From left, Dr. Priscilla Chavis-Lockley of Creedmoor, head counselor and college/career counseling coordinator at Eaton-Johnson Middle School in Henderson, talks with VGCC Interim President Dr. Angela Ballentine at the Oct. 25 reception for advisory committee members in the college’s Civic Center. Chavis-Lockley serves on the advisory committee for the VGCC Basic Skills department. (VGCC photo)
Citizens from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties came together at the main campus of Vance-Granville Community College on Oct. 25 as the college’s advisory committees held their annual meetings. Students in VGCC’s Culinary Arts program prepared hors d’oeuvres and desserts for a reception in the Civic Center, preceding the meetings.
There are 36 advisory committees, made up of people from the communities served by the college who have worked in the fields that the college trains students to enter. Committees are also established to advise the VGCC campuses in Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, as well as the Small Business Center and other departments. Many committee members are VGCC alumni. Each fall, these committees meet on campus with the heads of the programs they advise.
From left, Granville Economic Development Commission executive director Jay Tilley is greeted by VGCC Interim President Dr. Angela Ballentine at the Oct. 25 reception for advisory committee members in the college’s Civic Center. Tilley is a member of the advisory committee for VGCC’s South Campus. (VGCC photo)
At the Oct. 25 meetings, VGCC faculty and staff communicated with advisory committee members about new developments in the academic programs, about how to tailor classes and training to meet employment needs, and about changes in the workplace. Committee members made suggestions on what the college should be doing to enhance or adapt instruction.
VGCC Interim President Dr. Angela Ballentine thanked participants for their willingness to serve on advisory committees. “You are a critical link between our faculty and staff and the larger community that we serve,” Ballentine told committee members. “You have the knowledge and the experience that we need to stay on top of the latest innovations and the changing needs of our local businesses, industries and communities.”