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