Tag Archive for: #vancegranvillecommunitycollege

The Local Skinny! Sossamon Keynote Speaker At VGCC Graduation

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N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon will deliver the keynote address at the 55th annual commencement ceremony at Vance-Granville Community College on May 10.

Sossamon, in his first term as a legislator in the N.C. House of Representatives, represents District 32, covering Vance and most of Granville County. He is a member of several House committees, including Education K-12, Appropriations, Appropriations Education, Transportation, and Commerce, as well as an interim member of the House Select Committee on Substance Abuse and the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee.

During his 35-year career as pastor of South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church, Sossamon also became active in other areas of the community, according to a press statement from VGCC. He started the Chaplain Program at Maria Parham Health and served on the Ethics Council at the hospital; he also served as chaplain for the Vance County Sheriff Department for 24 years. He has been on the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council for Vance County for 35 years. Rep. Sossamon has been an active member of local Crime Stoppers groups for over three decades, serving as president of both the Henderson/Vance and Granville County chapters. He has initiated numerous local community task forces in an effort to better the community.

During his freshman term, Sossamon has spearheaded efforts for a $11.5 million allocation to VGCC to construct a new center for advanced manufacturing. More recently, he played a key role in launching VGCC’s Funeral Service Education partnership with Fayetteville Tech, advocating for the program to support locally owned businesses.

The VGCC commencement will be held on the main campus in Henderson and the event is free and open to the public.

Vance-Granville Community College’s 2024 commencement will honor several hundred students who completed graduation requirements over the last year. The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 10, on the grounds of the College’s Main Campus in Henderson. All members of the community are invited to attend.

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TownTalk: VGCC Hosts Career Fair April 25

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With Vance-Granville Community College’s graduate career fair and mixer just over a week away, Director of Career Services Dr. Krystal Foxx said she hopes the VGCC Civic Center will be filled with people from all across the community who want to mix and mingle with area employers to learn about jobs.

It’s not just for current students and graduates, Foxx explained – the Thursday, Apr. 25 event is open to anyone in the community who’s looking for a job, or a different job.

During the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., participants can visit with 46 employers from across the region to learn about job openings. There will be on-the-spot interviews available, too, she said, so come prepared.

“We have quite a few employers coming that are looking for individuals in the applied tech program, in health care, business and government,” Foxx said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

“We’re excited about the opportunity and looking forward to hosting on the 25th.

Preregister online at www.vgcc.edu/career-services and then select the Career Fairs option on the right side of the page; the first 100 people who sign up AND attend will get a special treat from Chick-fil-A, she said.

It’s more than just a job fair, Foxx noted. It’s a chance “to learn more about the richness of the companies in the community and how they can continue to be productive citizens and give back to the community through the professions and the work they do,” she said.

The college’s career services department guides students in areas such as preparing resumes, effective interviews and job search strategies, she said.

“Our college is putting career selection at the forefront,” she said. A career fair “solidifies that we are there to support their career endeavors.”

The www.vgcc.edu/career-services page also has a list of employers who will be at the fair.

“We know that there is a demand for job opportunities right now,” Foxx said. “We really want everyone to take advantage of that…we want our local employers to feel supported and to be able to recruit from the local community.”

To learn more, phone 252.738.3466 or email careerservices@vgcc.edu.

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TownTalk: 2nd Community Resource Festival A Success

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If the sights and sounds emanating from the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center are any indication, the second annual Community Resource Festival has delivered in its goal of connecting people with local organizations and agencies.

WIZS’s Steve Lewis spoke with a number of individuals as the festival got underway earlier Wednesday. The festival ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and provided for lots of networking and sharing of information to inform those in attendance about agencies and other organizations and the services they offer.

Michele Walker, sales and account manager with Huff Consulting has spearheaded the event, which came about because she saw a need in the community to help connect people and available resources.

More than 75 vendors signed up to participate in this year’s event, an increase from last year’s 68 vendors. Organizers anticipated several hundred individuals to come and learn more about available resources in the area.

