Since its founding in 1967, Edgecombe Community College has been committed to fulfilling the education, training, and cultural needs of the Edgecombe County community and surrounding areas.
With campuses in Tarboro and Rocky Mount and classes online, the College serves about 5,500 individuals annually in its two-year degree, diploma, certificate, and continuing education programs. Excellent teaching and learning coupled with student achievement have characterized ECC throughout its history.
In January 2020, the new Center for Innovation on the Tarboro campus opened for classes. This facility is enabling ECC to better develop and sustain a skilled manufacturing workforce. The Center for Innovation is providing high school and adult student populations with hands-on access to the latest technologies and practices found in advanced manufacturing today.
Dr. Gregory K. McLeod, a North Carolina native and 22-year veteran of community colleges, became president of ECC in August 2018. Since his arrival, Dr. McLeod has focused on expanding educational and training opportunities available to students. To meet this goal, the College has renewed, strengthened, or created a number of partnerships with regional institutions of higher education. In addition, program directors have developed short-term training courses to equip students with the skills they need to join the workforce.
2022 successes include:
- The Division of College and Career Readiness ranked number two in performance among North Carolina community colleges for the 2021-2022 program year. A focus of the division is to assist adults who have not earned a high school credential by helping them prepare to take the high school equivalency exam.
- For the third year in a row, the college was designated a 2022-2023 Military Friendly® School. About 50 ECC students are veterans or active duty military.
- ECC and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte signed an agreement that enables CPCC students to take health information technology courses at ECC. Health Information Technology is an online program at ECC, so Central Piedmont students don’t have to travel to Tarboro to complete the program.
- Lynwood Roberson, executive director of the ECC Foundation, received an International Distinguished College Administrator Award from Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for students attending two-year schools. Roberson is one of only 28 college administrators worldwide selected for the international distinction.
- Ami Denton, program chair and director of the Nursing program at ECC, received the 2022 Educator of the Year Award from the North Carolina Associate Degree Nursing Council.
- For the eleventh consecutive year, Practical Nursing graduates achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses.
- For the second year in a row, Surgical Technology graduates achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the national certification exam for surgical technologists. All of these graduates are employed in nearby healthcare facilities.
- All members of the Radiography Class of 2022 passed the national certification exam on their first attempt. These graduates also boast a 100 percent job placement rate.
- ECC students brought home five awards from the SkillsUSA state competition and a bronze award from the SkillsUSA national conference. SkillsUSA competitions enable students to demonstrate their career and technical skills.
- The college launched an online bookstore over the summer to enhance the student experience and improve affordability.
- The Edgecombe Performance Series returned. Sponsored by the college, the performing arts series was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic. The 2022-2023 series includes eight events for the sixteenth season of bringing first-rate entertainment to Edgecombe and surrounding communities.