Category Archives: Campus

Welcome to the New Semester! 🎉

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Three smiling students hold fancy popsicles.We’re so excited to have you at Central Piedmont! Here’s some essential info to help you kick off the semester successfully: 

🚌 Plan Your Way to Campus

  • Bus/Rail: Use the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). Download the CATS-Pass app or visit their website. 
  • Driving: 
    • Check campus parking maps. 
    • Park only in Central Piedmont decks/lots (local businesses tow strictly). 
    • Get your parking decal at the Cashiering and Business office (tuition must be paid). 
    • Arrive early during the first week to find parking and navigate the campus. 🚶‍♂️🚴‍♀️ 

📅 Learn Your Schedule & Campus Locations 

💻 Brightspace for Online Classes 

🗺 Can’t Find Your Class? 

  • Look for pop-up Information Tables, available at all campuses:
    • Aug. 12-13: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
    • Aug. 14: 5 – 6 p.m. 

📚 Get Textbooks and Course Materials 

  • Visit Central Piedmont campus stores or shop online (free shipping on orders over $50). 
  • Use Smart Lockers at Harper, Harris, and Merancas Campuses for online purchases. 
  • Watch for emails from Follett, RedShelf, and BryteWave for digital materials included in the Follett ACCESS program. 

🍽 Hungry On Campus? 

  • Vending and microwaves on all campuses. 
  • Central, Cato, and Levine Campuses have coffee and sandwich locations (Mon. – Fri., 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.). 

📢 Stay Informed 

🆘 We’re Here to Help 

Have a great semester! 🎓 

Don’t Forget: Enrollment Q&A Sessions Still Available

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An employer speaks with a student after a panel.Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, and Central Piedmont offers a variety of options to help you achieve your goals. The type of student you are dictates the enrollment steps you need to complete during the admission process, and we want to ensure you have all the resources you need to complete those steps quickly. So, we’re offering 30-minute virtual Q&A sessions dedicated to navigating the enrollment process. ✨

What We’ll Cover:

  • 📋 Step-by-step walkthrough of the enrollment process
  • ❓ Q&A to address any of your concerns
  • 🔗 Resources to get you started on the right foot

Choose a Date and Time:

Don’t miss out on these helpful sessions! 🌟 Let’s make your enrollment process smooth and stress-free. See you there! 😊👋

HUB Program Reconnects Alumna to Central Piedmont

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Three people standing in front of GRITS red food truck🍴 Central Piedmont recently hosted its first “Chat, Sip, and Chew” event, bringing Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) specializing in culinary and food services to campus to meet with faculty and staff.

Event Highlights:

  • 24 vendors showcased their businesses and potential partnerships.
  • Jorieka Downey, a 2014 Central Piedmont alumna, was one of the vendors. She shared her inspiring journey of overcoming obstacles to build her successful food truck and catering business, G.R.I.T.S. CLT.

Downey’s Journey:

  • Education: Enrolled in Central Piedmont’s culinary program while juggling two jobs and raising three children.
  • Challenges: Worked third shift, attended classes, and balanced family life.
  • Career Start: Gained experience at Compass Group and formed a crucial business partnership.
  • Business Growth: Started as a caterer, gained popularity at events like the 2019 NBA All-Star Game and the CIAA Basketball Tournament.
  • Viral Success: Went viral with a stuffed turkey leg, garnering over 30,000 views on social media.
  • Celebrity Catering: Catered for concerts featuring Busta Rhymes, 112, Marsha Ambrosius, and more.

Overcoming COVID Challenges:

  • Despite setbacks, Downey used her savings, loans, and grants to purchase her food truck.
  • Awards: Won “Charlotte’s Best Black-owned Food Truck” competition in 2022, judged by notable figures like Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and Congresswoman Alma Adams.

Resilience and Advice:

  • Setback: Faced a fire that damaged her food truck but continues to persevere.
  • Encouragement: “Stay in it,” Downey advised Central Piedmont students. “If it’s your goal or passion, you have to give it your all. Put your best foot in and never give up.” 🌟

Dining Options at Central Piedmont: Fuel for Your Day

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Catalyst Coffee Bar, Harris Campus🍽️ Central Piedmont offers a variety of dining options across all six campuses. Enjoy full-service coffee bars, grab-and-go lunch stations, sandwich shops, breakfast/lunch spots, and more—all cashless. 💳

Need to Use Cash?

  • Purchase vouchers at the Cashiering Business Office on any campus.

Where to Find Food Services:

  • Cato, Central, and Levine Campuses: Full food services available.
  • All Campuses: Coffee bars and grab-and-go lunch stations ☕🥪

Vending Machines:

  • Available at all campuses with snacks, drinks, and microwaveable foods. No need to be hungry! 🍫🥤

Catering Services:

  • Our dining team now offers catering to fit any audience. Request a consultation to tailor your event. Internal and external customers welcome. No event is too small or too large. You won’t be disappointed! 🎉

📅 Review food service menus, locations, and hours.

