GERMANNA'S JOEL TATE CO-AUTHORS NEW BOOK ON HUNTING

GCC faculty member tells tale of bird hunting


Germanna Community College faculty member Joel Tate has collaborated with Ed "Eagle Man" McGaa on pheasant hunting, "Dakota Pheasant."


Donnie Johnston of The Free Lance-Star reports on the book.

GERMANNA STUDENT LEADERS LEARN HOW TO FIRE UP THEIR BASE AT RICHMOND CONFERENCE

Front row, left to right: Kristine Hadeed, Ashley Overholser, Angelica Moss, Annette Wilson. Back row, left to right: Kelly Donaghey, Karli Brittain, Andrew Moberley, Julian Greene, Nathan Yowell.


Ten Germanna Community College students attended the recent VCCS 2008 Student Leadership Conference in Richmond.

The conference was attended by over 400 student leaders from the 23 community colleges. The students learned how to fight apathy and get more students engaged in campus life. They learned effective leadership strategies, ways to help club members get to know each other, professional business etiquette and communications skills. SGA officers attended a roundtable discussion to share ideas and suggestions with others from across the VCCS.

GERMANNA NURSING STUDENTS GIVE COMFORT TO THE DISADVANTAGED DURING HOLIDAY SEASON

Left to right, Germanna student nurses Meaghan Gallagher, Kristen Fisher, Erica Duggins, Lindsey Haun and Emily Causley help out at Holiday Dinner for the needy at Fredericksburg Baptist Church.
Twenty four second-year nursing students from Germanna Community College served up holiday dinners for an estimated 400 people, many of them homeless, at the Fredericksburg Baptist Church last week.

One of the GCC students, Lindsey Haun, a Chancellor High grad, is the daughter in law of the church's pastor, Larry Haun.

Rev. Haun said he considers more than 500 children in Fredericksburg to be homeless, since many of the live week to week in city motels.

For Dec. 18's Holiday Dinner at the church, "When we opened the doors, the were lined up all the way around the block," Rev. Haun said.

"It was awesome that so many nursing students from Germanna came to help," Rev. Haun said. "I'm not sure what we would have done had they not shown up."

Germanna student nurses at the church were residents from all over the Fredericksburg area. Among them, Meaghan Gallagher is a Massaponax High grad, Kristen Fisher a graduate of North Stafford High, Erica Duggins a Courtland High grad and Emily Causley a Chancellor High grad.

On the same night, first-year nursing students from Germanna were serving holiday meals to about 200 children at the Fredericksburg Boys & Girls Club.
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ASK NOT WHAT GERMANNA CAN DO FOR YOU. ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR GERMANNA. GET INVOLVED. RUN FOR STUDENT SENATE. BE A LEADER.

Germanna's Student Government Association is accepting nominations for student senate through Friday, Dec. 19. Voting for senate positions will take place during the first week of the spring semester.



Germanna Student Government Association President Catherine Knapp says it doesn't take a big investment of time to make a difference at the college. She's urging her fellow students to run for student senate.

"Being an SGA Senator requires an average of only 90 minutes per week," Knapp says, and offers an opportunity to "Learn great leadership skills... (while deciding) "where $60,000 of your school fees is spent" and attending leadership and training conferences.

Knapp says SGA senators attend a one hour meeting weekly and attend a committee meeting once a month.

Applications are available next to room 121 at the Fredericksburg Area Campus' Dickinson Building. Applications to run for student senate must be submitted to Student Activities by this Friday, Dec. 19.

REGISTER NOW for Spring classes at Germanna Community College!

Shawn Shields registers for classes at Germanna after moving here from New Jersey.

Avoid the hassle of long lines and full classes at late registration by signing up this week for the Spring classes you need.

GERMANNA GUARANTEE PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS THROUGH HARD TIMES

Courtney Bradley's been working three jobs while taking classes at Germanna, but still needed help. The Germanna Guarantee Program paid for her books.

Germanna Community College student Courtney Bradley, 22, is working three jobs and helping to support her mother while taking classes.

Student loans and scholarships are harder to come by during the recession, and many students like Bradley can turn to the Germanna Guarantee Program, which fills in gaps left by other financial aid using funds from local donors.

HOW TO IMPROVE CYBER SECURITY: TEACH HACKING. GERMANNA'S ETHICAL HACKING CLASSES HELP DEFEND AMERICA AGAINST CYBER THREATS, BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC

China has accelerated computer espionage attacks on the U.S. government, defense contractors and American businesses, a congressional advisory panel says.

The Associated Press reports that cyber attacks from China have become a top American security concern. And The Federal Times says the best defense is to turn to American hackers.

"China is stealing vast amounts of sensitive information from U.S. computer networks," said Larry Wortzel, chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission set up by Congress in 2000 to advise, investigate and report on U.S.-China issues.

On Sunday, Cathy Jett reported in The Free Lance-Star that classes at Germanna Community College are helping to thwart hackers-- both foreign and domestic.

