How to Turn a Community College Into an Economic Engine

Gary Green, the president of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is going to retire at the end of this year, and while that may not seem like a particularly noteworthy event, I think it is. When Green arrived in July 2001, Forsyth Tech ran on the same model as most of the country’s 1,300-plus community colleges. Eighty percent of its programs were geared toward “transfers” — that is, offering traditional courses in English, history and the like that would help students get into four-year universities after they gained their associate degree. And like most community colleges, its success rate was middling, at best.

Today, Forsyth Tech is one of the economic engines of Winston-Salem. It offers programs in advanced machining, cybersecurity, medical technologies and welding. Its students graduate with the skills that manufacturers and other local employers most need. They land jobs that can start at up to $60,000 a year. Many of the area’s companies are actively involved in devising the curriculum. Today, only 20 percent of the school’s programs are oriented toward transfers. The other 80 percent teach the skills that will allow Forsyth students to make a good middle-class living without a four-year college degree.