November 13, 2008
For Immediate Release

RCCC Moves Forward with Biotechnology Programs

          SALISBURY, N.C. — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has received final approval to offer two associate-degree programs in biotechnology starting with its 2009 fall semester. RCCC has designed both programs to prepare students for many of the technical and research positions being created by the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis.

           RCCC has gained approval from the North Carolina Community College System and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer an associate-degree program in biotechnology and an associated degree program in agricultural biotechnology. Both programs will open in August 2009 and take at least two years to complete.

           The AAS program in biotechnology will prepare students for jobs in biotechnology research and development. Program graduates can pursue employment as lab technicians, research assistants and quality control associates. The associate degree will enable graduates to work with different types of employers, including small testing labs, large manufacturers, government laboratories and research universities.

           The AAS program in agricultural biotechnology will help meet an increasing demand for skilled laboratory technicians in various fields of biological, chemical and agricultural technology. The program will prepare graduates to serve as research assistants to biologists and chemists, laboratory and instrumentation technicians, and quality control/quality assurance technicians. Graduates will pursue positions with various industry, university and government employers, including jobs in research and development, manufacturing, sales, customer service, and the production of bioengineered crops.

           RCCC also is working with Gaston College to develop a certificate program to quickly train persons with a science or laboratory background for work as clinical research technicians or assistants.

           In addition, the college is recruiting faculty members for its biotechnology department, conducting broad searches for a dean of biotechnology, science and mathematics and an agricultural biotechnology program head.

           A study commissioned by the City of Kannapolis projects the NCRC will create more than 5,500 biotechnology jobs by 2013 and approximately 14,000 by 2032.

           "The universities and other employers with operations on the research campus will look to RCCC to provide the training programs needed to meet many of their workforce demands," said Carol Spalding, Ed.D., RCCC president. "RCCC also will serve as a bridge to the research campus for local residents. We are excited about the new biotechnology programs and look forward to preparing Rowan and Cabarrus County residents for careers at the campus."

           For more information about biotechnology programs at RCCC, contact the college's biotechnology department at 704-216-7200, or visit the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu/biotechnology.

           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.