Tag Archive for: #vgccnews

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.”

Employers connect with students at VGCC Manufacturing Day

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Vance-Granville Community College held a “Manufacturing Day” celebration on Friday, Oct. 7, in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. An estimated 275 middle and high school students from Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties attended, along with VGCC students 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. The event was one of many Manufacturing Day celebrations held across the country that day.

Participating employers included Altec of Creedmoor, Asteelflash of Raleigh, Delhaize America/Food Lion Distribution Center of Butner, Dill Air Controls Products of Oxford, Eaton of Youngsville, Glen Raven of Norlina, Ideal Fastener of Oxford, Mars Petcare of Henderson, Novozymes of Franklinton, Plastic Ingenuity of Oxford, Revlon of Oxford, Shalag of Oxford, Staffmark of Henderson, Stay Online of Creedmoor, Sunrock of Butner, Superior Tooling of Wake Forest, TFS of Wake Forest and Universal Forest Products of Franklinton.

VGCC technical programs were also represented, including Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Bioprocess Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Welding Technology.

Attendees also learned about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), which partners with colleges like VGCC and employers to prepare a skilled workforce. During lunch, Robbie Earnhardt, owner of Superior Tooling, discussed NCTAP with representatives of the other companies in attendance. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the apprenticeship I had,” Earnhardt said. 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. “We need more local industry partners in NCTAP,” Earnhardt said, noting that Dill Air Controls Products has already joined. “Many industries have trouble finding skilled workers. This can help.”

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) 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. With the help of the $1.75 million TAACCCT grant, the largest single competitive grant in VGCC history, the college has developed and enhanced innovative training programs for advanced manufacturing careers. The TAACCCT grants are part of a nearly $2 billion initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor to expand targeted training programs for unemployed workers, especially those impacted by foreign trade. For more information on TAACCCT, call (252) 738-3342.

Incident on Main Campus Reported at Vance-Granville Community College

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On Thursday September 22nd at around 4:00 p.m., Joshua Abraham Coles, 26, of 11 Delta Place, Henderson was charged with misdemeanor assault on a Government Employee, resisting a public officer, and second degree trespass on the main campus of Vance-Granville Community College.

Information published in a Public Information Release said, “Mr. Coles was a person of interest in an investigation being conducted by the VGCC campus police department. He was asked to leave the campus. He refused to leave and assaulted a security officer and a campus police officer. No injuries reported from the suspect or officers involved.”

VGCC Women’s Volleyball team honors sophomores

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The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards women’s volleyball program paid tribute to its sophomore leaders on Oct. 11, just before a match with conference rival Davidson County Community College at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.

The two second-year players rounding out their VGCC playing careers are Jesse Edwards and Kiyanna Kearney, both of Henderson. Edwards is a Northern Vance High School graduate, while Kearney is a product of Southern Vance High School, where she played not only volleyball but also softball and basketball. Edwards is a College Transfer student at VGCC, with plans to enter the Associate Degree Nursing program in 2017. Kearney, meanwhile, is studying Criminal Justice.

The “Sophomore Night” match turned out to be a thriller. A hard-fought first set ended with a 25-23 victory for the Storm from Davidson County, who then secured a more dominant 25-14 victory in the second set. But the Vanguards came back to win the third set, 25-22, and the fourth, 25-20, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Storm edged out the home team, 15-12, to win the match with a 3-2 victory.

VGCC’s two sophomores were, as usual, key players that evening. Kearney led her squad with 20 kills, with Edwards second at 16. Kearney also had the most digs (31) and solo blocks (4). Meanwhile, freshman Stormi Abernathy contributed all 50 of the team’s recorded assists, along with 19 digs. Katelynn Ray, also a freshman, made 19 digs as well, while Edwards posted 17 digs.

The loss brought VGCC’s record to 11-7, and followed a pair of conference wins (3-1, 3-0) over Rockingham Community College.

VGCC names new coordinator for Student Activities & Athletics

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Jermiel Hargrove has been named the coordinator of student activities and athletics at Vance-Granville Community College.

Hargrove will oversee clubs, organizations and extracurricular activities that engage students on campus, as well as the college’s intercollegiate athletics program, which includes men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and a new cheerleading squad. He will also serve as the advisor for the VGCC Student Government Association (SGA).

A resident of Henderson, Hargrove has been a member of the VGCC staff since 2006, serving as webmaster and digital media specialist. He is a graduate of Northern Vance High School and of VGCC, where he earned a degree in Web Technologies.

Hargrove has also served as head coach for the Northern Granville Middle School girls’ basketball team, guiding them to a conference championship. He noted that he has focused on preparing his players to advance to high school-level athletics, and was pleased that 90% of them made the A/B honor roll. Earlier this year, Hargrove also served as interim assistant coach for the VGCC Vanguards men’s basketball team and assisted with the college athletics program for several months on an interim basis before assuming his new full-time role.

