VIDEO: Signing of Germanna-UMW agreements a "win-win." Here's what they mean for students.

Germanna Community College President David A. Sam and University of Mary Washington President Richard V. Hurley have developed a close working relationship that's paying off for area students.  Watch Patch.com video by Dan Telvock above of them talking about that relationship and signing historic agreements today that will make degrees more accessible and affordable. MORE   
And read today's Fredericksburg.com report by Pam Gould here on what those agreements will mean to students.
  
For more, go to www.germanna.edu.

"The potential is always within us. I think we are good enough to get what we want in life."--GCC Middle College's Nathan Leon Guerrero

Student Nathan Leon Guerrero delivered a stirring speech, then he and 14 other Germanna Community College students received awards at Monday night's Middle College Reception & Awards Ceremony at GCC's Riverside Center.

Middle College is a free program that prepares students who didn't finish high school, often due to hardships, to earn their GEDs and enter degree programs. In the program's eight years of existence at Germanna, it has prepared 550 students to go on to get their GEDs and put them on the path.

Guerrero noted that some disparagingly call GEDs "Good Enough Degrees." "The potential is always within us," he said in his speech. "I think we are good enough to get what we want in life." He called Middle College "One key that opens the gates for everything."

GCC Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services Ann Woolford congratulated the students and urged them to continue their educations. "We hope you continue the journey," she said. "This is just the beginning." Dr. Woolford recalled that when she was a student, some asked her when she would finish school and she was embarrassed to say she "had no idea." "Those same people spent their time watching 'I Love Lucy' reruns and going nowhere in life. We want you to have careers." Dr. Woolford noted that those who have college degrees earn twice as much as high school dropouts.

Middle College Director Carolyn Bynum noted that the August earthquake that damaged the Dickinson Building at GCC's Fredericksburg Area Campus and forced the Middle College program to move to Riverside posed a hardship for many Middle College students. The program shrunk from 40 students to 15. She praised those who endured changed schedules and had to find a way to get to Stafford County for classes.

"My sincerest congratulations to all my students for their accomplishments," in the face of the difficulties the move created, Bynum said.

GERMANNA’S MITTURA CHOSEN AS ONE OF 20 NURSING PROFESSORS ACROSS AMERICA TO HELP GUIDE DEVELOPMENT OF ‘VIRTUAL HOSPITAL’ APPROACH IN NATION'S COLLEGES

A human simulator in Germanna's Virtual Hospital. The high-tech devices mimic symptoms and human reaction to treatment--or lack of proper treatment allowing nursing students to learn and gain confidence in a risk-free environment.

Germanna Community College Prof. Karen Mittura, RN, is one of 20 nurse educators selected from across the nation for a year-long Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators. The National League for Nursing faculty development initiative is designed for those assuming leadership roles in the field of using human simulators in nursing education.

Those selected from institutions around the U.S, will study for a year under Dr. Pamela Jeffries, associate dean for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She nationally known for her research and work in developing simulations and online teaching and learning.

The concept of a "Virtual Hospital" was a result of a collaborative effort by Prof. Mittura and GCC’s Dr. Patti Lisk, who have been trailblazers in the field. It was their vision to use of high fidelity simulation in the nursing program at Germanna. Working on the original grant for the purchase of high fidelity simulators, Prof. Mittura teamed with Dr. Lisk to create realistic experiences in a lab setting for the nursing students.

A group of educators and healthcare leaders from the Netherlands toured Germanna's Virtual Hospital last week.

Prof. Mittura works to combine simulation scenarios that fit various types of patients to ensure student exposure to situations they will encounter in real-life hospital settings. Prof. Mittura received the Technology in Education award with Dr. Lisk for their 2007 presentation “The Virtual Hospital: A New World of Independent Thinking, Leading and Learning.”

National League for Nursing program participants recently began their experience with two days in Orlando prior to the NLN's 2011 Education Summit. The group will participate in leadership development webinars, exchange ideas and best practices in simulation in private forums, review existing research, visit simulation centers around the country to evaluate resources and operations, consult with companies on technological innovations and attend conferences.

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