Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) provides education and workforce training to Cumberland County residents. In 2004, FTCC opened a campus in the town of Spring Lake to better serve the growing educational needs of the Spring Lake area and Fort Bragg. The warm and inviting atmosphere of the Spring Lake Campus leads to a calm environment, which allows the students to relax and learn in a peaceful setting.

Located adjacent to Fort Bragg and Pope Army Air Field, the campus has a significant enrollment of military dependents, veterans and active military personnel. The Spring Lake Campus serves approximately 4,000 students each year, about 35 percent of whom are military dependents, active duty military, reservists or veterans.

The Spring Lake Campus continues to grow in its role as a strong community partner and good neighbor in the greater Spring Lake and Fort Bragg area by offering a number of pro-grams, hosting community events and expanding its program offerings to address emerging needs. The campus offers a num-ber of curriculum and continuing education programs including Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Registered Medical Assistant (RMA), phle-botomy certification online courses, adult basic education and GED, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and various college-transfer opportunities. Plans are underway to expand its program offerings by adding a social-media program and Homeland Security/Emergency Management and Defense Analysis and Global Securities Studies Programs.

Some of the resources that are available at the campus include an “I Persist, I Achieve, I Study, I Succeed” (I-PASS) Center, Spring Lake Campus Library Resource Center (located inside the Spring Lake Branch of the Cumberland County Public Library) and a physical fitness center. Plans are underway to add a walking/jogging trail and an athletic field for classes in flag football, volleyball, jog-ging and walking.

Since its opening in 2004, the Spring Lake Campus has seen dramatic changes in the surrounding community. A new apartment complex, Village by the Lake, has been constructed directly across the street from campus. A number of new busi-nesses have set up shop in the town of Spring Lake as it is evolving into a regional commercial hub that serves northwestern Cumberland County and southwestern Harnett County. In the past few years, the town’s commercial development has soared into the millions of dollars, thereby creating hundreds of jobs and increas-ing the town’s tax base. To help develop a vision for the town’s future growth and development, the Spring Lake Campus served as the site for first “Spring Lake Community Summit.” The theme of the summit was “Connect, Create, and Collaborate.” The town leaders invited representatives from various national, state, county and local government offices, as well as leaders from FTCC and Fort Bragg, to serve as panelists.

FTCC recognizes that it must take a collaborative approach with the school system and the community to ensure that stu-dents are prepared for post-secondary education. To that end, the Spring Lake Campus sponsors the children of Koala Day Care Center, located just behind the campus, for Harvest Fest/Halloween and Christmas events. For Harvest Fest/Halloween, the children are treated with a story time presented by the staff as well as bags of treats with candy and FTCC information. At Christmas, a special visit from Santa is enjoyed by all who attend.

The campus is also developing the Spring Lake Campus Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Summer Academy in col-laboration with Fayetteville area schools, military groups and the non-profit organi-zation, Project L.I.F.T (Lift Initiative for Teens). The STEM Summer Academy is a five-week program that provides 3,000 hours of student-centered learning oppor-tunities for 30 middle and high school students in Spring Lake. Scholarships will be provided to most families to cover part of the $100 enrollment fee. Instruction will provide age- and grade-appropriate hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences. To support the program, retired veterans, educators, active-duty military and military spouses will volunteer to serve as teachers, guest speakers and mentors.

Through activities such as these, the Spring Lake Campus of Fayetteville Technical Community College is proving to be a good neighbor and community partner.