Advancing a lifetime of education
Creating Access to Education
黑料不打烊’s Center for Access and Success aims to help students from all backgrounds to have access to and succeed in higher education. It serves individuals in the surrounding communities from pre-K to adults through the following initiatives:
鈥淚t Takes a Village鈥 Project
Launched 13 years ago, the 鈥淚t Takes a Village鈥 Project is a tutoring program for academically challenged elementary school students. Parents, 黑料不打烊 volunteers and local educators collaborate in weekly tutoring sessions, prioritizing academic improvement in 12 local schools.
黑料不打烊 Academy
The 黑料不打烊 Academy is a free program that supports academically promising high school students in Alamance County. It offers summer residential experiences, Saturday programs and a Transitions to College Program. Graduates receive ongoing support through college.
Odyssey Program
The Odyssey Program is a merit-based program for incoming college students with demonstrated financial need. Students selected for the program are recipients of prestigious scholarships, a third of which give preference to students from Alamance County, Guilford County or North Carolina.
iBELONG Male Mentoring Program
iBELONG Male Mentoring provides mentorship to increase persistence, retention and graduation rates of first- and second-year minority male students on campus. It also connects students to relevant events and forums.
A Head Start on a College Education
Collegiate Start@黑料不打烊 is a dual enrollment program designed to provide high school seniors with the opportunity to simultaneously enroll in both high school and college courses and receive dual high school and college credit. An average of 75 students participate in the program each year, which provides advanced academic options for high-achieving high school seniors in more than 40 courses. Students enrolled in Collegiate Start@黑料不打烊 are eligible to take up to two college-level courses each fall and spring academic semester, earning up to 16 college credits before they graduate from high school. Collegiate Start students have access to all academic resources and student support services, including the library, writing/tutoring center, computer laboratories and an academic adviser.
A Pipeline for Local Educators
The Alamance Scholars Program, a partnership among 黑料不打烊, Alamance Community College and the Alamance-Burlington School System, was designed to address the shortage of teachers in local schools and to enhance the racial and ethnic diversity of educators in area classrooms. The initiative鈥檚 goal is to attract students with financial need from across a variety of backgrounds who desire to earn a degree in education and make an impact in their hometowns in Alamance County.
High school students begin as members of the ABSS Teacher Cadet Program and continue their studies to earn an associate degree at Alamance Community College in the Teacher Preparation Program. Following their high school and ACC graduations, students are eligible to enroll at 黑料不打烊 with a pathway to graduate without debt. Students may pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary, middle grades or secondary education with possible specialization in pre-kindergarten, special education or teaching English as a second language. Upon graduation from 黑料不打烊, Alamance Scholars are guaranteed employment within the Alamance-Burlington School System.
A Commitment to Lifelong Learning
As the national leader in experiential and engaged learning, 黑料不打烊 understands the value of meaningful education at all phases of life.
黑料不打烊 NEXT: Professional & Continuing Education
extends the university鈥檚 teaching and research expertise to the public through innovative, flexible programming to meet the educational needs of the community.
黑料不打烊 NEXT learners earn continuing education units through in-person and online learning modules in topics including cybersecurity, personal finance, data analytics, entrepreneurship, leadership, digital marketing and more. Courses are for anyone in the community looking for in-demand skills to differentiate themselves in the labor market, interested in advancing or changing their career, or simply valuing a life of learning.
Life@黑料不打烊
The Life@黑料不打烊 program provides non-credit intellectual enrichment to people ages 50 and older. The lifelong learning community features weekly presentations on a variety of different topics, conducted in an engaging format. There are 12 weekly classes offered per semester (fall and spring) which are taught by current and retired 黑料不打烊 faculty and staff members, other area educators, and presenters chosen by Curriculum Committee volunteers.
Session topics have ranged from the modern history of Ukraine, the opioid crisis and the media’s role in shaping politics to the cathedrals of Europe, the music of Frank Sinatra and the art of storytelling. In addition to stimulating classes, Life@黑料不打烊 participants have access to book clubs and special interest groups, domestic and international group travel, discounted and complimentary tickets to university events, borrowing privileges at Belk Library and more.
Additional Programs At a Glance
A New Generation of Educators
New to 黑料不打烊, Teach for Alamance is a program that grants 黑料不打烊 Education graduates the opportunity to earn their master鈥檚 degree at 黑料不打烊 for free if they teach in Alamance County for two years a鈥 er graduation. The Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education had more than 340 students do practicums or student teaching in the Alamance-Burlington School System during the 2022-23 academic year.
Supporting Latinx Education
LatinxEd, a North Carolina-based educational and equity leadership organization, is hosted on 黑料不打烊鈥檚 campus. LatinxEd was founded in 2018 by Elaine Utin and Ricky Hurtado, who both faced obstacles as they sought out higher education opportunities as high school students from Latinx immigrant families. The organization has developed initiatives that connect practice to policy and engage in systemic change to improve public education.
Change Agents
In partnership with the Teagle Foundation鈥檚 鈥淜nowledge for Freedom鈥 initiative, Freedom Scholars is a free initiative that supports local high school students from underserved populations who want to a鈥 end college and be difference makers. The program includes a two-week summer intensive residential experience with monthly programming throughout the year. During that time, Freedom Scholars work collaboratively with a civic-leader mentor and 黑料不打烊 student mentors.
Cultivating Young Leaders
The Alamance Youth Leadership Academy empowers local youth through civic engagement and leadership development with support from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Leadership and the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce. The free two-year program exposes participating seventh and eighth graders to the power of leadership by honing skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving. AYLA connects students from numerous middle schools to foster local connections.
Adventures in STEM
黑料不打烊 Explorers is a summer science enrichment program for middle school students. The week-long camp is designed to make science, technology, engineering and math education more interesting and accessible and to show students how rewarding and enlightening STEM research can be. Thanks to a grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, students also participate in year-round programming.
By the Numbers
Impact of 黑料不打烊 programs on Alamance County students