Get an early start on college with Dual Enrollment

Attention High School Students

Get an Early Start on Your College Education with Dual Enrollment.
Through your school's partnership with Germanna Community College, current high school students have opportunities to take college courses while in high school.  Learn more at an upcoming Dual Enrollment Information Session:

Through Dual Enrollment courses, students gain exposure to college academics, learn from instructors with credentials to teach at the college level,  and have access to GCC Resources that facilitate student success.  Students earn college credit (most of which transfer to 4 year-colleges and universities) while fulfilling high school graduation requirements!

For more information, please visit the Germanna Community College
http://www.germanna.edu/dual-enrollment/

Germanna Local College Board to meet

A sign-up sheet will be made available to members of the public 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18 meeting of Germanna Community College Board in room 118 of GCC’s Daniel Technology Center at 18121 Technology Dr. in Culpeper.

Among items to be considered:

•  Seeking approval from the State Board of Community Colleges to explore options to lease space greater than 10,000 square feet in Stafford County to expand and enhance offerings there.
•  Seeking approval from the state board to explore options to lease space in Caroline County with rent to be subsidized by the county for up to three years.

Germanna Community College is a two-year, public institution of higher education, serving a total headcount of about 13,000, including both students in academic courses and workforce development training, in the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford and the city of Fredericksburg.

Don't fall behind. Germanna Tutoring Services will help you race ahead.

Many new Germanna students are getting a jump start on their college education by enrolling in classes this summer. It’s important to be aware of the abundance of free academic support services available. Since most summer classes proceed at an accelerated pace, students should seek tutoring assistance through our Tutoring Services at the first sign that they need additional instructional assistance.

Students can schedule appointments for individual tutoring appointments by calling or visiting the Locust Grove or Fredericksburg Tutoring Centers or by submitting an appointment request directly from the Tutoring website. Students at the Daniel and Stafford Centers may call our offices to schedule tutoring sessions via Blackboard Collaborate. Walk-in assistance is also available in our Writing and Math Center at the Fredericksburg and Locust Grove campuses. Please refer to the Tutoring Services Web page for specific hours.

If students are unable to visit the Locust Grove or Fredericksburg Tutoring Centers, they may be interested in participating in online tutoring sessions through Smarthinking. Enrolled students have already been pre-registered for Smarthinking, so they may participate in “live” tutoring sessions or submit their writing assignments for review to the essay center.

As students prepare for placement tests, write research papers, or complete homework assignments, please let them know that there are many helpful handouts available to them from the Tutoring Centers or from the tutoring website. Students can also access over 4,000 Khan Academy videos from the tutoring Web page in subjects ranging from algebra and statistics to economics and physics.

Fredericksburg Area Campus Tutoring Center (540) 891-3017

Locust Grove Campus Tutoring Center  (540) 423-9148

Tutoring appointments may be made here.

--Ann S. Lyons

Coordinator of Tutoring Services

 

Germanna Community College Board to meet at 5 p.m. May 16 at Locust Grove Campus

 

The public is invited to attend the upcoming meeting of the Germanna Community College Board on Thursday, May 16, 2013, at 5 p.m.  The meeting will take place in Room 100 at the college’s Locust Grove Campus at 2130 Germanna Highway in Orange County. A sign-up sheet will be made available 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the meeting for those interested in addressing the board.

 Germanna Community College is a two-year, public institution of higher education, serving a total headcount of about 14,000 in the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford and the city of Fredericksburg.

June 1 is the deadline to apply for Germanna Educational Foundation Scholarships. Applying is as easy as pushing a button.

June 1 is the deadline for applications for GCC Educational Foundation scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year.

Applying is as easy as clicking a button.

Go to the Germanna Community College home page and click on the “Educational Foundation” button, then “Scholarships” and click “Apply for Scholarships.” After completing the on-line application, students will be considered automatically for all of the GCC Educational Foundation’s scholarships.

Applicants do not need to apply separately for specific scholarships, although they can specify a preference if they wish. Scholarship award decisions will be announced beginning in early July. For more information about the GCC Educational Foundation’s scholarship program, call (540) 423-9060 or write Scholarships@Germanna.edu

Each year more than 200 GCC students are awarded over $200,000 in scholarships by the GCC Educational Foundation. Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted to the Foundation by June 1.

