In early December, Southeastern Community College met with visitors from EducationNC and the John M. Belk Endowment. Among the group was Nation Hahn, Director of Growth, who came with a team including MC Belk, President of the John M. Belk Endowment, and Chuck Kaylor, Chief of Staff at Belk Endowment.

Dr. Chris English, SCC President, lead the group on a tour of the SCC campus which started with a panel of Board Chairs including Jack Hooks, Theresa Blanks, and Crystal Frink. Mrs. Blanks.

On January 6, 2021, EducationNC summarized their visit in an article:

One rural community college hopes to power an economic revival in its county. Will it have the resources?

“One big question is on our mind every single day: How do we get this county back to work?” English said as we began.

The key for the county’s future, the trustees and leadership of the college agreed, is to both educate the youth of the county and give them a reason to live there.

As we walked through campus, we saw evidence of the challenge for the community.”

EducationNC (EdNC) works to expand educational opportunities for children in North Carolina, increase their academic attainment, and improve the performance of the state’s public schools. Community Colleges are a big part of the conversation at EdNC. In 2020, EdNC worked to visit all 58 North Carolina Community Colleges. Due to COVID-19, that list was shortened but Southeastern Community College was fortunate to make the cut and welcome the team to campus.

Photo: CCCA instructor Fred Mason. Alli Lindenberg/EducationNC