brcc community link fall2013

BRCC Educational Foundation Board Chair Debra S. Callison

Vice-Chair Thomas C. Mendez

Community Link is an official publication of the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation, Inc. It is distributed

to friends in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as BRCC faculty and staff, and is published quarterly by the Development Office,

Blue Ridge Community College, Weyers Cave, VA 24486. If you have any questions or comments regarding this publication,

please contact Angie Glenn, Development Services Coordinator, at (540) 453-2307 or [email protected].

Additional articles can be found at http://community.brcc.edu/link/.

Secretary John A. DowneyTreasurer Robert S. Baldygo

John S. Barret Jr.Tony E. Biller

Alphonso P. Boxley IIIDennis O. Burnett

Stephen W. ClaffeyDenise E. “D.D.” DawsonLawrence H. Hoover Jr.

Nancy HulingsCamala B. KiteMartha Livick

Mary N. MannixJohn L. MatherlyMary McDermott

Beverly B. McGowanKaren E. SantosStacey D. Strawn

Steven E. StroopAlan J. Sweet

Travis J. TysingerCynthia Weidner

Cathleen P. Welsh

Fall 2013

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More than 675 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade participated in 63 different classes this summer in BRCC’s flagship summer youth program, Learning Can Be Fun. Learning Can Be Fun offers a hands-on approach to many topics, including art, outdoor adventures, fishing, ecology, theater, creative writing, veterinary technology, computer programming, digital photography, and robotics, just to name a few. The BRCC Educational Foundation thanks McDonald’s APB Management, the Denton Family Charitable Foundation, and the Rudy Tucker family for supporting the Learning Can Be Fun program by providing need-based scholarships to 22 students this summer. Additional support is provided by McKee Foods Corporation and the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation.

Here’s what Learning Can Be Fun participants had to say about this summer’s offerings:

Blue Ridge camps are awesome.

It’s so much fun you barely realize you are learning stuff.

I would do it every week!

Try to make it better; I dare you.

BRCC Alumni Quick QuotesWe recently asked BRCC Alumni to tell us how BRCC made a difference in their life,

and we received some wonderful responses! What follows is just a sampling—watch future issues of Community Link for some great BRCC alumni success stories that showcase how your investment in BRCC changes lives.

Did you know?A nationwide survey by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education

showed that an average of one-half of one percent of alumni contributed to a community college in the 2012 fiscal year. The comparable number for four-year university alumni giving is 13%. BRCC saw a 15% increase in alumni funds raised from 2012 to 2013, which is a step in the right direction. However, we are striving to improve the percentage of alumni donors, which is currently 0.46%.

Online Giving Option AvailableDid you know that you can make an investment in BRCC online? If you value what

BRCC provides to our community, and want to help make a difference for students today, it’s as simple as going to the BRCC Educational Foundation’s homepage at www.brcc.edu/edfound, and clicking on the “Online Donations” link!

My time at BRCC provided the foundation, consisting of two associate’s degrees, for me to take the next step and attain a bachelor’s degree in the field that is a great fit for my aptitudes and personality. The community college system provides a tremendous value. Without it, a bachelor’s degree would’ve been significantly more expensive to obtain, even prohibitively so. Thank you BRCC!

-Brian Massie, BRCC ’10

While attending BRCC I discovered my full potential, and learned that I could pursue my dreams of earning a college degree. After eight years and raising my children, I returned to earn my bachelor’s degree from Bluefield College to grow even more. I love learning and discovering new things and applying them to life. I have a desire to earn my masters in the future.

-Pamela Fox, BRCC ’00

I was a scared kid in a “big city” from the coal camps of West Virginia. BRCC took me under their wing and gave me the tools to succeed. 12 years after graduating, I have excelled in my degree, and am now a business owner. I am thankful for everything BRCC did for me, and will never forget where I started.

-Melissa Lafferty-Aliaga, BRCC ’00

Message from the President

Dr. John A. DowneyPresidentBlue Ridge Community College

For the fifth consecutive year, Blue Ridge Community College was named a “Great College to Work For” by the Chronicle of Higher Education, and I am not surprised. BRCC employees love what they

do, and we all feel fortunate to work in a profession that allows us to transform lives and transform our community. Our education and training programs are important drivers of economic development in the Shenandoah Valley. Local employers in manufacturing, health care, education and retail businesses all depend on the high-quality graduates we produce. Wherever you go in the Valley, you encounter Blue Ridge Community College students and graduates. Few other organizations have such a long-term and far-reaching impact on the community we love.

Blue Ridge Community College is offering a wide range of new programs and services this fall. First, we are targeting one of the most at-risk populations of college students and providing them with intensive support services through the “Great Expectations” program. Great Expectations assists youth who are transitioning out of foster care and into higher education. Our program offers mentoring and guidance services to help them overcome obstacles that otherwise might prevent them from achieving academic success. Virginia has the highest percentage of teens aging out of the foster care system without a permanent home. Currently, less than 2% of foster youth will earn a college degree, compared with 28% of the regular population.

We have also started a new English as a Second Language (ESL) program to serve the growing number of residents in our area who need targeted reading and writing courses in order to start one of our transfer or career-oriented associate degree programs. It might surprise you that languages heard on BRCC’s campuses include, but are not limited to: Arabic, Spanish, Burmese, Romanian, French, Kurdish, Hungarian, Gujarati, Lingala, Korean, Maasai, Swahili, Amharic, Chinese, Dari, Hindi, and Russian.