Memorial service set for Dr. Arnold E. Wirtala, Germanna's founding president

A memorial service will be held for Dr. Arnold E. Wirtala, Germanna's first president, at 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 20, at Fairview Baptist Church at River Club, 10835 Tidewater Trail in Fredericksburg.

Germanna's founding president helped save college from threat of closing during early period of low enrollment in the 1970s

A message from Germanna Community College President David A. Sam:


It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Germanna’s founding president. Dr. Arnold E. Wirtala died Tuesday at home in Fredericksburg, at age 85. He served as Germanna’s president from 1969 to 1980. As Germanna’s first president, Dr. Wirtala led the college through some of its most challenging times, keeping the institution going when low enrollment threatened its very existence. GCC opened with 400 students in 1970, and struggled to meet enrollment goals in the early years. There was talk in the state legislature of closing the college.
Dr. Wirtala’s efforts helped give Germanna the chance to grow and thrive as it has today, serving a total headcount of nearly 13,000, and spreading out over an area the size of Rhode Island with campuses in Fredericksburg and Locust Grove, a tech center in Culpeper, and the potential for the opening of a Stafford center in 2009.

When Dr. Wirtala arrived at Germanna in September 1969, he says in a history of GCC, “I found only stakes marking the location of the college.” Germanna opened its doors in 1970. He called starting the college, “an exciting adventure.”

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

GERMANNA STUDENT NURSING ASSOCIATION ON THE MOVE, RAISING MONEY AND HELPING HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN ORANGE COUNTY

Germanna SNA 2010 President Donella Fields (at left) is leading the group toward increased community activism.



Arlene Brooks (right) won over $300 in a Germanna Community College Student Nursing Association raffle held to raise money for a spring luncheon for second-year nursing students.

In the photo above, SNA 2010 President Donella Fields (left) and Secretary Rachelle Snyder (center) deliver Brooks' winnings at Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Spotsylvania Ccunty.

Brooks and Snyder are from Spotsylvania, Fields from Lake of the Woods.

Today the GCC SNA is helping Habitat for Humanity build a house in Orange County and is planning to work with the Boys & Girls Club in Fredericksburg.

GERMANNA INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE TECH PROGRAM ADDING TO LOCAL WORKERS' SKILLS, BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY, SALARIES

Student Thomas Payette of Orange County works on electrical experiments in GCC's Industrial Maintenance Tech lab at the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper.

Germanna Community College is offering a Career Studies Certificate in Industrial Maintenance Technology at its Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper. The program is designed to meet the growing need for trained industrial maintenance technicians and to help those already in such jobs upgrade their skills.

Thomas Payette, a 22-year-old Orange High School graduate who works at Eagle Eye Electric expects the skills he's learning to advance his career as an electrician in an industry hungry for young workers.

"Over 40,000 people will leave our industry over seven years," Virginia Manufacturers Association President Brett Vassey says. "We have the oldest working population of any sector-- including government-- in the Commonwealth."

Germanna's new lab boasts “mechatronics” technology combining mechanical and electrical engineering with information systems.

The program includes eight courses. Much of the work may be completed online.

Tim Walker, an instructor in the GCC program, said many local companies are paying for their employees to take the courses.

"They'll be getting back a better mechanic, a better worker," Walker said.

For more information on the program, call GCC at 540/937-2900 or 540/891-3012.

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.

Eastern View High sophomores Heather Lister and R.J. Smith check a human simulator's heartbeat in Germanna's Virtual Hospital on Nov. 13. More EVHS students will visit today.



About 50 Eastern View High School 10th graders from Culpeper will be visiting Germanna Community College's Locust Grove Campus today.

Another group of EVHS students took the same tour last week.

Along with receiving general information about the college, they will be getting a sense of what it is like to be a Germanna student.

GERMANNA A PARTNER IN GOVERNOR'S NEW STAFFORD ACADEMY FOR TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION

Germanna Community College will work with Stafford County Schools, the University of Mary Washington and other organizations to open the Stafford Academy for Technology for ninth-graders for the 2009-2010 school year.

Academy instructional teams will include teachers for fields of study including Informational Technology, Pre-Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Mathematics, Science and English.

Parents and STAT partners got a preview this week at UMW's College of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Colonial Forge High students are preparing to become teachers through a new Germanna Dual Enrollment course

Colonial Forge High School’s Teachers for Tomorrow students who visited GCC Campus are enrolled in the SDV 110 course, Orientation to Teaching, which allows students to earn both high school and college credit at the high school. This new Dual Enrollment course developed by the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Department of Education is being offered first at CFHS.

Many of the CFHS students are also earning DE English Composition, Calculus, and Biology credits at CFHS through Germanna’s Dual Enrollment Program. In addition to SDV 110, Colonial Forge also added drafting courses to their Dual Enrollment Offerings this fall.
During the campus visit, students learned about Germanna’s Education transfer degree program from Mark Haines, Coordinator of Counseling Services. Matt Mejia, Associate Dean of Admissions from the University of Mary Washington also provided information about how students can begin at GCC and then transfer to UMW to complete their BA or BS degree, while also earning teacher licensure. Dr. Frances Doloph from ODU spoke about transfer to ODU Teletechnet as well. Teachers for Tomorrow instructor Susan Easter accompanied the CFHS students.

