Tag Archive for: #stelfaniewilliams

New members join VGCC endowment board

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The Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors recently welcomed four new members. They include Tanya Evans of Timberlake, Ronnie Goswick of Franklinton, Katharine Macon Horner of Durham and Marshall Tanner of Oxford.

“We are delighted to welcome these leaders to our Endowment board, and we appreciate their commitment to supporting our students and our mission,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC.

The board of directors oversees the Endowment Fund Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1976 to seek and receive scholarship funds and other contributions for the college.

Evans is a district manager in Duke Energy’s government and community relations department. She is responsible for external relations, issue management, community involvement and corporate contributions for the company’s northeast region, which covers Caswell, Person, Granville, Vance, Warren, Franklin, Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson and Halifax counties. Duke Energy has established numerous scholarships for VGCC students and awarded several grants to the college over the years. Evans has a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Goswick is the director of business and economic development at Carolina Sunrock, based in Raleigh. The company is a longtime supporter of the college and has endowed a VGCC scholarship in its name. Goswick served for 25 years in local government with Franklin County and the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments as an economic development director. He is also a former Franklin County commissioner and member of the Town of Franklinton Board of Commissioners. Goswick is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in business.

Horner is a Henderson native who graduated from Atlantic Christian College (today known as Barton College) with a degree in health and physical education and from Wilson County Technical Institute (today known as Wilson Community College) with an associate degree in nursing. She retired after a lengthy, varied career in health care, having spent many years working as a nurse at Duke Medical Center. Horner has endowed two scholarships at VGCC in memory of her parents and grandparents.

Tanner spent his career in the manufacturing sector, retiring in 2010 as a vice president of Bridgestone Bandag, another company that has supported the VGCC Endowment Fund for many years and endowed a scholarship in its name. He managed plants for that company in Iowa and Georgia before finally moving to its Oxford location. Tanner earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management at Georgia Tech. Active in his community, he received the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award in 2003 from the Granville County Chamber of Commerce.

The four new additions join current Endowment Fund board members Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Julius Banzet III, Sarah Baskerville, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Dr. Ben F. Currin, Clay Frazier, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson, Darryl Moss, T.S. Royster, Jr., Donald C. Seifert, Sr., Josh Towne and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board.

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,800 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

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VGCC awards top academic honor to Ivy League-bound student

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Vance-Granville Community College has named student Paul Caroline of Louisburg as its recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Academic Excellence Award for 2017. One student from each of the 58 colleges in the state system is honored with the award each year.

Caroline will be officially recognized at Commencement in May, when he is scheduled to graduate from the college with both an Associate in Arts degree and an Associate in Science degree. That same month, Caroline will graduate from Franklin County Early College High School. This is the second year in a row that the VGCC Academic Excellence Award has gone to a student at FCECHS.

The college partners with four Early College high school programs, one in each county of the VGCC service area. As Caroline has done, students typically finish the program in five years, simultaneously earning high school diplomas and college degrees, or up to two years of college-transferable credits.

In an essay that he wrote for the award nomination, Caroline put his academic experience into its historical context. “For my family, education has always been a privilege,” he wrote. “In the early twentieth century, laws prohibited my great-grandmother and many other African American students from advancing to the twelfth grade and earning a high school diploma. Since then, each new generation has attested to a strong commitment to the pursuit of educational opportunity.”

Caroline added that “education opens doors to a better life, and one of the greatest thresholds I have crossed on my journey thus far is the iconic archway of Vance-Granville Community College.”

He described the support he has received from faculty members at both the high school and the college as “transformative.” Caroline said that he found that learning “not only yields the power to better oneself, but the world as a whole.” He took the “Vanguard spirit” and VGCC’s commitment to students to heart, he said, by helping others as a Peer Tutor through the college’s Academic Skills Center, starting at the age of 17.

After he graduates, Caroline is set to study Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, the prestigious Ivy League institution, with a full QuestBridge scholarship, which he described as “a first” for his community. “In my personal journey, Vance-Granville Community College has been a stepping-stone to making an Ivy League education possible,” Caroline said.

