FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DCC HOSTS STATEWIDE SEMINAR

ON DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION

Dr. Hunter R. Boylan, second from left, is shown with the Danville Community College Title III grant program co-chairs Gail Neal, third from left; and  Laura Powell, right; with  Dr. Wade Davenport, Dean of Arts & Sciences Division, at left.

            DANVILLE, VA, July 28, 2005 – A statewide seminar focusing on developmental education hosted by

 Danville Community College today attracted more than 55 educators from across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The seminar featured Dr. Hunter R. Boylan, a nationally-recognized authority on developmental education, who discussed “Best Practices in Developmental Education.”

            Laura Powell, Associate Professor of Developmental English and one of the seminar planners, said 15 four-year and two-year colleges from throughout Virginia were represented at the seminar, including Averett University and Virginia Tech, along with Blue Ridge, John Tyler, Lord Fairfax, New River, Patrick Henry, Piedmont Virginian, Southside Virginia, Thomas Nelson, Tidewater, Virginia Western, Wytheville, Dabney Lancaster and Danville community colleges. She added the seminar was very pertinent since many schools are looking for more effective teaching strategies to assist academically-under prepared students.

            Last fall, DCC was awarded $1,720,840 in Title III grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education to focus on strategies to increase the educational success rate of students who require the fundamental skills in reading, math, and English acquired through developmental coursework. DCC is creating a new program that integrates developmental course content into a modular structure. The modules are designed for students to complete the courses at their own pace before moving to the next module. In addition, the grant funds are providing faculty and staff professional development opportunities to explore best practices in the area of basic skills education.

            Powell and Gail Neal, Instructor of Developmental Mathematics are the co-directors of the Title III program. Powell said Boylan has been assisting the DCC Developmental Studies faculty in planning the course modules. This seminar was an effort to bring other educators together to discuss best practices.

            “We are pleased to work with Dr. Boylan because he is so widely regarded in the field,” Powell said. “The more we learn in this area will help us to help our students be more successful. That’s really what it is all about.”

            Boylan is the Director of the National Center for Developmental Education and a Professor of Higher Education at Appalachian State University. He is also the former President of the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE) and has received the Association’s award for “Outstanding Leadership” and “Outstanding Research.” In honor of his contributions in the field of research, the NADE named an award, the “Hunter R. Boylan Award”, in his honor. Boylan has authored or co-authored two books and over 60 articles, book chapters, or monographs on developmental education.

            For more information about the Title III grant program, contact Laura Powell, Gail Neal, or the office at 434.797.6435.