Dr. A.J. Jaeger
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ajjaeger.bsky.social
Dr. A.J. Jaeger
@ajjaeger.bsky.social
Executive Director, Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research | W. Dallas Herring Professor of Community College Education | Leadership Matters | Forever Fan NC State 🐺 |
DHL Lesson #1: As Jason Wood reminds us, “We can’t graduate people into poverty.” Workforce Pell is one tool helping adults access high-value training that leads to real economic mobility. #DHLessonsLearned www.ednc.org/nc-community...
NC community colleges prepare for Workforce Pell to support adult learners
North Carolina and its adult learners are preparing for Workforce Pell as the state considers a new community college funding model.
www.ednc.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:41 PM
The 2025 Dallas Herring Lecture reminded us why community colleges matter. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share my key takeaways – lessons on student success, workforce alignment & more. @ncstatebelk #DHL2025 #DHLessonsLearned #StayTuned
December 2, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Veterans are an essential part of our community colleges. Nearly half of all student veterans in the U.S. pursue their education at a #CommCollege — including right here in N.C. We’re proud to support those who’ve served our country as they build their futures. www.ccdaily.com/2025/11/data...
DataPoints: Veterans in community colleges - Community College Daily
Nearly half (46.7%) of all student veterans were enrolled in public community colleges in the 2019-20 academic year (the most recent year with this data). Veterans comprised 4.2% of all community coll...
www.ccdaily.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:49 PM
North Carolina is leading the way! 20 (yes 20!) of our community colleges are eligible for the 2027 @AspenHigherEd Prize for Community College Excellence. Beyond proud of these colleges for driving excellence and creating opportunities for learners statewide.

www.ednc.org/10-28-2025-2...
20 NC community colleges eligible for 2027 Aspen Prize
Twenty of NC's 58 community colleges have been invited to apply for the prize, called "the Oscars for great community colleges."
www.ednc.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Dual enrollment programs give high school students a head start on college, but unclear credit transfer can create hidden hurdles. @InsideHigherEd shares how we can bridge these gaps to ensure student success. #BeyondTransfer
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
What Happens to Dual Enrollment Credits After High School?
What happens to dual-enrollment students’ credits after high school?
www.insidehighered.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Congrats to @ForsythTechCC as they celebrate 65 years of learning! Under @ForsythTechPrez’s incredible leadership, the college will no doubt continue to “Dream. Learn. Thrive.” in the years ahead. Love seeing #DHL support leadership at all levels of the college 😊
https://ow.ly/KnuV50XfLGr
'Dream. Learn. Thrive.' Designing a student-ready college for the 21st century
"Dream. Learn. Thrive." Forsyth Technical Community College announces their new vision, mission, values, and North Star.
ow.ly
October 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Honored to join Leadership NC's Class 33 with 55 inspiring leaders—and new friends!—from across the state. Excited to learn from and with this talented group while connecting with my community college colleagues. Grateful for this journey!

leadershipnc.org/leadership-n...
Leadership North Carolina Announces Members of 33nd Class
leadershipnc.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
"As anchors for regional development, community colleges have spent decades educating students for local enterprise. Partnering tightly with businesses to fill their talent gaps, our institutions are now woven into the framework of local opportunity."

www.ccdaily.com/2025/10/comm...
Community colleges: Workforce engines of the future - Community College Daily
In a week when a government shutdown dominates headlines and political polarization seems irreparable, one invaluable sector has quiet bipartisan support in our nation: community colleges. More than 1...
www.ccdaily.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I’m excited to be part of this community college celebration and to honor our alumni who make a difference in the lives of their communities every day! @NCStateCED @NCCommColleges

ced.ncsu.edu/news/2025/09...
Celebrating Community College Leaders
ced.ncsu.edu
September 25, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Shout out to four NC community colleges - @durhamtech, @StanlyCC, @isothermal_edu and @ForsythTechCC - for joining the Aspen Institute’s Unlocking Opportunity network to improve post-graduation outcomes and open doors for their students.

www.ednc.org/09-01-2025-f...
Four NC community colleges join Aspen network to improve post-graduation outcomes
Four community colleges will join an Aspen Institute network to align their programs with available career and bachelor’s degree pathways.
www.ednc.org
September 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
#NCReconnect 2025 Summer Meeting. Cannie Hunter (@FAYTECHCC ) shares:
- Shift mindsets
- Foster autonomy
-Create adult-centered environments
-Champion faculty development
Supporting faculty to support adult learners! Thanks to @BelkEndowment & well done to the @NCStateBelk team!
July 25, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Congratulations to Courtney and all the graduates of the spring 2025 NCCCLP cohort! @NCStateBelk is proud to support these emerging leaders as they strengthen their leadership capacity, drive student success & build stronger #CommColleges across NC!