GERMANNA SURGICAL SCRUB NURSE CLASS READY TO OPERATE AT DTC

Surgical Scrub Nurse class consisting of Kaliefah Vickers, Lauren Przepiora, Elsy Hernandez, Nancy Beebe, Mae Brock and Shavonda Johnson, is taught by Jennifer Corwin.

The GCC Surgical Scrub Nurse class, taught by Jennifer Corwin, is growing fast because of the increasing need for scrub nurses that will be created when Culpeper Regional Hospital expands and new hospitals are constructed in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties

The Surgical Scrub Nurse class practices in a simulated operating room at the Daniel Technical Center in Culpeper

For Germanna, Culpeper Regional Hospital partnership in preparing a new generation of nurses helps meet critical health care need

Germanna student Jillian Witkowski, right, works with, from left, Culpeper Regional Hospital Case Manager Deb Griffith and VP Janice Suter in this Star-Exponent photo.
By NATE DELESLINE III

The Culpeper Star-Exponent

Germanna Community College students are applying their emerging nursing skills hands-on at Culpeper Regional Hospital.

All of the students are part of the school’s two-year registered nurse program and will officially earn the title after passing a state exam after their two years of academic and clinical work.

In addition to lightening the load on the regular full-time staff, the new nurses will help to reverse a nationwide shortage of nurses.

“We’re very thankful to have students,” said Janice Suter, CRH’s vice president of nursing services.

Industry experts point to many factors that have contributed to the nursing shortage. One is an increase in the volume of health-care services delivered to an aging population of baby boomers. Add to that shift work, long working hours and pay that isn’t always equal to the responsibilities and stress of the job and analysts say that it’s difficult to recruit young people and keep experienced personnel in the industry.

But student Shanon Fleming said working toward being a registered nurse is the right path for her.

“I enjoy talking with the patients, I like the fast pace,” she said. And after working as a nursing assistant for more than a decade, Fleming said that she wanted to take the next step in her career and education.

For first-year students, who do clinical work four days each week, a typical day begins around 7 a.m. After arriving, students meet with instructors and find out which patients they’ll be responsible for that day. The students normally see a different patient each day, and their work varies depending on the needs of the patient.

The students work in the hospital’s medical-surgical unit, an intermediate area that is one step below intensive care. They assist with many aspects of patient care including monitoring and documenting vital signs, giving medications, changing IVs, helping patients get dressed and groom themselves and most often, providing a willing and sympathetic ear. Each student’s work is monitored by the school instructors and experienced nurses.

“A lot of people just want to talk,” said Jillian Witkowski, another first-year nursing student. “I’ve really enjoyed it,” she said. “I had no idea what to expect.” Although seeing someone different each day is difficult, she said it adds a unique challenge and appeal to the job.

Clinical work continues for two years, throughout the RN program. During their second year, students begin working six days each week and may care for several patients at once.

According to a 2005 report from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, the state will need more than 22,000 new nurses by 2020.

To augment the ranks, the Virginia Community College System challenged its 23 schools to produce 80 percent more nursing graduates. About 70 nursing students graduated from the program in 2007, twice the size of the 2005 graduating class, according to school statement.

“We celebrate this accomplishment,” Germanna President David A. Sam said, “but we could not have done this without the support of Culpeper Regional Hospital and other health care providers who work with us in public-private partnerships. In return for their support, we’re excited to be able to send nursing graduates to the hospitals in our communities, where there is such a critical need.”

SURGE IN GRADUATION RATE PUSHES GERMANNA TO THE FOREFRONT AS STATE, NATION TRY TO COPE WITH CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF NURSES

A Germanna surgical scrub nursing class is preparing to work in operating rooms at area hospitals.

BY KAREN BOLIPATA

The Free Lance-Star


Meaghan Gallagher inserted a syringe into a vial of medicine, careful not to withdraw more than she needed.



"Now you see the difference between giving babies medicine [compared] to adults," nursing instructor Judy Hampton told her.



Gallagher, 22, approached her patient, a toddler who wasn't particularly happy to see her.



"Can I see your arm, buddy?" Gallagher asked the squealing child.



It was Gallagher's first time doing the procedure, and Hampton, a registered nurse, stayed by her side.



In the halls of the pediatric ward of Mary Washington Hospital, Gallagher's classmates--all nursing students at Germanna Community College--had their own patients to worry about.



When they finish the two-year program, they'll help offset the nationwide nursing shortage.



"That is a crisis that surrounds us in our community," said Jane Ingalls, director of Germanna's Nursing and Allied Health Programs.



By 2020, Virginia will need an additional 22,600 nurses, according to a 2005 report released by the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.



The VCCS challenged its schools to produce 80 percent more nursing graduates to meet that need, Ingalls said.



