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Durham Tech projects approved for 2022 bond referendum for new healthcare and life sciences buildings
The Durham County Board of Commissioners approved a 2022-23 fiscal year budget Monday night that provides scholarship support for Durham Tech students entering a robust labor market and reinforces the College’s plans to build strong life sciences career pathways to local industries.
The budget provides $9,743,434 for Durham Technical Community College, an increase of $789,268 allotted since last year’s budget cycle.
The budget also includes a three-year commitment to extended the College’s new 911 Academy, which trains needed emergency telecommunicators for the region’s 911 centers.
In a statement Monday night, Durham Tech President J.B. Buxton lauded the Board and County Manager Kimberly Sowell for their support and commitment to Durham Tech and education opportunities for the community.
"I want to thank the Durham County Commissioners and the County Manager and her staff for their work on the 2022–23 budget and the 2022 Bond Referendum. This is what public leadership looks like. The commissioners' investments provide needed scholarships and pathways to jobs for Durham residents, economic development support for this community, and a pipeline of diverse talent for the region's employers," Buxton said.
The Durham County Board of Commissioners approved a 2022-23 fiscal year budget Monday night that provides scholarship support for Durham Tech students entering a robust labor market and reinforces the College’s plans to build strong life sciences career pathways to local industries.
The budget provides $9,743,434 for Durham Technical Community College, an increase of $789,268 allotted since last year’s budget cycle.
The budget also includes a three-year commitment to extended the College’s new 911 Academy, which trains needed emergency telecommunicators for the region’s 911 centers.
In a statement Monday night, Durham Tech President J.B. Buxton lauded the Board and County Manager Kimberly Sowell for their support and commitment to Durham Tech and education opportunities for the community.
"I want to thank the Durham County Commissioners and the County Manager and her staff for their work on the 2022–23 budget and the 2022 Bond Referendum. This is what public leadership looks like. The commissioners' investments provide needed scholarships and pathways to jobs for Durham residents, economic development support for this community, and a pipeline of diverse talent for the region's employers," Buxton said.
Tiffany Skouby’s leadership journey began in a psychology class at Durham Tech’s Orange County Campus in 2010.
The instructor broke students up into test groups for a project and Skouby’s group were all members of the LGBTQ+ community. The students grew close as they discussed challenges they faced every day.
“Our group didn’t feel represented. We had a voice and we wanted to be heard,” Skouby said. “Durham Tech heard us loud and clear. From that group, an organization grew.”
The instructor broke students up into test groups for a project and Skouby’s group were all members of the LGBTQ+ community. The students grew close as they discussed challenges they faced every day.
“Our group didn’t feel represented. We had a voice and we wanted to be heard,” Skouby said. “Durham Tech heard us loud and clear. From that group, an organization grew.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down college enrollment around the country, Cosmetic Arts programs at Durham Tech flourished – growing more than 300% since 2019.
Maria Steele, Director of Cosmetics Arts at Durham Tech, said it was likely due to a growing interest in entrepreneurship after so many people lost their jobs.
“COVID affected so many large businesses, that people wanted to start working for themselves, and becoming a cosmetologist allows them to specialize in multiple areas and become entrepreneurs,” she said. “You will always be able to make money in this industry because cosmetologists can do anything. You will never be stagnant. You can always reinvent yourself. It's such a versatile field, you can be an independent contractor at different salons and do everything.”
Steele is the driving force behind all Cosmetic Arts programs at the College, including cosmetology, esthetics, and manicuring – an industry that has remained resilient through both a recession and pandemic.
Maria Steele, Director of Cosmetics Arts at Durham Tech, said it was likely due to a growing interest in entrepreneurship after so many people lost their jobs.
“COVID affected so many large businesses, that people wanted to start working for themselves, and becoming a cosmetologist allows them to specialize in multiple areas and become entrepreneurs,” she said. “You will always be able to make money in this industry because cosmetologists can do anything. You will never be stagnant. You can always reinvent yourself. It's such a versatile field, you can be an independent contractor at different salons and do everything.”
Steele is the driving force behind all Cosmetic Arts programs at the College, including cosmetology, esthetics, and manicuring – an industry that has remained resilient through both a recession and pandemic.
Recently, our community lost an important figure in Durham Tech’s history – and key contributor to improving opportunity and life outcomes for people across the region. On Feb. 20, 2025, former Durham Tech Board of Trustees member James I. Bolden passed away at the age of 100.
The N.C. State Historical Records Advisory Board has selected Durham Technical Community College Library as a 2022 participant in the Traveling Archivist Program (TAP). A team of archivists from the State Archives and partner institutions will serve six organizations this year with virtual consultations, on-site training, and supplies to improve preservation and access for document, photograph, and/ or film collections. TAP’s purpose is to help repositories improve preservation and access for
Women's History Month was enshrined in law as an annual, month-long celebration on March 12, 1987, noting that "despite these contributions [by women], the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued in the body of American history." Who reading this can say they've done their studies and can score an A+ on NCpedia's Quiz of North Carolina Women's History? I like to brush up on my knowledge with their excellent Women's History materials. This year, however
Need to find journal articles or ebooks in the arts? What about literature or the sciences? Look no further than JSTOR! JSTOR is a digital library including thousands of academic journals, books, and primary source documents in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and math. You can search using keywords in their search box, like this search on “Alice Walker”… or you can browse content by subject area, by title, or by publisher. JSTOR contains more than 85,000 ebooks from academic publishers
It's been an unconventional [see: literary term-- understatement] few months. May is always Mental Health Month, but due to the stresses and uncertainties a lot of us are facing, it seems particularly important this year. There are lots of ways to attend to your own mental health needs and for many, meditation and yoga or other mindfulness practices may be beneficial. Check out some of the free (or temporarily free) apps that you can use to practice these skills. Note: Some of these apps offer
The World Federation for Mental Health established October 10 as World Mental Health Day to raise awareness and support of mental health and reduce stigma. This year’s theme is “Mental Health in an Unequal World.” Mental health and well-being are central to the way we live, work, study, connect with others, and contribute to our communities. It’s especially important to address and uplift mental health during these unpredictable and overwhelming times that continually expose and enact the
Library staff were so pleased to see Altarius Moody in The New York Times boosting Durham Tech's Culinary Arts Program. To celebrate Durham Tech's appearance in national culinary news, this week we've highlighted a few of our excellent new recipe books available for checkout. (Psst, did you know we have a terrific research guide for Culinary Arts if you need to brush up on some cooking techniques? It has videos, the history of specific ingredients, and other culinary resources!) Don't forget to