This week, President Tim Wright of Wilson Community College invited state Sen. Toby Fitch, state Rep. Linda Cooper-Suggs and local business, education and government leaders to the college to hear about and talk about WCC’s impact on our community.
Wright’s presentation, “Wilson Community College: Investment for Impact,” looked at data over a period of five years. It painted an eye-opening picture of how truly essential WCC is to Wilson, and I think it’s pretty impressive.
In just five short years, WCC has:
• Awarded 512 college transfer degrees, 1,888 two-year technical and trades degrees, 259 registered nurse degrees, 1,309 certificates and 326 GED, high school equivalency and high school diplomas.
• Served 1,805 Career & College Promise students — basically, high school students taking college courses — which equates to 14,738 college credit hours earned, and 654 early college students at the Wilson Early College Academy and Wilson Academy of Applied Technology.
• Trained 4,114 folks in the workforce and held eight customized training projects with local industry.
• Graduated 458 Nurse Aide I and Nurse Aide II students.
• Helped 165 business startups through the Small Business Center, which includes 761 total SBC clients and 3,956 SBC seminar attendees over five years.
• Trained 3,333 in-service law enforcement officers, 1,252 in-service firefighters and 1,160 in-service EMS technicians.
• Graduated 84 Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy cadets and 97 Fire Academy cadets.
So, what are the economic benefits of all that?
According to a 2021 study by EMSI Burning Glass, and based on fiscal year 2019-20, Wilson Community College has added $81.1 million in income to the Wilson County economy.
Drilling down a bit further, those with a WCC degree versus a high school diploma see an extra $8,100 in annual earnings. And the tax benefit per $1 of taxpayer support for WCC is $2.10. The total societal benefit per $1 invested in WCC is $8.80.
Those numbers show just how impactful Wilson Community College is to Wilson. Whether you’re a student, a taxpayer, a local business or industry or a college foundation donor, your support for WCC is not an expenditure, but rather an investment, which is returned manyfold. And we’re proud to be your community college.
Registration for our winter and spring semesters is open! For more information, visit our website at www.wilsoncc.edu or give us a call at 252-291-1195. At #WilsonCC, we make Wilson work.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
• Ongoing — Registration for winter term and spring semester.
• Nov. 9 — New student orientation and nursing information session.
• Nov. 11 — Veterans Day ceremony.
• Dec. 1 — Winter term begins.
• Dec. 14 — Ribbon-cutting for A. Dwight Johnson Learning Resource Center.
• Dec. 16 — Basic law enforcement training graduation ceremony.