VGCC to host Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration on Jan. 20
Vance-Granville Community College will hold a special program celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The celebration is free and open to the public.
The theme of this year’s event is “The Courage to Dream, The Determination to Achieve.” The program will include inspirational music presented by a choir of VGCC faculty and staff, as well as remarks by guest speaker Kanika Turrentine, founder and CEO of the Henderson-based non-profit organization, Infinite Possibilities, Inc. Through her organization, Turrentine has developed and implemented numerous programs and outreach events for targeted groups such as single mothers, at-risk youth, the homeless, and victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Henderson native and former public school teacher graduated from Elizabeth City State University with a Bachelor’s in Business Management and from Strayer University with a Master’s in Public Administration.
Also participating in the program will be officers of the VGCC Student Government Association.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to a local charitable organization. All attendees who donate a food item will be eligible to win a door prize.
In case of inclement weather, the event is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 11 a.m.
For more information, contact Melanie Copeland at (252) 738-3271 or copelandm@vgcc.edu.
VGCC to offer Agricultural Entrepreneurship program in Vance & Granville counties
With partners at the local and state levels, the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center will soon offer the “NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship” program in Henderson and in Oxford.
The seven-week course is designed specifically to help local farmers and budding entrepreneurs succeed in developing profitable, environmentally-sound small farms or agricultural businesses.
The class will be offered at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market (210 Southpark Drive, Henderson) on Saturdays, Jan. 23 through March 5, from 8 until 11 a.m.
At the Granville County Expo & Convention Center (4185 U.S. Highway 15, Oxford), the class will be offered on Mondays, Feb. 8 through March 21, from 6 until 9 p.m.
Space is limited to 20 students at each location.
NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship is designed for small business owners who grow crops or trees, raise livestock, or make sauces, pickles or jams with items from a garden. The goal is for participants to strengthen their business savvy in order to gain the highest profit margin possible.
Participants will consider challenges such as pricing their products; the logistics of getting their products to the market; selecting the best market; and how to generate income between growing seasons. Other topics include business development and management, finance and regulatory requirements, quality and safety standards. Participants will also be introduced to resources and contacts that can help them operate more efficiently and effectively.
The instructor at both locations will be Carrie Harvey of Harvey Hills Farms in Oxford, who is also a client of the VGCC Small Business Center.
“This is a hands-on, interactive program, beneficial to farmers or anyone who grows a marketable agricultural product, who wishes to start a business or has been in business less than three years,” said Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center. Each participant will receive free, one-on-one counseling as a client of the Small Business Center, which will help them take their ideas to the next level of business planning.
Tuition for the course is $70, and the cost of the textbook is $25. Scholarships to offset the cost of tuition are available to qualified participants, thanks to support from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
For more information and to register, contact Kyle Burwell, coordinator of Human Resources Development, at (252) 738-3276 or hrd-wk@vgcc.edu, or Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.
Propel GPS holds Ribbon Cutting
Propel GPS, LLC held a ribbon cutting on December 8th to celebrate the expansion of their offices at 946X Crossroads Shopping Center on Highway 39. A Chamber member for over 2 years, the company opened in Henderson over 3 years ago.
Company owner and CEO Rick Burtner welcomed attendees to the event which was part of a Christmas Open House featuring catered refreshments and introductions of team members from various parts of the US. The company offers a one-stop solution for asset management and sensor monitoring in a robust, secure, reliable platform that combines the accuracy of Global Positioning System (GPS) wireless communications using global satellite and cellular technology. It’s user-friendly application is easy to install, operate and manage and allows for the ease of tracking vehicles and/or critical assets directly from a desktop or mobile phone.
If your company has a fleet to manage, drivers to monitor or temperature sensitive perishable goods to haul, Propel GPS may be just the solution for you. In addition, the company takes pride in their involvement with area universities and Vance-Granville Community College through the use of interns, practicum classes and student hires as well partnerships with veterans and veteran groups.
The company has offices in Reston, VA and in Henderson, NC and can be reached for business inquiries at 901-359-4731 or on the web at www.PropelGPS.com.
