June 23, 2008
For Immediate Release

RCCC Receives Grant from Altria Group

                SALISBURY, N.C. — The Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Foundation has received a $150,000 grant from Altria Group. The college will use the grant to support the operations of its R3 Center in Kannapolis.

              Altria Group's contribution is a two-year grant. RCCC has received $75,000 and will receive $75,000 in 2009. The grant will help cover the expenses of the R3 Center's outreach programs to unemployed and under-employed adults in Cabarrus and Rowan counties.

              "As Altria Group's operating company, Philip Morris USA, goes through a transition period in the region, we continue to support initiatives like this one that contribute to the economic vitality of the area and the education of its citizens," said Greg Wilson, Altria Client Services' Stakeholder Relations director.

              RCCC established the R3 Center, a career development center, in 2007 to help adult workers assess their skills, aptitudes, training and academic credentials, and future career interests to develop a plan for career growth. The center's mission is built on three Rs - a refocus on individual skills and interests, retraining and further education, and partnering with other workforce development agencies to secure career-oriented re-employment. All R3 Center services and programs are offered to clients free of charge.

              Much of the grant will offset the R3 Center's expenses of offering Work Keys® assessment and instruction, which leads to career readiness certification. Career readiness certification (CRC) is a national program that helps job applicants show proof of their basic skills to employers. The certificate is a portable credential, allowing job searchers to use it anywhere in the United States to demonstrate their competence in key foundational skills.

              "RCCC thanks Altria Group for its generosity and support of the R3 Center," said Jerry Chandler, RCCC interim president. "The R3 Center is meeting a critical need in the community as our local economy transitions from a manufacturing base to one of knowledge and technology. The Altria Group grant will help ensure the center's outreach programs continue."

              The R3 Center offers a number of workshops each month. Workshop topics have included interview techniques, resume writing, job-hunting tips, preparing for job loss, personality assessments, and career opportunities at the North Carolina Research Campus. The center is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

              The R3 Center partners with other workforce development agencies, including the Centralina Workforce Development Board, JobLink Career Centers of Cabarrus and Rowan counties, N.C. Employment Security Commission and other area community colleges.

              For more information about the R3 Center and its services and programs, call 704-216-7201, or visit the center's website at http://www.rowancabarrus.edu/r3center/.

           Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a comprehensive, community-based institution of higher learning, serving the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. RCCC offers approximately 40 programs of study in business, health and human services and engineering technologies at multiple campus locations. RCCC annually provides more than 2,000 course offerings, serving an enrollment of approximately 20,000 adult students. RCCC programs include an associate degree in arts and sciences, an associate degree in applied science, and diploma and certificate programs focusing on workforce training, continuing education and basic skills education.

           In addition, RCCC provides the education and job-training programs needed to meet many of the workforce demands of the North Carolina Research Campus, under construction in Kannapolis, N.C.

           For complete details, see the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu.