ECU partners with Craven Community College to create degree pipeline

With the stroke of pens to paper, East Carolina University and Craven Community College made the region stronger for students and industry.

Administrators from both institutions signed a bilateral agreement June 29 in ECU’s Science and Technology Building, creating smoother pathways for CCC technology graduates to transfer to ECU to obtain four-year bachelor’s degrees.

Dr. Allan Guidry, associate provost for learner operations at ECU, speaks at the ceremony.

Guaranteed Admission

The signing ceremony cemented a partnership that guarantees admission to the university’s Bachelor of Science in industrial technology (BSIT) program for qualified CCC graduates with an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in any one of 10 technical fields.

The agreement underscores opportunities for those graduates to advance their careers with a four-year bachelor’s degree from ECU, opportunities that may not exist with their two-year degrees. Employers receive a more skilled workforce to support their businesses while graduates receive higher pay and benefits, creating a ripple effect throughout the region’s economy.

“It’s the power of the partnership,” said Dr. Allan Guidry, ECU’s associate provost for learner operations. “… It’s about keeping talent in eastern North Carolina. It’s about people starting where they feel comfortable, continuing along their pathway where they feel comfortable, and where they continue to live and work, and then contributing to the region. That means so much.”

Investment in the Region

Dr. Raymond Staats, president of CCC, said major industry and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point are big employers in Craven County, so keeping residents in the area while providing them career advancement through higher education is crucial.

“Our most important programs are those that allow the talent to stay home,” he said. “We’re a semi-rural community with Fortune 500 companies and America’s air station sitting on the east side of the town. What that means is we have a large employer base, and at Craven Community College, our door is a pipeline. But we stop in two years, so when they need more, if we have to send them out of town to go someplace else, that means very often they don’t come back. And that’s a huge loss for Craven County. So we appreciate these partnerships that we have with universities here throughout the state that design their programs so that our students can keep working, stay home and move up the ladder.”

Industrial Technology Program

ECU’s BSIT program offers seven concentrations — architecture design technology; bioprocess manufacturing; distribution and logistics; industrial management; industrial engineering technology; information and cybersecurity technology; and mechanical design technology. Five of those concentrations can be completed fully online, allowing students with jobs and families to complete their four-year degrees on a schedule that’s right for them.

“To me, this is a very special program,” said Dr. Stephanie George, interim dean of ECU’s College of Engineering and Technology. “We have faculty here who are invested in this program, invested in our students, and one of the things that we take very seriously in this college is student success. So, know that when you send us your students that they will be well taken care of and supported throughout the rest of their academic journey.”

Qualified CCC graduates can receive up to 75 credit hours toward their four-year BSIT degree at ECU. CCC graduates with AAS degrees in automotive systems technology; aviation systems technology; business administration; computer-aided drafting technology; computer-integrated machining; electronics engineering technology; industrial systems technology; information technology; mechatronics engineering technology and welding technology who have at least a 2.0 GPA are eligible for guaranteed admission to ECU’s BSIT program.

“We encourage students every day: Come to us, get a two-year degree, go get a job. At ECU, finish that bachelor’s degree online, because you have so many great options,” said Matthew Berg, an ECU alumnus who is CCC’s dean of career and technical programs. “My goal is for them to graduate with a four-year degree from here without any debt. If we can do that, these kids, we’re setting them up for success.”

Dr. David Batts, the director of ECU’s BSIT program, said the agreement isn’t about the success of ECU or Craven Community College.

“The main thing is it’s a win for the students,” he said.

ECU recently has signed similar BSIT agreements with community colleges in Alamance, Duplin, Granville, Pitt, Martin, Cumberland, Lenoir, Henderson, Transylvania, Vance, Wayne and Wilson counties. ECU offers a slew of other transfer options for community college students throughout the state, including Pirate Promise, which guarantees ECU admission to associate degree graduates who have been accepted into the program.