His twin brother, Peter, is also a Franklin County Early College High School student. Peter is likewise set to graduate with both an Associate in Arts degree and an Associate in Science degree from VGCC and will continue his education at Stanford University with a full QuestBridge scholarship.

“Paul’s hard work and dedication to excellence have earned him a place among the top community college students in North Carolina,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC. “He is an outstanding representative of both Vance-Granville and Franklin County Early College High School, and we know he will continue to make us proud as a student at one of our country’s elite institutions of higher learning.”

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VGCC trustees approve new Associate Degree in Visual Arts

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Vance-Granville Community College’s Board of Trustees approved the offering of an Associate in Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts beginning in the fall of 2017 as the trustees met for their bi-monthly meeting on the Main Campus on Nov. 21.

The board also welcomed Jennifer P. “Jenny” Hester of Henderson as a newly appointed trustee, received preliminary plans for capital improvements on four campuses, and celebrated the results of the latest faculty and staff campaign to support the VGCC Endowment Fund.

Hester, who works in real estate and development in Henderson, was sworn in by Resident Superior Court Judge Henry W. “Chip” Hight of Henderson. Appointed for a four-year term on the board by N.C. Governor Pat McCrory, she replaces Dr. Doris Terry Williams of Henderson, who had served since November 2010.

The Fine Arts degree will be added to the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees already being offered by Vance-Granville. A minimum of 60 semester hours of College Transfer courses will be required in English; communications, humanities and fine arts; social and behavioral sciences; mathematics; and natural sciences, in addition to classes in art history, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, and drawing. For graduates who wish to complete a four-year degree, course credits will transfer to all 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina System under the state’s Comprehensive Articulation Agreement.

The board’s action came on a recommendation from the trustees’ Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris. With board approval, the College will now submit the program to the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) for their approvals.

In other action from the Curriculum Committee, the board voted to approve closure of the Associate in Applied Science in Entrepreneurship program. Citing consistent low enrollment, Harris said the program will end in the fall of 2017 with a “teach-out plan” for currently enrolled students through Spring Semester 2018. The program was designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and growth as self-employed business owners. The College continues to offer a variety of related programs in Business Administration, Accounting and Office Administration, among others.

Faculty-Staff Drive for Scholarships

The co-chairs of the annual faculty and staff drive on Vance-Granville’s four campuses announced to the Trustees that $20,079 was raised this fall from among employees to support the mission of the College and students through scholarships.

The drive co-chairs were Kristi Salmons-Ellenberg, department chair and instructor for Social Sciences; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, Main Campus receptionist; and Steven Sievert, instructor for Computer Education.

VGCC awarded 301 scholarships at its annual awards ceremony this October. The funds raised by the faculty and staff this year will help with future scholarships.

Capital improvements

The Board of Trustees received a preliminary look at capital improvement projects that may be made possible with the $7.6 million in funds that the College is receiving through the Connect NC bonds approved by statewide voters this past March.

Projects are proposed at all four campuses, according to Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., chair of the Building Committee.

Among the largest projects, the replacement of outdated heating, ventilation and air conditioning and fire alarm systems on Main Campus is projected to cost around $4 million. Exterior masonry repairs and restoration, also on Main Campus, are projected at around $1 million. Both projects will enter the design phase in January 2017 with a proposed construction start date of August 2017, Seifert said.

Other projects, depending upon available funds, could include, on Main Campus, the remodeling of restrooms, renovations to several instructional areas, and the construction of a “burn building” for the Fire/Rescue department in Continuing Education; at South Campus, the replacement of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment; at Franklin, renovations to a lab and boiler replacement; and at Warren, gas pack and heat pump replacements. The Connect NC Bond funds must be designated for repairs and renovations or the construction of new facilities.

In addition to the Connect NC Bond projects, Seifert said roof renovations to Building 6 on Main Campus are in the design phase, and the project will be bid out in February and completed in the summer of 2017. Remaining balances from other renovations on Main and South campuses will be available for space utilization improvements and repairs and renovations, respectively, Seifert said. Among those improvements, Steve Graham, Vance-Granville’s vice president for finance and operations, said a Bioprocess Technology laboratory on Main Campus is being retrofitted to house a new curriculum program in Histotechnology. The Bioprocess program is moving to the Franklin County Campus.

