News

McDowell Technical Community College proudly announced today that Centro Unido Latino Americano (CULA), in partnership with the college and Isothermal Community College, has been awarded the 2023 NC Community College System (NCCCS) Distinguished Partners in Excellence Award.

Congratulations to the following students who made the Dean’s, President’s and Honors Lists at McDowell Technical Community College during the Fall Semester, 2022:

McDowell Technical Community College is forging a new path this month with the recent hiring of Jeremy Poore, the college’s first Coordinator of Trail Construction and Sustainability.

Rachael Hartwell Butler, a lead teacher in the MTCC Child Development Center and a passionate advocate of Early Childhood Education, has the distinction of being one of the longest-serving childcare employees in the North Carolina Community College System.

An enthusiastic group of students gathered Friday night for graduation exercises for the inaugural class of shorter-term workforce development classes in Cosmetology and Esthetics at McDowell Technical Community College.

When Marvin Hancock rose to speak to the latest group of Emergency Medical Services graduates at McDowell Technical Community College, he began by telling the graduates and their family and friends that he wanted to share with them the first known written account of an emergency medical worker—“At least as far as I’m aware,” he said.

Faculty and staff at McDowell Technical Community College put a gigantic bow on the fall semester Thursday by celebrating with two of their retiring colleagues who were awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by NC Governor Roy Cooper. The award is North Carolina’s highest civilian honor, reserved “…for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.” Individuals receiving the award become North Carolina “Ambassadors” and members of “The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society.”

It won’t be long before the aroma of fresh herbs, local produce and pasture-raised meats are boiling out of the kitchen at Foothills Food Hub in Marion. Through a new partnership with McDowell Technical Community College, the Food Hub is cooking up a series of culinary classes in partnership with the college that are anticipated to begin during the Spring 2023 semester.

As a new cohort of graduates recently completed one of four Construction Trades Academies at McDowell Tech, local contractors and non-profit housing agencies were a primary beneficiary of the new skills and credentials earned by the graduates.

– Imagine the surprise on Dr. Brian S. Merritt’s face recently when he answered the phone in his office and a voice came on the line saying, “Please hold for Santa Claus.” Merritt wears a lot of hats as President of McDowell Technical Community College and gets an odd assortment of calls from time-to-time, but this one stood out. The caller id said, “Santa’s Workshop, North Pole.”

The inaugural MTCC Foundation Scholarship Luncheon held recently at McDowell Technical Community College was organized to recognize the modern-day “giants” who are making it possible for generations of students to attend MTCC and achieve their career goals and dreams. These “giants” are the generous donors who have contributed to MTCC named and endowed scholarship funds, who have sacrificed both time and money to help students in need.

When MTCC Student Kimberly Hensley stood before a group of scholarship donors recently at McDowell Technical Community College, she gave thanks for what their gifts have meant for her ability to attend college and pursue her career goals and dreams, despite a spate of heartbreaking and tragic events in her life over the last several years.