North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, to the Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education. The Commission, which the governor created through an Executive Order, will focus on the critical importance of North Carolina meeting its duties under the state constitution as underscored by the landmark court rulings in Leandro v. North Carolina and Hoke County Board of Education v. North Carolina.
The new commission includes experts from a wide range of fields that are relevant to education and student and school success. Dr. Williams was appointed as the representative of North Carolina community colleges. The commission will focus on key areas highlighted in the original Leandro ruling, including:
• staffing each classroom with a competent, well-trained teacher,
Dr. Stelfanie Williams (VGCC Photo)
• staffing each school with a competent, well-trained principal, and
• identifying the resources necessary to ensure that all children, including those at risk, have an equal opportunity to obtain a sound basic education.
The commission is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Nov. 30 in Raleigh. Its goal is to develop recommendations for specific actions necessary to achieve sustained compliance with the constitutional mandates established in Leandro.
“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the other leaders on this commission to identify concrete steps that our state can take to improve public education for all our young people in all corners of North Carolina,” President Williams said. “The success of our great state depends on strong K-12 schools, working in partnership with strong community colleges and universities.”
Williams became the sixth president of VGCC in 2012. Since then, she has focused the college strategically on educational excellence, continuous improvement, employee and student engagement in college life, and institutional stewardship. During her tenure, the college has added seven curriculum degree programs, secured the largest grants in the college’s history, the second-largest private donor gift, and held six consecutive highest-yielding annual golf tournaments for scholarships. With a focus on student success, the institution has improved completion rates, graduating the largest classes ever in 2015 and 2016, and initiating a private donor-sponsored college promise program called the “VanGuarantee” in an effort to make college more accessible for students with the greatest financial need.
Prior to leading VGCC, Williams served as faculty and in several administrative capacities at other North Carolina community colleges. She also currently serves as adjunct faculty for the North Carolina State University College of Education. Williams holds dual baccalaureate degrees from Duke University, a graduate degree from Western Carolina University, and a doctorate from North Carolina State University. In 2014, she was awarded the I.E. Ready Distinguished Leadership Award by North Carolina State University.
The Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education is the second education-related panel for which the VGCC leader has been selected in recent months. Dr. Williams was appointed to the “My Future NC” Commission by the president of the University of North Carolina, Margaret Spellings; the acting president of the North Carolina Community College System, Jennifer Haygood; and the state superintendent of public instruction, Mark Johnson.
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Dr. Ben F. Currin recently retired from the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors. That marked the culmination of Currin’s formal association with VGCC, which lasted for a total of 36 years — 18 as president of the college and 18 more on the endowment board after his retirement as president.
Currin, who now lives in Raleigh, became the third president of VGCC in 1981. Under Currin’s leadership, VGCC grew from one campus to four, with a total of almost $18 million worth of new construction at all campuses. During his tenure, VGCC reactivated the college’s Endowment Fund, which grew from $12,000 in 1982 to $5 million at the time of his retirement and provided scholarships for numerous students. In 1985, he started the annual VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $862,000 to date. A VGCC scholarship, the Dr. Ben Currin Presidential Merit Award, was endowed in his honor upon his retirement through contributions from the college faculty and staff.
From left, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams and Dr. Ben Currin, the college’s former president, holding a plaque honoring him for his service to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund. (VGCC photo)
A native of Granville County and a graduate of Oxford High School, Currin received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959. He earned his master’s degree in education in 1962 and his advanced graduate certificate in professional education in 1963, both from UNC. He received his doctorate in education from UNC in 1970 in education administration with a minor in political science.
Currin assumed the VGCC presidency after having served as a teacher, coach and public school administrator, including 11 years as superintendent of Rocky Mount City Schools. While in Rocky Mount, he also taught graduate courses at East Carolina University as an adjunct professor.