Most, but not all of the scholarships are based on financial need and require that a FAFSA (financial aid form) be sent to the GCC Financial Aid Office.

Homelessness, Hurricane Katrina, cancer can't stop Germanna student who wins national award for work done while undergoing therapy for lymphoma

He was homeless as a child, lost his job to Hurricane Katrina, then developed cancer.

But John W. Tyler won't be stopped by anything.

Tracy Bell, editor of The Stafford Sun, reports on a Germanna Community College student who won a national award for technological innovation while undergoing cancer therapy.

He says only thinking of his young daughter kept him going through exhaustion and depression related to the treatments.

Now doctors tell him he's beaten lymphoma.

And John Tyler has a lot to live for.

New Germanna building teaches, too. Ribbon cutting and tours set for 1 p.m., Friday, May 11 are open to the public, free of charge

By RUSTY DENNEN

The Free Lance-Star

Germanna Community College’s newest building is packed with “green” features, but it is unlike other environment-friendly structures in the area in one big way.

The building itself will help teach budding engineers and architects, other students, faculty and visitors about environmental technology, energy efficiency and sustainability.

The Science and Engineering Building and Information Commons at Germanna’s Fredericksburg Area Campus was finished last month; it is being furnished and equipped for the start of summer classes. A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 1 p.m., May 11. All new, state-funded buildings must be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, said David A. Sam, the college president. During the planning phase, “We went to the faculty, staff and representatives of student government and asked them what they wanted,” he said in a recent interview. “One of the broad principles was to make it a better place for students to learn.” College officials talked with the architect, Clark Nexsen, and the builder, Donley’s Construction, about incorporating “teachable areas” into the structure, which sits behind the earthquake-damaged V. Earl Dickinson Building on GCC’s Fredericksburg campus off U.S. 17 in Spotsylvania County. MORE

Rhonda Simmons of The Culpeper Star-Exponent writes that the new building will help train local students to be engineers with the skills to build green homes and office buildings here in our area, where 75 percent of Germanna students remain after receiving degrees and certificates. MORE

Students are being prepared to give ongoing free tours of the building intended to raise awareness about new technology.

GCC student's humanity shines: from Fredericksburg to Cameroon, Jonathan Hollingworth puts others before himself

Jonathan Hollingsworth receives a 2012 Germanna Student Academic Award from English teacher Voytek Dolinski, who wrote: “He is one of the most mature and insightful writers I have had at Germanna. "Perhaps the best way to understand Jonathan is through his own words:"

"There is a great lack, I believe, in the way we see worth in others. Even our terminology is skewed. We use monetary metaphors like 'value,' and 'worth,' as though people are goods to be bought and sold. If we could look into someone else’s eyes and understand how important they are, more than our possessions, more than our pride, more than our pleasure, then perhaps we would not just value them, or find them to have worth, but we would love them."

Helping humanity trumps textbooks

DEEDS: COLLEGE ON HOLD FOR CAMEROON

BY EDIE GROSS

THE FREE LANCE-STAR<p>

Jonathan Hollingsworth was eating dinner in Fredericksburg, at one of Aladin Restaurant’s outdoor tables, when he spotted a homeless man asking for change.

“We can do him one better than that,” he told his friends before inviting the man to join them for a meal.

“He was quiet at the beginning. By the end of the night, he was making the whole table laugh,” said Hollingsworth, 20. “He told me, ‘I actually haven’t had a real conversation in three months.’ I couldn’t believe that. I probably don’t go three hours without talking to someone.”

The encounter last summer was life-changing for Hollingsworth, who lives in Spotsylvania County.

He recalled times when he’d avoided eye contact with the less fortunate, because of guilt or shame or discomfort, and he vowed never to do it again.

All human beings have worth, said Hollingsworth, and the very least we can do is acknowledge that with a look, a smile, a handshake or something even more meaningful.