With an 88 percent success rate in graduating nurses, Germanna is at the forefront of those efforts, followed by Lord Fairfax Community College with 85 percent.



Overall, the VCCS has a 70 productivity rate in turning out nursing graduates.



"We are so excited about the success that our efforts of enrollment and expansion and student retention" have brought, Ingalls said.



In 2002 to 2003, 817 students graduated from VCCS nursing programs, according to a press release. Last year, the number rose to 1,365.



At Germanna, about 70 nursing students graduated from the program in 2007, nearly doubling the 2005 graduating class.



The majority of Germanna nursing graduates work in area hospitals, and two new hospitals--Stafford Hospital Center and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center--are opening in the next few years.



"In order to meet the increasing demand, we're going to need more qualified teachers, and we need space," Ingalls said.



When Gallagher graduates in May, she hopes to work at a hospital in the Fredericksburg area before finding a job at a children's hospital.



She said she's not worried about the nursing shortage.



"I think having a degree in nursing, you'll be able to find a job," she said. "There's always going to be someone needed."

Posted by Publications at 2:52 PM
Labels: Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Germanna Community College, higher education, Jane Ingalls, nursing, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford
3 comments:
Nurse Jen Doll said...
Nurse Jen Doll said...
The shortage of nurses is a big time problem. the problem is because of education. they put too many people on the wait list in schools. its very frustrating.

November 12, 2008 8:15 PM
Dr. Jane Ingalls, RN, GCC Director of Nursing and Allied Health said...
We admit as many qualified nursing students as we have qualified teachers, seats in classes, and spaces in assigned clinical settings. We do not keep waiting lists, but ask qualified applicants who are not offered admission to reapply for the next appropriate admission cycle.

November 12, 2008 8:17 PM
MikeZ said...
Germanna is currently engaged in an effort to raise funds for much needed expansion and renovation of our nursing facility and for the hiring of additional faculty members.
If we can find community backing for this, it will increase our capacity for providing learning opportunities for students, increase the number of nursing graduates we produce even further and will help offset the local shortage of nurses.

November 13, 2008 8:45 PM
Post a Comment

FREDERICKSBURG-BASED NOVELIST TO GIVE READING FROM NEW BOOK, 'DOWN SAND MOUNTAIN,' NOV. 17 AT GERMANNA'S SEALY AUDITORIUM

On Nov. 17, at Germanna's Fredericksburg Campus, University of Mary Washington professor novelist Steve Watkins will give a reading of his new work, "Down Sand Mountain," a coming of age story set in the '60s, published in October 2008 by Candlewick Press.

The free reading will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 17 at Germanna's Sealy Auditorium.

From Watkins' bio:

Steve is also author of a short story collection, My Chaos Theory (2006, Southern Methodist University Press), which was a finalist for the Paterson Fiction Prize, and an Honorable Mention for the Library of Virginia Fiction Award.
He also wrote the award-winning non-fiction book The Black O: Racism and Redemption in an American Corporate Empire, published in 1997 by the University of Georgia Press, which tells the story of the largest employment discrimination class action lawsuit in U.S. history.

A graduate of Florida State University, Steve teaches journalism, creative writing, and Vietnam War literature at the University of Mary Washington. He also teaches Ashtanga yoga, and works as an investigator and advocate for abused and neglected children through the child advocacy organization CASA. He lives in Fredericksburg with his wife Janet, and four daughters–Maggie, Eva, Claire, and Lili. Steve and Janet are co-directors of the religious education program at the Fredericksburg Unitarian Universalist Church.

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GERMANNA BATTLES NURSING SHORTAGE BY TOPPING STATE IN GRADUATION RATE

BY KAREN BOLIPATA

The Free Lance-Star

Meaghan Gallagher inserted a syringe into a vial of medicine, careful not to withdraw more than she needed.

"Now you see the difference between giving babies medicine [compared] to adults," nursing instructor Judy Hampton told her.

Gallagher, 22, approached her patient, a toddler who wasn't particularly happy to see her.

"Can I see your arm, buddy?" Gallagher asked the squealing child.

It was Gallagher's first time doing the procedure, and Hampton, a registered nurse, stayed by her side.

In the halls of the pediatric ward of Mary Washington Hospital, Gallagher's classmates--all nursing students at Germanna Community College--had their own patients to worry about.

When they finish the two-year program, they'll help offset the nationwide nursing shortage.

"That is a crisis that surrounds us in our community," said Jane Ingalls, director of Germanna's Nursing and Allied Health Programs.

By 2020, Virginia will need an additional 22,600 nurses, according to a 2005 report released by the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

The VCCS challenged its schools to produce 80 percent more nursing graduates to meet that need, Ingalls said.

With an 88 percent success rate in graduating nurses, Germanna is at the forefront of those efforts, followed by Lord Fairfax Community College with 85 percent.

Overall, the VCCS has a 70 productivity rate in turning out nursing graduates.

"We are so excited about the success that our efforts of enrollment and expansion and student retention" have brought, Ingalls said.

