Explore Shakespeare's impact during Germanna trip to London

A note from Prof. Cheryl Huff: 

I’m thrilled to offer an exciting travel opportunity for all of Germanna and our community, with the blessings of the International Committee. In May of 2016, we will travel to London and explore Shakespeare’s historic and modern impact, visiting the recreated Globe Theater for an extensive tour and live play, as well as the Tower of London (Richard III) and Hampton Court (Henry VIII), along with the British Museum and National Gallery. We will travel out to Stratford-upon-Avon and visit his birthplace and resting place, with another play at the Royal Shakespeare Company there. Our tour will also include contemporary London, with views from the London Eye, as well as pub fare, fish n’chips, and a proper curry! The trip dates are May 19-26.

Stratford-upon-Avon

I have been teaching the works of William Shakespeare via our ENG279: Film and Literature course, as well as in ENG251: World Literature and HUM111: Great Books for many years, and my students find these classes transformative in understanding Shakespeare’s dynamic role in our culture.  I will be your academic guide, and promise to bring my expertise (MLitt in Shakespeare Studies, St Andrews University, Scotland) and experience (ten years of teaching) to benefit all. I will be offering these courses over the next three semesters before the trip, and will also hold fun and informative pre-trip events for everyone signed up.
 Our experienced travel company Explorica is offering a substantial discount if you sign up by December 18, with a minimum deposit of $15., and they have an automatic monthly payment plan. The cost will be around $3300.00 for those signing up early, including air fare, transfers, hotels, tours, and meals.  With 20-some months to pay for the trip, this can both a worthy goal and affordable educational investment. Please tell your students and family about this trip, or invite me to pitch it to your class!
I will be holding an informational open house this Wednesday, Dec. 17, in my office at SP3 (the shiny Science/Library building), room 308, from 9 am to 1pm, or by appointment. Come by, call 540/891-1032, or email me so we can discuss this exciting trip. See our website:www.Explorica.com/Huff-8282​
All are welcome!


Cheryl Huff, MA-LA, MLitt
Associate Professor of English and Humanities
Chair, Humanities
Coordinator, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
mailto:chuff@germanna.edu

Former Germanna President Frank Turnage honored

Germanna Community College President Emeritus Frank Turnage received the Orange County Education Foundation ‘s Lifetime Contribution Award Sunday at Montpelier.

Germanna President David Sam, Dean Pam Frederick and former GCC President Frank Turnage. Turnage was honored by the Orange County Educational Foundation Sunday an Montpelier.

Turnage was president of Germanna for over 20 years.

Current GCC President David A. Sam told the crowd at Montpelier that it was tough  succeeding Turnage, whom he called “a great college president and a very gracious southern gentleman.”

“It’s much easier to succeed a lousy president,” Sam joked. “Following someone who was in many ways a local legend was a challenge.”

Because of  Turnage’s leadership, Sam said, Germanna grew to become the seventh largest community college in Virginia, expanding from its original Locust Grove Campus location to Spotsylvania and Culpeper counties.

Frank Turnage accepts OCEF Lifetime Contribution Award

Turnage responded to Sam: “I think we did OK. However, I need to say I couldn’t be happier over your accomplishments at Germanna. When I read about Germanna in the newspaper and all the great things that are coming along I have to be grateful to you professionally and personally.”

In 2006, the Virginia State Senate passed a resolution agreed to by the House of Delegates commending Turnage for guiding Germanna, “from a small, remote community college to an influential educational force in the region by providing workforce development and the opportunity of higher education to all of the residents of the community.”

The same year, a Free Lance-Star editorial about his retirement said Turnage:

“looked at the employers in the community and saw how Germanna could help them train their workers. He gazed west, toward the businesses in the Route 29 corridor, and saw the need for technology education. He recognized the shortage of health-care workers and joined a statewide task force on nursing education to help community colleges alleviate it.”

Girl Scouts helped point Germanna 'Women of Distinction' in right direction

Two current Germanna Community College leaders and a former GCC professor were honored at the Commonwealth of Virginia Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Awards Thursday night at the University of Mary Washington’s Jepson Center.

