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Cape Fear Community College comes off accreditation warning with consultant's help

CFCC

This week, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges lifted Cape Fear Community College's accreditation warning, which was initiated last December. The college hired a consultant to help them comply with accreditation requirements.

On Tuesday, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) lifted Cape Fear Community College's accreditation warning.

The warning period started in December last year. As a college spokesperson noted, the college did not lose its accreditation at any point.

In the original warning letter, SACS said CFCC needed to show it “(1) employ[ed] an adequate number of full-time faculty members to support the mission and goals of the institution; and (2) it could identify, evaluate, and publish goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution’s mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. Further, this standard [8.1] expects an institution to use multiple measures to document student success.”

Dr. Michael Cobb, the former SACS representative and CFCC Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, who was responsible for the December 2023 report submission, left CFCC earlier this summer.

The August 2024 minutes for the state community college (NCCCS) board meeting stated, “While most colleges have successfully reaccredited, Cape Fear Community College encountered issues during its 5-year review, specifically concerning full-time faculty and student achievement. Dr. Gold, [the chief of staff of NCCCS], has been in close contact with Cape Fear's President Morton to address these concerns,” adding, “To aid in compliance, Dr. Kirk, a seasoned consultant, has been hired. Kirk was a president within the community college system and has served on the national level with SACSCOC.”

The college paid $1,625 to a consultant, Dr. Mary Kirk, who charged $250 an hour for her services, according to documents acquired by WHQR through a public records request. The payments show she charged close to seven hours of work at this rate. Kirk was the former president of the Montgomery Community College.

The August NCCCS minutes also mentioned that Cape Fear had to submit a report by September and that NCCCS board member Ann Whitford “expressed confidence” in the school’s progress with Kirk's help.

That September 2024 report showed additional information on the areas under warning. [*See some of the amended submission from the close to 700-page report at the bottom of this article ].

In a press release sent by the college, President Jim Morton expressed gratitude to the staff who worked to address SACSCOC’s concerns.

Morton also said the college “continues to meet and exceed the highest standards of excellence in higher education.”

However, CFCC’s metrics on student outcomes from 2022-2023 have been average compared to other community colleges throughout the state. According to state dashboard numbers, basic skills, first-year progress, curriculum completion, math success, licensure pass rate, English credit, and transfer performance are all average. CFCC has not received any marks for ‘excellence.’

Prior reporting on the accreditation warning

Rachel is a graduate of UNCW's Master of Public Administration program, specializing in Urban and Regional Policy and Planning. She also received a Master of Education and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and French Language & Literature from NC State University. She served as WHQR's News Fellow from 2017-2019. Contact her by email: rkeith@whqr.org or on Twitter @RachelKWHQR