In 2002 to 2003, 817 students graduated from VCCS nursing programs, according to a press release. Last year, the number rose to 1,365.

At Germanna, about 70 nursing students graduated from the program in 2007, nearly doubling the 2005 graduating class.

The majority of Germanna nursing graduates work in area hospitals, and two new hospitals--Stafford Hospital Center and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center--are opening in the next few years.

"In order to meet the increasing demand, we're going to need more qualified teachers, and we need space," Ingalls said.

When Gallagher graduates in May, she hopes to work at a hospital in the Fredericksburg area before finding a job at a children's hospital.

She said she's not worried about the nursing shortage.

"I think having a degree in nursing, you'll be able to find a job," she said. "There's always going to be someone needed."

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.

HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM TUESDAY AT GERMANNA'S LOCUST GROVE CAMPUS

Germanna Community College will honor all veterans, past and present, during a Veterans' Day ceremony at the college's Locust Grove Campus at 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

All students, faculty and staff are cordially invited to attend.

Dr. Ann Woolford-Singh, Germanna Vice President for Academic Affairs, will speak, followed by Stephen Combs, Senior National Appeals Officer at the Board of Veterans Appeals in Washington.

The event will close with members of Culpeper’s Eastern View High School Marine Corps and Junior ROTC clubs lowering the U.S. Flag, a tradition that signals the end of the duty day at all military establishments around the world.

The ceremony will be followed by light refreshments in the LGC student lounge.

For more information about the ceremony and Germanna's Veterans Club, call Joan Fischer at 540/423-9141.

YOUNG PEOPLE PUT OBAMA OVER THE TOP-- AND PRESIDENT-ELECT HAS PROMISED TO HELP MAKE COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THEM, OTHERS

A record turnout by young voters may have put Barack Obama over the top.

MSNBC reports that young voters preferred Obama over John McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent — the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age in 1976.

And InsideHigherEd.com reports that that support may be rewarded with easier access to higher education, with special emphasis on aid to community colleges like Germanna:

[Obama said] that he worried about the challenges families faced paying for college. Included in his college access plans:

A fully refundable tax credit to cover the first $4,000 in college costs — enough for two years of community college tuition in most cases — for everyone. The only requirement would be 100 hours of public service a year; this could be performed in the summer or between semesters.


Simplification of federal aid applications. (There has been some progress on this issue, which attracts bipartisan support, since Obama spoke on it and prior to the election.)
A pledge to keep Pell Grant maximums rising at the level of inflation or higher if possible.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES: Obama has proposed a new grant program that would provide funds to community colleges to conduct more thorough analysis of the types of skills and technical education that are in high demand from students and local businesses; to create new associate of arts degree programs that cater to emerging careers; and to reward institutions that graduate more students and also increase their numbers of transfer students to four-year institutions.

IT'S TIME TO VOTE

Christina Aguilera sings "America the Beautiful" for Rock the Vote at www.germanna.edu.

Virginia polls are open till 7 p.m.

SUPPORT FROM MARY WASHINGTON HOSPITAL AND CULPEPER REGIONAL HOSPITAL KEY AS SURGE IN GERMANNA NURSING GRADUATES HELPS MEET CRITICAL NEED

With help from Mary Washington Hospital and Culpeper Regional Hospital, Germanna is graduating more nursing students like the ones pictured here volunteering at the Culpeper Free Clinic.

An 88 percent increase in nursing graduates at Germannna Community College has contributed to a 67 percent overall increase in nursing program graduates in the Virginia Community College System.

Dr. Jane Ingalls RN, head of nursing at Germanna, congratulated her staff, saying, "You've made a difference in these students' lives and in the overall quality of health care in the communities served by GCC."

Gov. Tim Kaine lauded the state increase, saying: “Studies have shown that Virginia’s growing and aging population will require more than 20,000 nurses by 2020. Our Community Colleges and the Hospital and Healthcare Association are working hard, and successfully, to fulfill this need.”

Germanna President David A. Sam said a public-private partnership is playing a key role in the surge of nursing graduates. "We celebrate the success of our program and we owe special thanks to Culpeper Regional Hospital, Medicorp and Mary Washington Hospital for their investment in helping us meet the region's critical need for nurses," Dr. Sam said.



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Germanna fall picnic draws a crowd

Germanna staffer Ashley Finelli shows off her pumpkin art

About 100 Germanna Community College staff and faculty members and their families attended the college's fall picnic at the Locust Grove Campus.

GET A FREE FLU SHOT; STAY FLU FREE

GET A FREE FLU SHOT; STAY FLU FREE


Daniel Technology Center

Tuesday, Oct. 28th, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Free for anyone covered by any of the state’s health insurance plans.

Cost without insurance: $30

Locust Grove Campus

Thursday, Nov. 6th and Friday, Nov. 7th. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Free for anyone covered by any of the state’s health insurance plans.

Cost without insurance: $30

Fredericksburg Area Campus

Thursday, Nov. 13th, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Free for anyone covered by any of the state’s health insurance plans.