Dr. LaZalia Richardson, who retired from teaching English at Germanna a year and a half ago after a stroke, talked about the joy of teaching students at all levels “to read and to write and to develop their cognitive skills.”

Dr. LaZalia Richardson and husband Xavier Richardson

She noted that her daughter Christina has become a teacher and often texts her excitedly: “’Mom! She got it! He got it! They got it!’ She understands that she grows taller metaphorically each time she reaches down and teaches a child.”

Dr. Patti Lisk, Germanna’s Dean of Nursing and Health Technologies, said Girl Scouting pointed her in the right direction career-wise, even though she hated camping out.

She said that after spending a week camping out as a Girl Scout, “I can remember going home, soaking in the tub and wondering why did people camp? I learned that vacation for me is not camping.  Vacation for me is a resort with sheets and fine food.”

GCC Dean of Nursing & HealthTechnologies Patti Lisk

 Dr. Lisk recalled that her Nancy Nurse Doll helped her earn a Girls Scout First Aid badge.  “The Nancy Nurse Doll had a button in its stomach and you would push it and she’d say ‘”My tummy hurts,’ or cough. The job of the child was to make the doll feel better. Then the doll would say ‘I feel better now.’ “

 Now, she said, she works with high tech human simulators in Germanna’s Virtual Hospital  that mimic human illnesses and respond to treatment by either getting well or “dying,” depending on the knowledge of the students.

“The Girl Scouts started to prepare me for my adult life and helped me recognize things I would be good at and things I wouldn’t,” Dr. Lisk said.

Germanna VP for Workforce Development Jeanne Wesley

Dr. Jeanne Wesley, Germanna’s vice president for workforce development and community relations, noted that three women from college were being honored last night and that a past honoree, former GCC Dean of Nursing Jane Ingalls, was in the audience.

“You can see that Germanna Community College can handle strong women,” she joked. “And we need to be strong because of what we do.

“We send students from this area to the top universities in the nation, including some in Virginia,” Dr. Wesley said.

“We train technicians… we provide apprenticeships.. . We change lives. We break cycles of poverty and we’re very proud of it.”

  Dr. Wesley joked that the Girl Scouts helped her find her career path when “I sold truckloads of cookies.”

 She also had a camping story.

   “We were camping somewhere in the middle of the night, and we began to hear howls, screams, and then out tents started flapping.

“And the Boy Scouts who were doing it, “she said as the crowd laughed, had lived up to their credo by being prepared to wreak havoc on the Girl Scouts. “But the experience only made us stronger.”

Since 2000, Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia has honored women “for their stellar accomplishments, tireless endeavors, and selfless service to the Greater Fredericksburg community.”

2013 Women of Distinction honorees pose for a group shot.

Be a part of 'From Emancipation to the March on Washington' at 7 p.m., Feb. 18 in Sealy Auditorium on Germanna's Fredericksburg Campus

"From Emancipation to the March on Washington" is a Black History Month panel discussion set for 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18 in Sealy Auditorium in the Workforce & Technology Building on Germanna Community College's Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania. The event, which is open to the public, free, will feature the Rev. Lawrence A. Davies, former mayor of Fredericksburg,  Gaye Adegbalola, who participated in 1960 sit ins at segregated downtown Fredericksburg lunch counters, and Germanna history faculty members Stuart Smith, Ed Watson and James Price.

Topics discussed will include:

The Promise of Equality- The Declaration of Independence and the “All men are created equal” promise.

    Emancipation- Lincoln’s reasons/goals for issuing the proclamation. Was it legal? Did it actually emancipate?

      The Civil War Amendments- 13th, 14th, and 15th Black Progress to Jim Crow- It's crucial to understand that there was Black Progress from 1877-1890 but then a new generation of Southerners arose, the sons and daughters of Confederate veterans, who sought to implement the change their fathers had wanted: a separation of the races. This included political disenfranchisement, social segregation (Jim Crow), the “de-skilling” process (the decline in workforce expertise) and the Supreme Court’s compliance. 
  
