Beaufort County Community College welcomes students back for 2022 fall semester

BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - An Eastern Carolina community college welcomed students back to campus for the 2022 fall semester Tuesday.

Staff members spent Tuesday passing out campus maps and treats to freshmen and returning students on Beaufort County Community College’s campus.

It was a day that many students, including Student Government Association President Jaques Williams, have longed for.

“Just think about the fact that towards the beginning of the semester, you didn’t know anybody. But towards the end, you get to meet so many new people with different personalities,” Williams said.

BCCC recently opened a centralized advising center. Its purpose is to help guide new students during their transition to college.

Centralized Advising Center Director Laurie Evans says it’s a welcome addition to the increased number of new students, motivated by the Beaufort Promise, a program that covers students’ tuition and fees.

“When we think about the advising center, most of those students that we’re bringing in with the Beaufort Promise, those are brand new students,” Evans said. “Those are the students that fall into the 16 or fewer credit hours, so it’s really focusing on our brand new students that are the most vulnerable.”

School officials say the Beaufort Promise has helped the college increase its population by a third. They expect to pass pre-pandemic levels for the second year in a row.

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