Forsyth Tech Quarterly Update
At a glance
- What: Forsyth Technical Community College gives the commissioners a regular update. Janet Spriggs (captioned "Dr. Spriggs"; first name not stated in the captions) presented on Oct 12, 2026.
- Where it stands: informational only; no vote. Commissioners praised the college and asked about EMT recruitment funding.
- Next: groundbreaking on the Learning Commons expected early spring 2027 once state construction approves (about 50 days from mid-October).
Highlights from the Oct 12, 2026 update (auto-caption figures, approximate)
- Strategic plan "Vision 2030: Future Ready by Design"; four annual priorities: pre-health pathways, accelerating bachelor's degree attainment, high-wage high-demand programs, and student onboarding.
- Curriculum enrollment 10,362 students, above 10,000 for the first time since the Great Recession; about 22,000 served across all programs; spring enrollment up 11%.
- First North Carolina college with federal approval for Workforce Pell, six programs (EMT, fire academy, welding, electrical line worker, nursing assistant I and II); awards start spring 2027; two more programs to be submitted Oct 15.
- Careers Electric summer academy (one of 12 NC colleges): 27 completed, three employers hired graduates. 73rd line worker class graduated 19; large apprenticeship signing with the state Commerce Secretary.
- New grants: about $916,000 over three years from the National Science Foundation (robotics and AI technician degree), $100,000 first year from myFutureNC (college serves as fiscal agent for "Attainment Forsyth"), and $300,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission for youth apprenticeships.
- Learning Commons: 48,000 square feet; funded by $5.3 million in unspent bond money the board let the college move plus about $11.1 million from the state SKIFF appropriation; some space left unfinished, with a request to the General Assembly long session.
- Attainment data: 51% of adults 25 to 44 earn a family-sustaining wage versus 62% in peer counties; the county needs about 70,763 more credentials and degrees by 2030 (statewide goal two million). Attainment Forsyth launches at a policy forum the next day.
Commissioner questions
- Dan Besse asked which peer counties were used and whether the Workforce Pell covers 100% of EMT training costs; the president said it should for income-qualified students, with no loans, and offered to work with the county on ancillary costs to help EMT recruitment.
- Gloria D. Whisenhunt and Malishai Woodbury praised the college and the Women in Manufacturing forum.
Discussion time
About 17 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 - Board of County Commissioners Briefing | 17 |
Log
- 2026-10-12 - Board of County Commissioners Briefing - Quarterly update to the board at the briefing (about 17 minutes) covering enrollment, Workforce Pell, grants, the Learning Commons and Attainment Forsyth.
- 2026-09-17 - Board of County Commissioners - Board transferred $5,319,331 in remaining 2016 bond project balances (from the Oak Grove and Transportation projects, among completed Forsyth Tech projects) to the Learning Commons project; Parker moved, McDaniel seconded, unanimous (minutes).
- 2026-09-14 - Board of County Commissioners Briefing - Briefing on transferring $5,319,331 of 2016 bond balances to the Learning Commons (from auto-captions).
- 2026-08-27 - Board of County Commissioners - Budget ordinance amendment transferring contingency funds to Forsyth Technical Community College (a $40,000 increase for law enforcement salaries per the summary), moved by Chris Parker, seconded by Tonya D. McDaniel; unanimous (minutes).