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Privacy Statement

This Privacy Statement governs the manner in which Isothermal Community College collects, uses, maintains, and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User") of the www.isothermal.edu website and any official college sites at other domains, including www.foundationshows.org, www.wncw.org, and other websites or domains that link to this Privacy Statement (collectively, the "Sites").

This Privacy Statement applies to the Sites and all products, services, communications, and interactions offered through Isothermal Community College's web presence, including SMS/text messaging and phone communications.

Website Visitors

Like most website operators, Isothermal Community College collects non-personally identifying information of the sort that web browsers and servers typically make available, including but not limited to browser type, language preference, referring site, pages visited, device information, and the date and time of each visitor request. This information may be collected through analytics tools such as Google Analytics.

Isothermal Community College collects this information to better understand how visitors use its websites, improve user experiences, analyze website performance, and support institutional operations. From time to time, Isothermal may publish or share aggregate, non-personally identifying information internally for reporting and planning purposes.

Information We Collect

Certain visitors choose to interact with Isothermal Community College in ways that require the collection of personally identifiable information.

We may collect personal information when Users:

  • Visit our Sites
  • Complete online forms
  • Submit inquiries or applications
  • Register for events
  • Subscribe to newsletters
  • Respond to surveys
  • Request information
  • Participate in activities, services, features, or resources available through the Sites
  • Communicate with us by email, phone, SMS/text message, or other methods

Information collected may include:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Mailing address
  • Mobile or other phone number
  • Information related to inquiries, applications, enrollment, participation, or engagement with the College
  • Government-issued identifiers or other information required for enrollment, financial aid, employment, or other authorized institutional purposes

The amount and type of information collected depends on the nature of the interaction and is collected only to the extent necessary to fulfill the purpose of that interaction.

Users may always refuse to provide personally identifiable information, although doing so may limit their ability to participate in certain activities or receive certain services.

How We Use Information

Isothermal Community College may use collected information to:

  • Provide and improve services
  • Process applications, registrations, and requests
  • Respond to inquiries and provide support
  • Communicate with students, prospective students, alumni, donors, and community members
  • Send admissions and enrollment communications
  • Provide application status updates and reminders
  • Share event information and campus announcements
  • Send promotional or marketing communications where consent has been provided
  • Maintain records of interactions
  • Improve website functionality and user experience
  • Comply with legal, regulatory, accreditation, and institutional obligations

SMS/Text Messaging Communications

Consent to Receive Text Messages

By providing your mobile phone number and explicitly opting in, such as by selecting a consent checkbox on a form, you agree to receive SMS/text messages from Isothermal Community College.

Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of enrollment, admission, employment, or purchase.

Message and data rates may apply.

Types of Messages

Depending on your relationship with the College, SMS messages may include:

  • Admissions updates
  • Application status notifications
  • Enrollment-related communications
  • Event reminders
  • Campus announcements
  • Program information
  • Student support communications
  • Promotional information regarding educational opportunities, programs, and services

Message frequency may vary.

How You Opt In

Users may opt in to SMS communications by:

  • Completing website forms and selecting SMS consent
  • Registering for events and opting into communications
  • Providing consent during inquiry or application processes
  • Requesting text communications from the College

SMS Information We Collect

When you opt into SMS communications, we may collect:

  • Mobile phone number
  • Name
  • Consent records
  • Information related to your inquiry, application, enrollment, or engagement with Isothermal Community College
  • Records of SMS interactions

SMS Privacy Commitment

No mobile information, including phone numbers and SMS consent information, will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent information will not be sold, rented, or shared with any third parties for marketing purposes.

Information may be shared only with trusted service providers that support the delivery of SMS communications on behalf of Isothermal Community College.

Opting Out of SMS Messages

You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying:

  • STOP to unsubscribe
  • HELP for assistance

Message and data rates may apply.
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Phone Call Communications

Consent to Receive Phone Calls

By providing your phone number to Isothermal Community College, you consent to receive phone calls from the College related to admissions, enrollment, educational opportunities, events, student services, support services, and other institutional communications.
Where permitted by law and applicable consent requirements, calls may be made manually or through automated systems, AI-assisted technology, and/or prerecorded or artificial voice technologies.

Consent to receive phone calls is not a condition of enrollment, admission, employment, or purchase.

AI-Assisted Calling

Certain communications may be conducted or supported by automated systems or AI-assisted technologies. These technologies may be used to:

  • Provide information
  • Route calls efficiently
  • Assist College representatives
  • Deliver prerecorded or partially automated messages

When applicable, Users may request to speak with a live representative.

Call Recording and Monitoring

Phone calls with Isothermal Community College may be recorded or monitored for:

  • Quality assurance
  • Employee training and evaluation
  • Recordkeeping
  • Compliance and security purposes

By participating in a call, you acknowledge that calls may be recorded or monitored where permitted by applicable law.

