VGCC adds fully-online Associate in Science degree

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Adults interested in obtaining the first two years of a four-year degree completely online will have a new option this fall at Vance-Granville Community College.

The “Vanguard Online Learning through Technology” (VOLT) initiative at VGCC is entering its third year in operation and preparing to add the Associate in Science degree program to its offerings in August. VOLT courses are for adult learners who need an online-only educational experience.

VGCC already offers another College Transfer degree, the Associate in Arts, in VOLT, along with degrees in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Medical Office Administration – Coding Specialist, and Global Logistics and Distribution Management Technology.

The Associate in Science (A.S.) program provides students with an excellent foundation for bachelor’s degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and the natural sciences. Meanwhile, the Associate in Arts (A.A.) is ideal for students who want to pursue bachelor’s degrees in communication, education, humanities, fine arts, languages, and social and behavioral sciences.

Graduates of either degree who make a grade of “C” or better in every course are assured of admission into one of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, usually transferring in with junior ranking.

In the past few years, the comprehensive articulation agreements between all North Carolina community colleges, the UNC System and the private N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities have been revised with clearer pathways, simplifying the transfer of credits for both A.A. and A.S. graduates.

Registration for the fall semester is currently ongoing, and ends on Aug. 10.

The planned program of study calls for VOLT Associate in Science students to take four college transfer courses during their first semester: one each in English and Math, plus Art Appreciation and Introduction to Computers. Students will complete the 61-credit-hour degree over six semesters under the plan, including two summer terms in which they will take one or two courses each.

Other courses in the degree come from disciplines such as Biology, Geology, Sociology, History, Humanities and Physics. These are the equivalents of the same required general education courses that students would take if they were freshmen or sophomores at most four-year universities.

“The VOLT Associate in Science program provides another opportunity to meet the educational needs of students who prefer to complete their entire degree online,” said Cynthia Young, VGCC’s dean of arts and sciences. “Our experienced, innovative Arts and Sciences instructors utilize a variety of instructional strategies to engage students. Graduates are well-prepared with an excellent educational foundation as they transfer to four-year institutions to earn bachelor’s degrees, because our programs are not only affordable and convenient but also high in quality.”

VOLT began with a small number of courses in 2015 and has grown steadily since then. Students are able to earn their associate’s degrees 100-percent online through VOLT. Advances in technology allow many of the courses to be more interactive than those offered in the past.

VOLT students enjoy several specific benefits, including priority registration and guaranteed course availability. They also have access to many online resources that are available to all VGCC students, such as library services, testing and the Bookstore. VOLT students also have an academic and career coach devoted to helping them, just as traditional on-campus students do.

Courses offered through VOLT have the same low tuition as all other VGCC courses, making them more affordable than their counterparts at for-profit institutions. In addition, Duke Energy, a longtime corporate supporter of VGCC, has provided funds for scholarships specifically for VOLT students.

Last year, Vance-Granville was recognized as the top two-year college in North Carolina for online programs by the national organization Accredited Schools Online (ASO).

For more information about VOLT, visit volt.vgcc.edu or call Evelyn Harris at (252) 738-3254 or Melanie Copeland at (252) 738-3271.

–VGCC–

Fifteen Vance County Early College High School Students recognized for academic success

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 17, 2017

A total of 15 students who attend the Vance County Early College High School, located on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson, have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievements in the five-year program.

The students include: Hunter Antel, Nancy Bonilla, Andrew Brame, Cameron Bullock, Brooklyn Davis, Malcolm Elam, Lehman Ford, Luke Frazier, Victoria Inscoe, Lillian Kanouff, Seth Moody, Brittney Patterson, Hannah Roberson, McKenzie Taylor and Matthew White.

Administrators and staff at the Early College High School, whose mascot is a wolf, joined special guests and family members in honoring all of the students at a “Leading the Pack” celebration ceremony on February 23. The celebration was held at the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

The students were recognized for leading their classmates with the highest grade point averages and with outstanding progress towards earning their high school diploma and at least one associate’s degree from Vance-Granville Community College. Several of the students are expected to graduate with multiple associate’s degrees.

The Early College program provides opportunities for students to complete their high school career and at least two years of college course credits at no cost to them. Upon graduation, most of the students go on to complete their post-secondary education at a four-year college or university.