From community partners like Granville Vance Public Health to businesses like Sunrock and others, the festival brings together under one roof a variety of area organization who want to share information, provide support or advertise job openings.

VGCC Dean of Business, Applied Tech and Public Service, Stephanie Tolbert joined forces with Huff to plan the day’s events this year. In an earlier interview on TownTalk, Tolbert said everyone who stops in during the day will leave with a ball full of freebies, “but more importantly, knowledge about resources that they didn’t know existed in their backyards.”

Did you know, for example, that Granville Vance Public Health offers a program called Sleep Safe for families and parents of newborns? Health department representatives Tammy Davis and Elizabeth Leggings shared information at the resource fair about the program to show parents how to position their babies when they are sleeping to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and asphyxiation.

When their newborn is three months old, parents can take another class that talks about the importance of “tummy time.” Participants who complete the class get a tummy time mat.

Visit www.gvph.org to learn about all the programs and services the health department provides.

If you visited the HUBzone Technology Initiative booth, you likely chatted with Bryant Davis or Ron Taylor to learn that the Henderson-based nonprofit is now giving refurbished laptops to individuals who qualify and not just to organizations.

That’s huge, but that’s what HUBzone does – it takes donated laptops and turns them into Chromebooks to give away to those who need them.

Got a laptop sitting around that you don’t use? Consider donating to HUBzone Technology Initiative- the more they give away, the more they’ll need to refurbish.

But the guys at the HUBzone table also want to encourage youth under 18 to send in a video for a chance to participate in the 3rd annual “Triangle’s Got Talent” contest, set for Sunday, April 21 at Wakefield High School in Wake County.

A $300 cash prize will be given to the best novice act and to the best advanced act. All you singers, musicians, magicians, polish your routine and send in a video of the performance and you just might get a call to compete.

Visit www.hubzonetech.org to apply online.

Chances are you’ve seen a Sunrock truck at a construction site or hauling materials as you’ve traveled in the community, but did you know that Carolina Sunrock is a family-owned business that’s been around for 75 years?

Laura Green, HR recruiter for the Raleigh-based company, said Sunrock is a “one-stop shop construction company” because it provides its own products like asphalt, gravel and more for construction projects. Its gravel operation is in Kittrell and the asphalt operation is in Butner.

Visit www.thesunrockgroup.com/careers to find out about job openings.

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VGCC Set To Launch Court Reporting Program At Franklin Campus In March

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– Information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

When its new Court Reporting program launches next month, Vance-Granville Community College will become the only community college in North Carolina to offer the program to students.

The court reporting profession plays a critical role in ensuring that legal proceedings are accurately documented for future reference. Using specialized dictation equipment, court reporters produce real-time transcriptions of courtroom proceedings.

At the time of publication, there are open reporting positions in North Carolina state courts with annual starting salaries above $45,000 and maximum salaries surpassing $80,000 per year, according to information from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

The program will be part of the school’s Continuing Education program, which means it’s designed for adults who are already in the workforce; participants can successfully complete the training for their new career without the demands of a full-time class schedule.

The program consists of four courses, each of which typically lasts four to eight weeks. According to Instructor Richard Jester, students committed to an accelerated pace could potentially complete the full program in the span of a single semester. Upon completion, students will be prepared to take the career’s national certification test.

At its launch, the new program will only be offered at the VGCC Franklin Campus in Louisburg. Jester anticipates offering portions of the program online in the future.

To learn more about Court Reporting and other career-enhancing programs at Vance-Granville Community College, please contact Lisa Rodwell, Director of Occupational Extension, at rodwelle@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3276. Register for this program today at www.vgcc.edu/coned/oex.

 

 

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VGCC President Rachel Desmarais Among TBJ ‘2024 Women In Business’ Honorees

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Vance-Granville Community College President Dr. Rachel Desmarais was recently recognized by the Triangle Business Journal as a recipient of its 2024 Women in Business Awards.

