![Johnson C. Smith University President Clarence Armbrister [left] and Central Piedmont Community College President Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer](https://blogs.cpcc.edu/cpcctoday/files/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-14-at-3.11.46-AM.png)
On April 8, 2021, leadership for Johnson C. Smith University and Central Piedmont Community College announced “JCSU Connect”– a new bachelor’s degree pathway that will expand college access to more students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and beyond. This new collaboration is part of JCSU President Clarence D. Armbrister’s mission to help address the lack of economic upward mobility in Charlotte by providing local students a guided pathway to earn bachelor’s degrees from JCSU.
“For more than 150 years, JCSU has been a leader in providing educational access,” said Armbrister. “As the University continues to focus on providing opportunities to address economic upward mobility in Charlotte, we look forward to this new partnership with Central Piedmont Community College to assist those seeking bachelor’s degrees and experience Charlotte’s HBCU, the only HBCU in partnership with Central Piedmont.”
JCSU Connect is a “2+2” program, meaning participating students will complete an associate degree at Central Piedmont and a bachelor’s degree at JCSU. During the first two years of study, students in the JCSU Connect Program will take classes at Central Piedmont and engage in intentional career and academic workshops at JCSU. During the third-year, students will enroll at JCSU and be placed in an on-campus paid internship (via federal work study) at JCSU that correlates with their field of study. During the final year of study, participants will complete their academic program at JCSU and engage in experiential learning, including internships and undergraduate research.
“We are excited to partner with Johnson C. Smith University and thrilled to offer this pathway to our students,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “JCSU Connect will be a wonderful program for our students who want to earn a four-year degree. We know they will flourish at JCSU. At the same time, this transfer program is another great example of the higher education community in Charlotte working together to build more avenues to opportunity and enhance our community’s economic mobility.”