  The Road to the March on Washington- Early Civil Rights efforts (Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks) to the “I Have a Dream” speech.--Stuart Smith

There will also be discussion about what Jim Crow times were like in the Fredericksburg area, including the lunch counter sit ins that forced the issue.

Rev. Davies will talk about the Fredericksburg march that calmed the town while other cities saw upheaval following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

USA Today story on war hero Germanna student helps ease stigmas

(Video may take a moment to load.)
USA TODAY: ARMY, GERMANNA HELP WAR HERO DECOMPRESS AND TAKE A BIG STEP TOWARD FULFILLING HIS  DREAM OF PLAYING DIVISION I FOOTBALL--FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS TO POST TRAUMATIC SUCCESS

Daniel Rodriguez’ fight was far from over after tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan that saw him wounded and decorated for valor.

The Germanna Community College student was a football star at Brooke Point High School in Stafford, but he was too small for a football scholarship. His father suffered a heart attack and passed away four days after Daniel graduated. Without a scholarship or a father, he felt he couldn't afford college, so he enlisted in the Army

 In Afghanistan, when his unit of 60 men came under attack by 300 Taliban, he saw a buddy shot in the head. Daniel exposed himself to enemy fire to help his friend and drag him out of the line of fire. Then he realized his buddy was dead. Daniel was shot in the shoulder and took shrapnel in both legs.

He returned home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and night terrors. Using the G.I. Bill, he's been attending  Germanna, and he credits he GCC with helping him decompress.

 Last week, USA Today featured Daniel in a story about the way the Army has changed its approach to dealing with mental illness due to the high suicide rate among active duty soldiers and veterans.

"It was tough for me to go to counseling," he told USA Today’s Gail Sheehy. "But as I opened up more and more, it helped me to get my feelings out and understand it's OK to talk about it to other people, my friends, my mom — don't bottle it up."

Hawraa Alabalal: Because of GCC, her American dream within reach

VIDEO

"For me, it was a dream coming to America," says Germanna Community College student Hawraa Alabalali, whose mother married an American soldier before they immigrated to the U.S. from Iraq in 2008. She says GCC counselors and faculty are helping her toward her goal of becoming a dentist, and that the college's affordability makes paying for graduate school later feasible. "It felt good to be part of a community," she said about coming to Germanna. Making friends was easier, she said, than it had been in high school.

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.”

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

Volunteering to help Germanna with its post-earthquake transition: Please attend training session and free lunch at noon Friday, Sept. 2

Thank you for volunteering to assist us with the post-earthquake transition!



Many of you offered to help with moving furniture/equipment from FAC1 to FAC2. For security reasons, only items that were essential to the day-to-day operations have been removed from the building; therefore, the majority of items will remain in FAC1 until security gives us the all clear. This could be weeks, possibly months from now.



In the meantime, classes are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 6. Classes that were scheduled for FAC1 have been relocated, transitioned to hybrid offerings (a mixture of face-to-face and online), or converted to online courses. We have communicated the schedule change with students; however, we anticipate that there will still be some confusion. We are looking for volunteers to help direct students to the appropriate classes during the first week of school. Volunteers will be needed as follows:

■Tuesday, September 6 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
■Wednesday, September 7 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
■Thursday, September 8 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
■Friday, September 9 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
■Saturday, September 10 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
You do not have to volunteer all day. Any time that you can give us (i.e. 2 hours on Tuesday morning, 3 hours on Thursday afternoon, 1 hour on Saturday, etc.) will be GREATLY appreciated.



It is extremely important that we provide you with the information that you will need to assist our students during the first week. We will be conducting Volunteer Training from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2 in FAC2, Room 105. Lunch will be provided. During this training session you will receive information from Student Services, Instructional Services, Security and Academic Support. Please let me know, either by email or by phone, by noon on Thursday, September 1 whether or not you plan to attend the training. Thank you!



Pamela Duff Shifflett

Executive Assistant to the President

Germanna Community College

pshifflett@germanna.edu

.