Campus Stores: Your One-Stop Shop for Everything

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bookstore

🛍️ Central Piedmont Campus Stores are here to serve you! Physical stores are located on Central, Cato, and Levine Campuses, plus, enjoy the convenience of smart lockers at Harris, Harper, and Merancas Campuses for easy delivery.

Why Visit Our Campus Stores?

  • More than just books: Grab your coffee, drinks, snacks, and food options! ☕🍫
  • Free shipping on orders over $50! 🚚✨
  • Use your Financial Aid to shop with ease.

📅 Fall Hours:

  • Jul 29 – Aug 9 (Mon – Fri): 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Aug 10 (Sat): 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Aug 12 – 16 (Mon – Fri): 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Aug 17 (Sat): 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Starting Aug 19 (Mon – Fri): 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

📍 Visit us online to read more about our locations and services.

Culinary Students Serve Up Free Samples from Mobile Learning Kitchen 🚚🍴

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Community members eating treats from the Mobile Learning Kitchen on Central CampusSome of Central Piedmont’s culinary students from the Line Cooking Essentials Class, under the guidance of our talented Chef Anwar Cooper, are mastering the art of operating a food truck this semester. They’re excited to share their culinary creations with the community!

📍 Location: Central Campus, outside the Parr Center
🕠 Time: 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. (or until samples run out)
🍴Days of Service:

  • Thu, Jul 11
  • Tue, Jul 16
  • Thu, Jul 18

Come support our culinary students, enjoy delicious free samples, and connect with the Central Piedmont community. It’s a tasty way to get involved and savor the vibrant campus life! 🌟 ​

💡Reminder: Student Email Now on Outlook ✉️

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IT Services employee assisting a student at the help deskOver the summer, Central Piedmont transitioned from Google to Microsoft 365, and all student mailboxes and Drive data have successfully migrated.

📧 New Email: All student mailboxes are now on Outlook.

📂 Drive Data: Your Google Drive data is fully accessible in your new Microsoft 365 account. If you’re new to navigating M365, check out these Microsoft 365 Tools and Applications.

🌐 Resources: We have answered lots of your frequently asked questions and put the most requested knowledgebase articles in one place.

🌟 Learn More: Enhance your Microsoft skills on LinkedIn Learning.

💻 Support: Need help? Contact the Service Desk for technical assistance.

For quick answers, browse the Service Desk client portal and review the knowledge base. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please submit a ticket. Getting a ticket started will speed up the process of getting service from ITS.

🗣️ New Students: Learn about Next Steps for Admission📝

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Four students on Central Campus, smiling with the skyline behind themEducation is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, and Central Piedmont has a variety of options to help you achieve your goals. The type of student you are dictates the enrollment steps you need to complete during the admission process, and we want to make sure you have all of the resources you need to complete those steps quickly. So, we’re offering 30-minute virtual Q&A sessions dedicated to navigating the enrollment process. ✨

What We’ll Cover:

  • 📋 Step-by-step walkthrough of the enrollment process
  • ❓ Q&A to address any of your concerns
  • 🔗 Resources to get you started on the right foot

Choose a Date and Time:

Don’t miss out on these helpful sessions! 🌟 Let’s make your enrollment process smooth and stress-free. See you there! 😊👋

🎉New Accommodate Platform is Live! 🎉

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A student visits a table to speak with a member of the office of Disability ServicesCentral Piedmont Accommodate is now live! This new software platform makes it easier than ever to connect with Disability and Access Services (DAS) and submit accommodation letters to your instructors. 📅✨

🛠️ Getting Started with Accommodate:

  • Check out our step-by-step guide, complete with screenshots, to help you navigate the new system effortlessly.

❓ Questions or Concerns?

At Central Piedmont, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students. 🌟📚

Indulge in Breakfast Tacos Prepared by the Food Truck 101 Class 🍴🚚

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A student manning the mobile learning kitchenJoin the Food Truck 101 Class featuring our amazing Central Piedmont instructor, Anwar Cooper, and his talented students as they sample breakfast tacos! 🌮✨

🗓️ Date: Tue., June 25th
🕒 Time: 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM (or until samples run out)
📍 Location: Central Campus, Philip L. Van Every Culinary Arts Center, on the lawn

Don’t miss out on this tasty opportunity to support our budding chefs and enjoy some delicious food. See you there! 😋🎉

Important Notice: Registration and Payment System Closure 🔒

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Group of students sitting on the stairs inside the Parr CenterHeads up! Due to year-end processing, our registration and payment systems will be down from Wed., June 26 at 6 p.m. until Mon., July 1 at 7 a.m.

