Forsyth Technical Community College is exploring the possibility of starting an athletics program as a potential way to boost a sense of belonging for students.
Forsyth Tech already offers intramural sports. Now school officials are considering an intercollegiate program where the Trailblazers would be part of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Some local schools are already competing at that level, including the Guilford Technical Community College Titans and the Davidson-Davie Community College Storm.
Paula Dibley is Forsyth Tech’s Chief Officer of Student Success and Strategic Innovation. She says adding intercollegiate sports could have benefits both for athletes and the overall community.
“We talk a lot at Forsyth Tech about becoming a place of promise for our students," she says. "And we think exploring more fully whether or not athletics is a part of that is overdue at this point.”
Dibley says a decision on which sports to offer has not been made. The community college has facilities at its west campus that include a gym and some athletic fields. E-sports are also a possibility.
“For as long as I have been the president at Forsyth Tech, I have had students, faculty and staff come to me and mention their desire and passion for athletic programming,” Forsyth Tech President Dr. Janet N. Spriggs said in a release about the decision. “We are now ready to fully explore if we can add athletics to the list of trailblazing student life and engagement activities that we provide.”
Forsyth Tech has about 21,000 students.