How Germanna is making a difference--by Prof. Lisa Murphy and Adjunct Prof. Russell Carter

In today's Free Lance-Star, Prof. Lisa Murphy and Adjunct Prof. Russell Carter explain how Germanna is making a difference for its students, their families, local businesses and our communities.

These programs train students, including many career-changers, for new jobs in growing fields such as health care and cyber security. This strengthens the local economy by helping to close the "skills gap." The Virginia Employment Commission recently reported that in our area 3,000 jobs were unfilled because companies could not find qualified employees. When a person gains the skills to do one of those jobs, that is a success for the worker, the employer, and the community--with or without a degree...

The dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators of Virginia's community colleges live in the communities we serve. We see our students not only in classes but at our places of worship, at our children's schools, and at the grocery store. They are our friends and neighbors. These relationships keep us motivated to improve our services to better meet their needs. You can't replace that with an online class from a for-profit corporation.

Lisa Murphy, a professor of mathematics, co-chairs the engineering department at Germanna Community College. Russell Carter, a retired businessman, is an adjunct professor of history and English at GCC.

Area economy on the rebound in 2012, with Germanna's help in making the workforce competitive

Germanna President David A. Sam writes about what 2012 may hold in store for the area's business climate in Business Insider.

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.

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

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.”

'We're the best deal for the American taxpayer'

In Fox Business News interview, VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois explains the importance of the $12 billion federal community college initiative in turning economy around ...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois this week on Fox Business News: "Harvard has been around for 10-plus generations or more. Community Colleges have been around for less than our lifetime. And already we've enrolled half of the nation's undegraduates--here in Virginia we enroll two-thirds of undergraduates. "We've come a long way in a short period of time and I think we're prepared to help more and more Americans..."
in

GERMANNA'S ECONOMIC IMPACT ON AREA PRODUCTIVITY, EARNINGS AMOUNTS TO A QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY

Study by an economic modeling firm finds that Germanna gives area a major boost in productivity and earnings
BY KAREN BOLIPATA

The Free Lance-Star

Germanna Community College spent $12.8 million in the Fredericksburg region in 2007-2008, according to an economic-impact study conducted by an Idaho-based consulting firm.

Past students generate $228.4 million in income to the region, bringing Germanna's total economic impact to $241.2 million each year.

That amounts to 2.1 percent of the area's total annual income.

President David Sam presented the findings of Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. at a board meeting this week, saying they could be used to urge businesses and donors to invest in the college.

"It could demonstrate that there is return on investment, that we are a good steward of the resources, that we are making a difference in the community," Sam said.

Because most students are from the area, just $34,000 comes from spending by students who live outside the region.

Germanna serves Fredericksburg, Culpeper and the counties of Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline and King George.

According to the study, the college affects the local economy in three ways:

Local purchases, including wages paid to faculty and staff.

Spending by out-of-region students.

Students' contributions to area income with their education and work-force skills.

About 95 percent of Germanna students stay in Virginia and contribute to economic growth. The study says the state saves $235,900 in avoided social costs each year, with savings in health, law enforcement, welfare and unemployment.

Each dollar the college spends on students generates a return of $3.70 for the local economy over the course of students' working careers.

Students, in turn, see their annual income increase by $153 per year for each credit they complete at Germanna.

In a working lifetime, those who graduate with associate degrees earn $385,200 more than someone with a high school diploma.

EMSI applied an economic model designed to find the economic benefits of community and technical colleges.

According to a study released last week by George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis, last year the University of Mary Washington contributed $115 million to the Fredericksburg region and $108 million to the state.

Its total economic impact was $226 million.

GERMANNA PARADOX: ECONOMIC DOWNTURN REVS ENGINE OF COLLEGE GROWTH WHILE DRAINING FUNDING FUEL

Germanna has a total enrollment of 13,000, ranging in age from these 13-year-olds at a summer Tech Prep Camp, to a 94-year-old computer student. The community college is the fastest-growing in Virginia, but funding is declining.

In a piece in Saturday's Free Lance-Star headlined 'Crisis Breeds Opportunities,' Business Editor Howard Owen writes:

When the economy tanks, some parts of society have growth. A receding tide does not leave all boats stuck in the mud...


The state's community college system seems like a natural for growth in an economic downturn. Tuition runs about a third of the average at four-year state university, and that's before room and board. People who have lost their jobs are going to be looking for the kind of training opportunities offered there. And the system, which began in 1966, is growing like a weed anyway.

According to Jeffrey Kraus, the system's assistant vice chancellor of public relations, enrollment over the past two years has been "pretty dramatic." There are about 250,000 students in the system, plus another 190,000 in work-force training. Germanna Community College, with campuses in Fredericksburg and Locust Grove and a tech center in Culpeper, has about 6,300 students this fall, [and a total enrollment of 13,000, including workforce] up about 10 percent from last year. It's the fastest-growing of the state's 23 community colleges, percentage-wise.

Still, there is a problem.

The same downturn that might drive students to the community colleges is the force behind cuts in the system.

"We're gratified that the governor only cut us 5 percent," said Dr. David A. Sam, Germanna's president, referring to recent action by Gov. Tim Kaine. "Nonetheless, community colleges lost 5 percent last year, 5 percent this year and x-percent next year to be determined by [the state]."

Tuition probably will rise some, but "we don't want to make up for the state funding cuts [through tuition hikes], because we would not be affordable," Sam said.

"It's hard to build new programs and new buildings and hire new faculty," he continued. "We had lots of needs before this, and now the need will be even greater."

Sam said the expected rise in prospective students is at best a mixed blessing, and not just because of the budget cuts:

"We're in the community. Our friends, our neighbors, our families are threatened or affected by the downturn. Bad news affects us directly or indirectly.

"We care about the community," he added. "Community is our middle name."

There is a fund-raising group at Germanna, but the kind of endowments that large four-year schools amass is in another world.

"Community colleges have a shorter history of donation," Sam said, adding, "and we don't have winning football teams."

'Together, we will get through this time. We will help reinvigorate our communities. And we will do our best to take care of each other.'

Germanna Community College President David A. Sam says that in this time of economic upheaval and looming budget cuts, he's confident that the need to tackle adversity head on and make a difference will bring out the best in us:

'These are unsettling times for all Americans.

In our lifetimes, we have not seen anything like the current economic turmoil. But we at Germanna Community College must be at our best during difficult times. Our Commonwealth and indeed our Nation count on community colleges to retrain workers and help the economy recover. Our citizens and communities count on Germanna to continue to be a place of hope even more so in a time of uncertainty and fear...'

For more, go to http://germannapresident.blogspot.com

OBAMA: "IT'S TIME TO CALL UPON OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGES ONCE AGAIN" TO HELP JUMP START U.S. ECONOMY

The two candidates most likely to face off in this fall's presidential election, Barack Obama and John McCain, both say community colleges must play a key role in preparing American workers to compete in an evolving global economy...
Click here and search archives to read more