“Jermiel brings to his new position a deep understanding of VGCC as both a graduate and an employee of the college, along with a passion for working with young people,” VGCC Dean of Enrollment & Outreach Jeffrey Allen said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to develop student-athletes who succeed both on the court and in the classroom, while also providing enriching experiences and service opportunities for all of our Vanguards.”

Eaton-Johnson Middle School, VGCC partner to show students pathways

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As local educational partners, Vance-Granville Community College and Eaton-Johnson Middle School in Henderson help inspire young students to prepare for higher education. A faculty member recently made a visit to the middle school and brought along an EJMS alumna who is now a VGCC student.

VGCC Public Services Department Chair Steven Hargrove was accompanied on his visit by McKallah Pendergrass of Henderson, a Criminal Justice Technology student who had not set foot in her old middle school in years. Pendergrass is preparing to graduate this academic year and plans to transfer to either North Carolina Central University or UNC-Charlotte.

Hargrove and Pendergrass met with the middle school’s lead counselor, Dr. Priscilla Chavis-Lockley, who took them on a tour of the new EJMS Paxton/Patterson lab. Established under the leadership of the school’s new principal, Dr. Brad Jones, the lab features hands-on stations that help students learn about various fields, including manufacturing, robotics, forensics, audiovisual production and computer graphics.

Hargrove noted the clear connections between all the lab’s different skill areas and VGCC’s Business and Applied Technologies programs, showing students that they could continue to study these fields at their local college. As a longtime Criminal Justice instructor, Hargrove was particularly interested in the forensic science computer program that students were using to create a digital reconstruction of the face of a criminal suspect. He noted that now, students have a new opportunity to complete an entire bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice without leaving VGCC’s main campus, thanks to the “Eagle Voyage” partnership with North Carolina Central University. The program is set to graduate its first students in 2017.

“It is important for us to talk to eighth-graders about college,” Hargrove noted, “because that is when they start thinking about careers. They need to start planning their high school and college education and they need to see pathways. We must let students and their parents know about the opportunities that are available.”

Planning for college studies at the middle school level has become increasingly important in recent years, as students have options to enroll in Early College High Schools, offered by VGCC in partnership with local school systems, starting in the ninth grade. In addition, new Career & College Promise pathways have been developed for students in traditional high schools to earn college credits, tuition-free.

Eaton-Johnson’s partnership with VGCC is largely the result of the efforts of Dr. Chavis-Lockley, who earned two degrees at Vance-Granville — early childhood education and associate in arts (college transfer) — before moving on to North Carolina Central University for a bachelor’s degree and three master’s degrees, and to North Carolina State University for a doctorate in education and counseling. She also established a student ambassador program at EJMS that has partnered with VGCC’s own ambassador program in the past.

Days after the visit to the middle school by VGCC, the partnership continued as a group of EJMS students visited the college campus for the annual “Manufacturing Day” event to learn about technical careers.

Vance-Granville awarded $150k for public safety training

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The Cannon Foundation Board of Directors recently approved a $150,000 grant to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to renovate a 3,200-square-foot space on the college’s Main Campus for an Emergency Simulation Lab.

The new lab will enable law enforcement and emergency services departments in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties to train and certify their current and future public safety workers using a realistic scenario-based curriculum in a controlled environment.

The grant will be used, along with funds from the Connect NC bond (approved by North Carolina voters earlier this year), to complete the final phase of Building 10, which opened in August on the main campus in Vance County. The building houses classrooms, labs and faculty for VGCC’s law enforcement, fire/rescue and emergency medical services education and training programs.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant, because it will allow Vance-Granville to further enhance our vital partnerships with the local agencies that protect and serve our communities,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “We’re excited about the possibilities that this new lab will provide for us to serve students and our public safety partners.”

The Cannon Foundation, based in Concord, N.C., is part of the philanthropic legacy of Charles A. Cannon, an industrialist and humanitarian who was president and chairman of Cannon Mills Company for more than half a century.

“Our region is fortunate that VGCC has hands-on, real-life emergency simulation equipment to train students and professionals in public safety careers,” said Kaine Riggan, VGCC’s grants and government relations coordinator. “The simulation lab will give us a new facility in which to provide training for first responders throughout our four counties to be prepared for emergency scenarios, which saves lives.”

VGCC’s PRISim ShootBack system, for instance, fires plastic ammunition up to 110 miles per hour, teaching life-saving defense techniques and methods for using less-than-lethal force, when appropriate.

The college is currently seeking a $15,000 sponsor for a new EMS simulation mannequin that can, among other things, simulate stroke symptoms, ensuring that students are more prepared to recognize and call the stroke code into the ER, where saving even a minute can save a life.

