Fall 2016
Learning Can Be Fun
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Learning Can Be Fun was an active, busy, creative time for some 523 students in 70 classes over the summer! With a variety of classes to choose from in Arts, Sciences, Sports, and Literature, there was something offered for every interest. Blue Ridge Community College thanks the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, McDonald’s-Boxley Organization, the Rudy Tucker family, and the Shenandoah Valley Kiwanis Club for supporting the Learning Can Be Fun program by providing need-based scholarships to 23 students. Additional support was provided by the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation. BRCC Educational Foundation Board Chair Cathleen P. Welsh Vice Chair Mary Louise Leake Secretary John A. Downey Treasurer Cynthia F. Page
Kelly R.S. Blosser Alphonso P. Boxley III Rob W. Cale Denise E. “D.D.” Dawson Douglas G. Driver Silvia T. Garcia-Romero Teresa H. Gauldin
Nancy Hulings Elizabeth Jerlinski Camala B. Kite David L. Ledbetter Martha Livick Mary McDermott Beverly B. McGowan
Thomas C. Mendez Robert W. Riley Karen E. Santos Jerry D. Sheets Alan L. Shelton Linnea J. Spradlin Stacey D. Strawn
Community Link is an official publication of the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation. 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 glenna@brcc.edu.
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Why do you invest in BRCC?
If there is a glue that holds this Valley together economically, it just may be Blue Ridge Community College. We are the training ground, the ever-evolving force that matches aspiring students with in-demand industries and 21st-century employers. We are responsive to the needs of our employer base with timely curricula and cutting-edge training and facilities. We also provide educational opportunities to those who otherwise might not be able to afford them. “The flexibility of BRCC improves lives because the college provides for all ages, either through youth programs, two years of quality education, or training the workforce for local industries. It is hard to find someone in our community whose life has not been improved by BRCC.” - John and Cathy Matherly
“Giving to the BRCC Educational Foundation is important because it truly is a way of helping others while improving the quality of life for all of us. Funds to the Foundation are instrumental in reaching many underserved individuals in our community through scholarships and financial assistance.” - Jerry and Lindy Sheets
“We give to help others achieve their dreams. Many have dreams but financially need our help. We can’t imagine what our community would be without BRCC and the BRCC Educational Foundation.” - Carl and Cheryl Rosberg
“Riddleberger Brothers is committed to our community and our employees. As an employer of many graduates of BRCC, we believe it is vitally important to support the mission of the college to train, educate and empower students through its programs and services.” - Daniel and Kelly Blosser
Student Focus. Community Impact. The Campaign for Blue Ridge Community College.
Campaign Priorities
Community is what makes up BRCC, it’s what Blue Ridge is, and it’s what Blue Ridge has and always will support. Through my time as a student here, I learned what ‘community’ really means.” Albert “Gene” Stainback, class of 2014
At BRCC, we always want to hear from you. We want to know how our programs can better serve you, your family, your neighbors, your business and our entire community. We are sharing stories of our dedicated volunteers and donors to highlight the impact and importance of a gift to BRCC. These are just a few examples of the thousands of individuals that choose to invest in the strength of our community through a gift to the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation.
Workforce and Economic Development: Keeping the local workforce job-ready and in step with emerging trends allows our community to retain the highly trained employees we need to keep our economy thriving. Examples of funding priorities include development of new programs, expanded curriculum, purchasing of state-of-the-art equipment and investing in highly trained faculty members. Increasing Access and Student Support: BRCC has made a commitment to reach out to the region’s underserved individuals, and our scholarship program makes a positive difference for many students. Each year the BRCC Educational Foundation awards more than $300,000 in student scholarships. These dollars make higher education—and a better future—possible for those who otherwise might be left out. Facility Enhancements: In order to remain the region’s go-to destination for preparing students for emerging workforce realities and meeting the needs of local businesses, it’s vital that our teaching facilities keep pace. Campus enhancements include the building and outfitting of an advanced bioscience and health sciences building.
