Isothermal Community College to Promote Better Skills, Better Jobs to Engage More Adult Learners

By: Mike Gavin
Published: April 15, 2025

SPINDALE, NC – Isothermal Community College has secured its place in the fifth cohort of NC Reconnect, a statewide initiative to engage more adult learners and provide them with fast, flexible, and in many cases tuition-free education and job training programs.  

NC Reconnect is a collaborative effort first launched in 2021 by the John M. Belk Endowment, myFutureNC, and the Belk Center for Community College Leadership, to address the state’s critical workforce needs, while simultaneously improving future economic opportunities and the quality of life for more adults, families, and communities across the state. 

“Being part of NC Reconnect allows Isothermal Community College to step further into its mission to improve life through learning by giving adult learners in our region a chance to reconnect with education," said Isothermal Community College President Dr. Margaret Annunziata. "By providing adult learners with affordable, innovative, and inclusive educational opportunities, we can help them achieve personal and professional growth while contributing to the development of Rutherford and Polk counties.”

Based on the results from the first twenty community colleges involved in the effort, NC Reconnect has proven to be a catalyst for positive change in the state, with 2,817 additional adult learners enrolled in North Carolina community colleges from the initiative in just the past four years. This year, the potential is even greater with the state’s new Next NC Scholarship. 

Next NC is a financial aid program that helps most North Carolinians from households making $80,000 or less pursue higher education by fully covering tuition and fees at any of the state’s community colleges.

Supported by an upcoming Better Skills, Better Jobs campaign, the effort will include direct outreach and support to reconnect with adults in the area who previously earned some college credits, but left without completing a degree or certification; special events and presentations on campus and in the community to showcase the college’s many programs and opportunities; and a robust digital marketing and advertising campaign designed to reach and connect with more adult learners.

“The John M. Belk Endowment is pleased to partner with Isothermal Community College and so many other outstanding community college leaders across our state to catalyze and supercharge their efforts to recruit and support adult students,” said MC Belk Pilon, President and Board Chair of the John M. Belk Endowment.  

“We know that many North Carolinians are looking for new challenges or a fresh start, and we believe our community colleges are a great place for their journey to begin. Our goal is for all residents of our state to have access to an education that will lead to skills, credentials, and degrees, and ultimately the opportunities they need to achieve their dreams and to help meet the workforce needs across our state.”

For more information about Isothermal Community College, please visit www.isothermal.edu. For more information about NC Reconnect, please visit: www.ncreconnect.com/