News from around the VCCS
If you can’t read this email, pleasehttps://www.vccs.edu/text-only-community-college-connection_11-21-22/ view it online (https://www.vccs.edu/text-only-community-college-connection_12-14-22-2/) . (https://www.vccs.edu/text-only-community-college-connection_4-27-22-2-2/)
A text-only version can be accessed online.
Chancellor’s Statewide Syllabus with logo
Thursday, January 26, 2023
In this issue:
• Incoming VCCS Chancellor David Doré gets rousing welcome
• Transition team representing students, faculty, staff and others will offer advice and support to new Chancellor
• Dr. Doré talked about his vision and priorities; you can watch
• Governor singles out Germanna nursing graduate and nursing program during his State of the Commonwealth Speech
• NOVA professor honored as one of Virginia’s outstanding faculty
• VCCS New Horizons Conference deadlines loom
• P&HCC student is one of the nation’s youngest elected officials
• PVCC, RCC and SVCC recognized for promoting student voting
• Instructional designers working to help our colleges assess quality of distance learning programs
• Germanna invites all VCCS to its Spring Speaker Series
• Other News from the world of higher education
• Link to VCCS events calendar
Governor Welcomes New VCCS Chancellor
“David Doré brings an extraordinary experience to Virginia, and I lovehis concept about closer collaboration with employers and other educational institutions.” -Governor Glenn Youngkin
Dr. Doré won’t begin his formal duties as the new VCCS Chancellor until April 1, but he received a rousing welcome when paid an early visit to Richmond last week.
(https://www.vccs.edu/blog/incoming-vccs-chancellor-receives-rousing-welcome-during-early-visit-to-richmond/)
Positioning Our New Chancellor and the Community College System for Success
From the desk of Douglas Garcia, Chair, VCCS State Board: In early January, the State Board announced David Doré, EdD, will serve as the next Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System. In an effort to ensure a smooth and transparent transition, I have empaneled a transition team to advise and support our new Chancellor in accomplishing a strategic and effective chief executive transition to the Virginia Community College System.
(https://www.vccs.edu/blog/vccs-state-board-chair-douglas-garcia-appoints-diverse-transition-team-to-help-plan-first-few-months-for-systems-new-chancellor-david-dore/)
“I was drawn to this position because of the innovation that that I saw taking place here at Virginia.” Incoming VCCS Chancellor David Doré shared his thoughts about coming to Virginia during a wide-ranging conversation with news reporters earlier this month. Dr. Doré says he’s looking for more collaboration with Virginia employers and other educational institutions. He seeks expanded workforce and career training as well as more innovative and successful pathways for our students aiming to transfer to four-year universities. You can view a recording of the conversation at the Learn More button below.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EJtZ8DQPGg&t=1232s)
During his State of the Commonwealth speech January 11, Governor Glenn Youngkin singled-out a Germanna Community College graduate and a nursing program pioneered at Germanna during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kaitlyn Niesent graduated the college’s nursing program last spring and was an early participant in the school’s “Earn to Learn” program, which allows nursing students to be paid for their hospital work during their clinical experience. The governor said he wants the General Assembly to allocate $35 million to expand the program, hoping to help boost nursing education and alleviate Virginia’s chronic nursing shortage. Niesent said she was honored to represent the nursing program. You can read more (https://fredericksburg.com/news/local/stafford-county-nurse-featured-in-governors-speech/article_f59c9214-9290-11ed-b85b-131d6be9a906.html#tncms-source=login) about Earn to Learn, and view an excerpt of the governor’s speech at the Learn More button below.
Congratulations to Northern Virginia Community College early childhood education professor Christine Pegorraro Schull, chosen as one of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty members of 2023. Dr. Schull and eleven other college faculty will be honored by the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV) and the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation at a ceremony in Richmond on March 7. Schull joined the NOVA faculty in 2006, becoming Alexandria campus program head in 2016. Since 1987, the SCHEV awards have recognized faculty at Virginia’s institutions of higher learning who exemplify the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service.
(https://www.schev.edu/Home/Components/News/News/254/16)
Save the dates: this year’s VCCS New Horizons Conference will be held March 29-31 at the Hotel Roanoke. Billed as the VCCS’s premier teaching and learning conference, the gathering will explore the actions our colleges can take to build a new reality for our students and communities. There are several big deadlines coming up soon:
• REGISTER (https://web.cvent.com/event/edeb0b08-8592-4395-b419-074f96168b20/summary) for the conference by 5:00 p.m. March 15. (registration may close earlier if event is full)
• SUBMIT (https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/8232dd87-b611-4015-ba56-5ed2758a756b) a conference session proposal by noon, February 3.
