It’s that time of year! Summer is coming to a close and classes have begun in earnest at Danville Community College. It is refreshing to see the campus come alive with new faces and old friends. To all of the students who are beginning their college careers at DCC, welcome! My door is always open and I look forward to getting to know each of you.
On June 26, we had the pleasure of welcoming VCCS Vice Chair Terri Thompson to campus for a very busy day! Vice Chair Thompson first joined us at the Regional Center for Advanced Technology and Training (RCATT) as we unveiled our brand new, state-of-the-art Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) simulator, made possible by generous donations from Pittsylvania County and the City of Danville.
We spent the evening with industry partners, elected officials, board members, faculty, and staff who got a chance to test drive the simulator, which allows our CDL students to experience driving on ice, in high winds, and in other challenging settings that they may not otherwise encounter during their training program. During the event, we also recognized Matthew Scearce, a local salutatorian from Chatham High, who chose DCC’s precision machining program as his college path. He was presented with a full two-year tuition scholarship based on his merit.
After the CDL Unveiling, we went straight into our second-quarter Advisory Board Meeting where Vice Chair Thompson joined us. She was able to hear, alongside our advisory board, all of the incredible strides being made at Danville Community College. Thanks to the VCCS State Board leadership for acknowledging the positive strides at DCC and for visiting our region!
On July 25, we joined the Danville/Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce at Links Coffeehouse in the River District to celebrate the launch of our community literacy project – a children’s book titled, “Ace the Mighty Conquers Knight School”. This two-pronged effort aims to support the City of Danville in its prioritization of K-12 education and also delivers a message of perseverance, grit, and overcoming obstacles directly to elementary school-aged students in our community. Our PR and Marketing team has done an amazing job sharing Ace’s adventures on campus and throughout our community!
The DCC Family enjoyed a night at the ballpark with our local Danville Otterbots on July 28. We provided all employees the opportunity to obtain two tickets and two food vouchers for the game and our marketing department gave out DCC swag to all attendees at Legion Field. I was especially excited about this event, as my two nieces were able to visit from Michigan and participate in the festivities. Marley Wallace threw out the first pitch and Sydney Wallace sang the National Anthem.
There have also been several exciting campus updates that students will notice as they return to class. A large-scale historical timeline project has been completed in our Temple Building that outlines the entire history of Danville Community College from 1934 until the Present. This project was a collaborative effort between our library archivists, our marketing department, and the DCC Educational Foundation. Those with an interest in the history of DCC and its growth and development in the City of Danville are invited to come by and view the project.
There’s another DCC bus on the streets! We took the opportunity to design a bus wrap for a second Danville City Bus this summer, which features our new Career Pathways model. If you see it around town, be sure to take a look.
On August 16, we hosted our semi-annual convocation celebration, which consists of programming and special speakers in the morning, followed by specialized training opportunities called ‘Concurrent Sessions’ in the afternoon. It was a joy to welcome Kourtney Bradshaw-Clay and Jake Fey from the Constructive Dialogue Institute to DCC and to participate in the workshop they conducted on collegial communication and talking through differences. VCCS State Board Vice Chair Ms. Terri Thompson came back to the “comeback region” to provide a personal welcome and applaud our employees on the new energy surround Danville Community College.
Our students were back on campus on August 21 and we welcomed them with excitement and fun! From 11 am – 1 pm, Monday – Wednesday, the Kona Shaved Ice truck and Sunset Slushy came to campus for students and staff to enjoy complimentary snow cones, the ‘Swag Wagon’ (our DCC Golf Cart) made its rounds with DCC goodies for students, and there were welcome tables set up in each building with snacks and information.
On August 22, I attended the VCCS Welcome Reception for Dr. Dore. It was wonderful to be in the company of all 23 college Presidents as we celebrated! Thanks to Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his cabinet for supporting the great leadership of Chancellor David Dore! Danville Community College is ready to support your vision for the Commonwealth.
I also had the pleasure of attending a meeting with Senator Mark Warner at Cottontail Events here in Danville on August 24th. Senator Warner made a stop in Danville to praise the revitalization efforts of the City's Economic Development Office, as well as to discuss future development initiatives.
Looking ahead, September is shaping up to be a busy month for Danville Community College! Beginning in early September, we will launch the first leg of our ‘Ace the Mighty’ book tour which will take us to the many elementary schools in the Pittsylvania County Public School System. There, we will read our book to 2nd-4th grade and leave a copy of the book for each classroom. Each student will receive a commemorative ‘Ace the Mighty’ pen and bookmark.
We will also be working to streamline and augment our Middle College program with a new initiative titled ‘Reclaim & Retrain’. The DCC Institutional Advancement Office will lead our initiative to reclaim the GED population and retrain them for the current and upcoming workforce needs in our service region. Middle College will be working with social services, community organizations, and our local school districts to attract, support, and train this underserved population.
Later in the month, the DCC Executive Cabinet and DCC Advisory Board members will travel to Berry Hill Resort and Conference Center in Halifax County to hold our Executive Cabinet Retreat. We are looking forward to enjoying the beauty of Halifax County as we work and plan for the year ahead.
As always, I want to thank the community for the support, kindness, partnership, and opportunity that has been extended to me and DCC as a whole during my first year as President. It has been a remarkable, exciting ride and I cannot wait to see what the 23’-24’ academic year holds.
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