A new era for North Carolina’s community college system begins with the selection of Dr. Monty Sullivan as the next president, bringing two decades of system leadership from Louisiana, where he previously ran the state’s colleges for 12 years.

Under Sullivan’s leadership in Louisiana, the system nearly doubled graduates between 2014 and 2025, tripled assets, and secured over $500 million in state funding for workforce facilities.

He highlights the Foster Promise program in Louisiana as a notable achievement and points to navigating budget challenges there as valuable experience.

Industry leaders, including Christopher Chung and Wake Tech President Scott Ralls, praise the selection, underscoring the system’s importance to North Carolina’s workforce and economic momentum.

Sullivan frames the community college mission as nonpartisan open access focused on lifting people and expanding economic opportunity for all, regardless of ZIP code.

The presidential search was conducted with broad input and yielded unanimous recommendations from both the Presidential Search Committee and the Search Advisory Council before the July 17 board vote.

North Carolina’s system, spanning 58 campuses, serves about 600,000 students and awards more than 60,000 diplomas and certificates annually.

Sullivan emphasizes delivering a high-quality student experience across North Carolina and treats alignment with workforce needs as a moving target that requires ongoing adjustment.

He champions maintaining program quality while continuously aligning curricula with evolving workforce demands through initiatives like Propel NC.

The NC system has enacted a funding overhaul to reward programs with higher workforce demand and expand workforce development partnerships.

Propel NC, a workforce-aligned funding model, is being implemented with $57.5 million in recurring state funds as part of broader funding reforms.

Sullivan’s return to higher education work is framed around personal reasons, including health considerations and his father’s passing, fueling renewed commitment.