“A primary goal in launching the Virginia Education Wizard last spring was to open the door for postsecondary education for all Virginians,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “We believe these scholarships are great rewards for students and families who are making smart choices by taking advantage of everything this tool provides.”

The scholarship recipients are:

• Greg Foley: As an active member of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, Foley was among the first responders to the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Injured during the response and now retired, Foley is enrolled in his second semester at Germanna Community College, where he has a 4.0 grade-point average. With a fixed disability income, Foley plans to complete his associate degree before continuing his education at a Virginia university, with a long-term goal of earning a doctorate in psychology.

“Being able to continue with my education is not just important for myself,” the single father of two said. “Being a good example to my young daughters, getting their ‘help’ with my school work and having them share in my success are wonderful things.”

• James Barchanowicz: After joining the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2001 and serving for three years, James now works in public safety with Caroline County. He continues to serve in the Virginia Air National Guard as a military police officer. Barchanowicz will complete his associate degree in police science this year at John Tyler Community College.

“I am very thankful for this scholarship. I plan to use it to finish my current degree and begin another adventure into another degree to benefit my career in law enforcement,” said Barchanowicz, whose wife, Brandy, owns a hair salon in Petersburg.

Funded through the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, the scholarships are presented as record numbers of students choose Virginia’s Community Colleges. Virginia’s Community Colleges are currently serving more than 174,000 students in credit courses across the state.  Preliminary figures indicate spring enrollment is up by nearly nine percent over last spring. That includes greater percentages of African-American, Asian and Hispanic students.

Virginia’s Community Colleges are leveraging the Virginia Education Wizard to assist one-on-one campus counseling services in supporting record student enrollments. Since its March debut, the Wizard has attracted more than 290,000 people, who visited more than 375,000 times. Most visitors spend over 7 minutes at the site. More than 72,000 people created profiles, with just over one-quarter of those already affiliated with Virginia’s Community Colleges – mostly as students. The site has attracted visitors from every state and 137 countries and territories outside of the United States. Additionally, users have taken more than 67,000 individual assessments.

About the Virginia Education Wizard

The Wizard’s life-like online guide, Ginny, helps users build their profiles, which the site tailors according to their interests:

·  Careers: Users can take Interest and Values assessments to find careers that match their interests. They also can explore specific jobs and get real-time details about the demand for those jobs and local salaries.

·  Programs and Majors: The Wizard details programs across Virginia’s Community Colleges, including majors and careers. Users can investigate courses offered across the state – or at their nearest campus.

·  Paying for College: Users can find out what they can expect to pay at different colleges, and then get estimates on how much financial assistance they might receive. The site also details scholarships available solely for community college students.

·  Transfer: The Wizard outlines pathways to four-year degrees, including guaranteed admission to 25 Virginia institutions. The tool plans, tracks and prompts necessary steps for easy transfers.

Virginia’s Community Colleges developed the proprietary Wizard with $2.5 million in federal funds. Programming was completed by Richmond-based Chmura Economics & Analytics and internal IT professionals at Virginia’s Community Colleges. The career and jobs features draw in real-time market data pulled from Chmura Economics & Analytics.

About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, Virginia’s Community Colleges are 23 individual schools located on 40 campuses across the Commonwealth. Nearly half a million students take classes at one of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Together, the colleges enroll more than two-thirds of the total public undergraduate population in Virginia. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.

About the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE):  Working hand in hand with Virginia’s 23 community colleges, the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education seeks to guarantee financial assistance to all students who dream of attending college.  The foundation is building an endowment that is already generating interest to provide full scholarships to selected community college students.  Donors to the fund are invited to endow a single scholarship in their name and designate it to any of Virginia’s community colleges or regions.  For more information, please visit www.vccs.edu/Foundation.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jeffrey Kraus
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Relations
804.592.6767
jkraus@vccs.edu

Jon Newman
The Hodges Partnership
804.788.1414 / 804.357.4871 (cell)