Brownell timeline
– 1963: Rowan Technical Institute is located on a 102-acre campus on Klumac Road.
– 1977: Dr. Richard Brownell becomes president. The school has fewer than 2,000 students, 111 employees and a budget of under $3 million.
– 1979: The institute becomes Rowan Technical College to recognize transferable, college-level offerings.
– 1987: Rowan Technical College becomes Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, the first regional multi-campus college in the state.
– 1990: The first building on South Campus is completed, with the help of a $2.2 million bond issue.
– 2003: RCCC enrolls 49 percent of Pillowtex’s 3,984 former workers for retraining and later wins recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor for its innovative approach to workforce development.
– 2007: RCCC opens R3 in Kannapolis to help workers retrain for jobs at David Murdock’s biotechnology center. The N.C. Research Campus will include a 60,000-square-foot building for RCCC biotech job training.
– 2008: At Brownell’s retirement, RCCC has 20,000 students, nearly 2,000 employees and a budget approaching $48 million.
– Today: RCCC holds graduation ceremonies for nearly 700 students at 10:30 a.m. at Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.