March 25, 2026

The state’s highest honor for a community college president recognizes the leader who doubled Forsyth Tech’s graduation rate and nearly erased its equity gap in six years. 

 The North Carolina Community College System has named Dr. Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Technical Community College, the 2026 President of the Year. The award is the highest honor given to a community college president in the state, recognizing exceptional leadership and meaningful contributions to both an institution and the broader 58-college system. President Spriggs will be honored at the NC Community Colleges Awards Dinner and Celebration on April 15 at The Angus Barn Pavilion in Raleigh. 

When Spriggs took office on Jan. 1, 2019, Forsyth Tech’s three-year graduation rate was 19% overall and just 6% for Black students and 12% for Hispanic students. Today, the college’s graduation rate stands at 45%, and the rate for underrepresented minority students stands at 45% as well. The gap that once separated those numbers no longer exists. It is one of the most dramatic completion turnarounds in North Carolina community college history. 

That transformation was not an accident. Under Spriggs’ leadership, Forsyth Tech built and expanded programs designed to remove barriers at every stage of the student journey. The Learn and Earn Apprenticeship Program puts students into paid apprenticeships while they earn credentials. College Lift begins building postsecondary pathways in the sixth grade. The first class of College Lift students graduated high school in 2024, and every single one enrolled in college. Forsyth Tech Cares wraps students in emergency aid, food support, mental health counseling, and care navigation so that what happens outside the classroom does not determine what happens inside it. 

“This is what happens when a college focuses collectively on economic mobility and workforce development, putting students first on purpose,” said President Spriggs. “We simplified academic pathways, strengthened advising, and removed real-life barriers, so more students can complete and step into quality jobs. Our communities win when students win.” 

Enrollment has grown to a 12-year high. The college’s 2025 commencement was the largest in its history, with students ages 16 to 74 crossing the stage. In October 2025, Forsyth Tech and Reynolds American launched the Future-Ready Workforce Alliance, a regional initiative bringing together education, business, and community partners to close the skilled worker shortage in Forsyth and Stokes counties. The college generates more than $400 million in annual economic impact for the region. 

The recognition builds on a string of national honors Forsyth Tech has earned under Spriggs’ leadership, including the 2025 Bellwether Award for College Lift, designation as an Achieving the Dream Leader College of Distinction, and the ACCT Southern Region CEO of the Year Award. The college serves more than 21,000 students annually across more than 200 programs of study.