Currin earned high esteem from his peers in higher education. A University of Texas study in 1988-89 named him one of the “best of the best” among community college presidents across the nation, and he was given a National Leadership Award at the Leadership 2000 conference in San Francisco. He was also one of 75 participants chosen nationwide to participate in the Management of Lifelong Education Institute at Harvard University. Currin received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Beverly Perdue. In 2016, Currin received the highest honor that can be bestowed by the State Board of Community Colleges, the I.E. Ready Award.
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. Current board members include Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson (secretary), Julius Banzet, III, Sarah Baskerville, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Tanya Evans, Clay Frazier, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Ronnie Goswick, Katharine Macon Horner, Darryl Moss, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., Marshall Tanner, Josh Towne and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board, and Danny Wright, chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees, serves on the board ex-officio.
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,100 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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The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees celebrated news from President Dr. Stelfanie Williams that the college’s VanGuarantee scholarship continues to gain national attention. The announcement was made on Nov. 20 at the board’s bi-monthly meeting on the Main Campus.
The trustees also welcomed two new board members and heard the results of a campus-wide campaign to raise money for the VGCC Endowment Fund.
In her report to the Board of Trustees, Dr. Williams said the “Community College Daily,” a publication of the American Association of Community Colleges, shared in October an annual report on the College Promise Campaign, described by the association as a movement focusing on providing a free community college education to qualified students.
In the past 12 months, the AACC said, more than 50 new programs were announced similar to VGCC’s VanGuarantee. “New College Promise programs are evolving at a rapid pace because communities and states recognize that a high school education is insufficient to secure a good job and a decent quality of life in today’s economy,” the report said, adding that there are now more than 200 such programs across 41 states.
The VanGuarantee benefitted 47 Vance-Granville students during the 2016-2017 fiscal year, according to VGCC’s Financial Aid Office. A total of $50,514 was disbursed to help those students.
Designed to help eliminate any financial barriers standing between students and their academic goals, the VanGuarantee was announced in March 2016, with the first scholarships awarded in the Fall 2016 semester. The innovative scholarship program was made possible by a $1.6 million bequest to the college from the estate of Wilbert A. Edwards, a Vance County native, who was living in Oxford at the time of his death. Edwards’ gift, announced in 2015, is the second largest in the history of VGCC.
The AACC said the annual report highlighted the efforts to create College Promise programs in rural areas of the nation, “which on average have fewer students attaining college credentials than students in cities,” citing specifically the program at Vance-Granville.
“More than half of the nation’s 1,400 community colleges in the United States are located in rural areas, and they serve a third of the nation’s community college population,” the College Promise Campaign annual report for 2017 says. “Some … like Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina have the responsibility to serve a broad geographic area for their local populations. The aim of these rural programs is to help more students enter and complete a community college education within their region through shared education, business and philanthropic partnerships that identify sustainable financial resources for the College Promise.”
New Trustees
Xavier Wortham of Oxford, left, is sworn in as a newly appointed member of the VGCC Board of Trustees by Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Carolyn J. Thompson at the board’s meeting on Nov. 20. Wortham has been appointed to a four-year term by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper. (VGCC photo)
The Board of Trustees welcomed Xavier Wortham of Oxford as a newly appointed trustee at the meeting. Wortham, who works as executive director of the Oxford Housing Authority in Granville County, was sworn in by District Court Judge Carolyn J. Thompson, who serves District 9.
Appointed for a four-year term on the board by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper, Wortham replaces Michele Burgess of Henderson, who had served since September 2013.
Also joining the board for a one-year term was Sophie Taylor, who was recently elected president of the VGCC Student Government Association. Taylor, who is a student at Franklin County Early College High School, will serve as a Student Trustee, representing the interests of her fellow VGCC students at all meetings of the trustees.
Faculty-Staff Drive for Scholarships
The co-chairs of the annual faculty and staff drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund announced to the Trustees that $21,036 was raised this fall from among employees on Vance-Granville’s four campuses to support the mission of the college and students through scholarships.
