The N.C. Community College System elected Thomas Stith III to lead it through the coronavirus pandemic and steep enrollment losses.
Stith will become president of a system of 58 community colleges that enroll about 700,000 students a year. He now serves as district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, a federal agency that secured more than $16 billion in coronavirus relief for N.C. small businesses. Stith also was chief of staff to former Gov. Pat McCrory from 2013 to 2017.
He succeeds interim president William Carver and former President Peter Hans, who left in August to become president of the University of North Carolina System.
Thomas Stith III will serve as the next president of the NC Community College System.
In January, Stith will succeed interim President Dr. William Carver and former President Peter Hans, who left in August to became president of the University of North Carolina System.
Stith is currently district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Others may recall Stith served four years as former Gov. Pat McCrory’s chief of staff.
His higher education experience includes five years as economic development program director at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
“My vision for the North Carolina Community College System is very clear. Regardless of whether you are a student just entering our community college system or whether you are a worker that needs retraining because of this global pandemic, the NC Community College System will be there to provide that cost-effective education, that pathway to economic opportun
A December to remember for App State’s more than 1,700 graduates
More than 1,700 Appalachian State University graduates were conferred degrees during the university’s virtual Fall 2020 Commencement Dec. 11. This photo collage shows a handful of the numerous celebratory commencement photos shared by App State’s Class of 2020 graduates via social media. Photos submitted
“You have earned one of the most significant achievements of your lifetime, and you did so under historically challenging circumstances. … We are so very proud of how you persevered and arrived at this momentous occasion with grace and unwavering resilience.”
App State Chancellor Sheri Everts, in her address to App State’s Class of 2020
Winston-Salem State Universityâs Million Dollar Match campaign exceeded its $2 million goal by more than 60% providing almost $3.4 million for student scholarships. The campaign was possible thanks to Winston-Salem couple Anna Reilly and Matt Cullinan, who agreed to match any donations for need-based student scholarships between February 2019 and April 2020. Their nearly $1.7 million matching gift is the largest single gift from a couple in WSSUâs 128-year history. More than 500 alumni and friends of the university contributed during the campaign, creating 31 new alumni endowments.Â
âThis was a community-wide effort that created an important source of support for our students,â WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson said. âThe matching gift from the Reilly-Cullinansâto whom we are very gratefulâenergized our donors in a very significant way. The Reilly-Cullinans were great partners in this endeavor.â