Wilkes Community College

Wilkes Community College (WCC) is a public, coeducational community college within the North Carolina Community College System. The college is located in the small town of Wilkesboro, North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Brushy Mountains. The college is probably best-known as the site of the annual MerleFest music festival.

History

Wilkes Community College was founded in October 1964 by the North Carolina Board of Education. The college's Board of Trustees first met on January 15, 1965, and classes were first held in August 1965. The student enrollment for the college's first year was 68. The college's campus originally covered 75 acres and included three buildings. The first president of WCC was Dr. Howard Thompson.

The College Today

Wilkes Community College currently has a convert|150|acre|km2|sing=on campus and 14 buildings. The student enrollment is typically around 3,500 students. The college also has campuses in nearby Ashe and Alleghany Counties. WCC is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Like most of North Carolina's community colleges, WCC has an "open-door" admissions policy, which means that any adult with a high-school diploma can be admitted. The college pledges itself to "quality education, training, and retraining for the workforce, including basic skills education, occupational, technical, and pre-baccalaureate programs." In addition to offering associate's degrees in the technical, business, and medical fields, the college also offers a university-parallel college transfer program, which provides the first two years of courses towards a bachelor's degree. Students who complete this program can transfer to a four-year college or university. The current president of Wilkes Community College is Dr. Gordon Burns; in 2006 the North Carolina Community College System presented him with its annual "President of the Year" award.

MerleFest

In 1988 legendary, Grammy-winning folk music guitarist Doc Watson and singer Bill Young started the MerleFest music festival on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Named in honor of Doc's late son Merle Watson, MerleFest has grown into the largest bluegrass and folk music festival in the United States, drawing over 85,000 music fans each year. In addition to the national publicity the festival has brought to the college, it has also become a major fundraiser for the school. As of 2006, MerleFest had raised $7,280,000 for the college.

ources and Links

* [http://www.wilkes.cc.nc.us/index.asp Wilkes Community College website]
* [http://www.merlefest.org/MerleFest_About.html The history of MerleFest]
* [http://www.therecordofwilkes.com/newsa.asp?edition_number=249&pg=F WCC celebrates its fortieth anniversary, 2004]