Cost without insurance: $30

If you have other health insurance coverage, please contact your plan administrator to confirm that they will cover the cost of the flu shot if it is given by a CVS pharmacist. Also, please confirm what your co-pay will be and be prepared to pay that amount on the day of the clinic. Bring a photocopy of your insurance card for the pharmacist’s staff.

For more information, call Christina Dennis at 540/423-9058 or e-mail her at cdennis@germanna.edu

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."

Hundreds learn about Germanna and Dual Enrollment at College Tour event

Riverbend High School student Heather Aylesworth and her mother, Tina Harris, talk with Germanna's Canice Graziano about nursing and dual enrollment during College Tour night at Spotsylvania Towne Centre.


Sixteen-year-old Riverbend High School sophomore Heather Aylesworth may be too young to head off to college yet, but she's not too young to plan for the day she will.

Heather, who wants some day to be a pediatric nurse at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, plans to begin her nursing studies with the program at Germanna Community College.

Her mother, Tina Harris, says it'll be nice to have Heather at home early in her college career.

But even before she leaves Riverbend High, she'll be getting a head start toward that goal by earning college credit through Germanna's Dual Enrollment Program.

GCC Coordinator of Dual Enrollment Canice Graziano says Heather will be taking DE English Comp and DE Pre-Calculus to earn college credit at her high school.

"Because she's planning so early she'll be able to take advantage of earning up to 12 college credits at Riverbend," Graziano says.

Heather was one of 300 students who stopped by the Germanna table to pick up materials and ask questions and GCC was one of dozens of colleges to participate in the event.

GET AN EDGE: CHECK BLACKBOARD TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR ADVISOR. CUT IN LINE AND GRAB THE CLASSES YOU WANT FOR THE SPRING

Registration for Spring 2009 classes at Germanna Community College is approaching and new processes are in place.

Current students should be sure to visit Blackboard to identify their faculty advisors and schedule an appointment soon. Your advisor will help you navigate the requirements for your program and assist you with career planning.

Counseling will be meeting with new students only.

Schedule today and save yourself time with registration for Spring 2009.

'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

GERMANNA EMPLOYEES CAN GO GREEN BY GOING TO PAYLINE DIRECT DEPOSIT

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu said.

Germanna Community College employees can take a small, simple, painless step toward protecting the environment by switching from paper paychecks to Payline, the Commonwealth of Virgnia's direct deposit system at https://secure.doa.virginia.gov/payline/

According to the PayItGreen Alliance, if just one in five American households were to switch to direct deposit and direct payment and receive their statements and bills electronically, we would collectively:

•Save 150,939,615 pounds of paper

• Save 1,811,275 trees

• Avoid creating enough wastewater to fill 2,180 Olympic-size swimming pools

• Avoid using 102,945,600 gallons of gasoline to mail bills, statements and payments

• Avoid producing 3,920,802,916 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of:

° Planting 45.6 million tree seedlings and allowing them to grow for 10 years

° Preserving 12,405 acres of forestland

GERMANNA TO OFFER FREE, FIVE-WEEK ONLINE SEMINAR ON SOCIAL MARKETING

Empower 2000, in partnership with Germanna Community College, will offer a free five-week webinar (web seminar) series titled "UNCOMMON Social Marketing (Web 2.0)" beginning Oct. 2, 2008.

Dr. Randy Peck, the instructor, says social marketing is "going where the fish are instead of expecting them to come to you. It's 'relationship marketing,' meaning relationships first and business second. It's the revolution taking place on the Internet."

Social Marketing topics covered will include blogging, social networking sites including Facebook, video sharing, photo sharing, content sharing sites, and bookmarking sites.

To learn more about the free webinar, which begins with a 7:30-8:30 p.m. session on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 go to: http://www.empower2000.com/7mountains/education/gcc/

GMAIL@GERMANNA

Germanna Community College student e-mail is now powered by Google.

Gmail provides users with over 6 gigabytes of storage, fast Google search, and powerful spam protection. As part of Google Apps for Education,students keep their school e-mail addresses rather than switching to @gmail.com. Learn more about the Gmail service by visiting the Gmail Help Center at http://mail.google.com/support/

FLEDGLING NURSE AIDE PROGRAM BEGINNING TO SOAR AT GERMANNA

“It’s a great way of testing the waters to see if nursing is for you,” Dr. Ortega said. She said the program’s potential for getting students started in nursing could help resolve the area’s shortage of nurses. She added that it’s easy for nurse aides to find jobs. Nurse aides do not just work in nursing home and hospital but in varied work environments that can involve working independently and setting their own hours...
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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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JUMP STARTING COLLEGE CAREERS

Over 150 new students attended Germanna's Jump Start Orientation Friday at the college's Fredericksburg Campus in Spotsylvania. They heard speakers including Germanna President David A. Sam, learned to take advantage of college resources and listened to a live band.