Sixteen Graduate from Prestigious Vance County Teacher Executive Institute

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 17, 2017

Sixteen Vance County Schools educators were honored during the evening of March 16 for their completion of the prestigious Vance County Teacher Executive Institute program.

The graduation dinner and ceremony were held at the Henderson Country Club.

The Teacher Executive Institute (TEI) is presented each year by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and the Vance County Public School Foundation as a leadership program for local public school educators. Participants go through four all-day sessions during the school year that are designed to bring them together with local business leaders to discuss their common interests and partnership in educating local youth to be future members of our workforce and future community leaders.

Educators honored for completing this year’s program include: Facetia Branch of Carver Elementary; Shannon Bullock of Clarke Elementary; Jennifer Coleman of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary; Jill Coleman of Aycock Elementary; Valerie Hairston of Zeb Vance Elementary; Regina Hilliard of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Kevin Johnson of New Hope Elementary; Sharita Jones of L.B. Yancey Elementary; Melodie Kernahan of Southern Vance High; Mieya Petitt of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Kedecia Stewart of Pinkston Street Elementary; Orlando Terry of STEM Early High; Tracy Thorpe of Northern Vance High; Donna Vann of Dabney Elementary; Thomas Venetta of Early College High; and Adith Williams-White of Henderson Middle.

The TEI graduates are shown in the accompanying photo as they are joined by the Chick-fil-A Cow, wearing his graduation attire. Chick-fil-A of Henderson is one of about 20 business sponsors for the program. Shown with the graduates are Miles Macleod, N.C. North Central Region Teacher of the Year, standing at far left, and Dr. Trixie Brooks, assistant superintendent for Vance County Schools, standing at far right. Macleod was the featured speaker for the evening and Brooks assisted in presenting each graduate with a handsome framed certificate.

Shown in the photo are, seated from left, Adith Williams-White, Regina Hilliard, Mieya Petitt, Facetia Branch, Kedecia Stewart and Sharita Jones. Standing from left are, Miles Macleod, Valerie Hairston, Jill Coleman, Shannon Bullock, Tracy Thorpe, Orlando Terry, Melodie Kernahan, Kevin Johnson, Jennifer Coleman, Thomas Venetta, Donna Vann and Dr. Trixie Brooks.

Glen Raven joins VGCC as partner in Apprenticeship program

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The Glen Raven, Inc., site in Norlina recently became the third area manufacturer to join Vance-Granville Community College in the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), a partnership that seeks to provide new opportunities for local students and to prepare a skilled workforce.

Representatives of VGCC and of the two other local NCTAP members, Oxford-based Dill Air Controls Products and Revlon, recently visited Glen Raven’s Warren County location to discuss the partnership with Robbie Earnhardt, owner of Wake Forest-based Superior Tooling and chairman of the apprenticeship program.

Typically starting in the 11th grade of high school, NCTAP is a four-year program that leads to a student obtaining an associate degree at the community college and paid, on-the-job training at the participating employer. Eligible students’ VGCC tuition will be covered by a waiver from the state of North Carolina. After they graduate from high school, students in the program will be employed full-time by the company.

NCTAP works to recruit, select and induct the participating students, Earnhardt explained. “This is a successful program at helping companies find the right people to fill their jobs because of the rigorous selection process,” he said. “We find students who are responsible and dedicated.”

Earnhardt said that NCTAP was inspired by a similar apprenticeship program in Charlotte. “Apprenticeship programs are really taking off all over the country,” he noted. “We’re currently trying to find more partners and to communicate the value of apprenticeships to high school students and their parents. We know that students who are accepted will eventually help spread the word to their classmates about this opportunity for a debt-free education coupled with a good job.”

Todd Wemyss has been the Norlina site manager for Glen Raven since 1998, and said that this would be his plant’s first experience with apprenticeship, but not his company’s. “The company has apprentices at other locations, both domestically and internationally,” Wemyss explained. Their plant in Burlington has an apprenticeship program, for example, and Glen Raven is interested in expanding such partnerships.

“We have very specific types of equipment here, so one advantage of the program is that an apprentice would be able to come in and learn how to use this particular equipment and be ready to work,” Wemyss said. “That kind of knowledge is difficult to find. This apprenticeship program would broaden our in-house technical capabilities.”

