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.
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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.

GCC Workforce & Economic Development Partnership series offers quick-hit courses that can help your company grow

GIVE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS A QUICK SHOT IN THE ARM WITH THE GERMANNA WORKFORCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REGIONAL BUSINESS SERIES, WITH UPCOMING MINI-COURSES IN CAROLINE, KING GEORGE, STAFFORD, CULPEPER AND SPOTSYLVANIA
In the current economic environment, small businesses with shrinking staffs need to find ways to invigorate themselves without devoting a lot of time to retraining.

So Germanna Community College is offering a Workforce & Economic Development Regional Business Series that allows employers to enhance skills in a hurry.

GCC, which is offering the series in partnership with local economic development authorities and chambers of oommerce, is offering a two-hour course on Branding & Marketing at the Daniel Center in Culpeper from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on July 16.

There will also be a Branding course on the same day at the same time at the Germanna Stafford Center.

Two weeks later, there will be a course titled Develop a Strategic Business Plan at GCC's Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on July 30.

On Aug. 13, there will be a Legal Fundamentals course from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Caroline County Business Center.

And on Aug. 27, there will be a course entitled Develop a Marketing Plan from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the King George Community Citizens' Center. The two-hour courses cost $29. Call 540/891-3012 for more information and to register.

Germanna's on-site Apprenticeship Program makes career ladder easier to climb; doesn't require students to leave work

After spending the last six years making airplane parts at Euro-Composite in Culpeper, 29-year-old Doug Bray saw a chance to advance his career when the company began an apprenticeship program in partnership with Germanna Community College's Center for Workforce and Community Education. The program opened the door to an associate’s degree and a journeyman’s license in industrial maintenance.
The four-year Workforce apprenticeship program combines classroom work with on-the–job training at the work site. It’s designed to meet the need for trained industrial maintenance technicians and intended for those who wish to work as maintenance employees or those who have recently been hired as maintenance employees. It also allows current employee to upgrade the skills necessary to support and maintain high-technology equipment.

“It was definitely a good opportunity for me, going to Germanna,” said Bray, who has a wife and child. “I think it’ll allow me to look at my job a little different. It’ll help me to excel at what I’m doing. It could mean promotions, raises. It’ll just benefit me all around and look at different things I’m doing and come up with new ideas to do my job that maybe I wouldn’t without taking the program and without getting my license.”

“It’s been a little bit of a learning experience,” Bray said. “It’s taught me things I never knew and also helped me refresh on things I learned in high school and never really used while I was working. It will definitely help me to think more critically. It’s been a little tough at times, but it’s definitely been enjoyable.”

Call 540/891-3012 or go to www.germanna/workforce/.edu for more information.

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

Sen. Mark Warner: Third building at GCC's Fredericksburg Campus would help attract "world-class jobs" to area

Sen. Warner says expansion of Germanna's Fredericksburg Campus critical to area's economic future.

"In the past," Sen Mark Warner says, "there was the expectation that public education would be funded by public funds. Increasingly, that’s not the case."

"... Community college, where so much is really done, particularly in terms of economic development, doesn’t have the kind of donor base universities do. [Capital] has to come from the business community."
Sen. Warner says area businesses would be wise to help supply seed money necessary to break ground on a third building at Germanna's overcrowded Fredericksburg Campus in Spotsylvania.

"Part of the challenge this community has got is not just attracting jobs—it’s attracting world-class jobs," he said.

"This is a community that in its own right is world class. You don’t want it to be just the lower-income jobs that are actually coming. At the end of the day, you want to have that kind of world-class job."

Gov. Kaine after GCC Stafford Center ribbon-cutting: 'Talent is the most valuable asset. Workforce is now the most important thing.'

Stafford Economic Development Authority Chairman Don Newlin, Gov. Tim Kaine and GCC President David A. Sam cut the ribbon to open the new Germanna Stafford Center


When Gov. Tim Kaine cut the ribbon to open Germanna’s new Stafford Center Wednesday, he said Virginia is rated the state best positioned to rebound from recession in part because of community colleges like GCC.

Kaine said he’s counting on GCC and rest of the Virginia Community College System to help the Old Dominion recover from the recession -–and to give its workforce an edge going forward.

“Community colleges play an important role, especially in a challenged economy,” Kaine told a crowd at the opening of the Center.

He said Virginia has been rated the state best positioned to rebound not just because of a positive business climate, but because of the competitiveness of its workers.

