PEMBROKE – Obesity. Heart disease. Diabetes. Southeast North Carolina faces persistent health problems – Robeson County, in fact, has ranked last in the state in health for the last three years.1 Access to care is key, Provost David Ward of the University of North Carolina Pembroke says in the accompanying video. “The state may have… READ MORE
Serving the community with WSSU health professionals
WINSTON-SALEM – Winston-Salem State University is North Carolina’s top producer of bachelor’s degrees for African-Americans in nursing and health professions.1 In the accompanying video, WSSU Chancellor Elwood Robinson traces that to when the university – which started as a teachers’ college – launched its nursing school in the 1950s. “As a result of that, I… READ MORE
Addressing rural disparities at ECU
GREENVILLE – It’s no secret that rural North Carolina lags the state’s urban areas in education, health and economic development. But East Carolina University Chancellor Cecil Staton aims to do something about it. In what he calls the signature initiative of his chancellorship so far, Staton has created an interdisciplinary Rural Prosperity Initiative to combine… READ MORE
ECU: ‘No greater return on investment’
GREENVILLE – East Carolina University Chancellor Cecil Staton isn’t shy about saying ECU serves rural and underserved parts of North Carolina. “I like to say, if North Carolina didn’t have ECU, it would have to go out and build it tomorrow,” Staton says in the accompanying video. He goes on to highlight various aspects in… READ MORE
An array of offerings at NCCU
DURHAM – People are sometimes surprised to learn NC Central University is home to two biotechnology research institutes, Chancellor Johnson Akinleye says. But that’s not all. In the accompanying videos, Akinleye outlines a broad array of course offerings at NCCU: A nation-leading program in Jazz Studies, as well as programs that provide more teachers in… READ MORE
Growing demand for nurses
DOBSON – There’s little doubt there are jobs waiting for nursing students. “Demand is huge,” Lory Puckett, a nursing instructor at Surry Community College, declares in the accompanying video. “The demand in nursing has always been there, and it’s going to continue to be there, because we have an aging population,” Puckett says. “…So with… READ MORE
Nursing degrees explained
DOBSON – The sea of letters can seem baffling – LPN, RN, FNP, CMA…. “Whenever you go into an office, you’re going to see a lot of different faces, and not everyone who brings you back is necessarily a nurse,” Nursing Instructor Lory Puckett of Surry Community College says in the accompanying video. Puckett explains… READ MORE
High demand = high pay for nurses
DOBSON – High demand usually means high pay – and depending on their skills and experience, some nurses enjoy very comfortable wages. A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with a one-year degree might start at $15 to $18 an hour, Nursing Instructor Lory Puckett says in the accompanying video. With a two-year associate degree, Registered Nurses… READ MORE
Community colleges ‘take students wherever they are’
DOBSON – Many of us don’t realize how many ways community colleges touch our lives. “We truly reflect the citizenship of our region,” President David Shockley of Surry Community College says in the accompanying video. “We are the most diverse higher education entity in the world.” The students and their needs are so varied, Shockley… READ MORE
“I began at Surry”
DOBSON – Lory Puckett knows that if she could do it, so can others. Puckett, a nursing instructor at Surry Community College, is very literally a master of her craft. She has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner. But it all started with an associate degree at Surry Community… READ MORE