Groundbreaking for third building at GCC's Fredericksburg Area Campus 'an expression of faith and an investment in a positive future'

Left to right, GCC Local College Board chairman Dick Scheibe, Germanna President David A. Sam, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Rep. Rob Wittman, VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois and Gary Skinner of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors.

MASSAPONAX--Germanna Community College broke ground Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 on Phase III of its Fredericksburg Campus in Spotsylvania--a three story, 50,000-square- foot academic building.

"In a time of uncertainty and economic crisis," GCC President David A. Sam said, "this building is an expression of faith and an investment in a positive future:


"for Germanna
for the students and communities we serve
for the Commonwealth of Virginia
and indeed for our nation."


Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman and Virginia Community College System Chancellor Glenn DuBois also spoke, as did Gary Skinner of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors.

DuBois called McDonnell the strongest supporter of community colleges to serve as governor since Mills Godwin, who started the VCCS in the 1960s. "This governor is a partner in our mission," DuBois said.

McDonnell complimented Germanna President Sam for his handling of challenge of the explosive growth Germanna has experienced in recent years, and he complemented GCC's leadership for what he called "the vision behind Phase III--a lot of emphasis placed on the (scientific) disciplines ... necessary "to maintain American exceptionalism" and compete with economic powers on the Pacific Rim.
l
Rep Wittman said that during a recent conversation with Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, Ballmer told him that stressing the teaching of science is critical to attracting innovative companies to a state. "A strong Workforce development program is the key for so many of these companies" as they chooses places to expand or relocate," McDonnell said.


The green building, designed by Clark Nexsen and to be built by Donley's Construction, will include a 13,000-foot state of the art library/learning resource center with stacks for 16,000 volumes, reading spaces, a multimedia lab, project and study rooms, four biology labs, two engineering labs, two environmental chambers for biology experiments, two chemistry labs, two two physics labs and two general purpose classrooms. It will also include office space for a dean, 18 full time faculty and 12 adjunct faculty; meeting rooms, a break room and IT space.

The project budget is $25,483,842. Construction is scheduled to begin March 1. Completion of Phase III is expected by Fall 2012.

Community colleges need non-state monies to pay for about 10 percent of any construction project. GCC's share of the original project budget was estimated to be about $2.5 million. Most of those funds came from a line of credit secured from the Educational Foundation ($1.6 million) and from the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, which "spiritually committed" to contributing $1.2 million toward the project over a seven-year period.


"My gratitude goes to the local governments who have provided support for the college, and especially to Spotsylvania County who have already committed to helping fund this project," Dr. Sam said.


Germanna has separate plans for a parking structure at the Fredericksburg Campus to help meet increased demand for parking there. Clark Nexsen has been awarded the contract due to its work with the College on Phase III and its familiarity with the campus.


GCC, which also has a campus at Locust Grove and centers in Culpeper and Stafford, needed to expand because it has been the fastest-growing community college in the state and one of the fastest-growing in the country in recent years. In the year after Germanna added its Stafford Center in July 2009, that center had already filled up and the Fredericksburg Campus serves the majority of GCC's 7,500 credit students. Germanna's total headcount---the number of students taking at least one class, including non-credit classes--is approaching 14,000.

Germanna's service region includes the city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania, and Stafford.

GCC opened its original campus at Locust Grove in October 1970. Phase I of the Fredericksburg Campus, the Dickinson Building, opened in January 1997. Phase II, the Workforce Building, opened in October 2004. The Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper opened in 2006. The Stafford Center opened in 2009.

Close to a degree for years, former Stafford County Supervisor Kandy Hilliard sees finishing up at Germanna as a Win-Win situation

Germanna is one of only six community colleges in Virginia chosen for Project Win-Win, which helps those close to degrees return to school and finish.

Kandy Hilliard has been elected to the Stafford Board of Supervisors and had a good career without a degree. With one, she says the sky's the limit.

