Due to the foresight and dedication of progressive-minded Person County citizens, Piedmont Community College was established in 1970! Efforts to create a local institution of higher education that offers job training and educational opportunities for high school graduates and other adults began in the late 1960s. The result was the appointment of a Board of Trustees in 1970 and the establishment of Person County Technical Institute on July 1, 1970, now evolved into Piedmont Community College.
The College initially operated under the NC State Board of Education and the Department of Community Colleges and currently is one of 58 community colleges in the NC Community College System.
After operating in various buildings around the city and county in its first years, the College gained the overwhelming support of Person County citizens, who passed a $2.5 million bond issue for new college facilities. The permanent campus was constructed on a 178-acre farm off Carver Drive in Roxboro.
The College’s service area expanded to include Caswell County, effective July 1, 1985. The Caswell County Campus, located on 15 acres adjacent to Bartlett Yancey High School, opened in 1987.
Important Dates in Piedmont Community College’s History
1969: First Person Technical Institute (PTI) Board of Trustees sworn in on Dec. 1
1970: Dr. Craven H. Sumerell named PTI President
1970: PTI opened and first full-time students (266) enrolled in September
1971: College name changed to Piedmont Technical Institute (PTI)
1972: Dr. Ed Cox named PTI President
1976-77: Person County Campus constructed on former Barnette farm
1977-79: PTI first accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
1979: 178-acre Person County Campus dedicated
1979-80: Name changed to Piedmont Technical College (PTC)
1984-85: Person County Campus expanded
1984-85: Caswell County added to College’s service area
1987: Dr. Jim Owen named PTC President
1987-88: College’s name changed to Piedmont Community College (PCC)
1988: Caswell County Campus dedicated
1994: Business incubator opened in uptown Roxboro
1997: Caswell County Campus expanded, doubling its size
1997: New classroom/office building constructed on Person County Campus; occupied in 1998
1997: PCC and NC Community College System instruction changed from quarters to semesters
1999: PCC publishes first literary journal, Reflections
1999: PCC leads first overseas field trip
2000: NC Higher Education Bond referendum passes, providing $600 million to NC Community Colleges
2000: PCC curriculum program enrollment skyrockets, increasing 40% in four years
2000: Distance Learning class enrollment soars
2001: Roxboro’s James Woody named Chairman of the State Board of Community Colleges
2004: PCC begins PCC Alumni Partnership
2004: College begins expansion of both campuses, using NC Higher Education Bond funds
2005: Gymnasium on Person County Campus renovated to house new Learning Resources Center and Distance Learning facilities
2006: Former Learning Resources Center in Building E on Person County Campus renovated to house Student Development services in one location as well as Continuing Education office space; Student Center and lounge renovated
2006: New classroom building constructed on Caswell County Campus with special facilities to house Film and Video and Digital Effects and Animation programs
2007: PCC one of only 7 N.C. community colleges to earn a “Superior” ranking by meeting all 12 annual performance measures
2009: New Technical Education Building (Building S) constructed on Person County Campus
2009: Dr. H. James Owen retired in August
2009: Dr. Walter C. Bartlett becomes PCC’s fourth President in August
2010: PCC celebrated its 40th anniversary
2010: PCC one of 11 community colleges to earn “Exceptional Institutional Performance” in the annual Critical Success Factors for NC Community Colleges
2011: PCC Alumni Partnership presents first Alumni of the Year award.
2013: PCC receives reaffirmation
2013: PCC begins Quality Enhancement Plan – Quantitative Reasoning or QR4U
2013: Alumni Partnership holds “Pickin’ by the Lake” Bluegrass Festival for the first time
2014: Person County Government and PCC creates a partnership and begins the Kirby Rebirth project
2016: Connect NC Bond passes
2016: Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership begins
2017: Dr. Walter C. Bartlett retired in June
2017: Dr. Pamela G. Senegal becomes PCC’s fifth President in July
2019: Board Emeritus Donald Wilson recipient of the 2019 Southern Region Trustee Leadership award
2019: PCC named Global Distinction School by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC) World View program
2019: Pacer Promise program created by Lonnie and Carol Poole Family Foundation
2019: PCC partners with Caswell County to create CEAD, Center for Education and Agricultural Development
2020: PCC celebrates 50 years of education
2022: Groundbreaking for the Center for Educational and Agricultural Development (CEAD) in Pelham, NC
2023: PCC receives reaffirmation of accreditation from SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges)
2023: PCC celebrates the graduation of the inaugural Caswell County evening/weekend nursing cohort
2024: The Person County Board of Commissioners approves to move forward with the purchase of the former Carolina Pride Carwash building in Timberlake, NC to house the Center for Health, Advanced Technology and Trades (CHATT).
PCC Presidents
1970-1973: Dr. Craven H. Sumerell
1973-1987: Dr. Edward W. Cox
1987-2009: Dr. H. James Owen
2009-2017: Dr. Walter C. Bartlett
2017-present: Dr. Pamela G. Senegal
