On the Cutting Edge(combe) of Innovation

As Cohen, Brawer, and Kisker (2014) note in their book The American Community College, "to an institution that tries to offer something for everyone in the community, everyone is potentially a student" (p. 47).  Its no surprise then that Edgecombe Community College, situated in a small rural county with a booming African American population, would adopt such an inclusive vision statement.  Edgecombe County is a primarily agricultural community, but is home to several large warehouse and manufacturing plants.  This dynamic fits in squarely with the history of community colleges as open, says early educational scholar Alexis Lange: "increasing access to postsecondary education was also an important aspect of Lange's plans (Cohen et al., 2014).  By the mid 1900s the community college had provided much needed training to waves of immigrants, children of sharecroppers and former slaves, women whose husbands died in war, and during Civil Rights hoards of African Americans.  By the late 60s, North Carolina would not slow its trajectory and has become one of the largest community college systems in the United States.  Edgecombe is a large part of that success; it has experienced record graduations regularly and boasts a continued focus on innovative practices, with its most recent being a simulation hospital that ranks at the top in quality across the state.   Just as the original community colleges battled the demise of agriculture as a sustainable career and lauded industrial training, Edgecombe is committed to offering its students the highest quality programs, instructors, and services.

The mobile simulation team that travels across central North Carolina.  Read more on ECC's website.