Great Expectations: Fostering powerful change

The VCCS' and Germanna's Great Expectations program helps get at-risk foster youth aging out of the system on track toward good-paying careers. Comments from GCC Educational Board member and Great Expectations program supporter Connie Kincheloe is featured in video.

At Germanna, instead of being pitied, she decided who she was going to be

Amherst College has given Devon Geary nearly a full scholarship after Germanna Community College helped her excel academically in spite of entering the school with a rare and debilitating disorder.

She was so sick in 2006 that she had to drop out when she was a sophomore at James Monroe High in Fredericksburg. She suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The rare genetic disorder can be debilitating. For those with the disorder, sitting up or standing can cause heart rates to soar and blood flow to the brain to decrease, resulting in fainting.

Some POTS sufferers can't go to school or work. Devon's case is complicated by Ehler-Danos syndrome, which affects connective tissue between joints and makes movement agonizing. At 16, Devon was faced with the prospect of being bedridden or in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Her doctor gave her little hope.

But she refused to give in.

In 2008, she came to Germanna in a wheelchair and got her GED.

In 2009, she began classes at GCC, using a walker, and frequently fainting.

"There was no way I could have gone to a four-year school," Devon says. "I could barely walk. I could barely stay conscious."

"I would sometimes find Devon in the fetal position," says Winford Stevens, GCC's Coordinator of Disability Services.

She was able to stick with it, she says, because at Germanna, "Nobody stared at me. Nobody laughed at me. I had been in a wheelchair for 2 ½ years. I was used to pity stares. But I didn't get that here. People were very kind and accommodating, but they didn't pity me."

Devon thrived on the kind of one on one attention students get from faculty at Germanna.

Her condition gradually improved, and though there is still pain, she now not only walks on her own, but is an assistant dance instructor. The outcome: nearly a full scholarship to Amherst, one of the top liberal arts schools in the country.

At Germanna, instead of being pigeonholed, she decided who she was going to be.

"If anything, I'm the 6-foot-tall redhead with the 4.0," Devon says. "I was never defined by my illness here and I really appreciate that. I don't know if it would have been that way at a 4-year school," she says. "I think I did pretty well, but it was because of the environment."

GCC honors Sen. John Chichester

Karen Chichester, Sen. John Chichester and GCC President David Sam at the Distinguished Person of the GCC Educational Foundation of the Year banquet.

Retired Sen. John Chichester, long a supporter of higher education in Virginia, is Germanna Community College's Distinguished Person of the Year for 2010. He was honored at a GCC Educational Foundation Banquet for which Mary Washington Healthcare was the major sponsor. Speaker of the House Bill Howell, VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois and Germanna President David A. Sam were among the speakers at the event.

Students missing out on Pell Grants simply because they don't apply

Too many Germanna Community College students are leaving money on the table because they're unaware they're available for Pell Grants.

In the 2007-08 academic year, 58 percent of Pell Grant-eligible students who attended community colleges either full or part-time applied for federal financial aid, compared with 77 percent of eligible students at four-year public institutions

During the two-year period from fall 2007 to fall 2009, full-time enrollment at U.S. community colleges increased by 24.1 percent

Students are reluctant to apply for aid in part due to a lack of basic understanding. Click here for the rest of the story.

Germanna graduates its biggest class ever

Friends and family snap pictures of Germanna's Class of 2010 in this photo by Peter Cihelka of The Free Lance-Star ...


By PAMELA GOULD

The Free Lance-Star

James Richardson is a second-generation Germanna Community College graduate who said his father's words inspired him to complete his degree despite self-doubt and challenges.

"My father always told me, 'James, you have to do the hard thing,'" Richardson said last night before a crowd of about 2,500 at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center.

Richardson, a 20-year-old Falmouth resident, was the community college's student speaker at last night's commencement ceremony. He spoke of the determination, sacrifice and belief in self that were needed to meet the requirements for his associate degree.

He spoke not only of his own struggles but also those of classmates who worked full time and who had families.

"It takes determination to get up in the morning and go to class knowing that after you're done you have to go work for eight hours so you can pay for your house," he said. "It takes determination to study for a test when you've got kids who want and need your attention."