PART TWO: GERMANNA GOES TO INDIA

Faculty member Sunithi Gnanadoss explains what Germanna Community College students might gain from efforts to develop ties with India. She's part of a GCC team on an exploratory mission to that nation.
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COOTER TELLS GCC PROFESSOR'S MOM SHE SHOULD BE PROUD OF HER BOY

Former U.S. Rep. Ben Jones, who played Cooter on 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' takes a break from signing copies of his autobiography, 'Redneck in the Promised Land,' to say hello to Germanna History Professor Stuart Smith's mom.

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GIMME A G! ... GIMME A C!... GIMME ANOTHER C! ... WHAT'S THAT SPELL?!?!?

The Germanna Community College Cheerleading Squad will be hosting clinics and informational sessions on both sideline and competitive cheering this weekend.

Work on stunting, tumbling, dance sequences, chants, and cheers. If you’d like more information, e-mail the team captain at weg201@email.vccs.edu or the team advisor at sbroman@germanna.edu.

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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GERMANNA HARD HAT CAMP: WOMEN WELCOME IN CONSTRUCTION CAREERS

More and more women are wearing hard hats and carrying lunch pails to work, local school counselors learned during Germanna Community College's Hard Hat Camp.

Leigh Hubbard of the Associated General Contractors of Virginia and Kevin McKibben of Twin Contracting Corporation talked with two dozen school counselors about careers in the industry during a visit to a construction site. The counselors heard that women are playing a growing role on construction sites.
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LIFELONG LEARNING: 94-YEAR-OLD GERMANNA STUDENT SAYS THAT WITHOUT COMPUTER LITERACY, "YOU'RE IN ANOTHER CENTURY"

Ninety-four-year-old Claire O. Ducker Sr. decided the time had come to start telecommuting.

For 50 years, Ducker, an attorney who lives in Locust Grove, had commuted daily to work in Washington...
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GERMANNA PHI THETA KAPPA CHAPTER NAMES OFFICERS FOR 2008-2009 YEAR

The Germanna Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society of the Two-Year College, has chosen officers for 2008-2009:

President: Cathy Knapp, Vice President Sarah Wright, Co-Vice President Tonya Jett, Secretary Tami Harris, Public Relations Officer Heather Bovee, Co-Public Relations Officer Erika Hilliard.

GERMANNA TECH-PREP CAREER CAMP STUDENTS GET CHANCE TO 'OPERATE' AT MARY WASHINGTON HOSPITAL

Mary Washington Hospital recently gave rising eighth-graders attending Germanna Community College's summer 2008 Tech-Prep Career Awareness Camp a chance to try out the da Vinci robotic surgical system used to perform the most delicate surgeries...
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'REDNECK BOY IN THE PROMISED LAND': GOING FROM COOTER TO CONGRESS

Ben Jones, who played Cooter on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and later became a maverick congressman, will speak at Germanna's Fredericksburg Campus in Spotsylvania at 7 p.m. on July 8, 2008.

Jones, the quintessential 'good ol' boy,' insists that merit, not race, will decide the 2008 presidential election.

He published his memoirs, "Redneck Boy in the Promised Land," this month.

After a talk about his life and a question and answer session, Jones will sign copies of the book. It deals with the challenges he faced in overcoming having been molested as a child, and in battling alcoholism; with his TV and film career; and with a political career that has included taking on Republican Revolution leader Newt Gingrich as well as Democratic President Bill Clinton, whom he urged to resign.

The event, which will be free and open to the public, will be hosted by the Germanna chapter of Virginia21, a nonpartisan political advocacy group for students. It will be held in Sealy Auditorium.

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GERMANNA'S NURSE AIDE PROGRAM TODDLING MERRILY ALONG AT AGE 1

Germanna's Nurse Aide program has just celebrated its first anniversary.

The first GCC-trained Nurse Aide to advance in training has entered the Practical Nurse program, according to Dr. Zoila Ortega, RN.

The program "was developed to serve as vehicle for those entering the nursing profession in a step by step fashion," Dr. Ortega told The Exchange.

GERMANNA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE NOW

To be considered for an Educational Foundation scholarship, submit a cover sheet and essay by June 30, 2008 file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid prior to the deadline, and attend the Scholarship Luncheon in October...
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ERASE THAT TOXIC TEST-TIME ANXIETY

The test is passed out.

First the body freezes up. The mind just goes blank. Muscles tense and butterflies hit the stomach.

A string of negative thoughts follow, such as "I'm a bad test taker," or "I'm no good at math." ...
Click here for the rest of Kim Baer's Free Lance-Star Life section cover story.

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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COULD 'BLIND LUCK' LAUNCH FILM CAREERS FOR GERMANNA STUDENTS ROB BRIDGES AND RACHEL KOLLER?

Germanna Community College students Rob Bridges and Rachel Koller wrote and starred in a comedy short titled "Blind Luck" as a class project for former Hollywood screenwriter Rob Sherwood, their English instructor at GCC.

