The Veterans Care Team was established to provide a proactive and holistic team-based approach to supporting to veteran and military-affiliated students. Team members offer academic advising, guidance for maximizing veteran education benefits and direct connection to campus resources. They also offer coaching and create individualized success plans for these students. The goal is to build relationships and connect these students with important resources to improve success, retention and completion rates.

Wake Tech’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council is a cross section of faculty, staff, students and administrators committed to leading the work of DEI for the college. They will strive to cultivate inclusive practices, policies and programs while fostering an environment where all feel valued, respected and safe.  The DEI Council is committed to equitable student outcomes, inclusive excellence in teaching and learning and building and fostering an inclusive working and learning environment for all members of the college community.

To help address an increase in mental health challenges for students, Wake Tech faculty and staff have recently become certified Mental Health First Aid trainers. The goal is to better recognize signs and symptoms of mental health issues and connect students with the resources they need.

In order to encourage non-degree students to further their education, the college held a virtual Student Success Conference to introduce them to the wealth of resources available to them at Wake Tech. Fifty-four students attended a variety of sessions focusing on study skills, test taking and overall work/life balance.

Wake Tech is partnering with Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church on its Kirk Outreach Afterschool Learning Academy + (KOALA+) mentoring program to educate Hispanic students from low economic health zones on post-secondary education and career options.

During the strategic planning process, Wake Tech recognized its role in supporting increased economic mobility among underserved communities and residents in southeast Raleigh. To increase the number and proportion of residents in southeast Raleigh who access and attain industry recognized credentials, Wake Tech partnered with the Southeast Raleigh YMCA to offer three programs short-term training programs at that location: Basic Culinary Arts & Restaurant Fundamentals (leads to ServSafe, Kitchen Cook & Restaurant Server Certification) Introduction to Custodial Cleaning (leads to TPC Training Certification) Introduction to Landscape Maintenance (eligible for NC Pesticide Commercial Applicator Certification) Wake Tech is providing scholarships, and the Southeast Raleigh YMCA will offer up to $150 to students who successfully complete classes and take advantage of employment opportunities. This program directly helps underrepresented groups from southeast Raleigh enter Wake Tech programs and access the support services they need to be successful.

Career Ladders are groupings of occupations and industries that create individual plans of study for a complete range of career options, making it easier for students to find the program best suited for them. Engineering Construction, Production & Maintenance Automotive, Transportation & Heavy Equipment Information & Digital Technology Business Health Science & Wellness Culinary, Hospitality & Personal Services Public Safety Education & Human Services Another career ladder is the University Transfer Career Ladder. The first step in this career ladder is to work with the student to select a career or major. The next step is to select a transfer destination and then advise the student on the specific courses needed to complete their associate degree and successfully transfer their credits to their selected bachelor degree program. The Career Ladders will improve student achievement and help students navigate their way to greater success in college and a future career.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) was established to create a college-wide culture of excellence that supports faculty and contributes to their growth, development and success. CETL provides high-impact professional development to support and promote Wake Tech’s mission of providing equitable access to education that transforms lives through economic mobility and personal fulfillment. Services and programming of CETL will be organized around four pillars of faculty professional learning: • Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning • Professional Learning • Faculty Pathways • Communities of Practice Across all of its programs, CETL helps faculty engage students in learning environments that promote student learning and success.

Wake Tech entered into a new partnership with East Carolina University to bring the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology completion program to Wake Tech to promote the attainment of bachelor’s degrees through 2 + 2 programs. This partnership allows local community college graduates a chance to pursue a bachelor’s degree from ECU without traveling to Greenville. In-person ECU classes will begin on the Southern Wake Campus this spring. This new partnership supports the Labor Market Goal of the strategic plan.

Over the summer, foreign languages faculty piloted the use of MS Teams to proctor Spanish and French placement exams remotely, giving students the option of taking the exam in the modality that works best for them. Placement exams determine course placement, which is important as students improve their language skills at Wake Tech, so that, upon transfer, students may successfully continue their studies at a four-year institution. Before this semester, students could take the exam only in person. This was problematic, as students often had transportation issues, lived outside the Raleigh area or, if they placed out of the beginning level, it was too late to adjust their schedule. Providing the remote placement exam option gives students the flexibility and scheduling options they need to be placed early and appropriately and, therefore, positively impacts their learning.

In May, Wake Tech signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Communities in Schools (CIS) of Wake County to collaborate on educational opportunities and pathways for CIS students. This partnership correlates with our Equitable Access Goal to assist students from underrepresented groups with entering Wake Tech programs and accessing the support services they need to be successful.

Summer Bridge is a new program that helps first-time college students gain momentum at Wake Tech with early connections to college supports and transition courses needed to enter college-level math. Seven participants completed MAT 003 and ACA 090 through the program this summer. Six of the seven enrolled at Wake Tech this fall, and the seventh accepted an athletic scholarship at a college in Kansas. This program relates to the Equitable Outcomes Goal to assist potential students with completing gateway courses needed to enter college-level English and math classes.

The Student Experience Program (SEP) is a new program to address and improve student retention in early-level math and English classes. The SEP goal is to improve retention and success by coordinating academic and non-academic support with instruction to decrease dropout rates and foster greater student success within the Wake Tech community. The SEP allows each participating member to work creatively within their own departments while forming bonds with new ones. It is this collaborative spirit that provides faculty and staff with professional growth opportunities, while ultimately serving our student population.