He added that teachers can't teach determination.

"It's something that you have to work at and want. It is the difference between those who make it and those who don't," Richardson said. Click here for the rest of the story.

Despite recession, Germanna employees double their contributions to charity over 2008 total

Hard times don't deter Germanna Community College employees from increasing charitable giving ...

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Shrugging off the impact of the recession, Germanna employees more than doubled the amount pledged to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, compared to 2008. GCC employees pledged $7,712.00. Nearly $1,000 of that total was designated to the Germanna Educational Foundation. Since 1997, state employees have raised over $25 million for over 1,300 charities through the campaign.
"Despite challenging times, Germanna faculty and staff have once again demonstrated their extraordinary commitment to the students and communities we serve," said Michael Catell, Director of the Germanna Educational Foundation and Alumni Relations. "Thank you very much!"

Previewing new jobs plan, president calls community colleges "America's most underappreciated asset"

In speech today, Obama says community colleges are key to retooling America's economy for long-term prosperity ... click below to watch video

Speaking at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Allentown, Pa. on Friday, Dec. 4, President Obama touted the decline in unemployment and said that community colleges like Germanna, which offer affordable, accessible degrees and job training, will play an important role in his plan to turn the economy around.

Monday Job Fair at Germanna's Daniel Center in Culpeper could attract thousands of job-seekers

Forty employers will talk to prospective hires about jobs Monday at Germanna's Daniel Center


U.S. Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, will hold a job fair in Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Germanna Community College's Daniel Center in Culpeper. About 40 employers will be available to talk to prospective employees. A job fair in Chesterfield County in August drew more than 3,200 people, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The event is open to the all job-seekers, not just students

Germanna to help area unemployed and underemployed find work with free Job Resource Fair

Just walk in and get free job-hunting advice from experts at Tuesday Nov. 17's Germanna Job Resource Fair ...

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Germanna Community College's Center for Workforce & Community Education will be bringing together state and local experts to provide the unemployed and underemployed free advice on maximizing their chances of landing a job.

There will be free seminars and workshops at the Germanna Job Resource Fair from 8 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at GCC's Fredericksburg Campus in Spotsylvania near Cosner's Corner.

Virginia Department of Business Assistance & Germanna Community College

Employment Resource Fair

Tuesday, Nov. 17

All morning sessions open to walk-ins, free of charge

8:00 AM

Coffee, Networking, and Resource Tables

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM Welcome, Dr. Jeanne Wesley, GCC Vice President, Workforce & Community Relations

Opening Remarks, Danny LeBlanc, Virginia’s Senior Advisor for Workforce \ Sealy Auditorium, Room 134

8:45 AM - 10:00 AM Panel Presentation: Trends and Transferable Skills

With distinguished speakers from state, regional, and local entities including: Economic

Development, Bay Consortium Workforce Investment Board, the Va. DBA, Society of

Human Resources Management, and the Va. Employment Commission -Moderator, Dr. Jeanne Wesley Sealy Auditorium, Room 134

10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Virginia Wizard, Hands-on Demonstrations, Room 112-A (Continuous) Pam Frederick, GCC Dean of Student Services, Kay Loving and Marie Hawley

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM Breakout Sessions

Applications and Resumes, Jon Zitz, Sealy Auditorium, Room 134 Interviewing,

Peter Mocarski, Room 105-A Networking and

Cold Calling, Neil Mairs, Room 105-B Managing

Finances, Ann Estes, Room 126 11:30 AM -12:30 PM

Breakout Sessions Repeated

(Openings still available for afternoon sessions... check at desk

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Career Readiness Certificate Testing, Sponsored by Virginia Community Colleges, Room 105-B

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Effective Internet Job Search Skills, Sponsored by VEC, Room 112-A, Cheryl Alderman and Michelle Hochstein

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Career Readiness Certificate Testing, Sponsored by Virginia Community Colleges, Room 105-B

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Effective Internet Job Search Skills, Sponsored by VEC, Room 112-A