Dabney S. Lancaster Community College will observe the 60th anniversary of its founding with three events scheduled this month:
There will be a reception on Tuesday, March 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in Moomaw Center on the DSLCC Clifton Forge main campus. The public is invited to attend.
A celebration with a DJ and pizza will be hosted for DSLCC students only on Tuesday, March 22, beginning at 1:30 pm, also in Moomaw Center
A third gathering is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, from noon to 2:00 pm, at the DSLCC Rockbridge Regional Center in Buena Vista. This event is not only for students but other members of the Rockbridge/Lexington/Buena Vista community.
DSLCC was established in the early 1960’s by a committee of community leaders, chaired by Dr. Thomas N. Warren, and the school superintendents from Alleghany, Bath and Botetourt counties, and the cities of Clifton Forge and Covington. It was determined that a two-year branch college would best satisfy the needs of the area. The General Assembly of Virginia established the Clifton Forge-Covington Branch of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute on March 15, 1962.
In order to provide a campus, individuals in the area agreed to obtain a site and raise approximately $100,000, which was provided by the local governmental units on a proportional basis by population. In 1963, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company donated a site of 167-acre tract valued approximately $40,000, one mile west of Clifton Forge and the college was born.
The first building, later named Backels Hall in honor of the College’s second president, Dr. John Backels, was completed in the fall of 1964. The first enrollment was approximately 100 students with 12 faculty members. Programs consisted of secretarial science and the VPI transfer program, students completing their second year of attendance. The College was renamed in 1967 to recognize Dabney S. Lancaster, a prominent Virginia educator who retired to Bath County.
The College’s main campus in Clifton Forge features six buildings, including an Armory, and a satellite facility, the Rockbridge Regional Center, in Buena Vista. The College serves approximately 1,800 students and offers Associate Degrees, Certificates and Career Studies Certificates in a variety of transfer and workforce programs, from General Studies and Science to Nursing and Forestry Management, among many others.
DSLCC will be transitioning to its new name, “Mountain Gateway Community College,” as of July 1, 2022, in time for the fall 2022 semester. The College’s new name was approved by the Virginia State Board for Community Colleges last November, following the recommendation of a 25-member renaming task force.
Anyone planning to attend the receptions on March 15 or on March 24 is asked to register by following this link: https://www.dslcc.edu/dslcc-60th-anniversary. For more information contact the DSLCC Educational Foundation at (540) 863-2934.