Other Action

In other action:

  • Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the Personnel Committee, reported on new employees, retirements and resignations. Among those retiring is Jacquelin “Jackie” Heath, program head and instructor for School-Age Education. Heath, who began employment on Sept. 15, 1976, and retires in January, is Vance-Granville’s longest-serving full-time faculty or staff member.
  • Trustee L. Opie Frazier, Jr., co-chair of the Investment Committee, and Steve Graham, Vance-Granville’s vice president of finance and operations, updated the board on the move of the College’s investments to First Citizens Wealth Management in October. In September, the board approved the firm as the financial advisor, ratifying the designation of the firm by the VGCC Endowment Fund Board of Directors.
  • In her report to the trustees, President Dr. Stelfanie Williams reported on recent activities and events at Vance-Granville. Among those, she noted upcoming holiday events, including the Vance-Granville Community Band’s Holiday Concert on Monday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m.

The next meeting of the VGCC Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, Jan. 23, at the Main Campus.

VGCC Advisory Committees hold annual meetings

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Citizens from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties came together at the Main Campus of Vance-Granville Community College on Oct. 25 as the college’s advisory committees held their annual meetings.

VGCC’s 38 advisory committees are made up of people from the communities served by the college who have worked in the fields for which the college offers training. Committees advise not only curriculum and continuing education programs, but also VGCC’s South, Franklin and Warren campuses, the Small Business Center and other departments. Many committee members are VGCC alumni. Each fall, these committees meet on campus with the heads of the programs they advise.

At the Oct. 25 meetings, VGCC faculty and staff communicated with advisory committee members about new developments in the academic programs, about how to tailor classes and training to meet employment needs, and about changes in the workplace. Committee members made suggestions on what the college should be doing to enhance or adapt instruction.

Holding its first meeting was the advisory committee for one of VGCC’s newest degree programs, Histotechnology. Sheila Deloney, a certified histotechnologist and assistant administrative director for anatomic pathology and autopsy services at UNC Health Care in Chapel Hill, was elected as the committee’s first chair. Dr. Dianne Dookhan, a pathologist who works at Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson, among other facilities, was elected vice chair.

Students in VGCC’s Culinary Arts program prepared a reception in the Civic Center, preceding the meetings. The menu included Dijon crusted pork loin, seasonal vegetable succotash, polenta with a mushroom cream sauce, beef roulade filled with peppers, spinach, carrots and provolone cheese, herb roasted red potatoes, various pasta selections and assorted desserts.

In remarks during the reception, Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, thanked the advisory committee members for serving and supporting the college. “Our Advisory Committees are important to us, because they connect the college with our communities, meet the needs of our local employers, and maintain bonds with our alumni,” President Williams told the attendees. “Your input, your leadership, and your advocacy strengthen our academic programs.”

VGCC pins Associate Degree Nursing graduates

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Vance-Granville Community College recognized 51 students who graduated this spring from the Associate Degree Nursing program with a pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center on May 11.

Among those honored with distinctive nursing pins at the ceremonies were 14 who graduated through the LPN to ADN Transition Program, which helps Licensed Practical Nurses to continue their education and then become Registered Nurses. These graduates were Shelley Hawkins of Creedmoor; Jaleesa W. James of Durham; Charidy A. Scott of Franklinton; Tabitha L. Blanchard, Emily “Jill” Carpunky and Kimberly Watson, all of Henderson; Susan J. Collins of Louisburg; Christy Elliott of Nelson, Va., Angela Almengor, Suzanne Butler and Lovelyn Imoh, all of Raleigh; Chamara D. Enis of Stovall; Morgan Yount of Timberlake; and Felicia L. Spruill of Warrenton.