Desmarais’s inclusion in the 2024 Women in Business Awards underscores her commitment to supporting local communities and economies through a highly skilled workforce, according to a press release from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

During the 2020-2021 academic year, Desmarais took the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge through the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship, which included specific action steps to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs across the country. The college was so successful in these initiatives that NACCE named it the Entrepreneurial College of the Year in October 2022.

In late 2023, VGCC launched the AdvanceNC partnership. Described as “an innovative workforce development ecosystem developing a robust talent pipeline to support unprecedented economic growth,” the AdvanceNC initiative is made up of 10 community colleges, two state universities and six regional workforce development boards which collaborate to meet the industry needs of major international companies operating in the state.

For nearly three decades, the Women in Business Awards have celebrated women in the Triangle region who are dynamic and outstanding leaders, with established track records of significant accomplishments in business and community service. Triangle Business Journal honored a total of 25 winners this year.

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VGCC Partners With FTCC To Give Students Access To Funeral Service Education

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– Information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

Vance-Granville Community College is teaming up with one of its sister schools on an innovative hybrid program, paving the way for new career opportunities in its four-county service area.

VGCC has partnered with Fayetteville Technical Community College to bring FTCC’s Funeral Service Education program to students in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. FTCC runs the only funeral service program of its kind in North Carolina, which is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education and led by licensed funeral professionals.

“This is extremely relevant to our area,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “We really want to open this up as a possibility.”

The agreement allows VGCC students to take general education courses close to home before applying to transfer into FTCC’s funeral service program. Much of the program’s specialized instruction is offered online and can be completed remotely. Students must complete certain practical requirements in labs at FTCC or during work-based learning at a local funeral home, and they will be required to visit FTCC in person a few times to demonstrate or learn key funeral service skills.

FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells noted that the program offers VGCC students the opportunity to accomplish much of their education without having to travel the distance to Fayetteville. “We think that’s a tremendous advantage and a way that we, as the only funeral service program in the state, can extend that service out into the rural areas and the small- to medium-sized colleges that have a lot of employment demand and need,” he said.

N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon, who owns three funeral homes in Vance and Granville counties, was one of several industry professionals to attend the partnership’s signing ceremony in Henderson. “The more people locally we can get who consider going into this industry, the more likely funeral homes will stay family-owned,” Sossamon said. “I think that’s a valuable thing.”

Vance-Granville is the fifth community college in the North Carolina Community College System to partner with Fayetteville Tech’s funeral service program.

 

 

 

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Youth Honor Band Concert Friday, Feb. 2 At VGCC Civic Center

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Vance Granville-Community College will host its second annual Youth Honor Band concert on Friday, Feb. 2 at the college’s Main Campus Civic Center in Henderson.

Last year’s inaugural event was for musicians from local high schools, but it was so successful that this year’s concert will include musicians from several local middle schools as well, said VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

The participants, representing schools in Vance, Granville and Franklin counties, were nominated by their respective band directors for their musical talent and passion. They will gather for the first time to rehearse Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. They’ll come together for the concert at 6:30 p.m.

The performance is free and open to the public; family, friends, and community members are encouraged to come support these talented students and the schools they represent, Cissel stated.

This event was planned by a committee comprised of faculty and staff from VGCC, area band directors, area school administrators, local business owners and other community members. Brian D. Miller, VGCC music instructor and Community Band director, will lead the high school band; Sherri M. Damon, music instructor at Oxford’s Credle Elementary School, will lead the middle school band.

The student musicians will learn new songs especially for this event. Music selections had not yet been finalized at the time of publication, but event organizers offered a preview of what songs attendees might hear: “The Tempest” (Robert W. Smith), “Bach: Two Joyous Chorales” (arr. Anne McGinty), “Military Escort march” (Harold Bennett), “American Youth Overture” (Floyd St. Clair), and “Air for Band” (Frank Erickson).

To learn more about the VGCC Honor Band or Fine Arts at Vance-Granville Community Colleg, contact  Betsy Henderson, department chair of Fine Arts & Humanities, at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or 252.738.3371.

