Forsyth Tech touts Aspen Prize Top‑10 finish, new campus clinic and community pilots

Dr. Paula Dibley, speaking for Forsyth Tech, told the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on July 6 that the college is one of 10 finalists nationwide for the Aspen Prize, a competition that could bring $1,000,000 to the school if it wins. “We are thrilled to be named, one of the top 10 finalists for the Aspen Prize,” Dibley said.

Dibley said Forsyth Tech had more than 1,600 graduates this year and nearly 10,000 students in the spring term — enrollment the college described as roughly an 11% increase over the prior spring. She highlighted the college’s course success measures, saying overall course success this spring was about 77.7% (A, B or C) and that many in‑person technical cohorts are achieving roughly 93% success.

Why it matters: The Aspen recognition raises Forsyth Tech’s national profile and could deliver funds the college plans to use for student success and program expansion. County commissioners asked how the Aspen evaluators would validate outcomes during campus visits in September; Dibley said the Aspen team will review labor‑market outcomes and speak with students during an on‑campus visit.

Dibley described program and partnership developments that the college says will support retention and workforce entry. For fall, Forsyth Tech will open a campus clinic in partnership with Novant Health offering in‑person visits and telehealth to students. “By virtue of being a student at Forsyth Tech, they will have access to health care on campus and via telehealth,” Dibley said; she added that the service will be supported by a small student fee so enrolled students can be seen without presenting insurance details.

The college also plans a community‑to‑career collaborative in the Easton neighborhood on the county’s South Side. Dibley said the pilot this fall will serve an initial cohort of roughly 20–30 participants, using a mobile unit initially stationed near the elementary school to deliver cohort‑based workforce credentialing and pre‑apprenticeship exposure. “We are looking at how we can support in the Easton neighborhood,” she told commissioners.

Dibley outlined capital and budget matters that will affect planned facilities. She said the Northwest Forsyth Center received $650,000 a year in multi‑campus funding to support operations and that the college continues to seek grants for a regional first‑responder training facility. At the same time, she reported a remaining shortfall of about $6 million to complete the college’s learning commons project and said one‑time state funds the college sought were not approved in the recent budget; the college is exploring other options to close that gap.

What commissioners asked: Board members pressed for details about provider credentialing at the clinic (Dibley said the clinic will be staffed by a nurse practitioner as the advanced provider and include lower‑level clinical staff on site), the precise mix of online versus in‑person offerings (Dibley explained the state’s hybrid/blended distinction hinges on a 50% in‑person threshold), and the mobile unit locations and equipment (Dibley said the mobile unit will be adjacent to Easton Elementary and that a Siemens‑funded mobile classroom for electrical training is being upfitted for outreach).

Next steps: The college’s Aspen Prize site visit is scheduled for September 1–2, and the national award will be announced next April. The briefing did not include a board vote; commissioners offered congratulations and said they will support Forsyth Tech’s outreach and funding efforts.