Meet Our New Foundation Board Members Rob Cale is an independent marketing consultant that assists local and national challenger brands with their most critical tactical and strategic marketing initiatives. Previously, he held executive marketing leadership positions at Cognia Cloud, nTelos Wireless, Comdial, and Genicom Corporation. He has been both a student and adjunct instructor at BRCC, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Radford University. He has been active on industry-related boards, as well as served locally as President of the Valley Alliance for Education, The Community Foundation, and several other non-profits. Rob resides in Fishersville with his wife, Debbie, a recently retired educator. They have two adult children, Ryan and Josh. Linnea Spradlin is a Vice President and Trust Advisor at Union Bank and Trust. Linnea has been with Union since 2007 and has over 28 years of legal and trust experience. She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA). Linnea is a graduate of Blue Ridge Community College with an Associate in Applied Science degree. Linnea lives in Augusta County, has two children, Nicholas and Samantha Jo, and two grandchildren, Isaiah and Teagan. Mary McDermott is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Lumos Networks, a fiber-based telecom company in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mary has been a telecom lawyer for almost 35 years. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Advisory Board of the Waynesboro Salvation Army and is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia. Mary and family have served for twelve summers as a host family for players from the Waynesboro Generals, a collegiate summer baseball team affiliated with the Shenandoah Valley League. Mary is a member of the Board of the Generals and coordinates the team’s community outreach. She is a past President of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro-East Augusta. Cynthia Page became Vice President of Finance and Administration at BRCC on July 1, 2016. Prior to joining BRCC, Ms. Page served as the Director for Finance for Shenandoah County Schools, and she has also held financial positions at JMU, Lynchburg City Schools and Randolph Macon Woman’s College. Ms. Page and her husband, Raymond Alderfer, have three children, Aaron, Noah and Erich, and reside in Rockingham County. Silvia Garcia-Romero immigrated from Mexico to the Valley with her family in 1991 when she was 10 years old. Silvia’s family came to the US in search of better jobs, education, and a better future. She attended BRCC, where she obtained an Associate’s degree and transferred to JMU, where she earned a BS in Public Administration. After graduating from JMU, Silvia started her professional career working with migrant youth to help them explore and prepare for college. She obtained a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern Illinois University where she also worked on recruitment, retention, outreach, and programming working particularly with nontraditional, first-generation college students. Silvia is now the Cultural Diversity Manager at Sentara RMH Medical Center, where her role is to work with the hospital to improve care, treatment, and services provided to diverse communities, as well as working to create a supportive and welcoming environment for patients and for the workforce. Silvia lives in Harrisonburg with her husband, Milo, and sons Javy and Manny.
Special Campaign Message from the President
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A few years ago my aging cell phone finally died. The time in-between when the old phone quit and getting a new phone was excruciating! I found myself constantly reaching for my pocket, continuously wondering who might be trying to reach me and could not, and thinking about the information I was missing. It’s remarkable how dependent we have become on such a small device. As we near the end of the College’s third major gift campaign, it occurs to me that Blue Ridge Community College is not unlike that essential tool.
On September 16th, President’s Luncheon attendees had the opportunity to see demonstrations featuring BRCC’s Welding, Veterinary Technology, and Mechanical Design and Drafting programs.
Without BRCC, our hospitals and veterinary centers would not have the health care professionals in sufficient numbers they need to provide quality care to our families and pets. For almost fifty years, the College has provided an exceptional array of education and training programs for local accountants, entrepreneurs, social workers, technicians, engineers, truck drivers, police officers, aviation professionals, information technology experts, and mechanics. We are accessible for the type of teaching that is very highly regarded in the community. An astounding number of students have been given their start in higher education after walking through our doors, and then continued that education on to achieve other advanced degrees. Doctors, veterinarians, nurse practitioners, teachers, business owners, and financial advisors have been proud to say they began it all in Weyers Cave! Members of the community can still count on BRCC when they need that job skill upgrade, that perfect summer class for a child, or that transfer degree that will fully articulate toward a baccalaureate degree.
The College’s campaign, “Student Focus. Community Impact. The Campaign for Blue Ridge Community College.” has focused on raising the necessary funds to support our workforce mission, the support of our students, and our facilities infrastructure. Countless donors in an extremely generous Shenandoah Valley have already donated over 7.4 million dollars toward our 8-million-dollar goal. We have received outright cash gifts, pledges of future donations, and planned gifts. We are in the final stretch and ask for your support! If BRCC has been vital to you and your family, or your business, we hope that when the opportunity arises, you will invest in the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation by making a gift or pledge. Feel free to use the enclosed envelope, designating your gift as a campaign gift. Your support means state of the art technology for our faculty to use in instruction, scholarships and advising support for our students, and excellent physical facilities that are conducive to teaching and learning. Thank you for your continued support of the mission of Blue Ridge Community College.
Girls + Computers = FUN!
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Many students are used to bringing home art projects they created in a Blue Ridge class, but it’s not every day they get to build a computer to keep. That’s exactly what nine 6th-9th grade girls were able to do in the Build a Computer class, held in June, at the College’s Advanced Technology Building.
