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An exhibition by the Central Piedmont Archives that celebrates Central Piedmont's rich history and the success of our institution over six decades.

60 Years Strong: How Deep Our Roots Go

"At Central Piedmont Community College, student success is at the heart of everything we do.

We are proud to help shape futures and stand strong as a beacon of knowledge, skill, and opportunity for our community since 1963." 

— Central Piedmont's Communications, Marketing, and Public Relations (CMPR)

"60 Years Strong - How Deep Our Roots Go," an exhibition by the Central Piedmont Archives, celebrates Central Piedmont's rich history and the success of our institution over six decades. Our college seal inspires the crafted tree and represents our growth into a "mighty tree" of an institution in Mecklenburg County. When viewing the display, you will learn about various examples of the educational opportunities championed by our current and past presidents displayed along the bottom of the case, symbolized as the roots. Evidence of these opportunities’ positive impact on student success is shown above, represented by the branches and leaves that have grown from the roots.

This exhibition is dedicated to our students of present, past, and future who make an impact in historic ways. Thank you to the staff of the Central Piedmont Library and CMPR for their research and support of this display. Thank you to librarians Gale Mitchell and Hannah Thompson for their support and creativity in crafting the visual elements using resources from our Library Makerspace.

We hope you enjoy this exhibition, find inspiration in our history, and continue to nurture the seeds for educational growth and success.

 

Dr. Richard Hagemeyer was the founding president of Central Piedmont Community College. He was president from 1963 to 1986. He supported and spearheaded various distance education initiatives, such as:

  • ACCESS (Association of Community Colleges for Excellence in Systems and Services), a non-profit consortium of community colleges that developed educational television courses. Key items on display include an ACCESS information pamphlet, a photo of a student in the Telecourse center, and a photo of Dr. Peter Goldmark, an ACCESS partner and the inventor of the LP (long-playing) record.
  • DOLLY (Dial our Listening Library Yourself), a system for students to access educational information via telephone. Key items on display include a DOLLY Schedule, articles about the DOLLY program, Tape #155 about Mecklenburg County History, and a photograph of student Eva Hunter operating DOLLY phones.
  • Radio Reading Service (RRS), a radio program for people with vision impairment or low vision. Key items on display include an article about the program’s origin and a photograph of Aaron Newlander reading a newspaper to listeners.

Under Dr. Hagemeyer’s administration, he also extended educational opportunities to off-site locations, such as malls and rental facilities. These became known as satellite centers and evolved under the next president of the College.

Dr. Ruth Shaw was the second president of Central Piedmont Community College from 1986 to 1992. She sought to the growth of the satellite centers and developed opportunities for women to advance and succeed in the workforce. Her example led to the:

  • Ruth G. Shaw Women’s Leadership Program, a women’s leadership/mentorship program offered in partnership with the Central Piedmont Foundation and Student Engagement. On display is a photo of the 2018-2019 cohort.
     
  • Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a program that helped train women for the workforce. Key items on display include a WOW information brochure, photos of welding and mechanical engineering students, and Barbara J. Hamilton’s success story from Inside CPCC (1991).
  • Learning Centers, off-site locations that sprung up and evolved from previously established satellite centers. Key items on display include photos of the Area Learning Centers (North, West, and Matthews), a “Directions for Growth” booklet, and a map of off-campus service areas.
    • Display (Photo 1 | Photo 2)
    • Mayor Clay Lefler presents Dr. Shaw with the key to the town of Matthews
    • A map of off-campus/service center locations
    • The West Area Learning Center (1981-1990) in the Freedom Mall Shopping Center. In 1990, the West Area Learning Center was relocated to the K-Mart Plaza on Freedom Drive. It remained there until 1996 when it moved to Alleghany Street and Ashley Road and was renamed the City View Center.
    • A photograph of two women reading newspapers in front of Central Piedmont's College Mart (1979-1981), which was located in the Freedom Mall Shopping Center. It later became known as the West Area Learning Center (1981-1990).
    • The "Directions for Growth" booklet, dated June 1989 (Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3)
    • The Matthews Area Learning Center in 1986. It was located in the Matthews Depot Shopping Center from 1981 to 1992.

