Johnson C. Smith University, the historically Black educational institution in Charlotte, North Carolina, has signed an agreement with Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte that will ease the path for psychology students at the community college to earn bachelor’s degrees.
Under the JCSU Connect program, students will complete an associate degree at Central Piedmont and a bachelor’s degree at JCSU. During the first two years of study, students in the JCSU Connect program will take classes at Central Piedmont and engage in intentional career and academic workshops at JCSU. During the third year, students will enroll at JCSU and be placed in an on-campus paid internship that correlates with their field of study. During the final year of study, participants will complete their academic program at JCSU and engage in experiential learning, including internships and undergraduate research.
In addition, each student who remains eligible during their time at Central Piedmont and successfully submits the application to Johnson C. Smith University will receive an $8,000 annual scholarship and other financial aid to attend JCSU. To be eligible, students need to enroll in a full-time course load, maintain a 3.0 grade point average, and complete an eligible program of study at Central Piedmont in the semester immediately preceding their desired entry term at JCSU.
Central Piedmont will launch the program this August at the start of the fall 2021 semester. The first cohort of students will transfer to JCSU in fall 2023. Programs in addition to psychology are expected to be added in the near future.
Central Piedmont Community College enrolls nearly 19,000 students, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 27 percent of the student body.
