NRCC History Book

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technology to learn a skill. The “Connecting Learning Communities” project in 2002 provided a telecommunications structure linking Pulaski County High School to NRCC’s computing infrastructure through a fiber connection provided by Adelphia Cable. In Fall 2004, as part of Governor Mark Warner’s Senior Year Plus and Path to Industry Certification Program, high school seniors not planning to attend a four year college could attend NRCC, complete courses, obtain certifications, and become gainfully employed immediately after high school graduation. A new position provided in Spring 2005 was the appointment of the first career coach, Peggy Dunn, at Christiansburg High School in the pilot phase of the statewide career coach program. In Summer 2005, NRCC held the first Tech Prep summer camp where 45 middle school students learned about technology. In September 2005, the first was great! The readily available snacks and foods available to those struggling, whether that be financially or mentally, were helpful. These amenities helped my success as a student, but my educators Emily Cash, Tammy Parks, Ted Farmer, and Jonathan Allen hugely impacted my passion for learning and growing as a person. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from such passionate and knowledgeable individuals. Tutoring has helped tremendously, and the professors are very helpful! SARAH SHOWALTER NRCC Student A ttending NRCC has opened a world of academia and higher education I thought were unattainable to me. To some extent, this experience is what I expected when I started. What I did not expect was the community of helpful administrators and passionate teachers! I am eager to push my own boundaries to the limit and experience life to the fullest extent! The free tutoring regularly offered at both locations

statewide articulation agreement between the VCCS and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) paved the way for high school career and technical students to transfer up to 12 credits into information and web technology programs at Virginia’s com munity colleges. These high school students learned vital job skills and earned college credits and industry certifications while finishing their high school diploma. Students received three to 12 college credits toward an associate degree in science or applied science upon enrollment at NRCC. Carlotta Eaton, professor of information technology, and Ron Chaffin, vice president for workforce development, were members of a statewide team of educators who helped develop this articulation agreement. Radford High School began offering dual enrollment courses in Fall 2006. Beginning in Spring 2007, dual enrollment students from the college’s service region were no longer charged tuition for taking NRCC courses. Previously, parents of dual enrollment students paid all or a part of their child’s tuition. Tuition-free classes allowed more students an opportunity to pursue higher education. In Spring 2007, sophomores from four school divisions in NRCC’s service region attended a career fair at the college to learn about different careers and the specific skills required. Also, the college instituted a Chancellor’s Academy for Career and Technical Education (CTE). The academy brought high school students who attended occupational/technical classes in the nine service region high schools to campus in the fall semester as part of a pilot project. Receiving release time from the high schools, participating students took six to nine credits on NRCC’s campus at no cost

Chapter 1