FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIRST GRADUATES COMPLETE NEW LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

The first graduates of the Danville Community College Leadership Academy are (left to right): Tammy McKinney, Robert Huffman, Cheryl Terry, Patricia White, Dr. Ted Maier and Cathy Conner.

DANVILLE, VA, June 14, 2007 – As Danville Community College prepares to fill a large number of anticipated faculty and administrative vacancies over the next five to seven years, the college has responded by establishing a Leadership Academy. The new initiative, which recently had its first graduating class, is designed for employees who are interested in learning more about the college and the Virginia Community College System.

Graduates of  the first Leadership Academy are: Tammy McKinney, Associate Professor of Practical Nursing, of Ringgold; Robert Huffman, Associate Professor of Drafting and Design, Dry Fork; Cheryl Terry, Director of Business and Industry Services, Halifax; Patricia White, Administrative and Office Specialist II, Engineering Technologies Division, Buffalo Junction; Dr. Ted Maier, Associate Professor of English, Providence, NC; and Cathy Conner, Director of the Southern Piedmont Educational Opportunity Center, Alton.

“DCC is expanding its programs. The college has curricula that were not offered five to 10 years ago,” explains Scott Barnes, Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services and chair of the Leadership Academy. “There will be new positions that need to be filled and the Leadership Academy is a great way to provide an opportunity for employees to enhance their productivity and learn more about DCC and Virginia’s Community Colleges.”

During the eight-month program, participants gained an understanding of current issues in higher education, strategic planning, leadership competencies, hiring and evaluation policies and other college-related proficiencies. In addition to research and coursework, participants traveled to Richmond and met staff at the Virginia Community College System and state government officials.

“The Leadership Academy is built on the model of local programs at both the Halifax County and the Danville/Pittsylvania County Chambers of Commerce to build leadership skills,” says Barnes. “We want to develop leaders on campus and give participants an opportunity for professional and personal growth.”

The final session featured presentations on “Best Practices in Advising and Scheduling” and “Middle College II,” a new DCC program designed for individuals 25 years of age and older to earn a General Educational Development certificate.

“We tried to choose a topic relevant to DCC,” says Terry, who developed the Middle College II project with Conner and White. “There are many community residents who do not have a GED, so we designed Middle College II as a project to help solve this issue.” Terry says Middle College II was soon implemented at the college and classes are now underway.

The “Best Practices in Advising and Scheduling” project was developed by Huffman, McKinney and Maier, which included a manual for DCC faculty who advise students in selecting courses of study.

“There are new faculty who have never advised students and many other faculty members who advise differently,” says Huffman. “We talked with many of our peers to receive input on advising and scheduling, pulled together many existing documents on advising, added a few of our own, and designed and created a manual that contained everything that a faculty member needed to know.”

Barnes notes that the Leadership Academy projects have been a success and looks forward to starting the next class.

 “We’re currently working on plans for the 2007-2008 Leadership Academy and expect that the second graduating class will be just as successful as the first,” says Barnes. He adds that the next class is scheduled to start in September.