Community colleges boosting nursing ranks

The increases in numbers of new nurses graduating from Virginia’s Community Colleges is so impressive that Governor Kaine wanted everyone to know about it.

In a news release Friday, Governor Kaine applauded the increase and the partnership with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association that is helping make it happen.

In 2005, VHHA and Virginia’s Community Colleges collaborated on a taskforce report that said more than 20,000 new nurses would be needed by 2010.  Since 2003, the percentage of new nurses graduating from Virginia’s Community College has increased 67 percent.

Virginia’s community colleges are educating nearly half of Virginia’s new nurses every year.

– Posted by Susan Hayden

AREVA and Northrop Grumman invest in Virginia’s workforce

AREVA NP and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, two companies that have partnered with Virginia’s Community Colleges to provide workforce development opportunities, are now partnering together and investing $363.4 million in a joint venture to manufacture equipment and pressure vessels for the nuclear industry and to provide nuclear engineering services. The company formed from the partnership, AREVA Newport News, LLC will create 540 production and engineering jobs.

“Here in Virginia, we have access to a great workforce that have been very supportive of our growing business and we are excited to once again expand our operations here,” said Tom Christopher, CEO of AREVA Inc.

AREVA Inc. continues to work with Central Virginia Community College through an engineering sponsorship program that allows students the opportunity for hands-on work with engineering mentors and advances their engineering skills and knowledge.

Northrop Grumman has partnered with Thomas Nelson Community College through a Design Co-Op program that offers paid college tuition and paid co-op work experience for community college students.

For more information on AREVA and Northrop Grumman’s new partnership, please read Governor Kaine’s press release.

Posted by Lauren Von Herbulis

High Paying Careers can Start at Community Colleges

“What do you want to be (paid) when you grow up?” Most people don’t consider salary when imagining their dream job. But, as Jessica Santina points out in her article Get a Head Start on High Paying Careers with a Two Year Degree, “People always say that it’s better to love what you do than make lots of money. But let’s face it – the money would be nice, too, and there’s no shame in admitting that.”  

Luckily, at any of Virginia’s Community Colleges, the opportunity to explore highly sought after, high wage jobs are endless. From engineers to nurses, a certificate or associates degree from a community college can give you the best of both worlds: a career that you love and pays well.

Posted by Lauren Von Herbulis

Thirty new Legacy Scholars show power of potential

A new group of Commonwealth Legacy Scholars was honored today.

Thirty new young community college students, many of whom would otherwise not be pursing higher education.

They heard from Hugh Gouldthorpe, author of I’ve Always Looked up to Giraffes, about how to set their sights high.

Former Commonwealth Legacy Scholar Jacquelene Whelchel, who received one of the first scholarships in 2006, and has now transferred to the University of Mary Washington, who told the new scholarship recipients that community college is where opportunity begins.

More than $350,000, helping more than 100 students, has now been distributed as part of the Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program – the first statewide scholarship initiative sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education.

As the new leaders begin to realize their own potential, the value of this investment in the future begins to show.

Budget cutting plan impacts Virginia’s Community Colleges

Governor Tim Kaine released his plan for addressing the $2.5 billion shortfall in Virginia’s budget.

Major actions in the Governor’s announced fiscal year 2009 reduction plan include:

• About 570 layoffs, the elimination of more than 800 additional positions that are currently unfilled, holding about one-third of all at-will positions vacant, and the imposition of a continued freeze on new hiring.
• The delay of a previously planned 2% salary increase for state employees, to July 2009 from November 2008.
• Reductions of 5 or 7 percent to institutions of higher education.
• Administrative efficiencies in Medicaid, the Department of Aging, and Community Service Boards that will prevent deeper cuts in direct service delivery.
• Restructuring Department of Corrections facilities, closing several older facilities.
• Previously announced reductions in the Governor’s office and mansion budget, including a continued reduction in the Governor’s own salary.

