-Information courtesy Christopher LaRocca, Director of Communications, VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College will hold a “Community Engagement Night” event at their Franklin Campus in Louisburg on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
The community is invited to hear campus updates and discussion on the community college vision and VGCC’s strategic direction. An open dialogue session will also provide a speaking opportunity for participants.
Six new graduates of the Child Care Center on Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus were honored in a ceremony on July 12 as they prepared to enter kindergarten. The students were Cody Collier of Henderson; Arianna Abbott, Colton Leonard, Joshua Stallings and Aiden Zalewski, all of Louisburg; and Chase Snelling of Youngsville.
Welcoming remarks were provided by Bobbie Jo May, the dean of the Franklin County Campus. She thanked and applauded the staff of the five-star center, and said that the VGCC mission of educating, inspiring and supporting a diverse community of learne
rs to achieve success starts at the pre-school level. “Your children have developed a love of learning here,” May told the assembled family members. “Our staff’s patient instruction and love for these children have helped to turn them into strong, confident kindergarten students.”
Child Care Center manager Michelle Patterson Jones and child care center teacher Teresa Gallatin presented the children with diplomas. Jones also handed out unique “personality certificates” to the students.
Abbott was honored with certificates for “Creativity” and for being a “Math Monster.” Leonard received the “Reading” and “Lawyer” awards. Zalewski was presented with certificates labeled “Enthusiastic Learner” and “Wild Kratts” (after the educational television series about animals and the environment). Stallings was named a “Peace Maker” and a “Creative Thinker” and received a certificate for “Giant Improvement.” Collier received the “Active Athlete” and “Most Dramatic” awards. Snelling was recognized for being “Quiet as a Mouse” and the “Academic Whisperer.”
Lila Johnson of Louisburg, a younger student at the center, served as marshal for the graduation, carrying the American flag as the students processed and recessed.
With the departure of the graduates, spaces for several children are currently available. Parents from among the general public can enroll their children there, as can parents who are VGCC students or employees. For more information, call Michelle Patterson Jones at (919) 496-1567.
–VGCC–
Area residents will have a new opportunity to gain a credential for jobs in medical offices when the fall semester begins at Vance-Granville Community College on Aug. 14.
The college is scheduling courses to allow students to complete the entire 17-credit-hour “Medical Office Administrative Assistant I” certificate in two semesters at VGCC’s Franklin County Campus near Louisburg. This program provides entry-level skills and knowledge for employment as a health-care team member in an office setting.
Six courses are required for the certificate. Students will take the first three courses during the fall semester, back-to-back, on Tuesdays and Thursdays: Medical Office Terms I (OST 141) from 9-9:50 a.m., Office Procedures (OST 181) from 10-10:50 a.m. and Keyboarding (OST 131) from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
In the spring, students would take the remaining courses: Introduction to Computers (CIS 110), Medical Office Terms II (OST 142) and Medical Insurance & Billing (OST 148).
Once students complete the certificate, they can also apply those credits to the Associate in Applied Science degree in Medical Office Administration.
Orientation, advising and registration for fall are currently ongoing, through Aug. 10. Financial aid for this certificate program is available to those who qualify.
For more information, contact Tammy Ball at (252) 738-3248 or ballt@vgcc.edu.
–VGCC–
The Vance-Granville Community College Bioprocess Technology degree program will be based at the college’s Franklin County Campus, starting in January 2017.
The program has been located at the college’s Main Campus in Vance County since its inception in January 2006. The biotechnology lab on Main Campus will now be used primarily by the new Histotechnology degree program instead.
The Franklin Campus, located on N.C. 56 just outside of Louisburg, has actually had a biotech lab longer than the Main Campus has. VGCC has conducted the one-semester BioWork Process Technician course in the lab on the Franklin Campus since it was first offered in 2001. Novozymes North America of Franklinton made monetary and equipment donations to the lab from the outset, and has continued to support VGCC over the years. That lab has also been used by the Bioprocess Technology curriculum degree program from time to time.
“Moving to the Franklin County Campus will strategically locate our program closer to Novozymes and other major employers in the biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, while also promoting economic development in the Franklin County area,” said VGCC Bioprocess Technology program head/instructor Dr. Tara Hamilton. “We look forward to welcoming new students who want to succeed in this growing career field.”
The Bioprocess Technology curriculum is designed to prepare students to work as process operators or quality control analysts in biological products manufacturing facilities. Students receive instruction in a combination of basic science and communication skills, manufacturing technologies, and good manufacturing practices. In addition to the two-year associate in applied science degree, VGCC offers a 16-hour Bioprocess Technology certificate, which is open to eligible high school students through the Career & College Promise program.
VGCC is part of the North Carolina Community College System’s BioNetwork, a statewide initiative that connects community colleges serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, providing specialized training, curricula and equipment.
Registration is going on now for the spring 2017 semester at VGCC, which begins Jan. 9. For more information on Bioprocess Technology, contact Dr. Tara Hamilton at (252) 738-3285 or hamiltont@vgcc.edu.