VGCC Board of Trustees Chair Danny W. Wright celebrates the announcement of $21,036 raised in the Faculty-Staff Drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund this fall. Co-chairs of the campaign were Andrew Beal, public information officer for the college; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, receptionist at Main Campus; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid. Kay Currin, VGCC Endowment specialist, made the presentation to the trustees at their Nov. 20 meeting. Shown from left are Wright, Beal, Foster-Hill and Currin. Lambert was unavailable. (VGCC photo)
The drive co-chairs were Andrew Beal, public information officer; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, Main Campus receptionist; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid.
VGCC awarded 306 scholarships, including several funded by faculty and staff contributions, at its annual awards dinner this October.
Capital Projects
Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., chair of the board’s Building Committee, and Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, gave updates on several capital projects.
A final report on the assessment of needed exterior masonry repairs to buildings on the Main Campus is expected soon. Some county funds and additional monies from the Connect NC Bond will be used to restore, structurally repair and waterproof campus-wide building masonry rooflines, walls and bridges.
A report is expected in January on options to replace existing deteriorated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and to replace obsolete fire alarm systems on the Main Campus, using funds from the Bond.
A portion of the renovations to the Welding Lab at the VGCC Franklin County Campus is expected to be completed in December, with the remaining work being done during the Summer Term next year. State Bond funds are being used to add eight welding booths to the existing lab at the campus near Louisburg and to add a demonstration area in an adjacent classroom.
Other Action
In other action:
• Trustee Abdul Rasheed, chair of the Budget Committee, presented a motion, that was approved, to write off $1,021.84 in uncollectable student accounts under $50 from the college’s financial accounting records and no longer recognize them as collectible receivables for financial reporting purposes.
• Graham, reporting for the board’s Investment Committee, noted the college’s investments have grown by 9.3 percent since the beginning of the calendar year.
• An informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions was provided by Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee.
• In her report to the board, Dr. Williams highlighted recent accomplishments and opportunities at the college. She noted the Vance-Granville Community Band concert will be held on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.
Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.
The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Jan. 22 at the Main Campus. Normally held on the third Monday of the month, the meeting in January is being moved to the fourth Monday because of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday.
–VGCC–
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The Vance-Granville Community Band will perform its tenth annual winter holiday concert on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, located at 201 Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson. Admission is free of charge.
Included in the concert will be a host of holiday favorites, including “Silver Bells,” “White Christmas,” “The First Noel,” “A French Noel” (Pat-A Pan), “Appalachian Carol” (Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head), and a medley of Christmas classics including “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
“The Night Before Christmas” will be presented in a “story-time” format, as Clement Moore’s famous poem is read with band accompaniment.
The concert will begin with the traditional rendering of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the state song, “The Old North State.” Plus, as is customary for any ensemble led by the director of the band, Brian Miller, a Sousa march will be included. “No concert is complete without Sousa,” according to Miller. “This year, while we are playing almost all Christmas music, we will of course play a Sousa march. It will be Sousa’s classic ‘The Invincible Eagle March,’ which the master of American music wrote in 1901.”
Brian Miller conducts the Vance-Granville Community Band during its 2016 holiday concert. (VGCC photo)
Miller, in his second year as director of the Vance-Granville Community Band, was known locally as the man at the helm of the Louisburg High School band program for more than two decades, a band program that grew into one of the largest in the state and was known for its performance of Sousa marches and traditional band literature. Miller now teaches band and humanities at Crosscreek Charter School in Louisburg, is the organist for both Louisburg Baptist Church and Louisburg College, teaches part-time for VGCC, frequently serves as music director for the Louisburg College Drama department and is found at North Henderson Baptist Church on Sunday nights, playing the piano and sometimes preaching.
“We want everybody to come hear this free concert,” said Miller. “It will be played right in the heart of historic downtown Henderson, in the center of this great community. The concert will only last about an hour, and hearing the band play these great old songs is a terrific way to usher in the holiday season.”