To put his beliefs into practice, Hollingsworth will spend the next year in Cameroon in West Central Africa serving some of the country’s poorest residents

MORE

Ride in comfort to GCC's Scholarship Monte Carlo Night on April 21

The Germanna Educational Foundation brings a little bit of Las Vegas to Culpeper with its 18th Annual Scholarship Monte Carlo to be held on Saturday, April 21 at the Daniel Technology Center from 6 p.m.–11 p.m.

NEW THIS YEAR: Foundation Director Mike Catell has chartered a Martz Group bus for sponsors, their guests and individual ticket buyers. The bus will pick people up at the Gordon Road commuter lot off State Route 3 in Spotsylvania at 5:45 p.m. and will leave the Daniel Center at 10:30 p.m., after the auction. Plenty of seats are available and reservations may be made by calling 540/423-9060 or emailing foundation@germanna.edu by Wednesday, April 18.

Monte Carlo Night raises money for the Germanna Guarantee Program. This program provides financial assistance to students who have the potential to succeed, and who need additional financial support, the opportunity to pursue and achieve their educational goals at Germanna. The program goal is to ensure that no student is denied access to an education because of financial need. During the current academic year, more than 100 Germanna students are receiving Germanna Guarantee scholarship funding because of the success of last year’s Scholarship Monte Carlo.

Call the Foundation Office at 540-423-9060 or email foundation@germanna.edu for more information or to sign up.

Your financial aid questions answered on "Super Saturday," Feb. 4

GCC will help with your FAFSA and other financial aid questions on Super Saturday, Feb. 4. See flyer.

Michael Farris, Germanna's Financial Aid Coordinator, answers questions in a MoneyTalks Fredericksburg.com chat.

GERMANNA RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP COLLEGES IN USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Germanna Community College was recognized when e.Republic’s Center for Digital Education and Converge Online announced today the winners in the seventh annual Digital Community Colleges Survey. The survey documents advances made by community colleges in utilizing information technology and recognizes which colleges are providing a high level of service to their faculty, students, and communities as a result.
The survey looked at technology integration into college curriculum and campus life, documenting use of online admissions processes, distance education, technology training for students and faculty, campus security alerts, use of Web 2.0 social and collaborative capabilities as well as online tutoring and advisory services. Use of mobile devices was also a key indicator of success.
"We pride ourselves on staying on the cutting edge of educational technology," Germanna President David A. Sam said. "We must do so in order to better serve our students’ communities. Further, as our enrollment continues to grow and our resources shrink, technology can help us be more efficient in the use of those resources.
"Our use of technology in our response to the recent earthquake makes this recognition even more meaningful,” he said. “Our stellar Distance Learning program, and our increasingly technology adept faculty and staff were able to serve our students with minimal disruption even after the loss of one-third of our classrooms. We quickly, seamlessly and relatively painlessly accommodated a move of 4,400 students and 321 classes made necessary by quake damage to one of our buildings. It was quite a test of our ability to use technology by increasing the number of online and hybrid classes in a matter of days, by allowing students to change classes online and by keeping students informed via text messages and social media. I'm proud to say Germanna passed that test."
Germanna tied for 4th place with Laramie (Wy.) County Community College and Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton in the Mid-Sized Colleges Category – those with from 5,000 to 10,000 students. GCC has about 7,600 credit students and about 3,000 non-credit students.
“As community college enrollments continue to increase, school leaders are incorporating new technologies to enhance student services and improve course curriculum,” said Cathilea Robinett, executive vice president of the Center for Digital Education. “Expanded distance learning offerings, use of mobile devices, and greater collaboration – among other efforts – demonstrate these winners’ drive to provide students with a high-quality education at a lower cost.”

Middle College students return to Germanna Friday, Sept. 23.

Germanna Community College Middle College classes will resume on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., beginning this Friday, Sept. 23, at Fredericksburg Area Campus Building Workforce and Technology Building (FAC 2), in room 232 until further notice.

Classes had been suspended due to earthquake damage to another building on the Fredericksburg Campus.

This is a short-term solution, according to GCC Middle College Director Carolyn Bynum, until a new location is established.

College officials continue to work on securing that location.

