BY JEN COOKE
Educating
aCommunity D
espite the economic downturn of the last few years, community colleges in Fayetteville are thriving. Nestled between Morganton and Fort Bragg Roads, Fayetteville Technical Community College is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with about 2,000 students earning degrees.
"I'm really proud of our faculty, students, staff, and board of trustees to make it pos- sible to have that growth," said Dr. Larry Keen, president of FTCC. In fact, the col- lege plans to dedicate a sculpture this fall to depict the growth it has had and services it has provided, he said.
At FTCC, areas of growth include various degree programs, locations of satellite campuses and types of students who want the services.
"Business administration programs continue to be one of the largest groups we serve," Keen said. Technical fields are also growing, specifically within the computer science arena, both with hardware and software as it relates to defense and private business, he said. Other categories include allied health programs and nursing. Engineering, public service and applied technologies have also drawn considerable interest.
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Fayetteville Technical Community College flourishes because of the programs offered
