From left, Dwayne Campbell, dean of computer information technology at Fayetteville Technical Community College; Dr. Mark Sorrells, president of Fayetteville Technology Community College; Allen Guidry, associate provost for learner operations at ECU; Dr. Harry Ploehn, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at ECU; and Dr. Tijjani (TJ) Mohammed, chair of the ECU Department of Technology Systems, sign a bilateral agreement that provides guaranteed admission for FTCC graduates who have Associate in Applied Science degrees in technical fields to ECU on Monday, April 28, 2025, in the High Bay Lab of the Science and Technology Building at ECU. (Photo by Ken Buday)
Fayetteville Technical Community College and East Carolina University signed a bilateral agreement last week, officially guaranteeing qualified FTCC graduates admission to ECU’s Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology (BSIT) program.
The agreement, signed April 28 in Greenville, strengthens an existing partnership between ECU and FTCC, which holds dozens of articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities. FTCC joined ECU’s Pirate Promise program — an agreement that allows students to attend special events, receive advising assistance, and access other ECU resources before applying to the university — in 2020.
The BSIT agreement is especially valuable because it allows FTCC students who graduate with a qualifying Associate in Applied Science degree to transfer to an ECU program that offers most of its concentrations through online learning.
FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells voiced his appreciation of the program, which allows students to learn and work in their home communities.
“I am very partial to eastern North Carolina and the plight that individuals have to go through in being able to prepare themselves for the reality of the workplace, and there is no better place than East Carolina University in doing that and helping people stay rooted in the communities in which they were raised,” Sorrells said at last week’s signing. “That’s critically important because what we’re seeing is students leaving for college and never coming back. You’ve proven a model in your engineering, in the medical programs, in technology where they stay in eastern North Carolina.”
Dr. Harry Ploehn, dean of ECU’s College of Engineering and Technology, said the college’s online offerings have helped bolster its transfer rate from community colleges, the starting point for about 40 percent of ECU’s students.
“A student in Fayetteville coming out of high school could in principle get a job, go to Fayetteville Tech and get an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, be admitted to Pirate Promise and then pursue a four-year STEM degree in industrial technology at ECU without leaving their job, without leaving Fayetteville and without leaving their family,” he said.
ECU’s BSIT program offers seven concentrations — architecture design technology, bioprocess manufacturing, distribution and logistics, industrial management, industrial engineering technology, information and cybersecurity technology, and mechanical design technology. Five of those concentrations can be completed fully online.
East Carolina University industrial technology student Jack Culbreth, a graduate of Fayetteville Technical Community College, meets with Dr. Mark Sorrells, president of FTCC, before a bilateral agreement signing between FTCC and ECU on Monday, April 28, 2025, in the High Bay Lab of the Science and Technology Building at ECU. (Photo by Ken Buday)
FTCC alumnus Jack Culbreth obtained his AAS degree in computer information technology and cybersecurity from FTCC before transferring to ECU. He began his ECU courses on campus but later switched to online learning.
“It’s honestly been really easy the way everything was set up nice for me,” said Culbreth, who graduates from ECU this Friday. “I have no complaints at all.”
The newest agreement allows FTCC students who graduate with an AAS degree in any of five technical fields to transfer at least 53 credits toward their four-year degree, allowing them to complete their bachelor’s degree from ECU in two years.
ECU’s BSIT program received national accolades in The Transfer Playbook, produced by the Aspen Institute and Community College Research Center, for its success in helping community college transfer students obtain bachelor’s degrees at a rate 10 percentage points higher than the national average.
FTCC Dean of Computer Information Technology Dwayne Campbell praised the program’s success.
“I can tell this isn’t just lip service,” he said. “It isn’t just about the institutions and checking a box. It’s really about the students, making sure that they have a pathway to grow to whatever heights they would like to achieve. … I am really looking forward to this partnership. This is just the beginning.”
From left, Dr. Mark Sorrells, president of Fayetteville Technical Community College; Dr. Allen Guidry, associate provost of learner operations at ECU; and Dr. Harry Ploehn, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, share a laugh Monday, April 28, 2025, in the High Bay Lab of the Science and Technology Building at ECU. (Photo by Ken Buday)
From left, Dwayne Campbell, dean of computer and information technology at Fayetteville Technical Community College, Dr. Tijjani (TJ) Mohammed, chair of the Department of Technology Systems at ECU, and Dr. Harry Ploehn, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at ECU, talk on Monday, April 28, 2025, in the High Bay Lab of the Science and Technology Building at ECU. (Photo by Ken Buday)