The Community Band, which is sponsored by the VGCC Division of Arts and Sciences, includes people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from throughout the region. No auditions are required. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, on the Main Campus in Henderson, at Exit 209 on Interstate 85 (Poplar Creek Road). For more information, contact Brian Miller at (919) 496-5877 or at bmiller9302@vgcc.edu or Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu.
–VGCC–
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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. 24 as the college’s advisory committees held their annual meetings.
VGCC’s 36 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 or who can provide certain insights or expertise. 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. 24 meetings, VGCC faculty and staff communicated with advisory committee members about new developments in 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.
VGCC advisory committee meetings included this gathering of the Human Services Technology Program Advisory Committee on Oct. 24 in a classroom on the college’s Main Campus. Those present included, seated clockwise from left, Yvonne Faison of Franklin County Schools, VGCC academic and career coach/counselor Veta Pierce-Cappetta, Human Services program head Tracy Wallace, Kathryn Thompson of the Vance County Department of Social Services, Human Services instructor Sharon O’Geary and student representative Larecia Bullock of Oxford. (VGCC photo)
Students in VGCC’s Culinary Arts program prepared a reception in the Civic Center, preceding the meetings. The menu had an “international” theme and included heavy hors d’oeuvres like Beef Bourgogne, Tandoori Chicken, antipasti and orzo Greek pasta salad, along with assorted desserts representing Italian, Greek, Indian and Latin American traditions.
In remarks during the reception, Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, expressed the college’s gratitude to the advisory committee members for their service and their support. “Your input is crucial to ensuring that our college’s programs and services remain relevant to our community and to our workforce, and that we have prepared our students well to enter into their professions and to continue their higher education,” President Williams told the attendees.
–VGCC–
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Vance-Granville Community College recently named Kyle F. Burwell of Oxford as the college’s new director of Occupational Extension and Human Resources Development (HRD). Burwell has been a member of the VGCC staff since 2006, as coordinator of HRD. She has also served as coordinator for a number of grants to the college, including grants from the USDA, the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, and the American Association of Community Colleges’ Plus 50 initiative.
In her new role, Burwell supervises HRD and prison programs as well as the various occupational extension courses, which include BioWork, Notary Public, information technology certifications and manicuring. Such courses are offered on all four VGCC campuses at various times throughout the year to meet the job training needs of the communities in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties.
Burwell holds an associate degree from Peace College (today, William Peace University) and a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University. Prior to joining VGCC, she served as child care resource and referral director for the Franklin-Granville-Vance Partnership for Children/Smart Start. Burwell is a graduate of the VGCC Vanguard Leadership Institute and of Leadership Vance, a program of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.
Kyle Burwell (VGCC photo)
“We are excited to have Kyle in this position of leadership, as she oversees innovative programs that serve the residents and businesses of our region,” said Dr. Levy Brown, the college’s interim vice president of academic affairs. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and many years of experience to this very important role at VGCC in continuing education. I look forward to seeing Kyle continue to foster strong community partnerships.”
For more information on Occupational Extension programs, contact Burwell at burwellk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3276.
–VGCC–
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Vance-Granville Community College Drama students will soon entertain audiences with a modern romantic comedy about a marriage — and a dog. “Sylvia” will be staged on VGCC’s Main Campus in Henderson, Nov. 16-19. Performances begin on Thursday, Nov 16, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. All performances are in the small auditorium in Building 2.
Sylvia, by the late American playwright A.R. Gurney, tells the story of a married couple, Greg and Kate, who have moved to Manhattan after 22 years of child-raising in the suburbs. Greg’s career as a financial trader is winding down, while Kate’s career, as a public-school English teacher, is beginning to offer her more opportunities. Greg brings home a dog he found in the park—or that has found him—bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her name tag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and Poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. She offers Greg an escape from the frustrations of his job and the unknowns of middle age. To Kate, Sylvia becomes a rival for affection, while Sylvia thinks Kate just doesn’t understand the relationship between man and dog.