VGCC is now starting the design phase of the renovation project, which will complete the overhaul of the 16,000-square-foot building, a former commercial structure that was purchased by the college in 2010.

Rehoboth United Methodist Church endows VGCC Scholarship

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A new scholarship has been endowed at Vance-Granville Community College by Rehoboth United Methodist Church, carrying on the legacy of a Granville County native and educator.

The church, located in Vance County between Henderson and Oxford and less than five miles from the college’s Main Campus, received a bequest from the estate of Marie Wilson Thomson. A onetime church member who passed away in 2014 at age 87, she is buried in Oxford and left portions of her estate to several area churches.

Thomson, a schoolteacher who began her career in education in Stovall before teaching for 30 years at an elementary school in San Diego, California, left instructions that the bequest be used to benefit high school seniors entering their first year of college. Church leaders decided that one way they would use the funds would be to create a scholarship at VGCC. The church’s contribution to the college represents approximately 10 percent — in religious terms, a tithe — of the sizable Thomson bequest, the remainder of which will be awarded as scholarships to youth in their congregation. The VGCC scholarship will be awarded in the church’s name as a Presidential Scholar Award, the college’s largest, most prestigious level of endowed scholarship.

“We wanted to help our whole community,” said Donald Clayton, the church’s lay leader, of the VGCC endowment. “A scholarship like this can provide hope for a student and maybe change their lives.”

In awarding the scholarship, preference will be given to residents of Granville or Vance counties who are enrolling as full-time students at the college immediately after graduating from high school and meet certain academic requirements.

“We are honored that the members and leaders of Rehoboth United Methodist Church have entrusted us with a gift that will support students for generations to come,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “It is a truly fitting tribute to the generosity and vision of Mrs. Thomson, who devoted her life to education.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,500 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.

IT certification courses offered at VGCC through new grant

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Information technology training courses are set to be offered soon at Vance-Granville Community College, and grant funding from the new NC TechHire program can help eligible area residents pay for them. These courses are offered in a “hybrid” format, with some coursework online and some on VGCC’s Main Campus.

Three upcoming courses provide opportunities to earn certain certifications through CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association. The CompTIA certifications are internationally recognized and are required by most companies hiring information technology professionals. When students complete each course or module, they take the appropriate certification exams.

“CompTIA A+” covers the basic hardware of a personal computer, including the installation, operating systems, upgrading/maintenance of both equipment and software, as well as troubleshooting and repairing non-functioning personal computers. Upon completion of specific modules, the CompTIA 220-901 and 220-902 exams will be administered to students. The course will be taught by VGCC instructor Donna Gill.

“CompTIA Network+” will introduce students to the networking field and is also set to be taught by Gill. Upon completion, students should be able to perform tasks related to networking mathematics, terminology, models, media, Ethernet, sub-netting, and TCP/IP Protocols. Students will take the N10-006 exam at the end of this class.

“CompTIA Server+” covers the installation and administration of a Windows Server network operating system. VGCC instructor Gerald Young will teach students about managing and maintaining physical and logical devices, access to resources, the server environment, managing users, computers, and groups and managing/implementing disaster recovery. Students will take the SKO-004 exam at the end of this class.

These courses, which are being scheduled now and will be offered multiple times, are approved for funding through the NC TechHire grant that VGCC recently received as part of a consortium of four community colleges. Area residents between the ages of 17-29 who are not currently in school may qualify for grant funding, which can pay for registration fees, course fees, and certification fees.

For more information, contact Kenneth Wilson at (252) 738-3259 or wilsonk@vgcc.edu or Tiffani Polk at (252) 738-3291 or polkt@vgcc.edu.

VGCC presents free seminar to help businesses prepare for holidays

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, in partnership with the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission, is inviting local businesses to plan ahead for success in the upcoming holiday season.

A free workshop, entitled “Maximizing Sales During the Holidays,” will be held at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce (414 S. Garnett Street, Henderson) on Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 8-10 a.m.

Mike McConchie of Creedmoor will serve as the instructor. The owner of M&M Consultants, Inc., McConchie is a Certified Business Coach and a Senior Business Consultant. He has over 36 years of retail management experience and is the past president of the Granville County Chamber of Commerce.

Topics for the workshop will include: the importance of different time periods, including November as a whole, Thanksgiving weekend in particular, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day; merchandising; pricing; staffing; marketing; how to capture customer information for use throughout the year and its relation to target marketing; decorating a store front; why holiday selling is different than the rest of the year; why gift cards are so important; and overcoming sold-out situations.

Breakfast will be provided at no charge to attendees who register in advance by Oct. 20.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center.

For more information, contact Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center, at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.