Blakebrough and Crosson Earn Doctoral Degrees
Donna Blakebrough, an assistant principal at Henderson Middle School, and Jacqueline Crosson, assistant principal at New Hope Elementary School and Pinkston Street Elementary School, have earned doctoral degrees in education.
Both were notified in late October of their success in completing requirements for the degrees. Blakebrough earned her doctorate in school leadership and administration from N.C. State University. Crosson earned her doctorate in educational leadership with a concentration in curriculum and instruction from the University of Phoenix.
Blakebrough and Crosson worked full time as school adm
inistrators while they worked on getting their doctoral degrees. Both admitted that meeting all of their responsibilities, while doing the in depth work required for the degree was challenging.
inistrators while they worked on getting their doctoral degrees. Both admitted that meeting all of their responsibilities, while doing the in depth work required for the degree was challenging.
Blakebrough began work on her degree about eight years ago. During that time, her husband became ill and battled cancer for two years. He lost his battle and Blakebrough said it took another two years for her to gain the motivation again to pursue the degree. She did her dissertation on the teaching and learning that went on at Henderson Institute from 1952-1970, interviewing 10 graduates of the school.“After the interviews, I knew I had to finish this for all these wonderful alumni,” she said.
Blakebrough’s exhaustive research included hours of interviews with the graduates.
“There were several things that struck me during my research,” Blakebrough said. “First, there was the tremendous school culture in which the teachers held such high expectations for their students and told each of them they would be successful, because they had prepared them well. There was no ‘I can’t’ in the school. Teachers were always saying, ‘You can.’
“Then, there were the teacher attributes,” she continued. “All of the graduates told me that they knew their teachers loved them, because they would tell them they loved them and cared for them. The third thing was that the school had very student centered activities. The relationship between the teachers and students was all based on respect. And, there were strong relationships between the school, parents and the community. The community interest was centered around the school, even with adults who didn’t have children in the school.”
Blakebrough said she will always treasure the experience of researching and writing her 200-page dissertation.
“It was lot of work, but the historian in me loved it,” she added. “I learned so much not only about Henderson Institute (grades 9-12), but about the Henderson community. I wouldn’t take anything for that experience of talking to every one of the graduates and learning from them.”
Crosson took almost four years to complete work on her degree. Her dissertation was on the correlation between teacher retention and the principal’s leadership style in Vance County Schools.
“I received such wonderful support from people here in our schools,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without their help.”
She mentioned she received tremendous help from local principals who included Dr. Michael Putney of Dabney Elementary, David Westbrook of Carver Elementary, and Anne Garrison, former principal of Zeb Vance Elementary. Crosson said she was especially grateful for the help and guidance from the two principals she works with, Heddie Somerville at Pinkston Street, and Dr. Harold Thompson Jr. at New Hope. Crosson splits her time each week at the two schools.
“Their support was amazing,” Crosson said of Somerville and Thompson. “They shared such great information with me and were understanding of the work I needed to do to get my degree.”
Crosson noted that she did all of her work online through the University of Phoenix. She completed the first three chapters of her dissertation in slightly more than a year and it then took about two more years to complete the final two chapters.
“It was really all about writing,” she added. “I would write and then submit my work for review. I would get suggested revisions and then I would refine the writing. It was really hard work, but a really good learning experience.”
Both Blakebrough and Crosson readily admit they are glad they have their degrees and that the hard work is behind them.
“It was a great accomplishment and I now have a great feeling of relief,” Blakebrough said.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Crosson added. “I can breathe now and not think about assignments I have to do.”
(Information for this story provided in a news release by Vance County Schools.)
VGCC graduates 13 cadets in school’s 101st BLET Class
Thirteen cadets graduated on Dec. 15, 2015, from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Vance-Granville Community College, in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Graduates of VGCC’s 101st BLET class included Thomas Henry Turner III and Jason Tyler Wright, both of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Elliott DeVar Carver of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office; Patrick Ryan Fuqua, Brandon Jay Link and Tiquan Devard Terry, all of the Henderson Police Department; Jason Scott Penshorn and William Keegan Ruark, both of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation; Travis Ty Womack of the Oxford Police Department; Michael Wayne Martin of the Person County Sheriff’s Office; Tony Joseph Tart of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office; Wilbert Anthony Marrow of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office; and Jamison Patrick Vuolo.