The graduates who took courses in the traditional five-semester sequence included Caroline Rhodes of Butner; Ryan M. Erlenmeyer of Chapel Hill; Jennifer A. Taylor and Emma C. Weaver, both of Creedmoor; Clarence M. Allen, Hardeep Dhillon, Meagan C. Long and Nneka A. Nweke, all of Durham; Meredith Alshibah and Samantha A. Smith, all of Franklinton; Jenna E. Jarrell, Meredith Manning, Samantha Patrick, Tenisha Ragland-Colvin and Fara L. Vass, all of Henderson; Sada’ Reed of Kittrell; Amy Althiser, Jessica Johnson and Devan F. Wilkins, all of Louisburg; Melanie Hilliard of Macon; Princess T. Couch, Elaine A. Harrison, Hope Lassiter, Erica Caudle Medlin, Andrea Norris, Keisha Terry and Sophie Tyler, all of Oxford; Onyekachi Amadi and Kimberly Fakhoury, both of Raleigh; Jennifer Smith of Rolesville; Wanda Burwell of Stovall; Mica Durham, Laura Graham and Gian Carlo Sagulili, all of Wake Forest; Tarsha Richardson of Warrenton; and Olivia Austin and Shannon M. Paulson, both of Youngsville.

In welcoming remarks, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams congratulated the students on their success. “The class of 2016 is the most recruited class in our history,” she said, noting both the employers and the four-year universities who had expressed interest in the graduates. “Over half of the class has already accepted registered nursing positions or will continue working with their current employers, and I’m so proud of that,” the president said. “Graduates, just as VGCC has made an impression on your lives, you will make a difference in the lives of others as registered nurses. We are proud to have trained you for such a worthy endeavor.”

Class of 2016 President Caroline Rhodes made welcoming remarks on behalf of her classmates. “We have fought long and hard for this day,” she said. “Our blood, sweat and tears have paid off. We are ready to embark on the next chapter of our lives.” Rhodes thanked the graduates’ friends and families for their love and support, and the VGCC faculty and staff for their patience, diligence and compassion. “We will take the knowledge that you have instilled in us and use it in our future careers to be the best nurses that we can be,” she said.

Student Melanie Hilliard then presented a gift on behalf of the class to the college: a piece of artwork that depicts figures from nursing history and includes the “Florence Nightingale Pledge.”

Academic honors were presented to graduates who completed the program with at least a 3.5 grade point average: Durham, Enis, Harrison, Imoh, Medlin, Taylor, Wilkins and finally Erlenmeyer, who was recognized for having the highest GPA in the class.

Nursing instructor Tracey Hight also presented cords to students who participated in community service projects as members of the National Student Nurses Association, including Amadi, Austin, Couch, Graham, Lassiter, Paulson, Ragland-Colvin, Reed, Rhodes, Smith, Taylor, Terry, Tyler, Vass, Weaver and Wilkins.

Longtime VGCC Nursing instructor Camella Marcom served as guest speaker for the ceremony. She currently teaches at her alma mater, East Carteret High School in Beaufort. “I welcome you to the great profession of nursing,” she said to the Class of 2016. She tried to think back to her own pinning in 1982. “I cannot for the life of me remember one thing that was said,” Marcom said, to laughter. “But I do remember how I felt that day, and how much becoming a nurse meant to me and my family.”

“It’s not possible for you to know the power of your prepared mind and your newly acquired knowledge and skills until you actually use them, but you will, and through this, you will touch the lives of so many who need you,” Marcom said. She asked the graduates to remember just three words she said: “You are ready.”

Instructor Anna Seaman described the significance of the nursing pin. The unique green and gold pin identifies each nurse as a VGCC graduate, and indicates that the graduate has the training and competence to serve as a professional nurse. During the ceremony, graduates were pinned by VGCC Nursing department chair Erica Jastrow and instructor Kim Radcliffe, and received lamps and roses from instructors Heather Wilson and Holly Cathcart. Meanwhile, Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas read their biographies. After all graduates had received pins, the lights in the Civic Center were lowered, and instructor Brooke Darnell led students in reciting the “Florence Nightingale Pledge” by lamp-light.