"In the interim, holding an all-day class on Fridays is a way to keep our current students engaged in their coursework and to keep them on track towards their goals," Bynum said. "We have been working on identifying online resources to supplement the in-class instruction so that even while students are away from campus they can continue to work on GED prep, career exploration and college coursework.

"The students are excited to get back to class after over a month-long hiatus," Bynum said.

Most other students returned on Sept. 6.

"They have been very patient through this whole process, but they're ready to get back on track," Bynum said.

Middle College help prepare students to get their GEDs and enter Germanna or another college's degree program.

Germanna named one of America's most military friendly colleges

G.I. Jobs, a magazine for military personnel making the transition to civilian life, has named Germanna Community College to its 2012 Military Friendly School list. The list honors the top 20 percent of American colleges doing the most to embrace both active military service members and veterans as students.
Nearly 300 Germanna students took advantage of G.I. Bill benefits this summer, according to Dianne Frausto, GCC’s Veterans Affairs Representative, including some military dependents. The number is not available yet for the Fall semester.
“Many of the military personnel stationed at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Fort A.P. Hill and the Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center and their families live in our area,” said Germanna President David A. Sam. “ Many more commute to the Pentagon and Fort Belvoir. Some have chosen to make the area their home after retiring from the military.
“Now many from our area who have served selflessly and valiantly in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning home,” Dr. Sam said. “We owe it to all those who have served to ease their transition back to civilian life, make them feel welcome and appreciated, and to prepare them for good jobs. The G.I. Jobs recognition is one way of paying them back for helping to keep us safe.”
The criteria set by the magazine include efforts to recruit and retain active military and veteran students and success in recruiting and retaining military and veteran students.
Germanna has a Veterans Affairs office, a Veterans Club, a counselor whose duties include assisting veterans, and a Web page. GCC also works closely with Wounded Warrior, a peer support organization that provides assistance to veterans as they make the adjustment to civilian life.
Military personnel and veterans seeking information about Germanna should contact Frausto at 540/891-3023 or dfrausto@germanna.edu
In its effort to help veterans choose the right college, G.I. Jobs conducted a first-ever survey of student veterans.
According to the magazine, the 1,518 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year's list place high importance on the recruitment of students with military experience. The 2012 list of Military Friendly Schools was selected from than 8,000 schools nationwide.
G.I. Jobs magazine is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Get involved at Germanna's Club Carnival and get free Bruster's ice cream

Check out Germanna's clubs--or start one yourself at the GCC Club Carnival.
Free Bruster's ice cream will be served!
At the Fredericksburg Area Campus: Tuesday, Sept. 20th, 11am-2pm. Tables will be set up outside the main entrance of FAC2.
At the Locust Grove Campus: Thursday, Sept. 22nd, 630 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Shortly before the 8 p.m. "Kung Fu Panda 2" Drive-In movie event on the lawn).

How administrators, staff, faculty and students worked together to pull off a post-quake miracle at Germanna

GCC pursues online classes

Germanna nursing and dental hygiene students return to class as details are ironed out for all others

Date published: 8/31/2011

By PAMELA GOULD

Nursing and dental hygiene students resumed classes at Germanna Community College yesterday as deans finalized plans for the rest of the students whose classes were disrupted by an earthquake on the second day of the fall semester.

The challenge has been finding a way to continue instruction for the 4,400 people who registered for classes at the V. Earl Dickinson Building on the Fredericksburg Area Campus. That structure, built in 1997, suffered significant damage from the magnitude-5.8 earthquake on Aug. 23 centered in Louisa County.

The building won't be available for use until January at the earliest.

The goal has been to find a way to keep those students on campus this fall in the Massaponax area of Spotsylvania County, said Deborah Brock, dean of arts and sciences, and Bill Fiege, dean of technical and professional studies.

College spokesman Mike Zitz said many in the community responded to a request for space but, with a few exceptions, Germanna officials have chosen not to move classes.

Instead, the deans said Germanna has relocated some of the 321 classes scheduled for Dickinson into the Workforce and Community Education Building on the same campus.

Many classes were restructured. Forty will be taught totally online. Others will be a mix of online and classroom, while the rest will be in different classrooms. Fewer than five classes had to be canceled.

The college is adding a few 10-week courses to meet the needs of students who couldn't take their classes after they were rescheduled.