The plan cuts Virginia’s Community Colleges by $20 million dollars (5%) for fiscal year 2009.  Here are the plan’s details.  The community college cuts are on page 21.

Posted by Jeff Kraus

Local and State Dignitaries Celebrate Opening of New DSLCC Rockbridge Center

Local and state dignitaries joined in an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony on October 7 for Dabney S. Lancaster Community College’s new Rockbridge Regional Center in Buena Vista, VA.

Participating in the ceremony were: Lexington Vice-Mayor Tim Golden; House of Delegates member Ben Cline; DSLCC President Dr. Richard R. Teaff; Dr. Glenn DuBois, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System; Mack Smith of the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors; State Senator Creigh Deeds; Debbie Garrett, representing Congressman Bob Goodlatte; and Buena Vista Mayor Mike Clements.

The 15,000 square foot, $1.5 million training center has been open to students since August and features a computer lab with 24 stations, two compressed video labs, a testing center with computers used for proctored testing, two traditional lecture classrooms, a conference room and two offices, a health sciences lab and a greenhouse. 

This is the fourth and largest location for the RRC, since DSLCC opened a site to serve the Rockbridge area almost 13 years ago. The first RRC opened in March, 1996 but the facility space was quickly outgrown by the student population.

“For too long, the Rockbridge Regional Center hadn’t been able to meet the needs of DSLCC’s students in Buena Vista, Lexington and Rockbridge County,” commented Debbie Garrett, Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s representative, who spoke on his behalf. “This new facility accomplishes that task. …I applaud the regional efforts that resulted in this new center being built in such a cooperative fashion in just about a year’s time…This facility will provide benefits to this region for a long time to come.”

Posted by Lauren Von Herbulis

Faith- and Community- based organizations honored at SHARE Network ceremony

The Virginia SHARE Network is to be “congratulated for designing a program that focuses on the employment needs of people in the community and matching those needs with demands of business and industry,” said Brent Orrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Orrell served as keynote speaker at the SHARE Network meeting and awards ceremony on Friday, Oct. 3 at John Tyler Community College’s Chester campus. Approximately 50 faith-based and community-based organizations and individuals from around the commonwealth were honored for contributing to the SHARE workforce investment system. The honorees offer job-search assistance, résumé help and other services to aid Virginia’s displaced workers find employment.

In its first year, the Virginia SHARE Network has exceeded its goal of implementing 17 SHARE Network Access Points (SNAPs). According to Dr. Kathy Thompson of the Virginia Community College System, there are 32 fully recruited and trained SNAPs – and more to come!

Concluding his remarks, Mr. Orrell encouraged other organizations to join SHARE and “bring back hope to needy communities across the commonwealth.”

Posted by Lauren Von Herbulis

Community college events help boost voter rolls

New voters have been signing up “in droves” at a number of voter registration events held at Virginia’s Community Colleges, area newspapers report.

With Virginia expected to register more new voters than ever before this fall, Virginia Community Colleges have been the sites for a number of voter registration drive events at colleges. 

The Rock the Vote organization as been at Mountain Empire (Mountain Empire Community College lets good times roll with voter …Kingsport Times News -Sep 10, 2008); Virginia Highlands (Students rock the vote Southwest Virginia Today -Sep 30, 2008) and other colleges. Reality show celebrity Jose Tapia visited J. Sargeant  Reynolds last week for a forum with students (Young voters seen as key to turnout - Richmond Times Dispatch -Sep 29, 2008)

Community colleges have always been key in grass-roots election campaigns.  When higher education bonds are on the agenda, as in 1992 and 2002, local networking through community colleges often pushes those measures over the top.

In the Kingsport Times News, a Mountain Empire student said:

“A lot of young people don’t understand their votes matter…” said Emily Allen, wearing a Rock the Vote T-shirt splattered with Rock the Vote stickers. “We have to know that we have the power to influence how our future goes. We need to recognize, we do have a voice.”

The deadline to register to vote in Virginia is Monday, Oct. 6.