What You Can Still Do to Prepare for the Fall Semester During the Outage:

Please Note: The college can still process transcripts and take in-person cash and check payments during the planned outage, just no credit cards.

Fall registration is now open, and you can register online before or after the temporary closure.

Need help? Call 704-330-2722 or email navigate@cpcc.edu. 🤝

Career Services Summer Offerings 🌞

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An employer talking to a student at a career fair table

Central Piedmont’s Career Services is here to support your career journey all summer long! Whether you’re searching for a job, choosing a program of study, or preparing for interviews, we’ve got you covered.

📅 Appointments: Schedule in-person or virtual meetings with a Career Counselor at any of our campus locations via Handshake.

🕒 Summer Drop-In Hours: This summer, students and graduates can drop by Career Center at Central Campus, Central High 206 to get help with career questions without an appointment. Summer drop-in hours are Mon-Thurs, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m and will be in effect through July 26.

💻 Online Resources: Utilize Handshake for job searches, Big Interview for interview practice, and Career Coach for exploring study programs and career opportunities.

🎉 Events: Check Handshake’s Event section for over 50 virtual events, including sessions about careers with the FBI, at Bank of America, and in healthcare.

For more details and resources, visit Central Piedmont Career Services.

May Issue of Central Piedmont Archives Newsletter Now Available

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The latest issue of “For The Record,” the Central Piedmont Archives newsletter, is now available!

📅 Highlights of this issue:

Headshot of Gloria Kelley, which is used as the newsletter's cover photo

  • 🎓 Spotlight on Gloria Kelley
  • 📜 A look back at the Jun. 1964 commencement ceremony of the Beatty’s Ford Road Campus
  • 🗂️ Updates on the processing of Dr. Ruth G. Shaw’s presidential papers
  • 🤝 Celebrations of the two volunteers, contributing their time over the summer
  • 🗺️ Erin and Johnamarie’s trip to the State Archives for the SNCA 2024 Annual Meeting

📖 How to access the newsletter: Visit our digital collections and click the “view” button to expand the document.

📧 Interested in collaborating with the Archives or learning more about our institutional history?

Reminder: FAFSA Night at Cato Campus 🎓

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FAFSA Federal Student Aid logoDon’t miss out! Join us for FAFSA Night to unlock your financial aid potential. Get hands-on help completing your FAFSA, ensuring you don’t miss out on any financial support.

🗓 Date: Wed., May 29, 2024
📍 Location: Cato Campus, Building I, Rooms 220/221
🤝 Inclusivity: Spanish-speaking staff available
🚀 Secure Your Spot: Registration is required

📅 Why Attend?

  • Personalized assistance with FAFSA applications
  • Get access to federal, state, and institutional financial aid, including grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships
  • Ensure you meet the Aug. 15 priority deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year

Exhibition Announcement: ‘Forever Transient’ 🖼️

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Collage of artwork to be featured

📅 Exhibition Dates: May 20 – Aug 9
📍 Location: Central Campus, Parr Center, Dove Art Gallery

‘Forever Transient’ visually investigates the meaning behind transience, impermanence, continuous change, and the desire to preserve and prolong the temporary moment. Inspired by Dutch still life paintings and vanitas, each artist showcases a unique approach to artistically rendering the fragility of time. This exhibition reminds us that time is cyclical, not linear, continuously marching forward while reflecting on the past.

This exhibit features 8 nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, each incorporating vibrant references to nature and humanity through various creative processes:

  • Andrew Leventis: Hyper-realistic refrigerator still life paintings, updating classic Dutch techniques with a contemporary twist.
  • Brent Dedas: “Honeybee drawings” that use live honeybees to create cyanotype prints.
  • Colby Caldwell: Uses a flatbed scanner on nature walks to scan natural flora, capturing the transient beauty of the forest floor.
  • James Henkel: Arranges fragments of glass from destroyed vessels to create organic shapes, showing transience through destruction and reformation.
  • Susan Jedrzejewski: Explores the unpredictable patterns of nature through photo transfers on canvas and panel.
  • Debra Koo: Paintings that preserve moments of social celebrations, family gatherings, and the abundance of food.
  • Desiree Thomas: Transforms ordinary food items like spam and packaged chips into extraordinary art, often set against blue sky backgrounds.
  • Kenny Nguyen: Honors his Vietnamese and American heritage using paint and Vietnamese silk in organic and abstract forms.
  • Jennifer Minnis: Captures humanity in spirit, mind, and body, causing viewers to question the thoughtful intentions of the portrayed subjects.

