The VCCS State Board received reports March 18 from system colleges on the question of whether their college names are consistent with the mission of Virginia’s Community Colleges and their shared dedication to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Board, the system’s governing body, had requested the reports in July, noting that institutions in Virginia and beyond had been inspired “to examine, and in many cases exorcise, symbols of systemic racism that have existed in plain sight for years.”
Forty-four percent of VCCS students are non-white.
The vast majority of Virginia’s Community Colleges were founded and named more than 50 years ago, and most were named for the geographic regions they serve.
Local advisory boards at three VCCS colleges, John Tyler, Lord Fairfax (editor’s note: LFCC is now Laurel Ridge CC as of 6.2.22) and Thomas Nelson, recommended name changes. Those schools had been named for historic figures who were involved in and supported the institution of slavery.
Local boards at two other VCCS colleges, Patrick Henry and Dabney Lancaster, reported to the State Board they had considered, but were not recommending name changes.
The letters are available to view here.
The State Board has authority over college names in the system. Local boards are given the authority to name facilities on their campuses.
The State Board charged its Facilities Committee to recommend criteria for naming colleges in the VCCS, asking the committee to report back when the full board meets again in mid-May, the board’s next opportunity to act on the matter.
To learn more about the State Board’s July resolution requesting colleges consider name changes, click here.
