Jim Morton, President, Cape Fear Community College (CFCC)

In an interview with Invest:, Jim Morton, president of Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), discussed enrollment growth, workforce alignment, and plans to expand programs and facilities. “Leadership drives culture. But culture is what drives momentum and growth,” Morton said.

How is regional growth shaping Cape Fear Community College’s strategy?

Southeastern North Carolina has been growing extremely fast in recent years. Our service area is New Hanover and Pender counties, but we serve a lot of the region. We spend a lot of time working with business and industry, trying to get ahead of what is coming and what their needs are so we can match training and education with workforce needs.

Healthcare is one example. The demographics of southeastern North Carolina have been changing, with retirees moving here as well as growth from new businesses and industry. We started looking at the nursing shortage around 2019-20 because it had already been a problem for many years. We acquired another building and more than doubled our nursing program, doubled our practical nursing program, and increased capacity in dental programs.

How are you responding to employers’ workforce needs while supporting enrollment growth?

I believe wholeheartedly in listening to employers and business and industry. One of the wonderful things about the community college system and Cape Fear is that we can quickly establish a curriculum that matches workforce needs. When there was a shortage of surveyors, for example, we quickly established a program, which led to a heavy equipment program that was also sorely needed.

Our enrollment growth has been tremendous. We also changed some enrollment practices so continuing education and career and technical education students are processed similarly to university transfer students.

Last summer, while the average growth among the state’s 58 community colleges was around 11%, Cape Fear grew 22% in enrollment hours. In fall 2025, the state average was about 6%, and we grew 16%. In the spring, the state averaged about 5%, and we grew 20%. For the full year, the state average was around 6%, while we grew 18%.

That growth creates challenges with staffing and enrollment, but we have been able to increase salaries to help recruitment. We are also focused on eliminating barriers for students. We started a free drop-in childcare center where students can leave their children while they attend class. We provide other support through scholarships and wraparound services.

What skills are employers seeking, and how is technology changing workforce preparation?

Employers value students who are well prepared and can hit the ground running. That is one of the strengths of community colleges. We try to keep students engaged in hands-on work so that when they go to an employer, they are ready to work. I often hear that about our nursing students.

The challenge is keeping up with the technology that business and industry are using. Because our enrollment has increased, we have been fortunate financially to invest in technology.

Artificial intelligence is important. I do not see AI replacing employees. I think it enhances employees’ capabilities and helps them become quicker and more efficient. It is not foolproof, so people still have to review what AI generates. There are challenges when students rely on AI, but we have to teach them how to use it because it is not going away. Employers will expect them to know how to use it.

How are you adapting programs to meet demand for shorter and more flexible credentials?

You can have a two-year program and wonder why students are not completing it. Many times, students want enough of a skill set to get a job. After the first year, they get employment and do not complete the full program. We have responded by incorporating certificates, diplomas, and shorter, stackable credentials.

Our film and video program is a good example. Film production has been in Wilmington since the mid-1980s, and we have had our program for about 25 years. We are moving from roughly 2,500 square feet into about 7,200 square feet at a full-scale production lot. That will allow us to build more continuing education classes around specific skills such as lighting or rigging, rather than requiring everyone to complete a full two-year program.

It is important to give students a certificate or another short-term credential they can carry with them that verifies they know how to perform a particular skill set.

How have you strengthened faculty and staff recruitment and retention?

Salary has been an important part of that. When I first started here, there were compression issues that I wanted to address. According to recent numbers from the system office, in 2018-19 our staff salaries ranked 46th among the 58 community colleges. We are now ranked 16th. On the faculty side, we went from 25th to seventh.

Making those commitments and investing in our team is paying off in recruitment. Four or five years ago, we struggled more with recruitment and retention. We are in a much better position now, although career and technical education can still be difficult because industries such as nuclear technology and the trades can pay well.

Leadership drives culture. But culture is what drives momentum and growth. We have spent many years investing in leadership and developing the culture. Now that culture is driving our momentum because people want to be here. They want to understand what we are doing for this region.

Last year, we served 23,900 students, and this year we moved to more than 27,000. That is an increase of more than 3,400 students in one year.

What are Cape Fear Community College’s priorities over the next few years?

My outlook is positive. Even though we have grown tremendously, I think our potential is still huge. We have facility, staffing, equipment, and other challenges, so we have to look at each program and determine what is limiting its growth. In healthcare, for example, the barrier might be finding enough clinical placements.

We are assessing career and technical education, healthcare, and continuing education programs. We want to make sure we are providing the right training and determine how to expand when there is demand we are not meeting. University transfer also remains a vital part of our mission.

We are developing a long-range plan that evaluates historical data and growth and looks at what facilities we will need and what areas may need renovation. We hope to finalize that plan later this fall and use it as a guide for pursuing resources.

Cape Fear is not going to get smaller. We are going to continue to grow, and we already have pent-up demand in areas such as cosmetology and public safety. Facilities are a constraint, so we need to plan five and 10 years ahead because resources such as bonds and grants have long lead times. We are also looking at evening and weekend classes as other ways to grow.

What other opportunities are particularly important for the college?

We have some unique programs, including our marine technology division. We received legislative funding for a new research vessel that is being built in Louisiana, and we hope to receive it in late fall. Our current ship is well over 40 years old and operationally challenging.

We are also focused on helping students beyond their education. Through career services, we provide workshops on interviewing, making eye contact, holding conversations, and building resumes. At the end of the day, we want our students to get employed, and not just in any employment. We try to target higher-paying positions and careers because the cost of living in southeastern North Carolina has gone up tremendously.

I look at these challenges as opportunities. It has been a privilege to seek out those opportunities and find the resources to support the college as it continues to grow. We are in a positive position and excited about the future.