Catawba Valley Community College

Catawba Valley Community College
Former names
 Catawba Valley Technical Institute
Catawba Valley Technical College
Type Public
Established 3 April 1958
President Dr. Garrett D. Hinshaw
Undergraduates 4,500
Location Hickory, North Carolina, United States
35°41′57″N 81°17′15″W / 35.69917°N 81.28750°W / 35.69917; -81.28750Coordinates: 35°41′57″N 81°17′15″W / 35.69917°N 81.28750°W / 35.69917; -81.28750
Athletics gocvcc.com
Nickname Red Hawks
Website www.cvcc.edu

Catawba Valley Community College is a public community college in Hickory, North Carolina, United States. The college, established April 3, 1958, is part of the North Carolina Community College System. On December 1, 1987, the school's name was officially changed to Catawba Valley Community College, having previously been known as Catawba Valley Technical Institute and Catawba Valley Technical College. CVCC is currently ranked the number one community college in North Carolina. Source: Niche.com.

The main campus covers 120 acres (0.49 km2) and includes 11 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 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) Regional Simulated Hospital, ValleySim Hospital,[1] opened in 2011. CVCC now has two furniture academies, one in Newton, North Carolina, and one in Taylorsville, North Carolina.

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 a final outcome.[2] Charges were dropped in December 2011.[3]

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, North Carolina New Schools,[4] CVCC, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Every year, Challenger Early College High School accepts 100 8th graders out of about 300 applicants from Catawba County Schools, Alexander County Schools, Hickory City Schools, and Newton-Conover Schools. Currently, 390 students attend 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).[5]

References

  1. ↑ ValleySim Hospital
  2. ↑ Facebook post gets college student banned from N.C. campus Archived November 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., News & Observer, Oct 13 2011
  3. ↑ "UPDATE: Charges Dropped, Unconstitutional Policy Remains". Huffington Post. December 13, 2011.
  4. ↑ North Carolina New Schools
  5. ↑ Challenger Early College High School Profile Archived 2015-04-03 at the Wayback Machine., Catawba County Schools
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