Use of Call Information

Information collected during phone communications may be used to:

  • Respond to inquiries
  • Provide support services
  • Assist with admissions and enrollment processes
  • Improve communications and services
  • Maintain records of interactions
  • Meet legal and regulatory obligations

Opting Out of Phone Calls

You may opt out of phone communications by:

  • Informing the caller during a phone conversation
  • Contacting Isothermal Community College directly
  • Following any opt-out instructions provided during the call
Opt-out requests will be processed in accordance with applicable law.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

Isothermal Community College discloses personally identifiable information only to employees, contractors, affiliated organizations, and service providers that:

  1. Need the information to perform services on behalf of the College; and
  2. Are required to maintain appropriate confidentiality and security protections.

Isothermal Community College does not sell, rent, or share personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Information may be disclosed:

  • To service providers that support website operations, communications, analytics, and messaging services
  • In response to subpoenas, court orders, or lawful governmental requests
  • When disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property, safety, or interests of the College, its community members, or the public
  • As otherwise required or permitted by law
  • If you provide an email address, Isothermal Community College may periodically send communications regarding College programs, services, opportunities, events, or requests for feedback.

Data Security and Retention

Personal information, including website, SMS, phone communication, and other interaction records, is retained in accordance with applicable laws, College records retention schedules, operational needs, and the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information, legal and regulatory requirements, institutional policies, and an individual's relationship with Isothermal Community College. Certain information may be retained for educational, administrative, compliance, alumni relations, advancement, historical, community engagement, or other legitimate institutional purposes.

When information is no longer required for these purposes, it may be securely deleted, destroyed, anonymized, archived, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and College policies.

Educational Records (FERPA)

Educational records maintained by Isothermal Community College are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other applicable laws governing student records.

Nothing in this Privacy Statement is intended to limit or alter rights provided under FERPA or other laws applicable to educational records.

Questions regarding FERPA rights, educational records, directory information, or student privacy should be directed to:

Registrar's Office
registrar@isothermal.edu

Additional information regarding FERPA may be available through the Registrar's Office and applicable College policies.

Children's Privacy

The Sites are not directed to children under the age of 13.

Isothermal Community College does not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 years of age except as permitted by law or in connection with authorized educational programs.

If Isothermal Community College becomes aware that personal information has been collected from a child under 13 in a manner inconsistent with applicable law, reasonable steps will be taken to delete such information.

Cookies and Analytics

A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor's computer and that the visitor's browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns.

Isothermal Community College may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Identify visitors
  • Understand website usage patterns
  • Improve website functionality
  • Measure website performance
  • Personalize user experiences
  • Support analytics and marketing efforts

Users who do not wish to have cookies placed on their devices should configure their browser settings accordingly. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some portions of the Sites.

Analytics Technologies

Isothermal Community College may use analytics services, including Google Analytics, to better understand how visitors interact with the Sites.

Analytics services may collect information such as:

  • IP address
  • Browser type
  • Device type
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Referring websites
  • Time spent on pages
  • Website interaction data

This information helps improve website performance, communications, services, and user experiences.

Analytics and Interest-Based Advertising

Isothermal Community College may use analytics tools, advertising technologies, cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to measure website performance, understand visitor interactions, evaluate communications, and improve user experiences.
Some third-party providers may use information collected through these technologies to deliver interest-based advertising or measure advertising effectiveness.

Users may learn more about interest-based advertising and available opt-out options through:

Opting out of interest-based advertising may not eliminate all advertising and does not prevent data collection for other purposes, including analytics, security, research, and internal operations.

Third-Party Websites and Services

The Sites may contain links to third-party websites, applications, services, and resources that are not operated by Isothermal Community College.

Isothermal Community College is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, accessibility, security, or policies of third-party websites or services.

Users who choose to visit third-party websites are encouraged to review the privacy policies and terms of those organizations before providing personal information.

Your Privacy Rights

To the extent provided by applicable law, you may request to:

  • Access personal information maintained about you
  • Correct inaccurate personal information
  • Request deletion of certain personal information where appropriate

You may also withdraw consent or opt out of communications as described in this Privacy Statement.

Privacy requests should be submitted using the contact information provided below.

Privacy Statement Changes

Isothermal Community College may update this Privacy Statement from time to time.

Users are encouraged to periodically review this page for changes. Continued use of the Sites, SMS services, phone communications, or other College services following any modification to this Privacy Statement constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Statement, the practices of the Sites, SMS communications, phone communications, or other privacy-related matters, please contact:

Isothermal Community College
Marketing and Community Relations
P.O. Box 804, Spindale, NC 28160
web@isothermal.edu

Privacy-related inquiries will be directed to the appropriate College office or department for review and response.

Policy Number: 07.08.01

Cross-reference:

Adopted: September 19, 2026

Download a PDF of this policy