Watch "Blind Luck" on YouTube (link below), then post a review by clicking on the comment link below.
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GERMANNA WORKING WITH ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL TO MOVE NURSING STUDENTS 'UP THE LADDER'

Fourteen Orange High School students from a Nurse's Aide program taught by registered nurse Patty Wiesenhofer toured Germanna's nursing department facilities at Locust Grove Friday, including the College's high-tech Virtual Hospital...
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YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS: THE INAUGURATION OF GERMANNA PRESIDENT DAVID A. SAM

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GERMANNA GIVES COFFEEWOOD INMATES A SECOND CHANCE: 'NOT JUST ANOTHER GRADUATION'...

It could have been just another graduation ceremony. "Pomp and Circumstance" played on the speakers. Family members with proud smiles watched their loved ones receive diplomas. A prominent figure, state senator Edd Houck, arrived to deliver the commencement speech. The student speaker even quoted John F. Kennedy, just like they do in high schools across the country. It was not, however, just another graduation...
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RESULTS OF VOTING FOR GERMANNA'S NEW COLLEGE COUNCIL ARE TALLIED

The College Council will serve as an advisory group for the President and his staff on matters of college-wide concern, including strategic planning, budgeting, faculty, staff and student recommendations and review of policy and procedures...
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CHANCELLOR TO HOLD REGIONAL 'COMMUNITY DISCUSSION' ABOUT IMPROVING COMMUNITY COLLEGES FRIDAY AT NOVA-ANNANDALE CAMPUS

A group of VCCS officials, led by Chancellor Glenn DuBois, makes a stop in Northern Virginia Friday as part of a series of community discussions across Virginia to understand how the colleges can improve the service they provide to students, families and businesses...
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Graduation coverage, video, pictures

The Germanna Community College student, who would become an alumna in a half-hour, approached the podium at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center and addressed the roughly 2,500 people in attendance...
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COMMENCEMENT: 'You have to have a destination. You have to have a dream.'

Hundreds of jubilant Germanna Community College students received their degrees May 8, 2008 before an estimated crowd of 2,500 at the Fredericksburg Expo Center...
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RESPONDING TO A NEED FOR NURSING

Emily Conan and Phyllis Smith were all smiles after yesterday's Germanna LPN & RN pinning ceremony Thursday at the Fredericksburg Expo Center.

LPN & RN PINNING CEREMONY A CELEBRATION OF NOBILITY OF NURSING

Elsy Hernandez, left, and Nancy Beebe beam after Germanna's LPN & RN pinning ceremony Thursday at the Fredericksburg Expo Center.

BLESSED? TOP GERMANNA GRAD JACQUELENE WHELCHEL BELIEVES SHE'S GETTING HELP FROM ON HIGH

Soon Germanna student Jacquelene Whelchel will be off to D.C. for a summer internship in U.S. Sen. Jim Webb's office. But first she'll speak at this evening's commencement...
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'You are just in the beginning of your learning process. This school has prepared you well ... but the learning never ends.'

Germanna nursing graduate candidates share the moment with friends and family during the VCCS Commonwealth Nursing Program pinning reception Wednesday at the Joseph R. Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper...
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19-YEAR-OLD EL SALVADOR NATIVE RAN OWN BUSINESS WHILE ATTENDING MIDDLE COLLEGE AT GERMANNA

Sergio Gomez just graduated from Germanna's Middle College. At the tender age of 19, the legal immigrant from El Salvador can already teach most of us something about ambition...
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HIGHER EDUCATION, LOWER COST

Joan Fischer told students at the recent Culpeper High School Career Expo that the cost of two years at Germanna is typically about one-third or less than that of two years at a four-year college or university.

GERMANNA PLAYS ROLE IN HOSTING GERSHWIN CONCERT FOR CITY KIDS

Germanna's Victoria Waldron and Judy Napier have some fun after helping philanthropist Doris Buffett put on a free concert for city kids this week in Fredericksburg.

When philanthropist Doris Buffett decided to bring British pianist Jack Gibbons to Fredericksburg to expose city kids to the music of George Gershwin, she turned to Germanna's Victoria Waldron and Judy Napier for help in organizing the event.

The sister of Warren Buffett, the world's richest man, made a good decision. Thanks in part to the hard work of Waldron and Napier, the event was a big success Monday night at James Monroe High School.
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TAKE A BREAK FROM STUDYING FOR SOME PIZZA & POLITICS ON WEDNESDAY

Have some free pizza and help set the initial agenda for the new Germanna chapter of Virginia21 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 at Sealy Auditorium...
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REUNION RECOLLECTION: "If you can't do something for me, I'm going to either join the Army or get married. And I don't have a boyfriend."

When Germanna Community College opened its doors in 1970, alumna Brenda Jeffries recalls with a laugh, "We had to get in the car and go to the service station to use the restroom."...
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STILL KICKIN': GERMANNA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION HELD REUNION RECEPTION FOR ALL ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STAFF ON SATURDAY

HUGH COSNER RECOGNIZED FOR GENEROSITY TO GERMANNA

Spotsylvania County businessman Hugh Cosner has been named a recipient of the 2008 Virginia Community College System Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy in an event at the Country Club of Virginia featuring Commonwealth First Lady Ann Holton as keynote speaker...
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