The comedy premiered in 1995 with Sarah Jessica Parker in the title role. At the time, a New York Daily News critic called it “one of the most involving, beautiful, funny, touching and profound plays I have ever seen,” while another reviewer called it a “mad comedy” and “howlingly funny.”
The play includes some adult language and themes.
Students in the cast include Samantha Hines of Henderson as Sylvia in Cast A, Faith Orr of Henderson as Sylvia in Cast B, Jordan Bunting of Rocky Mount as Greg, Brittney Patterson of Henderson as Kate, Nick Kurtz of Durham as Tom, Jamie McGinn of Wake Forest as Phyllis, Allison Hines of Henderson as Leslie in Cast A and Chadstity Copeland of Henderson as Leslie in Cast B. Cast A will perform on Thursday night, Friday night and the Saturday matinee, while Cast B will perform on Saturday night and the Sunday matinee.
Betsy Henderson, the VGCC Theatre Arts/speech instructor and department chair of Fine Arts and Humanities, directs the play.
Other members of the crew include students Angel Sizemore of Oxford (Production Stage Manager/Assistant Director), Brian Johnson of Creedmoor (Assistant Stage Manager and Projections), Megan Kokus of Rougemont (Head Costume Designer), Mary Parrish of Henderson (costumes), Yazi Majette of Henderson (costumes), Carleigh Gupton of Henderson (costumes), Carol Swain of Henderson (Head of Props), Amanda Cease of Henderson (Props), Chakiria Thorne of Henderson (Props), Evan O’ Geary of Henderson (Head of Hair/Make-up), Rosie Kanouff of Kittrell (Hair/Make-up), and Camden Jones of Henderson (Lighting/Sound Operator).
Admission is $15 for the general public, and $10 for students and VGCC employees.
Tickets may be purchased at the door, but attendees are encouraged to secure their seats by making reservations. For more information and to reserve seats, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3371.
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Vance-Granville Community College, in partnership with the Project Life Movement, held a three-day, three-campus bone marrow registration drive in October. The service project was led by students and faculty in the VGCC Radiography program. The result was that 40 people joined the national registry of potential bone marrow donors.
Students, faculty and staff signed up and swabbed their cheeks to provide DNA samples at the events, held on Oct. 3 at the college’s South Campus, Oct. 4 at the Main Campus and Oct. 5 at the Franklin County Campus. The painless registration process took only a few minutes, but could save a life if a participant turns out to be a match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant. Such treatments are the only hope for many people diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other blood cancers and diseases.
Second-year VGCC Radiography students, joined by Clinical Coordinator/instructor Stacey Soles (at far left) and Dorian Edwards, campus coordinator for Project Life (in back, at far right), welcomed fellow students, faculty and staff to join the bone marrow donor registry in the student lounge on VGCC’s Main Campus. (VGCC photo)
Project Life is a national movement that started with students at Davidson College and has spread to more than 25 other schools and has registered more than 13,000 donors. This was VGCC’s second college-wide bone marrow registration event held in conjunction with Project Life. The first was in the fall of 2015.
This year, VGCC students were joined at their events by Dorian Edwards, campus coordinator for Project Life. He helped train the student volunteers and process registrations. Edwards, who is also an assistant football coach at Kinston High School, likened being on the registry to “being a member of a football or basketball team, sitting on the bench, but being ready to be called into the game at any time.” Once a person registers, he or she is listed on the registry until they reach the age of 61, so many students may remain a potential lifesaver for 40 years. Project Life works with “Be The Match,” operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Be The Match has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world for more than 25 years.
