VCCS Construction, program expansions largely fueled by grants and philanthropy

Across the state, grants and foundation funds are largely fueling a host of projects at Virginia's Community Colleges. Here's a round-up of construction projects, along with program expansions.

Editor's note: we'll add additional projects as we learn about them, so feel free to check back on this blog post in the days and weeks to come.

Virginia Dept. of Health Nursing Grants:

Nine of Virginia's Community Colleges are in line to receive grants from the Virginia Department of Health, which this week announced funding totaling more than $4.5 million for the first recipients of the Earn to Learn program to address critical workforce shortages for nurses across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Earn to Learn Nursing Education Acceleration Program aims to transform nurse clinical education to accelerate the development of practice-ready nurse graduates. Our colleges who are participating in this first round of funding: Blue Ridge, Camp, Rappahannock, Germanna, NOVA, New River, Virginia Western, Southside Virginia and Laurel Ridge. The grant was open to educational institutions or organizations that offer Virginia Board of Nursing-approved nursing education programs for pre-licensure Registered Nurses (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).

Read more here.

Brightpoint Community College:

HCA Virginia has announced a significant investment of $2.97 million to establish a new radiologic technology degree program in partnership with Brightpoint Community College. Located on the campus of Chippenham Hospital, this academic partnership introduces the first community college-based radiology program to the Richmond market. The inaugural cohort of students began classes in August 2024 and is expected to graduate in May 2026. As part of the investment, HCA Virginia will provide $625,000 in full scholarships over the next five years to support students in the program.

Read More here.

Camp Community College:

Camp Community College's Real Estate Foundation has two major projects in progress. The college is converting the former Tidewater News building in Franklin, seen below, into a state-of-the-art Nursing and Allied Health Professions training facility, scheduled to open for spring semester 2025.

Camp is also converting former retail space in Suffolk into a new Workforce Trades and Innovation Center. The center (groundbreaking seen above) will provide industry credential training, helping to prepare students for in-demand jobs, including jobs in the maritime trades and infrastructure trade programs. Camp's new Workforce Center is scheduled to be completed summer of 2025.

Central Virginia Community College:

With a combination of grants, philanthropic funding and state funds, Central Virginia Community College has seen a number of improvements on campus, including a new Heavy Equipment Operator lab, renovations and updates at the college library, new space for nursing mothers, and a new state-of-the-art space for CVCC's skilled trades programs, enabling students to gain practical experience in a variety of high-demand fields, including electrical, plumbing, and HVAC.

Eastern Shore Community College:

Thanks to a VCCS G3 Innovation Grant, Eastern Shore Community College was able to purchase new CNC machines to support a planned new precision manufacturing program. That same grant allowed for the update of four classrooms in the Workforce Center to support industrial, healthcare and logistics learning. ESCC has also launched a series of seven online cybersecurity certification classes that allow students to create a credentialing pathway to take them from entry-level cyber certification to the Certified Information Systems Support Professional credential.

Mountain Gateway and Virginia Western Community Colleges:

A partnership between Mountain Gateway and Virginia Western, supported by LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, will extend the Medical Laboratory Technology program to Mountain Gateway's service area. Virtual instruction will be provided by Virginia Western, with classes held at Mountain Gateway in Clifton Forge and at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany in Low Moor. All courses taken at Mountain Gateway and LewisGale will transfer to Virginia Western's NAACLS-accredited MLT degree program. This expansion was made possible by a G3 grant.

Additional grants have enabled several program expansions at Virginia Western, including a new Occupational Therapy Assistant program. VWCC also added a Crime Lab to enhance hands-on learning opportunities at VWCC's Criminal Justice program. This new lab, seen here, includes lifelike cadavers, forensic kits, cameras, and more, was funded through a G3 grant.

Virginia Western also received a $343,209 Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund the College's project, "Cross-Pollination Skillsets: Growing Mechatronics and Agricultural Collaborations for Producing Skilled Agricultural Technicians," aimed at improving agricultural technology education.

Patrick & Henry Community College:

With grant funding, Patrick & Henry Community College will expand its Heavy Equipment Operator training, intstalling HEO simulators at the college's location in Patrick County. "We are pleased to partner with Patrick & Henry Community College to provide resources for the Heavy Equipment Operator Training program in Patrick County that will equip individuals with technical skills to meet the labor demands for the statewide road expansion and improvement projects." said Carlene Cassidy, CEO of the Philip E. & Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation.

Piedmont Virginia Community College:

More than two years in the making, Piedmont Virginia Community College this fall is celebrating the opening of its new Woodrow W. Bolick Advanced Technology and Student Success Center.

The 45,000 square foot Bolick Center houses advanced manufacturing, robotics, cybersecurity and forensics labs, instructional spaces, administrative offices, a café and student meeting spaces. Advising and other student support services are also in the new facility, providing everything new students need to begin their journey at PVCC. The Bolick Center also is a net-zero energy building and is the first in the Virginia Community College System to use 100 percent alternative energy. The new tech center is valued at $26 million, with most of the funding coming from the commonwealth and the remaining $2 million from the school.

Learn more: https://www.pvcc.edu/bolickcenter24

Rappahannock Community College:

Rappahannock Community College's Educational Foundation has been awarded a $5.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) to construct a Health Science building on the Warsaw campus-the first major instructional construction project there in over 45 years.

This state-of-the-art facility will be crucial in recruiting, training, and retaining healthcare professionals and will allow RCC to admit more qualified students and equip them with the skills needed to thrive in the healthcare industry. The project will also be supported by $1.3 million in local contributions.

This fall, Rappahannock Community College also is welcoming students to newly renovated welding facilities in New Kent. The former cafeteria area of the old New Kent High School has been transformed into a state-of-the-art instructional welding space, thanks to a $300,000 GO Virginia Region 4 grant, support from the American Welding Society, and college funding.

Reynolds Community College:

With nearly $1 million in federal funding for facilities, Reynolds Community College's new surgical technology program got underway this fall in a new high-tech simulation lab at the recently renovated Downtown Campus.

The program launches amid intense demand in the Richmond region healthcare industry for trained, credentialed surgical technologists. The program, which has hybrid and online learning options, takes students on a deep dive into surgical procedures, asepsis principles, sterile techniques, and the proper handling of surgical instruments and equipment. Students will gain real-world experience through clinical rotations at VCU Health System and other surgical centers.

Virginia Highlands Community College:

With funding from the generosity of local businesses, organizations, and individual supporters, Virginia Highlands Community College and the VHCC Foundation are now closer than ever to completing the construction of an $8.5 million new building which will support critical workforce and economic development efforts in Southwest Virginia. The Paramont Applied Technology and Workforce Center will be the first new instructional building on VHCC's Abingdon campus in 30 years. It will be home to the College's Welding and Diesel training programs as well as its Workforce Development Division - which offers short-term training, corporate training solutions, and small business development services.

Wytheville Community College:

Wytheville Community College renovated a new facility in Smyth County that will house Automotive Technician, Welding, and other workforce programs. The facility is named WCC WEST to represent Workforce, Education, & Skills Training. (pictured: WCC WEST, the former Worldwide Ford building in Marion, VA)

WCC's new state-of-the-art Pharmacy Technician simulation lab will provide a practical and authentic experience to help teach students how to process medication orders to ensure safety and accuracy. Wytheville also beefed up its faculty to help more students receive teacher licensure.

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