www.rockymounttelegram.com/features/sch...
Community college employee completes leadership program
For Courtney Baggett, opening the door to new possibilities wasn’t easy, but it was rewarding. Baggett, a counselor at Edgecombe Community College, recently completed the N.C. Community College Leader...
www.rockymounttelegram.com
July 24, 2025 at 2:51 PM
A good read from J.B. Buxton (@DurhamTechPrez) and Karen Stout (@drkastout) on expanding how we define success in community colleges - emphasizing student success and community well-being. @Comm_College
www.ccdaily.com/2025/06/expa...
Expanding what success means for our nation’s community colleges - Community College Daily
As debates rage about the value of higher education and confidence continues to erode in the impact of higher education institutions, community colleges need to remind the public and policymakers of t...
www.ccdaily.com
July 22, 2025 at 6:34 PM
“Strong partnerships are the key to unlocking workforce potential in rural areas. This toolkit highlights how NC’s community colleges are not only meeting the needs of advanced manufacturing employers, but also driving economic resilience in the communities they serve.”
www.ednc.org/new-toolkit-...
New toolkit looks at advanced manufacturing partnerships across rural North Carolina
New toolkit highlights partnerships at North Carolina's rural-serving community colleges to support advanced manufacturing across the state.
www.ednc.org
July 2, 2025 at 8:07 PM
"Among undergraduate enrollment nationally, community colleges saw the largest growth — a 5.4% increase. In North Carolina, spring enrollment at community colleges increased by 8.3%, or by nearly 16,000 students," says @educationnc.bsky.social

www.ednc.org/05-27-2025-r...
NC community college spring enrollment growth outpaces national trends
Among public two-year colleges in North Carolina, spring enrollment increased by 8.3%, or by nearly 16,000 students.
www.ednc.org
July 1, 2025 at 2:29 PM
It was an honor to deliver the keynote at the Inaugural Student Success Symposium. Grateful to collaborate with @NCState faculty and staff, and to highlight the power of proximity in advancing student success.
news.dasa.ncsu.edu/inaugural-st...
Inaugural Student Success Symposium Fosters Campus Collaboration
In May, the Inaugural Student Success Symposium was held as an opportunity for faculty and staff from across campus to come together to identify best practices, strategies and resources to support und...
news.dasa.ncsu.edu
June 19, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Congratulations to these exceptional North Carolina community college leaders named to Business North Carolina’s 2025 Power List! www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news/seven-c...
Seven community college leaders recognized in 2025 Business NC ‘Power List’ - NCCCS
www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
June 17, 2025 at 5:37 PM
"Every credential earned represents a brighter future — not just for individuals but also for families, businesses & communities. The real question isn’t whether we can reach the goal; it’s whether we can ensure that no one is left behind." @educationnc.bsky.social

www.ednc.org/perspective-...
Perspective | What North Carolina's new attainment map tells us
At its annual attainment event in February, myFutureNC released new data on North Carolina’s progress toward its educational attainment goal...
www.ednc.org
May 9, 2025 at 2:39 PM
No doubt about it! Attending a North Carolina community college is absolutely the "best decision ever." @educationnc.bsky.social

www.ednc.org/why-our-comm...
Why our community colleges are the 'best decision ever'
April is Community College Month. Please share your story with EdNC about why you think community college is the best decision ever.
www.ednc.org
April 18, 2025 at 12:47 PM
“We are not going to address the challenges we have with completion in our country on a school-by-school basis. We have to think at the system level." - Kelly McManus, vice president of higher education @Arnold_Ventures
workshift.org/n-c-puts-big...
N.C. Puts Big Money on Graduating More Community College Students in High-Wage Fields
The state's community college system is launching a new degree completion effort modeled on the highly-successful CUNY ASAP program—but with a workforce twist.
workshift.org
April 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Congratulations to @NashCC, whose Small Business Center was recently awarded the N.C. Idea Mindset grant to fund entrepreneurial education in the region.
restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/loc...
Nash Small Business Center earns entrepreneurship grant - Restoration NewsMedia
ROCKY MOUNT — The Nash Community College Small Business Center was recently awarded the N.C. Idea Mindset grant, designed to fund entrepreneurial education in the area. The college will now be able to...
restorationnewsmedia.com
April 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM
New data from @RichmondFed shows a significant 13% graduation gap between Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients, underscoring the need for targeted support to close this gap. @LauraDUllrich @InsideHigherEd
www.insidehighered.com/news/student...
13-Percentage-Point Gap in Pell vs. Non-Pell Completion
Recent data from the Richmond Federal Reserve finds, across five states, low-income students are less likely to earn a degree or certificate compared to their peers.
www.insidehighered.com
April 1, 2025 at 6:52 PM
“We’ve been doing Career and College Promise in our state for over a decade, and we’ve grown from just over 11,000 students to almost 86,000 students,” says Aaron Mabe, @NCCommColleges dual enrollment director & CC Leadership Doctoral student. @educationnc.bsky.social
www.ednc.org/02-24-2025-a...
Dual enrollment is increasing in North Carolina, report shows
A new report shows there were 85,982 high school students in North Carolina enrolled in at least one dual enrollment course in 2023-24.
www.ednc.org
March 28, 2025 at 2:19 PM
College transfers rose by 4.4% this year, reports @NSClearinghouse. The biggest growth in transfers was seen at community colleges. Our research at the NC State Belk Center points to improvements in AAS pathways that lead to high wage jobs.

insidehighered.com/news/admissi...
Transfers are up as community college enrollment grows
Transfers increased by 4.5 percent this fall, continuing two straight years of post-pandemic recovery. Recent enrollment trends suggest there’s plenty more room to grow.
insidehighered.com
March 18, 2025 at 2:07 PM
"Individuals with IDD face so many barriers to education and employment. We're helping to build pathways for students that didn’t exist two years ago, and it's exciting to be a part of that journey,” says State Board of Comm Colleges Finance Committee Chair Lisa Estep
www.ednc.org/creating-opp...
Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the road to postsecondary opportunities
Community colleges in North Carolina teach key life skills in programs for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
www.ednc.org
March 17, 2025 at 3:11 PM