Wemyss serves on the VGCC Endowment Fund board of directors and lauds the longstanding partnership between his company and the community college. “Over the years, VGCC has helped us in numerous ways, including holding mini-seminars on site as well as both continuing education and curriculum courses that our employees attend.” He added that “Vance-Granville continues to help us move forward, and encouraging us to join the apprenticeship program is just the latest example. We’ve grown together.”

Wemyss said that September of 2017 is the earliest that an apprentice could begin the program. Shaler Chewning, a trainer/auditor for Glen Raven in Norlina, added that with many workers nearing retirement at his site, as well as broadly throughout the manufacturing sector, there is a growing need for new employees with various technical skills. Most likely, an apprentice at Glen Raven would enroll in the VGCC Mechatronics Engineering Technology program, which focuses on advanced manufacturing, which is becoming increasingly computerized.

Glen Raven has 40 locations in 17 countries. Headquartered in Glen Raven, North Carolina, the company has grown from a small cotton mill in 1880 into a global leader in performance fabrics. The Norlina location proudly displays the name of the company’s flagship brand, Sunbrella. A strong corporate supporter of VGCC’s Endowment Fund, Glen Raven has endowed several scholarships for students as well as annual awards that recognize faculty and staff excellence.

“We are excited that Glen Raven is continuing to build upon its partnership with VGCC by joining us in NCTAP,” said Ken Wilson, project manager for the TechHire grant at the college and a driving force behind the VGCC “Vanguard Apprenticeship Collaborative,” which is designed to cultivate highly skilled workers for large and small companies in a number of industries. He added that VGCC recently joined the national Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium.

For more information about the apprenticeship program, high school students and their parents should talk with their school guidance counselors or contact Ken Wilson at wilsonk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3259.

–VGCC–

VGCC offers online four-week summer classes

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Students can earn college credits on an accelerated schedule at Vance-Granville Community College by taking four-week online classes this summer.

For the first time, VGCC has scheduled certain curriculum courses on back-to-back four-week schedules during the summer term. The first four-week mini-term will begin May 30 and end on June 26. Then, the second mini-term starts June 27 and ends on July 31.

Five courses are scheduled for the first mini-term: Personal Health/Wellness (HEA 110), Critical Thinking (HUM 115), Music Appreciation (MUS 110), American Government (POL 120) and Keyboarding (OST 131). All five are offered completely online. During the second mini-term, the same courses will be offered, except for Keyboarding.

Registration for these classes is currently underway, and will close on May 25 for the first session and June 23 for the second.

“This summer, students can accelerate their education in a fast-paced period of study,” said Jeffrey Allen, VGCC’s dean of enrollment and outreach. “We had a great response when we offered four-week classes for the first time in late December and early January, so we are excited about continuing to use this format to meet the needs of our diverse learning community.” He added, “These courses can give many students the opportunity to quickly make progress toward a degree.”

Not only current VGCC students, but also new students, including students at four-year universities, are welcome to enroll. Current VGCC students are encouraged to talk with their advisors to see if the four-week courses are right for them.

All the courses on the schedule except for Keyboarding transfer to most North Carolina colleges and universities. Students are encouraged to check with their four-year school of choice on transferability before registering for particular courses. New students will need to complete a VGCC application for admission first.

Financial aid is available for qualified students. For more information, contact the VGCC Financial Aid Office at fao@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3280.

For registration information, visit the Student Learning & Success Center on any VGCC campus or call (252) 738-3330.

–VGCC–

Vance County Schools to host Healthcare Info Session

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 15, 2017

The Vance County Schools Family Resource Center, located in our Administrative Services Center on Graham Avenue in Henderson, will host a Healthcare Information Session from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. A registered dietitian, eye doctor and dentist will be on hand to share information with parents. The dietitian will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The eye doctor and dentist will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. All parents are invited to attend this free information session

Home and Garden Show 03/14/17

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VGCC adding new Associate in Fine Arts degree

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Vance-Granville Community College is preparing to offer an Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degree in Visual Arts, with classes starting in August. Prospective students can begin the process of enrollment now.

The degree will be a third college transfer option available at the college, joining the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees already being offered. Earning this two-year AFA degree can serve as a springboard to completing a four-year bachelor’s in fine arts (BFA) degree in visual art at a university. Students will be encouraged to contact four-year universities in which they are interested, to find out about any specific transfer requirements.

