October 30, 2026

Pamela Shortt was pregnant with twins when she walked into the first night of her toughest graduate course. The professor told the class that anyone who doubted they could handle the workload should drop the course. At the break, she told him she was pregnant and planned to stay. He handed her a withdrawal form. She handed it back. Months later, with newborn twins at home, she finished the course.

That moment shaped the kind of educator Shortt would become. Most significantly, it taught her never to judge someone by their circumstances, because grit is invisible from the outside. Today, as Dean of Business and Information Technology and a member of Forsyth Tech’s Executive Leadership Team, she makes a point of encouraging students rather than standing in their way. Shortt did not grow up imagining herself in this role. Her family struggled financially and she was the first in her family to go to college. Her path through higher education is a lesson in persistence. She stayed in school through tight finances, a family job loss and a high-risk pregnancy, often while working full time. Shortt draws on that experience every day to help students believe they can reach their goals.

“You never know where an opportunity will lead and it is probably not where you expect.”

Shortt’s love of technology began in a high school keyboarding class where half the students typed on typewriters and half on computers. With encouragement from her mentors, she enrolled in community college to study programming. She did not own a computer, so she stayed late in the campus lab, fixing errors on printouts with pen and paper, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Today, she works alongside Forsyth Tech’s top leaders to set priorities that affect students, faculty and staff. As dean, no two days are the same, from helping a student access course materials to finding resources for a new faculty program. Two skills guide her every day: listening and making connections.

Shortt’s path to her current role began just a month after she graduated from community college, when one of her instructors called with an offer. The college had created a technical assistant position, and it was hers. In that job she built databases to replace paper-based processes, helped launch online learning and Blackboard, and taught instructors how to use the new tools. At the same time, she began working toward a bachelor’s degree at High Point University, taking classes at night. Grants made the degree affordable, and a laptop bought with a loan from her father made the work possible. In 2003, when the college’s programming instructors retired, she was hired to teach programming. The position required a master’s degree, so she enrolled at UNCG, working during the day and taking classes at night. 

Shortt loved the community college system and chose to stay in it. About ten years ago, a colleague encouraged her to apply for a dean position at Forsyth Tech. She applied and has been at the college ever since. Ten years after earning her master’s degree, she went back to school once more, starting her doctorate in 2019. She finished in 2023 while serving as a dean, working through the COVID-19 pandemic and raising two sons in high school.

At Forsyth Tech, Shortt is especially proud of the faculty in her division. She sees investing in them as one of the most important parts of her job, because when instructors have the professional development and resources they need, they can invest in their students. That investment matters more than ever as AI reshapes education and the workplace. Higher education is not known for its speed, but Forsyth Tech is moving quickly, earning a National Science Foundation grant to lead AI education efforts, investing in new equipment, opening an AI hub for students and faculty, and launching an AI degree program this fall. Still, Shortt knows students need more than technical skills to succeed. Community colleges have moved beyond academics to support the whole person, and Forsyth Tech has stepped up with wraparound services, including mental health programs and resources, for students to build better lives for themselves and their families. 

Years after a professor handed her a withdrawal form, Shortt now helps make decisions that shape Forsyth Tech’s future and the opportunities available to thousands of students. She has made it her mission to be the opposite of that professor. She has never put limits on herself, and she encourages students to do the same. 

This blog is the first in a series that takes you beyond the titles to share the stories of Forsyth Tech’s Executive Leadership Team: where they started, what they have overcome and why they are committed to student success. Check back in the coming weeks as we introduce more members of the Executive Leadership Team.