Those courses will begin Sept. 28, have longer meeting times, and end at the same time as regular 15-week semester classes, Fiege said.

They will meet at the Locust Grove Campus and on the Stafford campus of the University of Mary Washington, Zitz said.

Students started the fall semester on Aug. 22. Classes were in session when the earthquake began shortly before 2 p.m. last Tuesday.

Germanna President David Sam canceled classes indefinitely immediately after the earthquake so that structures at all campuses could be inspected.

Germanna offers classes in its own buildings in Culpeper, Orange and Spotsylvania counties. It also holds classes in office space in North Stafford.

Germanna Community College officials have been working over the past week to accommodate students enrolled for classes at the Fredericksburg Area Campus, whose chief academic building was significantly damaged in the magnitude-5.8 earthquake.

Only the Dickinson building has significant structural damage.

Though nursing and dental hygiene students returned to class yesterday at the Locust Grove Campus in Orange, students at all other sites will resume Sept. 6.

Germanna may lease space for noncredit classes and personnel being displaced from the Workforce building.

The Fredericksburg Area Campus lost 22 classrooms, its six science labs and two computer labs with the closing of the Dickinson building.

The Workforce building has 18 classrooms and two computer labs.

College officials are optimistic that even students who have shied away from online courses will find they like that option.

"We think some may be glad they have had the opportunity," Brock said.

Fiege cited a study that found 30 percent of college students have taken at least one online course. He also said that with today's technology, online learning can be very interactive.

He noted that faculty--many of whom now have iPads--can respond quickly, utilize online chats to communicate, and can rapidly post announcements using the college's electronic blackboard.

"It's very user-friendly," Fiege said.

Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com

Germanna Community College officials have been working over the past week to accommodate students enrolled for classes at the Fredericksburg Area Campus, whose chief academic building was significantly damaged in the magnitude-5.8 earthquake on Aug. 23.

4,400--Number of students enrolled in classes meeting in the V. Earl Dickinson Building, which was damaged

321--Number of classes scheduled to meet there

10--Number of offices available for 150 to 200 faculty members

1--Number of GCC buildings significantly damaged

Latest Germanna Post Quake Schedule Update: GCC Nursing, Dental Hygiene classes resume Tuesday, all other classes Sept. 6

Students who are active in the following Nursing and Dental Care Program courses including Nurse Aide, Practical Nursing, Surgical Scrub, and Dental Hygiene need to report to school Tues. Aug 30th as scheduled. The prefixes for these classes are the following: DNH, PNE, HLT,NUR.
All other students report on Sept. 6th.
We realize the notes in the new online schedule are not up-to-date in all cases. They will be corrected tomorrow!
Here is how to read the schedule at www.germanna.edu/class_schedules/
Follow the class listing, not the note or lack thereof!
Examples:
a) If the class listing has a room and a full class time, then the class is traditional face-to-face. IE. ENG 111-F01 MW 9:00 – 10:15.
b) If the class listing has a room and a partial class time, then the class is a hybrid. I.E. ENG 111-F01 M 9:00 – 10:15 or MW 9:00 – 9:50. The time is not the full amount required and the difference is hybrid. Most of them are 50% online and 50% face-to-face although some are 2/3 in one direction or the other.
c) If the class listing has no room and no time listed, it is fully online.

Student Services will be open Wednesday, Aug. 31 and Thursday, Sept. 1 from 8:30 am – 7:00 pm and Friday from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm for students to meet with an advisor to discuss their individual schedules. Please come into the Fredericksburg, or Locust Grove Campus, if you have questions about your courses and need to meet with someone.

The bookstore will be open Wednesday, Aug 31 at 12 Noon at the Locust Grove Campus only.

For more information, go to www.germanna.edu.

New Germanna Community College class schedules online; 'Quake Break 2011' about to end

Students,

Thank you for your understanding as we prepare to re-open the College.

You may now view your schedule at www.germanna.edu/class_schedules/, but you cannot make changes at this time. You should view your schedule in SIS and online so that you can see the notes that describe the changes made to your schedule.

