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Goodnight Scholars Program Growth Builds on Community College Partnerships

This article was originally published on news.campaign.ncsu.edu and was authored by Amy Rossi, Assistant Director of Development Communications. 

NC State University’s Goodnight Scholars Program is expanding to include a cohort of 50 transfer students from community colleges throughout North Carolina. The program currently enrolls 50 first-year students and 20 transfer students each year.

Students in both the Goodnight Scholars and Goodnight Transfer Scholars Programs will have distinct onboarding experiences, retreats, peer mentor programs and seminars designed to meet the unique needs  of each population. Certain programming and travel opportunities will continue to be shared among students in both programs.

The program aims to recruit its first class of 50 transfer students in spring 2022 for enrollment the following fall. The Goodnight Scholars Program office, which currently has four full-time staff, will also expand to better serve more students

The expansion of the Goodnight Transfer Scholars Program is the latest step in deepening the relationship between NC State and the North Carolina Community Colleges System.

This partnership includes the Community College Collaboration (C3) program, which provides a pathway to NC State for students from rural counties and low-to-moderate-income backgrounds, and the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, which equips leaders with the skills to advance equitable college access and student success.

“We look forward to working with our community college partners, undergraduate admissions, the C3 program and the Belk Center to recruit talented transfer students to STEM and STEM education disciplines,” said Allison Medlin, director of the Goodnight Scholars Program.

“The bottom line is that for any NC community college student pursuing an associate’s degree with plans to earn a bachelor’s in a STEM field or STEM education, NC State is the place to be, and we should be on the top of their list of schools to apply to.”

As part of the program, Goodnight Scholars receive four-year, full-ride scholarships and Goodnight Transfer Scholars receive three-year, full-ride scholarships. The current annual value of the scholarship is $21,000, with the opportunity to apply for grants that support scholars’ individual educational and enrichment pursuits.

The growth of the Goodnight Transfer Scholars Program aligns with NC State’s commitment to expanding educational access to North Carolina students, especially to those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Increasing opportunity is a cornerstone of NC State’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign.