Beginning Wednesday, May 14th a group of VCCS officials, led by Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the VCCS, will begin a series of community discussions across Virginia to understand how the colleges can improve the service they provide to students, families and businesses.  A dedicated email address, ideas@vccs.edu, is also being launched to collect comments.

“Our colleges belong to the communities they serve,” said Glenn DuBois.  “Our job is to give Virginia students and employers the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a global market.  Hearing from the people we serve is an important part of ensuring we are effectively meeting their needs.”

The regional meetings will include business, community and elected leaders along with economic development officials, students and other stakeholders.  The first four meetings are as follows:

When: Wednesday, May 14th, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Where: Virginia Western Community College
Natural Science Center
3102 Colonial Avenue
Roanoke, VA
Participating Colleges: Blue Ridge CC; Central Virginia CC; Dabney S. Lancaster CC; New River CC and Virginia Western CC

When: Friday, May 16th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Where: Northern Virginia Community College
Forum, The Ernst Community Cultural Center
Annandale Campus
Northern Virginia Community College
8333 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA
Participating Colleges: Germanna CC; Lord Fairfax CC and Northern Virginia CC

When: Tuesday, May 27th, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: John Tyler Community College
Nicholas Student Center, 102A
Chester Campus
John Tyler Community College
13101 Jefferson Davis Highway
Chester, VA 23831-5316
Participating Colleges: J. Sargeant Reynolds CC; John Tyler CC; Piedmont Virginia CC; Paul D. Camp CC and Rappahannock CC

When: Tuesday, June 3rd, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Tidewater Community College
Virginia Beach Campus
Advanced Technology Center
Advanced Technology Theater
Participating Colleges: Eastern Shore CC; Tidewater CC; Thomas Nelson CC

Details for two additional meetings will be announced at a later date. One meeting will be held at Danville Community College and will include Southside Virginia CC and Patrick Henry CC. The other meeting will be held at Southwest Virginia Community College and will include Mountain Empire CC, Virginia Highlands CC and Wytheville CC. The strategic plan produced by this process is scheduled to be voted on by the State Board for Community Colleges at its November 2009 meeting. The progress made on the current VCCS strategic plan, Dateline 2009, can be tracked on the VCCS website at myfuture.vccs.edu.

About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.

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For immediate release:  May 9, 2008

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey Kraus
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Relations
Virginia’s Community College
804-819-4949