Mayland Foundation Impact Dashboard

Mayland Foundation

Impact in Action

See how Mayland students are learning, succeeding, and building brighter futures—and how community support helps make it possible.

IMPACT DASHBOARD

Stories Worth Sharing

Flash Facts

Small facts with a big story—each one highlights the excellence, generosity, innovation, and community spirit found at Mayland.

National Excellence

Engineering students won 1st place in the state at SkillsUSA and placed 4th nationally—and they’re pursuing a patent for their cooling-plate invention.

Career Ready

MCC’s culinary program produced its first graduate, Noah, who was immediately hired by Escoala Resort.

Serving Our Region

The EMS class achieved a 100% pass rate. Every graduate is now serving as a first responder in our community.

Students First

MCC provided more than $16,000 in emergency support to 52 students—covering rent, utilities, car repairs, and tuition debt so they could remain enrolled.

Mayland’s Story

PBS North Carolina filmed on campus this spring. The feature is scheduled to air in September 2026.

Community Destination

Earth to Sky Park hosted more than 500 people during National Dark Sky Week on the square in Burnsville. Visitors came from as far away as Japan.

Innovation

MCC is one of the rare community colleges in the nation with a 3D metal-printing lab.

Sustainability

Mayland is an official Bee Campus USA and is planting pollinator gardens in the courtyard this August.

Unique Assets

MCC owns and operates a hotel, a Dark Sky Observatory, and an internationally certified dark-sky park.

Faculty Excellence

Faculty member Elizabeth Dellinger went from Mayland student to AI Innovation Award winner—and she returned to teach.

Foundation Event

The DREAM Home Tour in October features five homes in the Mountain Air community—and all proceeds benefit MCC.

Access and Opportunity

MCC serves some of North Carolina’s most economically challenged counties, and 80% of students need financial assistance.

Explore and Share

Key Links

Learn more about Mayland, share our story, and help create opportunities for students.

01 · CollegeMCC Website →Visit Mayland Community College

02 · FoundationFoundation Page →See how generosity changes lives

03 · Airing Friday, November 13th - 7:30pmPBS NC FeatureLink coming November 2026

04 · ExploreEarth to Sky Park →Explore Mayland’s dark-sky destination

05 · EventDREAM Home Tour →View the Foundation’s signature event

06 · Make an ImpactDonate to Mayland →Create opportunities for students

Connect & Share

Help Us Share the Mayland Story

As a Foundation Board member, you are an important ambassador for Mayland in our community. Follow Mayland Community College on Facebook to stay connected to college news, student successes, programs, and stories of impact.

Follow. Engage. Share. Help us tell the Mayland story.

Dream Day Speaker Announcement

Mayland Alumna

GED 1984 · Associate Degree 1986

A Mayland Story Comes Full Circle

Greta Byrd

Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations
Mars Hill University

From earning her GED and associate degree at Mayland to leading advancement at Mars Hill University, Greta Byrd’s journey reflects the life-changing power of education, opportunity, and relationships.

1984

Earned her GED at Mayland

1986

Earned her associate degree

1988

Graduated summa cum laude

30+

Years of leadership experience

Her Mayland Journey

An Educational Foundation That Changed a Life

Greta’s educational journey began at Mayland Community College, where she earned her GED in 1984 and an associate degree in 1986. She later transferred to Mars Hill University, graduating summa cum laude in 1988, and went on to earn an MBA.

She credits Mayland with giving her the confidence, opportunity, and educational foundation that changed the direction of her life and shaped her belief in the transformative power of education.

Leadership with Purpose

Mission-Driven and Relationship-Centered

Greta brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across higher education, behavioral health, services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, affordable housing, and nonprofit management.

Her approach to advancement centers on authentic relationships and connecting the passions of donors and alumni with opportunities that make a meaningful difference for students and communities.

Service to Western North Carolina

Greta currently serves on the boards of Mountain Housing Opportunities, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, and The Arc of Buncombe County.

Mayland gave Greta the confidence, opportunity, and educational foundation that changed the direction of her life.

The Numbers Behind the Mission

Foundation Impact at a Glance

344

Students Supported

Unduplicated across reported aid categories

305

Pell Grant Recipients

Helping make college attainable

Foundation Scholarships

Students receiving Foundation awards

878

Program Enrollments

Spring 2026 across 24 program areas

Opening Doors

Supporting Student Success

Financial assistance removes barriers and gives students the opportunity to learn, persist, and reach their goals.