Thanks to the generosity of donors to the BRCC Educational Foundation, including the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County and the WISE Fund of the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, the class was free to all participants. Further funding was provided by BRCC Career Pathways and the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council. In addition to building a desktop computer and loading it with a Windows-based operating system, students participated in class discussions about different career progressions for computer science majors in the future. “Regardless of the field, technology is going to be there,” Marlena Jarboe, academic dean, told the group. Students disassembled a computer, identified all the parts, and reassembled it. Exercises like this allowed Chloe Stone, 11, rising 6th grader at Montevideo Middle School, to “know what all the wires inside a computer mean.” During a snack break, student Victoria Martin, 12, rising 7th grader at Elkton Middle School, said, “I like the college. I think I want to go here.” Jennifer Hitchcock, mother of Kyra, 10, rising 6th grader at Shelburne Middle School, said she was impressed with what BRCC is able to offer for younger students. “Kyra was excited to attend this camp,” she said. “She did the STEM for Girls camp earlier this year, and when they announced this camp there, she said, “’Mom, that would be cool.’” In another camp called Females in Technology (FIT), girls in grades 9 and 10 learned computer programming basics to create 3-D animations and games, and also explored the new field of wearable technology. Three of the instructors for FIT were BRCC students Michelle Ambrose, Maggie Tyler, and Eliza Richards, who served as role models of the types of assets females bring to technology fields. Both camps provided active environments to encourage innovation, organization, creative thinking, selfconfidence, motivation, and teamwork, all skills the young women will use in STEM careers.
Blue Ridge Gr Augusta Health Clinical
Augusta Health’s Clinical Engineering department: (L to R) Kenneth Thomas, Matthew Choate, Jeff Long, David Queen, Darrell Switzer, and Aaron Brown.
School rivalries don’t exist in the Clinical Engineering Department at Augusta Health. That’s because Director Jeff Long and all five of his biomedical equipment technicians are graduates of Blue Ridge Community College with degrees in Computer and Electronics Technology. “The instructors saw people with the right potential and steered them our way,” Long said. “Internships allowed us to decide if the person had the right stuff to be successful. I am very fortunate to have the talented group of people that I have.” The types of computer and electronics careers available in industry and manufacturing in our area are well known, but the field of healthcare technology management is growing exponentially. Long’s department services nearly 5,000 pieces of clinical medical equipment worth tens of millions of dollars. It manages all planned maintenance, calibration, and testing of diagnostic equipment, as well as unscheduled repairs. No two days are alike. “You could have a big system failure occur in the next ten minutes, or it could be smooth sailing for two weeks,” Long said. “We work with everything from handheld thermometers to devices that deliver anesthesia to linear accelerators for administering radiation to cancer patients,” he notes. Long said BRCC’s Computer and Electronics Technology program provides an extremely strong base, or “launch pad,” to go in many directions, depending on the type of work environment for which the person is best suited. For example, some may prefer a manufacturing or production setting where things are more predictable. Others will thrive in the fast pace of Augusta Health.
rads Abound in Engineering Department “New technology comes through the door daily [here]. You’ll learn as much on the first day of your career as the last,” he said. His technicians are constantly learning new technologies and attending manufacturer training and licensing courses for re-certification. While good biomedical technicians need excellent technical aptitude, they must also possess top-notch communication skills and the ability to focus in direct patient-care environments around people who are very sick or injured. “Technicians need the ability to go in and focus very quickly to work from problem to solution,” said Long. “There is often a lot going on and they must tune out distractions.” Along with job satisfaction of daily challenges and growth, there is a “feel good” element, as co-workers stop him in the hall to thank him and his staff for fixing a problem. “A lot of it is about relationships and building trust,” Long said. “When you know you’ve been able to help someone do their clinical job, which then directly affects patients, it is rewarding.” After 30 years with Augusta Health, Long said this has been a great career field even though he “chanced upon it.” In healthcare technology management, “You can work anywhere in the world,” he said.
David Queen and Aaron Brown (standing) test and verify the calibration of the multi-leaf collimator after the repair of an Elekta Digital Linear Accelerator.
Address Service Requested
April 21, 2017, 6:00 p.m., Robert E. Plecker Workforce Center
22nd Annual Spring Fling Auction
Save the Date!
Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation, Inc. P. O. Box 80 Weyers Cave, VA 24486 (540) 453-2211 www.brcc.edu/EdFound
Non Profit Org. U. S. Postage and Fees Paid BRCC