Additionally, in partnership with local school divisions, we have increased our dual enrollment offerings, providing greater access to higher education, especially in career and technical areas needed by employers in our region. Dual enrollment classes allow juniors and seniors to enroll in BRCC courses taught at their high school during the regular school day.

Finally, we have started a new support program for people over the age of 50 who want to return to college for personal enrichment or to seek retraining in a new career field. The program, called “Encore 50 Plus”, will provide career and curricular guidance to those who have been away from the educational environment for a number of years.

If you have questions about these, or any of the programs and services at Blue Ridge Community College, don’t hesitate to contact us. We deeply appreciate your support of the important work we do for our great community.

Blue Ridge Vision Society The following listing of the Blue Ridge Vision Society recognizes friends who have made

commitments to support the quality of education at Blue Ridge Community College in their estate plans. If you have included the BRCC Educational Foundation in your estate planning or would like further information, please contact Sally Jane Conner at 453-2203 or [email protected].

Meet our New Foundation Board Members Dennis O. Burnett

Dennis Burnett is the CEO of the Shenandoah Valley Partnership. He served as the first Director of Economic Development for the County of Augusta from 2009 through August 2013. During his tenure he worked to establish collaborative partnerships with regional, state, and federal allies. Prior to that, Dennis served as the Director of Ground Operations and Business Development for Pinnacle Airlines. He is a member of the International Economic Developers Council, Virginia Economic Developers Association and the Staunton – Augusta Rotary Club. Dennis is a lifelong resident of Augusta County where he and his wife reside in Fishersville.

Camala B. KiteCamala Kite is the Assistant Director for Marketing and

Programs at Massanutten Technical Center. She has been an educator for Rockingham County Public Schools for seventeen years. After graduating with a B.A. in History from Mary Baldwin College, she earned her M.Ed. in Middle Education from James Madison University. She has completed her coursework for her Ed.D. in Administrative Leadership from Shenandoah University and is currently working on her dissertation. Throughout her education, she has taken both credit and non-credit classes at BRCC. Camala and her husband, Robbie, live on a farm in the Cross Keys area with their son, Bryden.

Beverly B. McGowanBeverly B. McGowan was born and raised in Charleston,

WV. She graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio with a B.A. degree. Later, she attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia and earned her M.Ed. in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education. Her work experience with the State of Arkansas and Mellon Bank, N.A. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania immersed her in the public and private sectors. She serves as a member of the BRCC College Board, in addition to her position on the BRCC Educational Foundation Board. Beverly is married to John A. McGowan, M.D., and they have three grown children. The McGowans have lived in Harrisonburg since 1987.

Karen E. Santos Karen E. Santos is a retired James Madison University

Professor of Education and former Head of the Exceptional Education program. She has been a teacher at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, an administrator in Augusta County Public Schools, and completed her career as the founding Director of the JMU Center for Faculty Innovation, an organization dedicated to the success of university faculty. She earned a B.S. from Northwestern University, as well as her M.Ed. and Ph.D. from UVA. She currently serves as a consultant and is a member of the Stuart Hall School Board of Governors. She and her husband, Victor, reside in Staunton. They have two grown sons and two grandchildren.

Ms. Dorothy W. Anderson*

Dr. and Mrs. James A. Armstrong*

Mr. Stephen P. Clark*

Dr. and Mrs. John A. Downey

Mr. and Mrs. David R. Eyler

Ms. Sally F. Fulton

Mrs. Julia N. Grandle

Mrs. Ruth B. Grove

Dr. and Mrs. Charles H. Henderson III

Mrs. Ola M. Hoover*

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Hoover Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. John L. Hopkins III

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy G. Hulings

Dr. Darrell W. Hurst* and Mrs. Lida Hurst

Lt. Col. James E. Jordan Jr.*

Dr. Paul E. Lee*

Mr. Jim Lowdon* and Mrs. Jo Ann Lowdon

Mr. and Mrs. Philip T. Moran

Mr. and Mrs. John R. Mrotek

Mr. William R. Oliver

Mr. Leonard G. Penland*

Mr. Robert E. Plecker* and Mrs. Frances W. Plecker

Dr. and Mrs. Stuart L. Porter

Mrs. Emma M. Ramsey*

Mrs. Terry B. Showalter

Mr. Zane D. Showker*

Mr. and Mrs. Terry G. Slaubaugh

Wellford and Nell Tiller

Ms. L. Elizabeth Tucker

Mr. Edward S. “Chip” Yates

Ms. Carol A. Yetzer

*Deceased

Did you know?According to The Century Foundation Report on Community Colleges published in

May 2013, for every dollar given to a four-year college, less than two cents is given to support community colleges. However, nearly one-half of students in higher education attend community colleges. Supporting BRCC makes a direct positive impact on people who live and work in our community.

Dennis O. Burnett

Camala B. Kite

Beverly B. McGowan

Karen E. Santos

Ms. Sally F. Fulton

Mrs. Ruth B. Grove

Mrs. Ola M. Hoover*

Dr. Paul E. Lee*

Ms. Carol A. Yetzer

*Deceased

Dennis O. Burnett

Camala B. Kite

Beverly B. McGowan

Karen E. Santos

Ms. Sally F. Fulton

Mrs. Ruth B. Grove

Mrs. Ola M. Hoover*

Dr. Paul E. Lee*

Ms. Carol A. Yetzer

*Deceased

Dennis O. Burnett

Camala B. Kite

Beverly B. McGowan

Karen E. Santos

Cathleen P. Welsh

Fall 2013

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Cathleen P. Welsh

Fall 2013

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brcc community link fall2013

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