NRCC History Book

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Mark Rowh, vice president for planning and advancement and a college administrator since 1989, became vice president for workforce development and external relations. In 2014 Dr. Janice Shelton, an English professor since 2002, was reassigned as interim dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences for a year; then Shelton served as dean until her retirement in 2017. Tammy Smith, a graduate of NRCC and a support staff member since 1993, became the office supervisor in the Admissions and Records Office in 2014. In 2016 Smith became the coordinator of admissions and records. Another reassignment happened in 2018 when Sarah Tolbert-Hurysz, an assistant professor of English since 2004, became interim dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences and then division dean. Awards/Recognition The college and its faculty and staff received several awards from 2010 to 2019. In 2013 NRCC was voted Platinum Best Continuing Education Opportunities by the readers of Blue Ridge Country magazine. The magazine’s polling area covered the mountain regions of nine southern states. NRCC was named a military friendly school in 2014 for helping veterans transition from the military to college, then to a fulfilling career. Also in 2014, NRCC was named one of 150 colleges from across the nation eligible to win the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The college was nominated for its achievement and performance in student success. In 2015, NRCC was rated one of the “2015 Great Colleges to Work For” by the Chronicle of Higher Education . Approximately 300 institutions were considered with only 24

Another reassignment occurred when Dr. Deborah (Dee Dee) Kennedy, the enrollment management and career pathways coordinator and director, was named dean of students in 2016. Dr. Kennedy, an NRCC graduate, began her career at the college in 2007 serving as the enrollment management coordinator. Virginia Leadbetter-Bolte began the decade as the program director of Middle College. From 2013 to 2014, she served as the director of transitional programs. An employee since 2004, Leadbetter-Bolte was employed at the college for 10 years. Teri Moore, the associate vice president for student learning, assumed an additional role as the coordinator of assessment and program review from 2011 until her retirement in 2015. Moore began her career at the college in 1990 as a nursing faculty. In 2010 Dr. NRCC is absolutely beautiful every season. My favorite thing in between classes is to sit outside on campus, literally anywhere, and do my schoolwork or read a book. BRENNA RAMOS NRCC Student A ttending New River has been a new beginning for my future. I am excited to grow and learn as much as I can so that I can be the best possible adult role model in the younger eyes that see me and look up to me. My friends and family are proud of me, and that is an amazing feeling. I hope I can influence some of the younger generation to eventually go to a college if destined to. My favorite memory was this Halloween handing out candy to the little kids who go to the Early Learning Center in Godbey. They were so excited, and their costumes were so cute. I dressed up as a scarecrow, so some of them thought that was funny which made me laugh, too. Another fun memory from this year was when Dr. Hanks gave my English class extra credit to go get a donut from the deans. She did that because she wanted us to get a chance to meet them. How cool!

Chapter 2