Behind every new clinical trial is a team of individuals trained to interview, collect data, enter data, monitor programs, and ensure everything adheres to government mandates and industry standards.
In the mid-1990's, the City of Medicine was in dire need of clinical trials professionals due to the boom in clinical research from institutions like GlaxoSmithKline, Duke Medical Center, and UNC Hospitals.
Demand for jobs skyrocketed and Durham Tech was ready to respond.
Lee Ferrell, a board member with the local chapter of the Society of Clinical Research Associates, said there were thousands of trials going on in the area and the need for comprehensive training was great. At the time, the Society was providing continuing education programs through Duke University Medical Center but could not keep up with demand.
Ferrell approached Durham Tech in 1996 with the idea of starting a two-year degree program for clinical trials, and in 1998, the program was approved.
Made possible by the bequest of the late Beulah T. Latta, the Paralegal Technology program has received a transformational gift that includes scholarships for students, a law simulation lab, and funding to upfit classroom space into a mock courtroom. This represents the single largest commitment the program has received in its history. The scholarships will enable the program to actively recruit new students and support current students. The addition of a law simulation lab and a mock courtroom elevates the program’s commitment and ability to deliver experiential learning experiences.
In the summer of 1981, then Durham Technical Institute sponsored an archaeological field school to study Somerset Place’s enslaved community and early history. It was the first archaeological project at Somerset Place to focus on uncovering Black history. Students uncovered two unknown buildings along the historic shoreline of Lake Phelps and found thousands of artifacts.
On behalf of Durham Tech, I want to congratulate Principal Renita Griffin-Jordan and her team at City of Medicine Academy and Principal Lamont Dixon and his team at the Durham School of Technology High School for being named Schools of Distinction and Schools of Excellence, respectively, by Magnet Schools of America.
In October 1981, the Small Business Institute opened its doors at Durham Technical Institute. It was established to provide entrepreneurs with the information, tools, and resources needed to develop business ideas and to become viable, profitable, and successful. In 1987, the now Small Business Center moved to the historic Venable Place Business Incubator in downtown Durham to start offering workshops, business-specific course work, and one-on-one counseling. In 2003, the Center moved to the sixth floor of the NC Mutual Life Insurance Company Building, and in 2018, the Center moved to its current location in the Chesterfield Building, also downtown.
Former Durham Tech staff member Edward Moore received an honorary associate degree in Applied Science in Business Administration from Durham Tech at the College’s May 7, 2024, Commencement ceremony.
Moore spent much of his work life at Durham Tech, and his years of service helped set precedent for future growth of the school’s footprint and student body.
“I am proud of my time at the College, and I am humbled to have been there long enough to have seen much growth and improvement. When I started in 1972, the College had two buildings — White and Collins. The growth in facilities and student body has been incredible,” Moore said. “In all my years and different appointments, I enjoyed myself immensely. I had a passion for the diversity of our student body.”
Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing—for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema.
The new Durham Tech Promise program is making college more affordable – reducing tuition by as much as half for eligible students.
The program provides up to $1,000 each year for two years to eligible students. That means eligible in-state students who take a full-time 12-hour credit course load would only have to pay about half of the tuition.
Earn a Surgical Technology AAS degree with Durham Tech. Designed to train you to assist surgical teams in the operating room. Learn more!
Computer and Information Research Scientists analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software.