Germanna names C. Douglas Elliott VP for Institutional Advancement

C. Douglas Elliott has been named Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Germanna Community College.  He will also serve as Executive Director of the GCC Educational Foundation.

His responsibilities will include planning, leadership and implementation of all college fundraising initiatives, grant writing, planned giving, endowment, scholarships, and alumni research and records, grant writing, planned giving, scholarships and alumni and parent engagement programs. He will also be responsible for planning, leadership and implementation of all college marketing and public information activities and high-level support for community and government relations activities. Elliott will lead a team of development and marketing/public information professionals and administrative staff.

He was an instructor for a number of years at Rollins College’s Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Center.

 Elliott has served in leadership positions in advancement and marketing for a diverse group of nonprofit institutions from higher education to social service agencies to global entities such as the Smithsonian Institution and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

At the Smithsonian, he was Director of National Development from 1997-2003. At the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, he served as Vice President of International Development and Marketing from 2003-2006.

Previously, he had served as vice president for several publishing firms and then as president of his own award-winning company, Elliott & Clark Publishing, which he founded.

He coauthored two books, Florida Rediscovered and Vietnam:  Images from Combat Photographers.

Elliott is an avid outdoorsman and student of American history.

 

C. Douglas Elliott

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.

Grit of Germanna's Fall 2011 grads called "legendary"

Germanna Student Government President Carla Marie Craft addresses crowd of 1,000 at 2011 Fall Commencement
In wake of quake, Virginia Community College Chancellor Glenn DuBois calls grit of Germanna 2011 Fall Commencement graduates "legendary"

Go to Germanna home page to register for classes for the spring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Earn a Business Administration degree on weekends at Germanna

Deirdre Blake of WFLS reports on Germanna Community College's new Accelerated Business Administration Program.
The program will make it possible to get an Accelerated Business Administration associate's degree on weekends over the course of the Spring semester.

Registration starts in November and classes begin in January.

Please go to the the GCC Web site or call 540/891-3000 for more information.

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.”

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

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Gov. McDonnell appoints former Germanna Dean Jane Ingalls to Virginia State Board of Nursing

The three deans who have overseen GCC's nursing program: Dr. Jane Ingalls, (left), the late Dale Featherston (center) and current Dean Mary Gilkey. Dr. Ingalls has been appointed to the State Board of Nursing.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has appointed a former Dean of Nursing at Germanna Community College to the Virginia State Board of Nursing.
Dr. Jane R. Ingalls of Fredericksburg is a registered nurse and Professor Emeritus at Germanna Community College, where she retired as Dean of Nursing in 2009.
"I have so much respect for the Board of Nursing staff and the members of the Board," Dr. Ingalls said.
She did an internship with the Board of Nursing in 1993, when she was working toward her doctorate.
Dr. Ingalls said the function of the board is "to protect the health, safety and well being of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia," through both practices and the education of future nurses. "That's a pretty important task. I'm just really honored to be appointed. It's a real opportunity for me to serve."
GCC Dean of Nursing Mary Gilkey R.N. said the Board's mission of assuring "quality patient care delivery by caring and competent caregivers" is dear to Dr. Ingalls' heart. Gilkey said Dr. Ingalls' experience as a nurse educator and care advocate "will serve all Virginians well ... and, most assuredly, assist us all to best define the future of nursing."
Along with Dr. Ingalls, Gov. McDonnell appointed Evelyn A. Lindsay of Richmond, an LPN at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, and
Trula E. Minton of Richmond, Chief Nursing Officer at CJW Medical Center.

Germanna preparing rising ninth graders to lead

A group of rising ninth-graders began Germanna Community College's week-long Launch into Leadership summer camp program for rising ninth-graders today.
Launch into Leadership provides an introduction to key leadership skills that are valuable in any situation and relevant tonew high schoolers.
Rising freshmen are exposed to some of the challenges and expectations they can expect in high school. They prepare for participating in and leading student and organizations and also develop improved confidence, communication skills and raising consciousness about the impact we all have on one another.
The curriculum includes:
Importance of teamwork.
Verbal and written communication and body language.
Prepared and extemporaneous speaking.
Etiquetts and protocol.
Assignments including writing a daily journal entry.
The development of a personal mission statement that includes long- and short-term goals and a plan to achieve them.
Creating a PowerPoint presentation that students may show families at the closing session.

For more informaton, contact the GCC Center for Workforce & Community Education at 540/891-3012 or email gccworkforce@germanna.edu or visit us on the Web at www.germanna.edu/workforce

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

'Thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself'

Anita Newhouse of Culpeper didn't believe she was smart enough. She was wrong ...

I came up with every excuse I could think of:

“I have a child.

“I work full time.

“I wasn’t a good student in high school.”

The truth is, my self esteem and confidence were so low that I honestly didn’t think I would be successful in college. I thank God I listened to a friend who pushed me to enroll at Germanna Community College in 2000. She suggested taking one class at a time until I was used to that, and then later taking more than one class each semester. As each semester passed, my confidence increased and I held my head a little higher.