The ceremony began with a presentation of colors by students from the ROTC program at Northern Vance High School, and the singing of the national anthem by NVHS student Jaylen Webb.
In welcoming remarks, Dr. Angela Ballentine, VGCC’s vice president of academic and student affairs, thanked the many leaders from local and state law enforcement agencies in attendance for partnering with the college. “Your support for the BLET program is invaluable,” Ballentine told the law enforcement representatives. “You sponsor our cadets, hire our graduates, provide many of our instructors, and give us feedback and advice. This successful partnership between VGCC and our community improves the safety and quality of life of our region.” She congratulated the graduates on completing the rigorous, 644-hour training program and encouraged them to continue their education.
Speaking on behalf of the class, Cadet Brandon Link praised their instructors, who taught them lessons that would shape their future careers. He called on his classmates to serve and protect “with honesty and pride.”
Graduates selected Sgt. Richard Creech of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, one of their instructors, to serve as their guest speaker. “Remember in your career to always treat people with respect,” Creech reminded the cadets. “Wearing this badge makes us no better than anyone else, but we are held to a higher standard.”
Andrea Ferguson, the program coordinator, and instructor Glen Boyd presented awards to the top students in the class in three categories. Womack won the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in weapons firing. Ruark earned the Physical Training Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo. Wright took home the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the written tests each cadet must pass.
After all graduates received their certificates, the group recited the “law enforcement code of ethics” published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
For more information on the BLET program, contact Ferguson at fergusona@vgcc.edu.
VGCC holds College Day for transferring students
Vance-Granville Community College hosted admissions officers from four-year colleges and universities on Dec. 3 on VGCC’s Main Campus. The event was VGCC’s annual “College Day,” where students obtain important information about transfer requirements, financial aid and scholarships that can help them take the next steps in their educational journeys.
The VGCC Student Learning and Success Center organized the fair in partnership with the Carolinas Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (CACRAO).
VGCC students browsed through displays, picked up informational materials, and talked with representatives from 14 four-year schools. Almost all of the represented colleges and universities were from North Carolina.
Each year, large numbers of students start their higher education at VGCC before transferring to four-year institutions. VGCC has numerous articulation agreements with four-year schools (both public and private) that allow students to transfer credits in various programs. The VGCC College Transfer program provides students with the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. College Transfer courses are offered at all four VGCC campuses and online. In recent 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. Graduates of the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science programs at VGCC are guaranteed admission into one of the 16 UNC schools, typically transferring in with the standing of juniors.
High school students in one of the four Early College programs operated by VGCC in partnership with local public school systems can earn up to two years of college-transferable credit, tuition-free.
For more information on enrolling at VGCC and transfer options, contact the Student Learning and Success Center at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus.
VGCC holds New Student Orientation sessions before Spring Semester
Registration continues for spring semester classes at Vance-Granville Community College, and the college will offer a final set of opportunities for prospective students to attend an orientation session on campus. Students also now have the option of attending orientation in an online format. The spring semester begins Monday, Jan. 11, with 12-week classes beginning on Feb. 9.
At VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County, an orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m.
Other orientation sessions are available for new students who are only taking 12-week classes. The Franklin County Campus near Louisburg has an orientation session scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. VGCC’s South Campus (between Creedmoor and Butner) is scheduled to hold an orientation session on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 9 a.m.
Attending an orientation session is required for all new students who wish to enroll in any of the college’s curriculum programs, and for students who are returning to VGCC after being away for three or more years. Students must also meet with an advisor or academic/career coach before registering for classes.
To attend an orientation session, a student must sign up in advance by visiting orientation.vgcc.edu.
In either the online or traditional format, orientation sessions help students learn where to find resources on campus or online, including how to register for classes through WebAdvisor. Immediately following a general orientation session, each student will meet with an academic advisor and have the opportunity to register for classes the same day.
The upcoming semester’s course schedule is available online at schedules.vgcc.edu.
For students who register in January, the deadline to pay tuition and fees is Thursday, Jan. 7, by 5 p.m. if paying in person, or by midnight if paying online.
For more information, contact VGCC at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus. VGCC is closed for the holidays from Dec. 21, 2015 through Jan. 1, 2016, re-opening on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016.