NC State expanding Community College Collaboration Program, adding more students and partner schools

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- NC State is expanding its Community College Collaboration (C3) program, increasing the capacity for more students from more schools.

"(Community college) students should be encouraged (to apply). They don't know what they can get into unless they try," said Ben Falero, who began at Carolina Community College in Sanford before he was accepted in the C3 program.

The C3 program is intended for low-to-moderate-income North Carolina students who have completed high school or fewer than 30 credit hours of college work. Thanks to a $1 million-plus grant from GlaxoSmithKline, the program can now accept up to 150 students from 10 community colleges.

Falero, who is majoring in computer and electrical engineering, said he has had a smooth transition to NC State.

"They make it more like a community. They'll have events where students can come together and it helps me to make more friends," Falero said.

Joselyn Ramirez, who is at Wake Tech, shared her reaction when she learned she was accepted into the program.

"I started to cry," Ramirez happily recalled.

She is set to begin at NC State next semester, and like Falero would like to see the program continue to grow.

"As a first-generation student, as someone who has had to kind of figure out the logistics of college on her own, it could be a very daunting task, and a lonely task sometimes even though I knew there were more students like me. So C3 has provided a community," Ramirez said.

C3 provides academic support, advising, and planning, including face-to-face meetings with staff prior to starting at NC State.

"We would like to expand C3 to some of our additional rural counties, and perhaps also looking at an element of C3 that seeks to serve military service members and their developments," said Harmening.

Students can apply straight from high school or within their first year at a partner community college. NC State guarantees admission to selected C3 students who complete their associate's degree in art, science or engineering with a 3.0 GPA within three years from one of their partner community colleges.

To learn more about C3, including applying for the program, click here.