• NOMINATE (https://opd.vccs.edu/awards/) a worthy colleague for recognition (cash prizes!) by noon, February 3. LEARN MORE (https://web.cvent.com/event/edeb0b08-8592-4395-b419-074f96168b20/summary) [link to conference registration site – yes, again!]
https://web.cvent.com/event/edeb0b08-8592-4395-b419-074f96168b20/summary
A recent graduate of Magna Vista High School, Maeve McCulloch currently divides her time between her job at Marshalls, her studies at Patrick and Henry Community College and Ridgeway’s town council. “I was involved with the town for all of my high school career,” McCulloch said. “I was on the mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee for all of high school.” At age 19, the P&HCC student is one of the youngest elected officials in the nation. “We’re always excited to see one of our own doing great things!” said P&HCC President Greg Hodges. “Our hats are off to Ms. McCulloch and we look forward to watching her grow in this important role.”
(https://cardinalnews.org/2023/01/26/from-the-classroom-to-town-council-how-ridgeway-va-became-home-to-one-of-the-nations-youngest-politicians/)
We have time for a quick look back into the recent past, and we’re happy to congratulate Piedmont, Rappahannock and Southside Virginia Community Colleges for earning spots on a national honor roll that spotlights civic engagement. The non-partisan ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge recognized colleges nationwide that promoted student voter registration and participation. Almost 400 colleges nationwide were recognized.
(https://allinchallenge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-Press-Release-for-ALL-IN-Most-Engaged-Campuses.pdf)
Professionals from across the VCCS are collaborating to develop procedures, resources and tools that can be shared across our system to give colleges a quality review process for distance learning programs. Currently available options often are cost prohibitive and may not reflect all of the goals that Virginia’s Community Colleges aspire to achieve.
(https://edtech.vccs.edu/support/supporting-vccs-colleges-in-quality-assurance/)
A tip of the hat to Germanna Community College, which again is inviting people from across the system to listen in on the college’s Spring Speaker Series. The Germanna Community Conversations programs begin in February and will cover a range of social justice topics. The events are all web-based, free, and open to the public. Registration is required.
(https://germanna.edu/about-germanna/news-events/community-conversations)
Other Higher Ed News of Note:
• Some of Virginia’s poorest localities help pay for their students’ community college tuition. -Cardinal News (https://cardinalnews.org/2022/12/21/some-of-the-states-poorest-localities-help-pay-for-community-college-tuition/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=In%20Bath%20County%2C%20reopening%20the%20Warm%20Springs%20Pools%20is%20an%20emotional%20event&utm_campaign=Wednesday%2C%20December%2021%2C%202022)
• Inflation, declining enrollment and an opaque funding system are hampering the long-term success of Virginia’s four-year colleges and universities. -Richmond Times-Dispatch (https://richmond.com/news/local/education/debt-lobbying-and-distrust-hamper-funding-for-higher-ed-in-virginia/article_5e1603c0-98d6-11ed-93fa-b7fa536917ab.html#tracking-source=home-top-story) (limited free access)
• Virginia Tech has hired an outside firm to scan the Internet and social media for threats. -CollegiateTimes (https://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/virginia-tech-employs-company-to-monitor-social-media/article_227d6096-950d-11ed-8b76-df517bc5dfcf.html) (VT student-run newspaper)
• As higher education becomes more reliant on technology, it’s also becoming more vulnerable to online fraud. -Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/01/20/how-higher-education-became-the-target-of-bots-fake-accounts-and-online-fraud/?sh=72e80d551f62)
• “I’ve paid off $163,000 in student loan debt and still haven’t made a dent in what it owe.” -Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com/how-pay-off-student-loan-debt-save-money-2023-1)
• It’s enough to make an English professor weep: OpenAI’s artificial intelligence writing program ChatGPT will, with a few prompts, compose poetry, prose, song lyrics, essays, even news articles. And that has ethicists and educators worried. -CBS Sunday Morning (https://www.cbsnews.com/video/chatgpt-grading-artificial-intelligences-writing/)
Have an idea for a story, or an item for the VCCS Events Calendar? Please send to: vccsnewsletter@vccs.edu (mailto:vccsnewsletter@vccs.edu) . Thanks!
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