And when it comes to companies deciding where to relocate, the quality of Virginia’s workforce is key, Kaine said.

“Whatever the price of oil is, talent is the most valuable asset,” Kaine said. “Workforce is now the most important thing,” and community colleges play a vital role in educating and training Virginia’s workers to keep them competitive in the global economy. “Nothing else is even a close second.”

The fourth Germanna location--which has four state of the art classrooms, computer labs, and office space--is expected to offer 52 classes this fall and serve approximately 1,000 students.

The Center is a partnership between GCC and Stafford Economic Development Authority, which has invested $300,000 over three years to promote economic development through Workforce training. The center will also meet anticipated needs associated with the BRAC expansion at Quantico and the new Stafford Hospital Center. It’s located at Aquia Park, just south of the intersection of U.S. 1 and State Route 610 in North Stafford, which is one of the fastest-growing and congested areas in the region.

The governor said he doesn’t have a crystal ball when it comes to economic forecasting, but added, “We are seeing some positive signs,” including improvement in the housing market, “but I don’t yet call them trends.”

He said that while areas within commuting distance of Washington like Culpeper and the Fredericksburg area are feeling the impact of the economic downturn, they will be shielded from the worst of it.

“The world will always beat a path to the broad region that surrounds the nation’s capital,” Kaine said.

Germanna has experienced state budget cuts totaling 15 percent, with another soon to come, during a two-year period when it has been the fastest-growing college in Virginia.

But GCC President David A. Sam said opening the Stafford Center during lean times signals Germanna’s commitment to help the area bounce back from tough times and help build a new prosperity.

“This area needs us in bad times and in good,” Sam said. “We promise that, no matter what happens, we will try to meet the needs of our area’s students, parents and businesses.”

Germanna's Tech Prep Camp opens eighth-grade eyes to career possibilities

Germanna's Russell James, above, says the week-long camp shows 13-year-olds first-hand what careers are really like ...
In an interview with Charlottesville's Channel 29, Russell James, director of Germanna's Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper, said of the college's Tech Prep Camp for eighth-graders: "The point of this whole week is to expose them to all these various trades that they can go into that can start as a basic laborer and then go up to owning a business or being an engineer."

Watch the Channel 29 report http://www.nbc29.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3894596&h1=Tech%20Prep%20Students%20Visit%20Construction%20Site%20for%20Lesson&vt1=v&at1=News - Special Coverage&d1=114667&LaunchPageAdTag=News - Special Coverage&activePane=info&rnd=295.

NEW GCC PROGRAM BEGINS WITH 16-DAY STUDY ABROAD TRIP IN JULY AND AUGUST; INCLUDES ELEPHANT AND CAMEL RIDES, TAJ MAHAL STOP, CULTURAL & BUSINESS STUDY

Germanna student Kristeen Hadeed talks with Indian fashion designer Elisheba John of Magic Clothing Pvt. Ltd. about the business. John was part of an Indian delegation that visited GCC this week. ...


Germanna Community College has established a program that will involve cultural and business study in India as well as student exchange.

The India Study Abroad program launches this summer, with destination cities of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Kumarakom and Chennai.

There will be three travel tracks--an India Study humanities class track, a Business/IT/Ayurvedic visit track and a general cultural interest track. Ayurvedic is a system of traditional medicine native to India.

Highlights of the 16-day, July 23-Aug. 8 tour will include the Taj Mahal, an elephant ride at Amber Fort in Jaipur, a cross-country Jeep safari ride, a camel ride in Samode, a house boat cruise in Kumarakom, Hindu Temples and other stops. The deadline for registration is May 15.

Last year, a small committee traveled to six Indian cities to investigate opportunities in information technology, history and culture.

Germanna is the first institution in the Virginia Community College System to establish a program in India.

Frances Lea, GCC associate professor of economics and marketing and a member of the committee, said that during an exploratory mission to India last year, “We were surprised by how open the Indian universities and chambers of commerce are and how wiling they were to work with us.”

“I am delighted that Germanna has approved its first Study Abroad Program to India,” said Sunithi Gnanadoss, a GCC faculty member who was part of the team that traveled to India on the exploratory mission. “This is a fruition of a vision, research, and much work. It is good for students to connect with the global world--connecting today with tomorrow's world is very important.”

