Niche: CCCC ranked best community college in N.C.

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Chatham's community college has been ranked No. 1 in North Carolina community colleges by the education ranking website Niche.com.

Central Carolina Community College was listed this week as the top community college in North Carolina among the 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College system. CCCC has campuses in Chatham, Lee and Harnett counties and saw enrollment by Chatham residents rise by 16 percent this fall from the previous year.

In a press release, college president Lisa Chapman said she appreciated the "recognition" of the college staff's "good work."

"CCCC understands our responsibility in helping our students successfully navigate our systems so they can effectively and efficiently achieve their career goals,” said Dr. Chapman. “I am honored to work everyday with a great team that consistently strives to improve how we serve our students and our communities."

Brian Merritt, CCCC's vice president of learning & workforce development and chief academic officer, added that the college is "truly a special place."

"Central Carolina is a world class leader in community college education," Merritt said. "Our faculty and staff truly care about the success of our students, and our strong focus on improving student learning helps strengthen our local workforce. "

The college's press release said Niche's rankings "provide a real-life view of what it’s like to attend a specific school" by combining U.S. Department of Education data,  reviews from current students, alumni, and parents  and "a multifaceted analysis of factors for all aspects of college life, including academics, campus, professors, and value for the financial investment."

“Navigating the college admissions process is daunting for both students and their families,” said Luke Skurman, CEO at Niche. “I started Niche because of my own challenges deciding on the best place for me because other sources available don’t really help most families and students understand the rich and complex landscape of higher education. Our goal with our 2020 College Rankings is to cut through the confusion of the process, and serve as the ultimate guide to help students discover what campus life is really like.”