It’s hard to believe we changed the clocks back last weekend. This always signals winter is coming as well as Thanksgiving…as well as Christmas…as well as Festivus (for all Seinfeld fans). Many exciting things continue to happen on campus and in our communities this Fall and I outline a few of them below. I continue to meet and talk with students and community members who have told me how much DSLCC has changed their life. Community colleges do that in general and DSLCC has done that for over 53 years.
As a reminder, if you would like for me to include additional information, do not hesitate to contact me. If you would like to receive direct responses from this Blog, you can “subscribe” to it and receive emails each time I post. Enjoy!
Alleghany Foundation Receives National Recognition
I was honored to nominate and participate in the recognition of the Alleghany Foundation on Friday evening, October 30 in Washington, DC as part of the Council for Resource Development (CRD) 2015 Community College Benefactor Awards dinner.
As one of only nine benefactors honored, the national CRD Benefactor Award recognizes individuals, foundations, or businesses/corporations for outstanding contributions to community colleges. The award embodies the ideals of philanthropy, leadership, and volunteerism in the service of community, technical, and junior colleges.
As a past national president of CRD, I was pleased the Alleghany Foundation was being recognized at a national level. The Foundation has provided more than $3 million to the college for support of campus facilities, college programs and student scholarships. The funds have provided a margin of excellence that helps DSLCC be one of the finest of its kind in the country.
Recently, The Foundation awarded $1.4 million to DSLCC’s “Imagine, Invest, Inspire” campaign, the second largest gift ever received by the College, funding faculty and equipment for the new Sustainable Agriculture, Electrical and Instrumentation Technology, and engineering a track. It will also support Dabney Promise Scholarships and college activities related to the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative.
Please help me thank and congratulate the Alleghany Foundation for this prestigious award.
Holiday Parades Scheduled
Under the leadership of the College and Community Outreach Committee, the following community holiday parades are planned for DSLCC’s participation:
December 3 – Buena Vista – 6:00pm
December 4 – Lexington – 5:45pm
December 4 – Clifton Forge – 6:00pm
December 5 – Covington – 6:00pm
December 12 – Iron Gate – 1:00pm
If you are interested in participating in one or more of the parades or can assist with the setup, please contact Billy Ould, chair of the College & Community Outreach Committee
DSLCC Forestry Team Wins Woodsman’s Competition
Congratulations to DSLCC’s Forestry Team who brought home the winning trophy in the 2015 John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsman's Team Competition held October 10 at the Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. Seven forestry schools competed in the event, which was hosted by Haywood Community College. Under the leadership of faculty Joe Thacker and Scott Reigal, the team excelled and we are very proud of your success.
DSLCC Receives Grant from USDA Rural Development for Forestry, Agriculture Programs
DSLCC was honored to receive a Rural Business Development Grant for $154,949 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the Forest Management Technology and Sustainable Agriculture programs. The funds supported the purchase of a new piece of logging equipment, a Cat 529 Knuckleboom, which is used to load and merchandise logs and pulpwood. The remainder of the grant funds will be used to help purchase equipment for the new DSLCC Sustainable Agriculture program.
Thank you to the USDA-Rural Development Office in Lexington for all your assistance.
DSLCC Recognized as a Military Friendly School
For the seventh consecutive years, DSLCC has been recognized by G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School. This honor places the College in the top 16% of all schools nationwide. Our commitment to educating our great nation’s military veterans will enable the United States to prosper for generations to come. Thank you to Matt McGraw and Joy Broyles for your leadership with this 
annual survey.
Pathways 2021 – Strategic Planning Targeted Sessions Held
Thanks to all who participated in the fall targeted sessions held to discuss the nine goals of the new Strategic Plan that will guide us through 2020-2021. These sessions looked at what we currently do, talked about what we think works and why it works, and brainstormed things we could implement over the upcoming years to improve, strengthen and grow our College.
There were many good comments and suggestions made; I will be reviewing the notes from all of the sessions and seriously look at the things that can and should be implemented, as resources allow. Again, thanks to those of you who attended one or more sessions.
Kudos
Congratulations to the DSLCC Educational Talent Search staff for celebrating their 35th anniversary as they celebrated this event on October 5 at Alleghany High School. TRIO is the name for federally funded outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Talent Search, one of the TRIO programs, serves first-generation college-bound students by helping them graduate from high school and enroll in college.
The DSLCC Massage Therapy program under the leadership of Gloria Lawrence, has received the Level 3 Diploma in Holistic Massage certification from ITEC, the world's leading organization specializing in Beauty and Complementary Therapy, Sport, Fitness and Hairdressing sectors.
DSLCC was part of recent Virginia Science Festival activities. Thanks to Chezley Pillow, Joe Hagy and Sam Benke who assisted with staffing for events held over the weekend of September 25-27 in Roanoke and Lexington.
DSLCC participated in a Health and Wellness event at Lewis Gale Hospital-Alleghany on September 19. Thanks to three faculty members--Tina Hawley, Beverley Ellis-Smith and Laura Meadows who staffed a table and supervised blood pressure readings taken by three nursing students who also volunteered their time. They shared information and took over 60 blood pressure checks for local residents who participated in the event. Thanks to LGH-A CEO Charlotte Tyson and her team for inviting the College to participate in the great event for our community!
I was honored to serve as a panelist for two sessions at the VCCS Faculty & Administrators Leadership Academy in September in Richmond. The first topic was Authentic Leadership: The VCCS Presidents’ Leadership Panel and the second was The Evolving Role of Fundraising for a Community College President. In addition, I was honored to have my presentation, The Chief Executive Officer-Chief Development Officer Relationship, accepted by the Council for Resource Development (CRD) at their National Conference, Bridging the Gap, in October in Washington, DC.
Do You Have News for the Next “News & Notes”?
If you would like me to share your news in an upcoming issue of News & Notes, you may submit it anytime directly to Gail Johnson at gjohnson@dslcc.edu.
For More Information
If you have any questions about any of the information contained within, please contact me at jrainone@dslcc.edu. Thank you!
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