Students Receiving Assistance

2025–2026 recipients by category. Categories may overlap.

Pell Grants305

Foundation Scholarships51

Pass-Through Assistance42

Mayland Promise1

Combined Reach

344

individual students received support.

This unduplicated total counts each student once, even when the student received more than one form of assistance.

Academic Reach

Spring 2026 Program Enrollment

Mayland serves learners across university-transfer pathways, health sciences, skilled trades, technology, public safety, and workforce programs.

Source: North Carolina Community College System. Program enrollment is not an unduplicated headcount because a student may be associated with more than one program.

249CCP College Transfer Pathway

118Associate in Arts

91Business Administration

64Welding Technology

Explore the NCCCS Dashboard →

Excellence in Action

Mayland Highlights & Momentum

National recognition, exceptional pass rates, new programs, campus growth, and community partnerships are moving Mayland forward.

100%

EMS Pass Rate

97.4%

Nursing NCLEX RN Pass Rate

100%

Practical Nursing Pass Rate

100%

Phlebotomy Pass Rate

5

New Academic Programs

1st & 4th

SkillsUSA State & National Finishes

Academic Excellence

Engineering students placed 1st in the state and 4th nationally at SkillsUSA.
Nursing achieved a 97.4% NCLEX pass rate, while Practical Nursing achieved a 100% pass rate.
EMS and Phlebotomy each achieved 100% pass rates.
The College completed its Compliance Review with no errors.
Elizabeth Dellinger, Business Administration Program Coordinator, won the A.I. Innovator in Education Award hosted at UNCA.

Growth & Innovation

New Academic Programs

Culinary Arts

Dental Assisting

Fire Science

Cybersecurity

Medical Laboratory Technology

Also Underway

Apprenticeship

E-Sports

Campus Transformation

Culinary Arts project moved into the construction phase at Three Peaks Enrichment Center.
Hotel renovation entered its final construction phase.
A new library study room was added using grant funding.
ESP Children Discovery Center is underway.
Quartz Corp is providing rock to support campus beautification efforts.
Courtyard beautification efforts are complete, including the addition of flower baskets along the railings to enhance the space.

Community Impact

All three counties approved a 5% increase in funding for the college.
The Freedom Life Ministries reentry education initiative continued to advance, expanding opportunities to support individuals transitioning back into the community.
Appalachia Service Project (ASP) was housed on campus to support ongoing recovery efforts throughout the region from Hurricane Helene.
PBS visited Mayland to film a story highlighting MEC’s work and impact in the community, with the segment expected to air in September 2026.
A partnership with the Mountain Air community is underway for the Dream Home Tour, scheduled for October 2026.
A craft fair featuring Foundation Board members was held in early August, supporting community engagement and Foundation efforts.

The Story in Pictures

Moments That Move Mayland Forward

A glimpse at the people, partnerships, achievements, and shared work bringing Mayland’s mission to life.

Community Connection

Celebrating Craft & Community

Pictured from left to right: Nathan Beckham, MCC Foundation Accountant and Administrative Assistant; MCC President Dr. Aron Gabriel; and Dr. Thuc Moore, MCC Foundation Board Member, at the community craft event.

Faculty Excellence

AI Innovation Recognized

Faculty member Elizabeth Dellinger receives the AI Innovator in Education Award for leadership and innovation in teaching.

Campus Pride

Beautification in Action

The Mayland team celebrates courtyard beautification efforts that created a more welcoming and vibrant campus environment.

Earth to Sky Park

Friends of the Park

The Earth to Sky Park continues to welcome visitors, school groups, and supporters from across the region and beyond.

20

Friends of the Park

≈5,000

Total Visitors Since April 2026

5

Field Trips Since April 2026

265

Field Trip Attendees

Visitor and field trip totals reflect activity from April 2026 to the present.

Children Discovery Center

Projects Taking Shape

Strategic projects and improvements are creating more welcoming and innovative places to learn and connect.

Three Peaks Culinary Arts Center

Starting Construction on Culinary Arts The Culinary Arts Center is the active construction project at Three Peaks.

Estimated completion: Spring 2027Additional milestones will be shared as the project advances.

Campus Improvements

Main buildings pressure-washed and handrails painted
Campus window cleaning scheduled before fall semester
FEMA funding is being used to repair concrete damage across campus resulting from Hurricane Helene.
Avery Learning Center insulation replacement funding requested

Dashboard in Progress

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