In addition to their general education classes, AFA students will take classes in art history, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, and drawing.

VGCC has offered visual arts classes of different kinds throughout its history. In 2015, VGCC began holding “Fine Arts Day” events, which incorporated not only visual art but also music, dance and dramatic arts.

Isaac Talley, an award-winning visual artist, is a full-time art instructor at VGCC, teaching courses such as Art Appreciation, Two-Dimensional Design, and Drawing. “The AFA will be an excellent way to complete your first two years of college with tuition that’s very affordable, and then proceed on to East Carolina University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro or elsewhere,” Talley said. “It’s a great opportunity, especially for people who are interested in painting, as well as digital photography, which we are planning to add in 2018.”

He added that while at VGCC, students will be able to hone their skills and build a portfolio that can help them gain admission to the university of their choice. They also may simply want more training in art without necessarily continuing to the four-year level. Jessie Hartley of Oxford, a current VGCC College Transfer student who won first place at the college’s juried student art exhibition, said that “the AFA program is appealing to me because it opens up more learning opportunities for me involving art. With the Associate in Arts program, I have learned everything from some early art history to painting and drawing. With the AFA program, my knowledge of art can expand even further with the use of different media and techniques that I possibly haven’t even heard of. It will also help my credibility for future job possibilities involving art.”

Hartley said that she has enjoyed all of the art classes she has taken at VGCC thus far. “In painting and drawing, I enjoyed the freedom and self-control it gave me,” she recalled. “I learned that I could express myself in all manners of ways on a canvas that could speak to the viewer of that piece, perhaps even touch their soul.  In art history and art appreciation, I enjoyed going through the past, learning facts and valuable information and where it all began. All in all, I am really looking forward to the AFA program, and I feel that all art students, including myself, will benefit wonderfully from it.”

After she graduates from VGCC, Hartley’s plan is to develop her own studio as a freelance artist. “I would like to travel to different art festivals and sell my work, as well as learn different crafts and techniques with a diverse range of media,” she said. “I may pursue further education later on, which the AFA degree will help with to enhance my credibility and experience.”

For more information about the AFA program, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3371.

–VGCC–

The WOW starts NOW!

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

Parents of children who are pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age are urged to visit Vance County Schools‘ elementary schools this coming week, March 13-17, to tour the school, visit with teachers and administrators and register their children for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year.

Special pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration activities are planned for Tuesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 16, from 1 to 6 p.m. each day at the schools. Aycock, Carver, Dabney, E.M. Rollins, E.O. Young, L.B. Yancey, Pinkston Street and Zeb Vance have special events planned for Tuesday, March 14. Special events will be held at Clarke and New Hope on Thursday, March 16.

All children who register for kindergarten will receive a colorful, new backpack. Refreshments and special children’s activities also will be available.

For those parents who cannot attend the school events during the week, a special registration event will be held at the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson on Saturday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers will be on hand to talk with parents and to lead children in special activities. Parents of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children can also register them for the 2017-2018 school year at this event. Refreshments and backpacks will be provided. All activities and items are free.

“The WOW Starts NOW!” is the slogan this year for the school system’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration campaign.

To register for the 2017-2018 school year, all pre-kindergarten children must be four years of age on or before August 31, 2017, and all kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2017.

Computer-aided drafting course offered at VGCC

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Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a “CAD with Solid Edge” course, to be held Monday through Thursday, April 3 through May 25, on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Students will choose to take the course on one of two different schedules: 9 a.m. until noon, or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Solid Edge is a Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) software program, produced by Siemens, which is used in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing.

This course introduces students to the three-dimensional solid modeling and design software. Topics include design sketching, basic three-dimensional design considerations and techniques, model creation, model editing, model rendering, analysis of solid models and creation of multi-view drawings. Upon completion, students should be able to use design techniques to sketch, model, edit, and render 3D models and generate multi-view 2D drawings. Students will learn how to create and print 2D drawings from 3D solid models and send solid models to a 3D printer.

The instructor for the course is Peter M. Robinson.

Students may become certified through Siemens upon passing the credentialing exam.

The cost of this course is $187 plus the cost of textbooks and the exam.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/oex or in person at any VGCC campus. The deadline to register is March 28. For more information, contact VGCC at oex@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3324.

–VGCC–