Quote from the Group:

“Whether skillfully rendering mundane routines, reimagining a personal archive, or concentrating on the minute details of a moment already gone, these artists bring to life something as connected to the temporary as it is to the everlasting. The small becomes the meaningful, the part becomes a whole. It is not the need for retrospection, but the will to render the complicated nuances of time, memory, and fragility that give this collection of works its power. It is within these elapsed moments that the painting lives and continues to evolve, forever.”

Join us for this thought-provoking exhibition and explore the intricate dance between the temporary and the everlasting. 🌟

Summer Hours for IT Service Desk 📞💻

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IT Services employee assisting a student at the help deskDuring the college’s summer hours, the Information Technology Services Service Desk will be available to assist you with the following schedule:

📅 Monday – Thursday

  • Call Center: 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • Walk-In Hours: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
    • Location: Central Campus, Parr Center, Hagemeyer Library, Second Floor

📅 Friday

  • Call Center: 8 a.m. – noon
  • Walk-In Hours: 8 a.m. – noon
    • Location: Central Campus, Parr Center, Hagemeyer Library, Second Floor

📅 Saturday

  • Call Center: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • No walk-in hours on Saturdays

📢 ADVISORY: Temporary Service Desk Phone Availability Adjustment

  • Please note that due to record-high call volume, the ITS Service Desk call queue has become saturated. Callers fill up the queue with callback requests each day, then create new callback requests before their place in line has come. The Service Desk starts the day with an unsustainable number of callback requests in the queue.
  • To prevent the queue from growing each day, ITS is going to implement the following temporary changes to the call queue starting May 21:
    • Stop accepting calls at 4 p.m. each day.
    • Purge a call waiting in the queue after four hours.
  • It is understood these changes may prevent somebody from getting through to the service desk by phone. The current recommendation is to browse the Service Desk client portal and review the knowledge base to find an answer to your question. If you cannot find the answer, then review our service catalog to start a ticket. Getting a ticket started will speed up the process of getting service from ITS.

🏎 Rev Up Your Career: Attend a Transport Systems Technologies Program Info Session 🔧

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Are you interested in a career in automotive technology, diesel heavy equipment technology, or collision repair and refinishing? Discover how Central Piedmont’s  Transport Systems Technologies programs can set you on the path to success in these dynamic industries.Automotive student holding a wrench, leaning over a car with the hood up

📢 About Our Information Sessions: Join us at one of our upcoming information sessions to learn all about the robust training opportunities available through our credit and non-credit continuing education courses. During these sessions, you will:

  • Gain insights into our program offerings and industry-relevant skills training.
  • Learn about the admissions process and work-based learning requirements.
  • Enjoy a guided tour of our state-of-the-art transport systems technology facilities.

Each session will provide a comprehensive overview, ensuring you have all the information you need to get started.

Session Dates and Locations:

  • Session 1
    📆 Thurs., June 6
    🕐 6 – 7:30 p.m.
    📍 Merancas Campus, Transportation Systems Building, Room 130
    ✍ Registration is required
  • Session 2
    📆 Thurs., July 11
    🕓 6 – 7:30 p.m.
    📍 Levine Campus, Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive
    ✍ Registration is required

Ready to Jump Start Your Career? Discover the pathways to success in an industry that keeps the world moving. We look forward to seeing you there and helping you drive your future forward!

🕒 Food Services Summer Hours

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Catalyst Coffee Bar, Harris CampusAs we transition into the summer season, please take note of the following changes to our campus services from May 10 until July 29:

Catalyst Operations:

  • Hours: Mon. – Thurs. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and Fri. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Locations: Central, Harris, Harper, and Merancas campuses
  • Note: All other food services will be closed during the summer.

Need catering this summer? Canteen will continue to take orders throughout the summer months. Perfect for meetings and events!

The campus stores at Central, Cato, and Levine campuses will continue to provide coffee, food, and snack options.

🌞 Whether you’re studying, working on campus, or just stopping by, these services are here to keep you fueled and ready to go this summer!

🔍 Uncover Your Financial Aid Potential at FAFSA Night 💼

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FAFSA Federal Student Aid logo

📚 Overcome financial barriers to your education with expert guidance from Central Piedmont at FAFSA Night. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is key to accessing federal, state, and institutional financial aid, including grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships.

What To Expect: A hands-on workshop focused on the 2024-2025 FAFSA Application.
Assistance Available For: State residency, college application, and creating your Federal Student Aid ID.
🗓 Date: Wed., May 29, 2024
📍 Location: Cato Campus, Building I, Rooms 220/221
🤝 Inclusivity: Spanish-speaking staff available.
🚀 Secure Your Spot: Registration is required.

Take control of your educational financing by attending this essential workshop. Don’t miss out on the chance to get personalized help with your FAFSA application to support your college journey. Join us and pave the way to your academic and financial success!