This week a delegation of Indian business people visited Germanna and talked to students and faculty about opportunities and culture there.

GCC associate professor of English Gnanadoss, who is a native of India, said she hopes the relationship will help change the idea that American can only lose jobs to India through outsourcing. She sees the program as a step toward creating American jobs.

She sees opportunities instead: Student exchange could provide internships at information technology centers and jobs tutoring English.

GCC Director of Workforce and Community Education Martha O'Keefe, who also was part of the exploratory committee trip, agreed. "I think it will lead to just a better understanding of the business climate in India," she said.

Unlike study-abroad programs in Europe, where some customs are similar to American culture, India would immerse students in an entirely different environment, Gnanadoss said.

For more information, call 540/423-9857, e-mail sgnanadoss@germanna.edu or go to www.germanna.edu.

GERMANNA'S CENTER FOR WORKFORCE AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION OFFERING COMPUTER COURSES FOR SPRING SEMESTER IN CULPEPER, FREDERICKSBURG. REGISTER NOW.

If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Make your company more competitive and yourself more marketable with GCC Workforce classes including computer courses.

Spring courses remain open. See what Germanna Community College has to offer the area's Workforce and register online.



•Customized Corporate Training

• Open Enrollment Classes

• Certification & Credentialing Preparation

• High-Tech Testing

• Career Readiness Certificate

• Personal Enrichment Courses

• Courses for Children & Parents

• Middle College

• GED Testing

MS PowerPoint 2007 I.................................. $109

MS Excel 2007 I ...................................... $109

MS Word 2007 I ...................................... $109

Dreamweaver I ...................................... $159

Basic Computer Literacy............................. $259



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LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS HELPING GERMANNA PREPARE TO LAUNCH CUSTOMER SERVICE ACADEMY

Plow & Hearth founder Peter Rice talks about the elements that are critical to strong customer service.

Peter Rice, founder of Plow & Hearth, is facilitating a group of area business leaders planning a Germanna Community College Customer Service Academy.

The Academy to be offered by GCC's Workforce and Continuing Education program, will assist the region's business community in improving the quality of customer service.

Rice provided insight into how Plow & Hearth became an outstanding customer-focused company.

Among the local business leaders putting the Germanna Customer Service Academy are Rice; Bob Hagan of the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce; Bob Alexander, CEO ofPratt Medical; Brian Baker: Executive Director of the Rappahannock Region Small Business Development Center; M.C. Moncure, Stafford County Tourism Manager; Colleen Hairston, President of the Fredericksburg Hospitality Association;Russell Seymour, Director of Economic Development for Spotsylvania County; Tom Blalock of Union Bank and Trust; Judi Bartlett, Associate Dean of Instruction at Germanna; Sharon Clark, Owner of Cameleer; Susan Barnhardt, owner of Pepperberries; and Jim Charapich of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce.

DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION KEYNOTE PREVIEW? MARK WARNER CALLS FOR 'NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS PLAN' DURING SPEECH AT GERMANNA

Community colleges must play an increasingly important role in training a highly skilled workforce if America is to compete with rising economic powers like India and China in the global marketplace, former Gov. Mark Warner told a crowd at Germanna Community College Thursday...
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GERMANNA EXPLORES STUDY, INTERNSHIP PARTNERSHIP POSSIBILITIES IN INDIA

A committee from Germanna Community College is headed to India to explore the feasibility of beginning a student exchange program, of developing cost-effective cultural study of India's diversity through travel, and of establishing an internship program with IT companies there.

Associate Professor of Economics and Marketing Frances Lea, assistant professor of English Sunithi Gnanadoss, and Director of Center for Workforce & Community Education Martha O’Keefe are on the Germanna team. Traveling with them will be Gene Bailey, president of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance.

The group will be visiting six Indian cities and several universities, as well as business and government sites to learn more about Indian higher education and culture as well as explore possibilities for education, workforce training, and business partnerships.

"We see both the internal and external marketing possibilities, including the innovative partnership between Germanna and the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance and the cultural exchange between the people of North and South India and Virginia," said Germanna Vice President of Academics and Student Services Ann Woolford-Singh.

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DR. JEANNE WESLEY: GERMANNA WILL WORK HARD TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE AREA'S WORKFORCE

New Vice President for Workforce Development and Community Relations Dr. Jeanne Wesley expects Germanna to play a growing part in helping the area realize its full economic potential...
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