I couldn’t believe that I was going to college and that I was working towards an associate’s degree! No one in my family had ever attended college, and now I was. It felt amazing.

One of my professors at GCC, Randy Martin, encouraged me to check with the University of Mary Washington to find out what classes that I had already taken would transfer as well as what other classes I could take at Germanna that would transfer. I humored him, still not believing it was realistic. Mr. Martin checked with me periodically to see where I was in the process. He even said that he was not going to let me stop at an associate’s degree.
One day I realized that if he believed in me and he thought I could do it, maybe I should pursue it. But I didn’t have the money to continue my education. And though my self esteem had increased during my time at Germanna, I was still not confident enough in myself to believe that I could also be successful at a university. I simply thought I was not smart enough.

I met with an advisor at UMW and was able to take a lot of classes at GCC that would transfer. Germanna provided me with educational assistance for tuition for these classes as well as for the books.

In addition to working full time and attending school, my husband and I are small business owners, and this takes a lot of my time. I was only able to take one class a semester at UMW. I didn’t really have the time or money to devote to any more than that.

In April of 2009, an email about a fellowship program was sent to all state employees. I quickly closed the email without really reading it because at the time I didn’t realize what it was. Later that day my wonderful supervisor, Sarah Somerville, came to me and asked if I had read the email. I told her I looked at it briefly but that I didn’t really know what it was or if it even pertained to me. She explained to me that it was the Chancellor’s Fellowship scholarship and she encouraged me to apply for it. If she hadn’t brought it to my attention, I would never have applied. I did, and I was awarded the scholarship which provided me the opportunity to be a full-time student for the first time ever.

Not only could I be a full-time student and not have to balance work, but I also had no worries about the cost of attending the university as my salary and tuition would be taken care of during the academic year in which I was attending school. Dr. David Sam, Germanna’s president, called to tell me that I was awarded the scholarship and when I hung up with phone with him, I cried. I cried because I was so grateful for the opportunity and I couldn’t believe that I was going to be receiving my Bachelor’s degree.

As a full-time student, I was able to network and build relationships. This was something I was never able to do before while balancing other things in my life. When I finished classes at Germanna, I would always rush home to my family. As a full-time student, I was able to stay after class to discuss my thoughts on various things and build relationships that I will continue to maintain.

On May 8, 2010, I graduated from the University of Mary Washington with my Bachelor’s degree in Leadership and Management. I am forever grateful to so many people for supporting me through this journey and providing me with this opportunity.
Thank you, Chancellor Glenn DuBois, for providing such a scholarship. Thank you Sarah Somerville, for being such a wonderful and selfless person and encouraging me to take advantage of this opportunity though it would mean I would have to leave the counseling office. Thank you Randy Martin for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Also, thank you Pam Frederick for being so supportive of me at all times.
I can’t tell you how much it means to have such wonderful supervisors who encourage growth and want the best for their employees. Joan Fischer, Kelly Wolfe, Katey Denner, and Dean Rowe, thank you all for always believing in me! Dr. Sam and Victoria Waldron, you both were willing, without hesitation, to write letters of reference for me and I am so grateful for that as your opinions and insight are extremely valued.

Thank you as well to every single employee at Germanna who has believed in me, and shared in my exciting journey.

God bless you all!

--Anita Newhouse

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.

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.

Chichester to be honored at June 3 Germanna Educational Foundation dinner

Retired Virginia State Sen. John Chichester has been named the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation’s Distinguished Person of the Year.

Mike Catell, Director of the GCC Educational Foundation, said Chichester was chosen “because of his extraordinary commitment to higher education--in particular his support of the mission of community colleges.”

Mary Washington Healthcare is the title sponsor of a June 3 event in his honor.

Chichester was President Pro Tempore of the Virginia Senate when he announced his retirement in 2007. He represented the 28th district in the Senate from 1978 to 2007. He initially entered that body by winning a special election following the death of Paul Manns, who had held the seat.

In 1985, the Republican Party nominated him for lieutenant governor, but he lost to Doug Wilder, who went on to become Virginia’s first African American governor since Reconstruction.

In 1995, Chichester became co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee. When the Republicans took control of the Senate in 1999, he became the committee’s chairman, a position of power and prestige.

There will be a 6 p.m. reception on Thursday, June 3 at Fredericksburg Square, followed by dinner and an award presentation.

The dinner is $100 a plate, with all proceeds going to the Educational Foundation. Contact the Educational Foundation office at 540/423-9060 or foundation@germanna.edu for more information and to purchase tickets.

For sponsorship and other gift opportunities, please contact Darla Burton, Foundation Executive Committee member at 540/371-3566 or Mike Catell, Foundation Director at 540/834-8988

Germanna's Monte Carlo Night draws big crowd, raises big money for students who couldn't otherwise go to college

Germanna's Monte Carlo Night fundraiser hits the jackpot ...
The Germanna Educational Foundation raised netted $70,000 with Saturday night's Monte Carlo Casino Night fundraiser at the Daniel Center. All the proceeds go to the Germanna Guarantee Program, which helps students in need.
Above, Culpeper native Dana Brill plays the slots at Monte Carlo Night.