Cape Fear Community College grows in state rankings

Wilmington, NC – Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) is the 5th largest community college in North Carolina. Despite the pandemic, CFCC has experienced steadily increasing enrollment.

“I attribute our continued success to the hard work of our faculty and staff and to the efficiencies we’ve put in place,” said Jim Morton, CFCC President. “We are working smarter and growing despite regional and national trends.”

In order to retain faculty and staff, Morton has made salaries a top priority.

The North Carolina Community College System Office released new salary rankings in February. Of the state’s 58 community colleges, CFCC’s faculty salary ranking has risen from 20th to 16th in the past year. Furthermore, the staff salary ranking has improved from 42nd to 30th.

“As the cost of living continues to rise in our area, I know it’s more important than ever to do what we can to support our faculty and staff. Student success depends on retaining highly qualified employees,” said Morton.

Under Morton’s leadership, full-time employees received two bonuses in the last five months, and many received salary adjustments.

“It all comes down to enrollment,” said Morton. “If CFCC is able to attract and retain students, then we’ll be able to do more for our students and employees. We’re making smart programming decisions and see the benefits of those results.”

Morton has focused on adding short-term workforce training options in high-demand fields popular among students and employers. This focus is to meet industry demands and provide a living wage. So as enrollment grows, so does CFCC’s budget.

“I’m proud of what our team is accomplishing. We have made changes that impact how our students learn about our programs, how they enroll, and the hands-on training that makes them better candidates for employment. It’s been a great success, and I look forward to what’s next,” states Morton.