlachter earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She will begin her tenure at Central Piedmont on May 5.
"I am thrilled to return to higher education as a member of the Central Piedmont Community College leadership team, and I am eager to combine my passion for education with my commitment to serve our community through this role," Schlachter said. "It is very exciting to come in following an extremely successful campaign and build on the college's reputation of strong community service and support."
Read moreCentral Piedmont Students Serve as Interns for Local Businesses
April 13, 2023Gardhouse, a Charlotte nonprofit organization, is helping college students receive job experience through paid internships. Through a United Way of Greater Charlotte program, Gardhouse matches underrepresented students with local businesses to provide support for business operations while offering professional networking connections and a place to use classroom knowledge in real-world scenarios. Kaosisochi Duruanyim, a nursing student from Central Piedmont, is an intern with Gardhouse. He has been working with SchermCo, a national social impact implementation firm. Read more about Kaosi and Gardhouse via Spectrum News. Read more
Central Piedmont Honors Leon Levine
April 6, 2023
Central Piedmont Community College celebrates, honors, and remembers the life of Leon Levine, who died April 5, 2023, at age 85. EdNC.org: Central Piedmont Community College wants to create opportunity
March 29, 2023by Hannah McClellan, EdNC.org
The summer after Tyler Jackson graduated from high school, he took two college courses through Central Piedmont Community College's Summer Bridge program, meant to help students successfully transition from high school to college.
After one of the orientation sessions Jackson attended, a college staff member dismissed all participants but the "opportunity scholars." Jackson was not an opportunity scholar at the time and he knew little about the program, but he was curious, so he decide to stay behind and learn more. That decision led to Jackson applying for and eventually receiving the scholarship he says changed his life.
"Central Piedmont has opened so many doors," Jackson said in a college promotional video. "They cared more about who I was as a person. Being able to go to school without having to worry about the cost I'm just grateful."
Jackson is one of nearly 400 opportunity scholars Central Piedmont Community College has served since it launched the program in 2017, according to college data last fall. Through the Opportunity Scholarship, students underrepresented in college receive funding to fully cover tuition, books, and fees for two years. In addition, these students receive a notebook computer and access to one-on-one academic coaching for career planning, internships, and job placement.
This support was key for his success, said Jackson, who graduated with an associate of arts degree in December. During the start of the pandemic and remote learning, college staff members kept him from "falling through the cracks."
"It's been a long time coming," he told EdNC. "And my experience has been amazing. I've always felt welcome. Especially being an opportunity scholar, that opened up so many more doors being able to sit in different meetings, visit different places, and being able to have exposure to these things I wouldn't have probably had if I wasn't an opportunity scholar."
The total number of Opportunity Scholarships offered per year varies based on available funding provided by local donors, the college's website says. You can learn more about the scholarship and how to apply here. You can learn about N.C. Community College System (NCCCS) scholarships here.
'What community college can do'
Many community college students some of them adult learners, low income, or first-generation college-goers experience various barriers that can make academic success more difficult. In recent years, North Carolina community colleges have increasingly added support to help their students stay in college.
Community college leaders say meeting the financial, transportation, and child care needs of students helps them complete their programs.
About 48% of N.C. Community College students complete a degree or credential in six years, based on 2022 data from myFutureNC. That rate is lower for students ages 21-24 (38%), Black students (30%), and part-time students (20%).
In comparison, nearly 150 opportunity scholars have graduated from Central Piedmont since 2017. That's a 53% completion rate for cohorts through 2020-21, each before the six-year completion target used by myFutureNC. This success rate is in spite of the fact that many opportunity scholars face more barriers to completion compared to the general community college population. The majority of scholars in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 cohorts can graduate starting this year.
Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, president at Central Piedmont, said the Opportunity Scholarship is one of many ways the college is working to expand its impact on students, the economy, and the wider community.
Central Piedmont adds $827.7 million to the economy each year, according to a recent economic impact study, and supports 11,274 jobs. For every dollar students invest in their education at Central Piedmont, they gain $3.80 in lifetime earnings.
"The college helps students increase their employability and achieve their individual potential," Deitemeyer said in a release. "Central Piedmont provides students with the education, training, and skills they need to have fulfilling and prosperous careers that provide real economic mobility."
Dr. Deninne Pritchett, the college's chair of psychology, understands that economic mobility well.
Pritchett first started college as a teen mother, at 18. She dropped out of college four times and once from Central Piedmont before returning to successfully graduate from the college in 2010 with an associate degree in art.
"When I arrived at Central Piedmont, there was something different here," she said. "Even the first time when I didn't stay, there was something different, which led me to come back."
Pritchett, who went on to earn a doctorate in psychology, is now the creator of the Adjunct Faculty Learning Community and facilitator for the Diversified Teaching Practices Learning Commons at the college. She also earned an American College and University Educators (ACUE) Advanced Certificate for Teaching Effectiveness and is a featured expert in an ACUE course on learner-centered, equitable teaching practices.
"It just seems like this is what I'm supposed to be doing, because this is where my foundation was set," Pritchett said.
Today, in addition to teaching students psychology, Pritchett aims to make them feel welcomed, understood, and empowered.
She believes that one interaction can change everything, because for her, it did. The last time she enrolled at Central Piedmont, it was a kind financial aid advisor who made her believe in herself.
"I'm a representative of what community college can do for you," Pritchett said. "It's like a full-circle moment that I don't sit high and look low, this is a partnership for me to support students to get wherever they want to get to, whatever that goal is."
For Tyler Jackson, his goal of graduating college expanded to studying abroad while at Central Piedmont and joining student government goals he achieved without stressing about money, thanks to the scholarship program. After graduating with his associate degree debt-free, he feels well-positioned to pursue a bachelor's degree in business and media at UNC Charlotte. In the meantime, he's applied to be a substitute teacher at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, in addition to working at his production company and promoting his film, "LoverBoy The Movie." He's also dreaming about becoming a full-time entertainer acting, filmmaking, and directing or a professor in the arts.
For him, programs like the Opportunity Scholarship are important because they help first-generation and low-income students "seek better" for themselves. Today, he also works as a tutor coordinator at TRIO, Upward Bound the program that initially connected him to Central Piedmont's Summer Bridge program where he aims to be like the mentors he found at Central Piedmont to younger students.
Jackson is grateful for where he is following graduation and is excited for his future and his career. But, what if he decides to pursue something completely different?
"I can also always come back to Central Piedmont," he said. "It's a place where I've always felt at home."
Republished with permission from https://www.ednc.org/central-piedmont-community-college-wants-to-create-opportunity/. Read moreCentral Piedmont Remembers the Life & Legacy of Dale F. Halton
March 22, 2023
Central Piedmont Community College celebrates and honors the life of Dale F. Halton, who died yesterday, March 21, 2023 at age 85. Halton was known for being the trailblazing CEO of Charlotte's Pepsi Bottling Company, starting in 1981, at a time when few women held the title. WBTV: Lowe's Foundation hopes to address growing need of tradespeople
March 21, 2023The Lowe's Foundation has launched the Gable Grants Program to fund programs for skilled trades. Their partnership with Central Piedmont Community College supports students building careers as skilled tradespeople while also filling a gap in the current local workforce.
Learn more via WBTV's report: Lowe's Foundation hopes to address growing need of tradespeople Read more
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