Forsyth Tech touts gains from Vision 2025, launches Vision 2030 and a workforce alliance with Reynolds
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Summary
Forsyth Tech briefed county commissioners on performance gains under Vision 2025, said it has been named among 200 colleges eligible for the 2027 Aspen Prize, and outlined Vision 2030 goals — including a target of 8,000 annual credentials and a 60% completion rate — plus a new employer partnership with Reynolds American.
Forsyth Tech told Forsyth County commissioners on Dec. 1 that the community college has exceeded several targets from its Vision 2025 strategic plan and is moving to an expanded Vision 2030 agenda.
The college’s representative, identified in the transcript as Doctor Martin, said Forsyth Tech was named "one of the top 200 colleges in the country eligible for the 2027 Aspen Prize" and that staff are completing an intensive application that will be judged in April. "We are very excited about this honor," Doctor Martin said.
Martin highlighted measurable gains under Vision 2025: overall enrollment rose about 16% (noted as well above the state average), gateway-course success reached 75% and the college exceeded its completion benchmark, reporting a 43% completion rate. Martin also cited gains in underrepresented minority attainment and credentials per 100 full-time equivalent students. The presentation included recent awards (Bellwether) and the addition of athletics programing.
The college announced a new partnership, the Future Ready Workforce Alliance, naming Reynolds American as founding partner. Martin said the alliance will "build a world-class talent pool in Forsyth and Stokes Counties and beyond," co-designing curriculum with employers in health sciences, transportation, advanced manufacturing and technology.
Looking ahead with Vision 2030, the college set several targets: 8,000 annual credentials earned; a completion rate goal of 60%; an 85% fall-to-spring persistence rate; a 65% fall-to-fall retention rate; 85% of students participating in a work-based learning experience; and a goal that 75% of transfer students earn a bachelor’s degree within four years of leaving Forsyth Tech. Martin said a livable wage benchmark for the community had been set at $43,000 for staff and graduates.
Commissioners asked about the pace and stretch of the targets; one commissioner said 60% completion "sounds like a really big stretch," and Martin acknowledged that the targets are ambitious but based on momentum from the prior strategic cycle. The college left a full report with commissioners and offered to provide additional data on metrics on request.
The presentation closed with a request for continued county support for workforce partnerships and invited county participation in alliance planning. The college’s application for the Aspen Prize will be decided in April.