Due to the earthquake on Tuesday, we have had to move classes out of FAC I. We had to change a lot of classes so students could take classes on the Fredericksburg Campus. Some classes that were completely face to face are now hybrid—a combination of face-to-face classroom instruction and online instruction. A few of those classes have gone totally online. We have made some time changes but have tried to keep those changes minimal.

We will be offering training in online learning next Wednesday and Thursday at the Fredericksburg Campus in the Workforce & Technology Building (FAC 2). We strongly encourage all students who are new to online learning to attend one of these sessions. Sessions for online training will be Wednesday, August 31, and Thursday, Sept. 1 beginning at 9:00 AM and running every hour, on the hour, with the last session of the day beginning at 8:00 PM and ending at 9:00 PM. We’ll have signs posted on the campus to direct you to the session locations.

Student Services will be available at all college locations on August 31 and September 1 from 8:30 AM until 7PM. Student Services will be available on Friday, September 2 from 8:30AM to 5:00PM. Financial Aid, Counseling Services, the Tuition Office, and Admissions & Records will be available to assist you as Germanna reopens. At the Fredericksburg Campus location, please be advised that services will be available at the Workforce & Technology Building (FAC 2).

We are developing a new academic calendar. We have revised the dates you can drop a course and get a refund as well as the time you can withdraw from a course without academic penalty. You will be able to see the revised calendar online by noon on Monday. It will also be available at the counseling sessions.

We will communicate further on Monday about the specifics of your individual schedule changes.


Germanna Community College

FAQ on Germanna Community College earthquake status

Has Germanna closed for the semester?

No. On Aug. 30, Germanna Community College nursing and dental hygiene students will restart classes. All other students will resume classes on Sept. 6. Details will be available via email and on the Germanna Web site within 24 hours.(CLARIFICATION: Only nursing classes start on Aug. 30. Other classes being taken by nursing students start on Sept. 6.)
Check Blackboard, Germanna email and germanna.edu for the class schedule with new room assignments.

Is the Sept. 6 restart date (for non-nursing students) effective for online classes as well?


Yes.


Has the Fredericksburg Campus closed?

No. One building, FAC I, also known as the Dickinson Building, suffered structural damage that has put it out of commission for the semester. FAC II, the Workforce Building, was not damaged. Officials are working to move classes into FAC II. All classes will resume. Some students may have to go to classroom/online hybrid classes or to online classes to avoid moving to a classroom in another location. College officials are also considering space near the Fredericksburg Campus for classrooms.

Will the semester be extended? Will the final exams schedule change?

No and no.

Were other Germanna locations damaged in the quake?

The Locust Grove Campus and the Stafford Center are in good shape. The Daniel Center in Culpeper sustained minor damage to tiles in the auditorium ceiling and to an overhead projector. But classrooms at the Daniel Center were not affected. There was some damage to the George Washington Carver Center in Culpeper, where automotive program classes are to be held in the Fall. Culpeper County is determining how serious the damage is.

Will I be able to buy my text books before classes resume?

Yes. The book store will be operating out of the Locust Grove Campus and all of the text books are also available for order online. Those who had books waiting for pickup at the FAC I store will now have to drive to LGC to get them.
UPDATE: If you ordered books and have received an email advising you that your order is ready for pick up, you may pick up your order at the Locust Grove Campus bookstore beginning Wednesday, August 31st. We'll continue to post updates as we receive them.


What will the Fredericksburg Campus be like this semester?

FAC II will be cramped. There will be no room for lounging or studying, no food service and no cafeteria. Students will need to find other places to hang out, study and eat.

Why did Culpeper High's top scholar pick Germanna Community College?

Michael Ly will the first person in his family to earn a degree when Germanna's Fall semester ends. Now he feels ready to move on to George Mason University. He won't stop till he gets a Ph.D. "I want to be called 'doctor,' " Ly says.
He says GCC's first-rate faculty, small class sizes and affordability were factors in his decision. So was being able to stay home while he got his bearings.

Solid as a Brock

Germanna found a perfect fit in its new Dean of Arts & Sciences Deborah Brock, who as a passion both for leadership and teaching. GCC didn't have to look far. she's a longtime Fredericksburg resident.