Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Hickory, North Carolina Hickory is a city in western North Carolina primarily located in Catawba County, North Carolina, Catawba County. The List of municipalities in North Carolina, 25th most populous city in the state, it is located approximately northwest of Charlot ...

. The college, established April 3, 1958, is part of the

North Carolina Community College System The North Carolina Community College System (System Office) is a statewide network of 58 public community colleges. The system enrolls nearly 600,000 students annually. It also provides the North Carolina Learning Object Repository as a central ...

. The main campus covers and includes 16 buildings. The college also operates a Cosmetology Center in downtown Newton, the CVCC Alexander Center for Education in Taylorsville, and East Campus, where continuing education and business & industry services are provided. Specialty programs include the Manufacturing Solutions Center, where US manufacturers are provided assistance to increase sales, improve quality and improve efficiency. A Regional Simulated Hospital, ValleySim Hospital, opened in 2011. CVCC now has two furniture academies, one in Newton, North Carolina, and one in Taylorsville, North Carolina.

Challenger Early College High School

Challenger Early College High School is a program on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College that is a collaborative effort between

Catawba County Schools Catawba County Schools is the largest school district in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. Its 28 schools serve 17,370 students as of the 2010–11 school year. Student demographics For the 2010–11 school year, Catawba County Sc ...

, North Carolina New Schools, CVCC, and the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...

. Every year, Challenger Early College High School accepts 100 8th graders out of about 300 applicants from

, Alexander County Schools, Hickory City Schools, and Newton-Conover City Schools. In 2015, 390 students attended Challenger. They take a four- or five-year curriculum with high school courses and college courses. All students, upon graduation, receive a high school diploma (and usually an associate degree).

Alexander Early College High School

Alexander Early College High School is a program on the CVCC Alexander Center Campus of Catawba Valley Community College. Established in 2016 under the Alexander County Schools high school system, students can graduate in four years, with both a high school diploma and an associate degree, in either science or art, or gain credits in a business program offered by the school. Mainly serving students already under the Alexander County Schools system, homeschooled students and others living in the area can also apply. Most students apply and are accepted to the school in their eighth grade year, however, some transfer students have been accepted in later years. Housed in the Applied Technology building, AEC has approximately 230 students, and its current principal is Mary Brown.

2011 free speech controversy

In October 2011, Catawba Valley Community College suspended student Marc Bechtol for complaining on his Facebook page about a new policy that required students to sign up for a debit card to get their student ID and grant money. CVCC decided that the comments were "disturbing" and a "threat", and used that reasoning to suspend the student. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education took the side of the student, and he was allowed back in class pending an outcome. Charges were dropped in December 2011.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Two-year colleges in the United States North Carolina Community College System colleges Hickory, North Carolina Universities and colleges established in 1958 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Catawba County, North Carolina Buildings and structures in Catawba County, North Carolina 1958 establishments in North Carolina NJCAA schools

Challenger Early College High School

Alexander Early College High School

2011 free speech controversy

See also

References

External links