Hailing a historic achievement, Piedmont Technical College president urges faculty and staff to ‘keep moving forward’

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) employees were informed about a noteworthy accomplishment when they gathered Thursday in preparation for the 2026 Spring semester.

PTC President Dr. Hope E. Rivers announced that last semester was marked by the highest course success rate in the college’s history. 

“That is not a small feat. That is huge. That is transformational,” she said in her opening remarks.

Rivers cited “remarkable results” related to PTC’s first full semester after a shift from 16-week classes to eight-week classes – an initiative known as the “Phoenix Fast Track” – as a key explanation for the rising course success rate.

“This was all possible because we aligned our schedule, we aligned our support, we aligned our instruction around student needs,” she said.

Rivers urged faculty and staff members to continue striving for excellence when students return next week for the spring semester.

“It's important that we keep moving forward. We cannot afford to take our foot off the gas,” she said, adding, “The work that we are doing today will have a huge impact for generations to come.”

PTC employees also received encouragement from motivational speaker Deb Petrucelli, who delivered an inspiring keynote address at the college’s “Spring Welcome Back” event.

“You are impactful,” Petrucelli said. “You do make a difference.”