During the next presidency, Central Piedmont’s growth accelerated, and the locations of the previously established learning centers expanded into campuses throughout Mecklenburg County.

 

Dr. Tony Zeiss was the third president of Central Piedmont Community College from 1992 to 2016. He led the Central Piedmont community through a time of expansion and advancement, cementing the College’s presence around Charlotte and transforming it into a multi-campus institution. Key items on display include:

  • Campus expansion newspaper clippings and photographs of the Southwest (Harper) and South (Levine) Campuses.
    • Display (Photo 1 | Photo 2)
    • A map of Mecklenburg County from 2001-2002 with the various Central Piedmont campus locations.
    • South Campus opened in 1998. It was later renamed Levine Campus in 2002.
    • Southwest Campus opened in 1999. It was renamed Harper Campus in 2004.
    • Newspaper clippings related to the College's growth as a multi-campus institution.
    • Richard Zollinger, former Vice President for Learning and Workforce Development, wearing a "Mulit-Campus Multi-Talented" shirt.
    • Dr. Tony Zeiss with Katherine and Ron Harper at the groundbreaking of the Southwest Campus (Harper Campus) in May 1997.
       
  • CPCC: The First Thirty Years and Legacy and Promise 1993-2013, Central Piedmont history books released under Zeiss’s presidency. Other displayed items include an article from The Spark (1994) featuring Hilde A. Deprez, the advertising/design student who designed the cover of The First Thirty Years, and a quote from Carol Lantis, the cover artist of Legacy and Promise.
  • An annual report (1995-1996) featuring a quote from former President Bill Clinton from an address on education he delivered at Central Piedmont in July 1996; photos of students participating in community activities. (Photo 1 | Photo 2)
    • Display
    • Other items on display include photos of students participating in community activities. In this photo, Service in Action participants plant trees during a Creek ReLeaf event. And in this photo, students create aviation-themed projects for Carolinas Aviation Museum. Seated is Rachel Taylor, she was an officer in Rotaract.
       
  • An issue of The Spark (1994) featuring an interview with Dr. Zeiss and his plans for expansion. (Photo 1 | Photo 2)

As a multi-campus institution, Central Piedmont brought more educational opportunities to the community at large.

Under Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer (2017-Present), our current president, those educational opportunities have evolved into new training and scholarship programs as well as partnerships with other institutions in Mecklenburg County and throughout North Carolina, further transforming lives and shaping the futures of our students. Examples include:

  • Tesla START, an automotive technician training program. On display is a picture of Dr. Deitemeyer with the first class of Tesla START students.
     
  • Presidential Scholars, a program that provides an opportunity to receive a scholarship award from one of the College’s most prestigious scholarship programs and offers a unique cohort experience for first-time freshmen attending Central Piedmont. On display is a photo of Dr. Deitemeyer with the 2nd Year Cohort (2017-2018).
     
  • College Transfer Programs, such as the 49erNext Program with UNC Charlotte (on display is a picture of Dr. Deitemeyer with UNC Charlotte’s former Chancellor, Philip L. Dubois) and the Gateway to Wingate Program with Wingate University (on display is a photo of Wingate University President Dr. Rhett Brown, Lauren Tikalsky, and Dr. Deitemeyer). Central Piedmont partners with many other public and private institutions throughout North Carolina, including East Carolina University and Appalachian State University. For more information, please visit the College Transfer Programs website.
    • Standing behind Dr. D and Dubois (in a blazer) is Central Piedmont graduate Gabriela Sanchez. While attending Central Piedmont, she was an officer in Phi Theta Kappa, and went on to the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte, and now also has an MBA from Wake Forest.
       
  • Other artifacts:
    • A page from the "Impacting Students and Community" pamphlet detailing the goal of promoting academic excellence through community engagement and partnerships.
    • A page from Cocktails and Conversations with Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer with the quote "Throughout its history, Central Piedmont has been a place of opportunity and transformation. Scholarships plan the seeds for meaningful change in the lives of individuals, families, and our community... today and for generations to come."