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VGCC Hosts FAFSA Day Jan. 27

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-information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

Vance-Granville Community College’s Financial Aid Office invites high school students, current college students, families and adult learners to attend FAFSA Day on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. – 12 noon.

The event will take place at VGCC’s Main Campus in Henderson; attendees should check in at the Building 7 front lobby upon arrival.

Organized by the College Foundation of North Carolina, this free event provides one-on-one or small group help with FAFSA completion and submission, according to information from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

The college welcomes anyone in the community seeking financial aid for college, not just current or prospective Vance-Granville students.

There is no requirement to accept any aid offered, but the FAFSA can help you understand your options. By filling out the FAFSA, you could access:

  • Grants and scholarships that you do not have to pay back
  • Work-study programs that allow you to earn money working at the school you attend
  • Student loan options

Completing the FAFSA is more important than ever this year for North Carolina students. It’s the process through which eligible students could receive the Next NC Scholarship, which awards a minimum of $5,000 for those attending a public state university or at least $3,000 for those attending community college. Students with the greatest need for financial aid could qualify for even more funding to help make paying for college more manageable.

Learn more or RSVP for Vance-Granville’s FAFSA Day event at www.cfnc.org/pay-for-college/fafsa-day. For additional questions, please contact VGCC’s Financial Aid Office at fao@vgcc.edu or 252.738.3280.

VGCC Celebrates MLK At Jan. 23 Event

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Information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

 

The community is invited to Vance-Granville Community College Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 12:30 p.m. to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The celebration, titled “Decreasing Inequities and Increasing Opportunities” is hosted by the VGCC Men’s Achievement Academy and V.I.E.W., Vance-Granville’s Initiative on Equity for Women.

The event will be held at the VGCC Main Campus Civic Center and is free to attend.

“Expect an inspiring speech from Dr. Kelvin Bullock, Executive Director for Equity & Professional Development for Durham Public Schools, as well as songs from the VGCC Staff Choir,” said VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

Please RSVP at www.vgcc.edu to help event organizers get a count of projected attendance. Refreshments will be served.

The Local Skinny! ‘Next NC Scholarship’ Helps Students Pay For College

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When it comes to paying for a college education, one of the first things for parents and students to know is the difference between scholarships and grants versus loans. A loan has to be repaid; grants and scholarships don’t.

Vance-Granville Community College President Dr. Rachel Desmarais said her school’s financial aid officers at each of the college’s four campuses are ready to help prospective students as they navigate the sometimes choppy waters of paying for post-secondary schooling.

The Next NC Scholarship is just one of the funding streams available to many state residents, Desmarais said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Students in households that make less than $80,000 are eligible for at least $3,000 an academic year at a community college under the Next NC Scholarship. There are several other criteria to be eligible for the Next NC funds, including being a state resident already enrolled in a program and taking at least 6 credit hours.

Close to one-third of VGCC’s traditional student population use some type of financial aid to pay for their tuition and fees, she said.

Whether students are in a path for a certification, a two-year associate degree or want to transfer to a four-year college or university, Desmarais said it’s important to keep student loan debt as low as possible.
“The less debt you can accumulate during that time is important,” she said, adding that scholarships like the Next NC Scholarship and Pell Grants from the federal government both help students be able to afford college.

“They help individuals get that good job and not be stacked with debt,” Desmarais said.

“If you’re spending all your money repaying student loans, you’re not really getting ahead,” she noted.

Many high school seniors and their parents are in the process of completing the all-important Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which opened on Dec. 31, 2023.

VGCC will host a FAFSA Day on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on the Main Campus in Henderson, Desmarais said. This is a time when families can learn more about the financial aid process and get help completing the online documents. The event will take place in Building 7, with check-in in the front lobby. There is plenty of nearby parking to accommodate participants.

“We’re here to help,” Desmarais said. “We enjoy meeting new folks and helping them walk through the financial aid process. We’re excited about helping people plan for college.”

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