Standing from Left to Right:  Steve Jacobs, Senior Vice President/Retail Market Executive; Mike Wolfe, Executive Vice President/Division Executive; Hamilton Hutto, Pageland Branch Manager; Mike Caskey, Chesterfield Branch Manager; Ray Stephens, Dillon Branch Manager; Lon Lester, Bennettsville Branch Manager; Gregory Sanderson, Cheraw Branch Manager; Damian Ashe, Cheraw Highway 9 Branch Manager; Dr. Ron Bartley, President of Northeastern Technical College; Herbert Watt, Area Commission Chairman.

January 7, 2010
First Citizens Foundation Awards NETC Grant

First Citizens and the First Citizens Foundation recently awarded a $100,000 grant to Northeastern Technical College (NETC) to support the college’s nursing program. 

A presentation was made to NETC President Dr. Ron Bartley at a special ceremony at the Cheraw campus. 

"We at First Citizens recognize the educational opportunities provided by Northeastern Technical College to citizens living in the Pee Dee area, and we are pleased to contribute at this level to the college’s very worthwhile nursing program," said Mike Wolfe, First Citizens executive vice president and division executive, during the presentation.

The grant will be used by the college to maintain basic instructional equipment and to purchase advanced equipment including hands-on clinical items, laptop computers with specialized nursing education software, and a computerized patient simulator.   

“The continued reduction in state funding combined with growth in our nursing programs has made it difficult for the college to provide our students with the training equipment desired to support a successful program,” said Dr. Ron Bartley, president of Northeastern Technical College.  “However, with this type of support from First Citizens, we will now be better prepared to provide modern instruction to our nursing students and to answer a growing need for skilled nurses in the Pee Dee region.” 

Northeastern Technical College offers a diploma program in Practical Nursing which prepares graduates to take the licensure exam to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and a Certified Nursing certificate program which prepares students for a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).  The college also recently graduated the first class of students from its Associate Degree in Nursing program which prepares graduates to take the licensure exam to become a Registered Nurse (RN). 

"Northeastern Technical College reached an historic educational milestone in offering an Associate Degree in Nursing that now allows citizens in the Pee Dee to pursue a nursing degree at a more affordable tuition rate with fewer miles to travel to class,” said Stephen S. Jacobs, a senior vice president and retail market executive for the bank.  “First Citizens is committed to promoting growth in our rural communities and saw this as an opportunity to give back to the Pee Dee where many of our customers live and work”.