From left, first-year VGCC Radiography students Caitlin West, Megan Whitman and Michael Leslie were joined by Project Life Campus Coordinator Dorian Edwards at the college’s South Campus as they welcomed students, faculty to staff to register on the first day of the drive. (VGCC photo)
For more information, contact Radiography Clinical Coordinator/instructor Stacey Soles at (252) 738-3515 or soless@vgcc.edu, or Ann Henegar at Project Life at (704) 299-6310 or www.projectlifemovement.org.
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Vance-Granville Community College held a “Manufacturing Day” celebration on Thursday, Oct. 5, in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Nearly 200 high school students from Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties attended, along with VGCC students, educators and other members of the community. They learned about how manufacturing has changed, local career possibilities in the field and options for education and training related to careers in the industry.
“Manufacturing Day is a national event meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers and expose them to modern manufacturing trends,” said Tiffani M. Polk, an academic and career coach with the TechHire program at VGCC. “Our industry partners described the students as highly engaged and inquisitive. Together, I think we were able to reframe what manufacturing is for our future workforce.”
Participating employers included Altec of Creedmoor, Boise Cascade of Roxboro, Carolina Sunrock of Butner, Dill Air Controls of Oxford, Edwards Inc. of Spring Hope, Fastenal of Raleigh, Glen Raven of Norlina, Home Care Products of Oxford, Mars Petcare of Henderson, Novozymes of Franklinton, Plastic Ingenuity of Oxford, Revlon of Oxford, and Superior Tooling of Wake Forest.
Students talk with, seated from left, Revlon representatives Bonnie Garrett and Wendy Grissom at Manufacturing Day in the VGCC Civic Center. (VGCC photo)
VGCC technical programs were represented, including Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Electrical Systems Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Welding Technology. A representative from the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board was on hand, as well.
Attendees also learned about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), which partners with colleges like VGCC and employers to prepare a skilled workforce. An alternative to the traditional four-year college degree, the program takes a student from high school through a two-year community college program like Mechatronics Engineering Technology, with the guarantee of a job at the completion of the program.
Sandy Whitfield from Altec talks with students at Manufacturing Day in the VGCC Civic Center. (VGCC photo)
Reflecting on the event, Revlon representative Bonnie Garrett said that “it was nice to get to introduce high school students to our company and to careers in manufacturing that they don’t often think about. We rarely get an opportunity like this.”
Joel Bailey of Edwards said it was his company’s first time participating in a VGCC Manufacturing Day event. He noted that Edwards, a full-service industrial general contractor with a specialty fabrication shop, has many job openings and was particularly interested in recruiting graduates of VGCC’s Welding, Electrical Systems and HVAC programs.
Steve Tsotsoros from Dill Air Controls shows some of the products manufactured by his company to students attending Manufacturing Day in the VGCC Civic Center. (VGCC photo)
The TechHire grant program at VGCC organized Manufacturing Day, with support from the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance (AMSTA), a partnership of VGCC and local K-12 school systems. The North Carolina TechHire program supports advanced manufacturing and information technology training. VGCC is one of four partnering community colleges in the North Carolina TechHire Alliance, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information on TechHire, contact Tiffani Polk at polkt@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3291.
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Joel Bailey from Edwards Inc. (center) talks with VGCC Welding student Cedric Rodebaugh of Franklinton at Manufacturing Day in the VGCC Civic Center. (VGCC photo)
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Vance Granville Community College will hold a “Community Fall Festival” on Monday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 – 8 p.m. in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Admission is free to the event, which promises fun for the whole family.
Among the scheduled activities are a costume contest for kids, face painting, a bounce house and other games.
Tickets for games and concessions will be on sale. Proceeds will benefit the VGCC Vanguards Athletics department.
For more information, contact Coordinator of Student Activities & Athletics Jermiel Hargrove at (252) 738-3246 or hargrovej@vgcc.edu.
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(Vance Granville CC is a paying advertising client of WIZS.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0132_vgcc1.png.png265504John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2017-10-26 16:57:322017-10-26 16:57:32VGCC invites community to Fall Festival
