Charting a Better Collegiate & Workforce Education Course - Lessons from North Carolina’s Project Kitty Hawk & Public-Private Partnerships

Oct 15, 2026

Charting a Better Collegiate & Workforce Education Course examines North Carolina’s Project Kitty Hawk and how public-private partnerships shape outcomes in adult workforce education. The policy brief details the initiative’s “Flight Path” full-service and targeted “unbundled support” model, comparing it with private online program manager approaches. It also evaluates slower growth, regulatory and institutional barriers, and the shift to a fee-for-service business model after anticipated federal rule changes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Background

Project Kitty Hawk’s model and services

Launch timeline and early participation

Business plan revisions and program impacts

Barriers and lessons for government-run online education

POLICY BRIEF Charting a Better Collegiate & Workforce Education Course: Lessons from North Carolina’s Project Kitty Hawk & Public-Private Partnerships by: Jenna A. Robinson EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This policy brief analyzes North Carolina’s experience launching Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit project of the UNC System that works with North Carolina’s public universities to “build pathways for adult learners to earn high-quality, workforce-aligned degrees and credentials from UNC System institutions.”1 Project Kitty Hawk’s services mirror those provided by private online program managers. Its “Flight Path” programs include what PKH calls full-service delivery: “Comprehensive, end-to-end support in online program design, launch, and management – built specifically for adult learners, from first click to graduation.” It also offers targeted services, which it describes as “Unbundled support in key service areas like marketing, admissions, instructional design, and student success.”2 Such services are often provided to universities via partnerships with private online program managers. So far, Project Kitty Hawk’s growth has been slower than anticipated. As offall 2025, PKH has partnered with three universities to offer 14 programs. Since its inception, it has served roughly 5,100 students through its “Re-Enrollment”and “Flight Path” programs.3 There have been other road bumps along the way as well, including both regulatory and institutional barriers. The high start-up cost and the challenges that Project Kitty Hawk has faced highlight the limitations of government-run online education initiatives and underscore the benefits of public-private partnerships. 1 University of North Carolina System. Project Kitty Hawk. Accessed November 7, 2025. [https://www.northcarolina.edu/project-kitty-hawk/](https://www.northcarolina.edu/project-kitty-hawk/) 2 Project Kitty Hawk. Project Kitty Hawk: Building Pathways for Adult Learners. Accessed November 7, 2025. [https://projectkittyhawk.com/](https://projectkittyhawk.com/) 3 University of North Carolina System. Project Kitty Hawk. Accessed November 7, 2025. [https://www.northcarolina.edu/project-kitty-hawk/](https://www.northcarolina.edu/project-kitty-hawk/) 1 Policy Brief BACKGROUND Project Kitty Hawk was established as a UNC System-affiliated nonprofit in November 2021 by the North Carolina legislature with $97 million in COVID-19 relief funding. As a state-chartered, university-affiliated project, Project Kitty Hawk has adopted a novel approach, although it shares characteristics with several other models for online education. Other approaches, outlined in a 2022 PKH update, include building an online learning arm at an existing university (e.g., Arizona State Online), creating a new online university (e.g., CalBright), acquiring an existing online university (e.g., Purdue Global), developing a centralized portal (e.g., Cal State Online), developing a shared service at the System level (e.g., Missouri Online), and partnering with a private third party (e.g., UCLA).4 In practice, Project Kitty Hawk is an online program manager built with public funding. Named after the location of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, PKH’s initial programs launched in October 2023. One year later, the UNC System reported that 558 students enrolled across 11 programs at three partner universities (North Carolina Central University, East Carolina University, and Appalachian State) .5 Other universities in the UNC System have maintained their own approaches to online learning, adopted before the creation of Project Kitty Hawk. UNCG...backed out of Project Kitty Hawk participation because the switch to a fee-forservice model would mean 'a projected loss of additional revenue . ' It would take UNCG three years to break even under such a model. In April 2024, in response to anticipated changes in federal higher education rules, Project Kitty Hawk significantly revised its business plan, mo

FAQs

What is Project Kitty Hawk designed to do for adult learners?

It works with North Carolina public universities to build pathways for adult learners to earn high-quality, workforce-aligned degrees and credentials from UNC System institutions.

How does Project Kitty Hawk describe its “Flight Path” and targeted services?

“Flight Path” provides comprehensive end-to-end support in online program design, launch, and management for adult learners. It also offers unbundled support in areas such as marketing, admissions, instructional design, and student success.

Why did some institutions scale back or withdraw from participating in Project Kitty Hawk?

The brief attributes the decision to a switch to a fee-for-service model that would create a projected loss of additional revenue and require several years to break even.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Maya Linwood