The Newsroom: A long, hard look at Cape Fear Community College

By Ben Schachtman

Published September 10, 2021 at 7:30 AM EDT

On this episode: Over the last three years, rumors have circulated, alleging a toxic workplace at CFCC under the administration of President Jim Morton. In early 2020, WECT published a report with on-the-record allegations, but it seems little has changed. Now, new reporting from WHQR's Rachel Keith goes deeper than ever into issues at the college.

First up on the show, a conversation with WECT investigative reporter Ann McAdams, who has covered CFCC for years, including controversies over former President Dr. Ted Spring, the abrupt resignation of former President Dr. Amanda Lee, and concerns around the hiring of Jim Morton — all leading up to a report in early 2020 on workplace allegations.

WECT's investigative report: Top executives at CFCC say President Morton has created toxic culture

Then, Rachel Keith joins us to unpack her three-part series on CFCC, and explores some of the feedback we've received since it was published.

Catch up on her reporting here:

Part I: Unreleased faculty survey shows concerns over toxic workplace still plague CFCC

Part II: Concerns about transparency, evaluations, and communication with CFCC’s board and administration

Part III: CFCC quietly removes key parts of its employee handbook, exacerbating existing faculty concerns

Have questions or comments about this episode — or ideas for a future show? Contact us at Newsroom@whqr.org. The WHQR News staff can be reached at staffnews@whqr.org. WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman can be reached at Bschachtman@whqr.org.