February 2020 NEWSLETTER

SVCC student meets Governor Northam

Jake Back, a student in SVCC's Power Line Worker Training Program recently met Governor Ralph Northam as a part of the Virginia Community College System's 2020 legislative reception. Governor Northam's proposed G3 (Get a Skill, Get a Job, Give Back) initiative is designed to help support Virginia's students by opening new pathways to success for low and middle income Virginians to gain employment in high-demand jobs.   Jake (center) is joined by SVCC President, Dr. Quentin R. Johnson (left) and Governor Northam.

On February 18 and 19, SVCC hosted the annual "Make It Happen" day, spearheaded by Dr. John Hicks, for area high schools on the Christanna Campus and the John H. Daniel Campus. Approximately 200 young African-American men participated.

Historically, African-American male students have been significantly less successful than their female and white counterparts relative to retention and graduation rates. Southside Virginia Community College initiated MAKE IT HAPPEN in the fall of 1998 in an effort to enhance the academic success of these students. This comprehensive program provides meaningful activities for participants and establishes an institutional climate supportive of the success of African-American males. Read More

Kiara Hartwell...Graduate with a Cool Career  Kiara Hartwell is the owner of KJ Hartwell, LLC and is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Sheppard Pratt Health System. In other words, Kiara spends her professional life helping others.   She graduated from Prince Edward County High School where she began taking classes at SVCC as a dual enrollment student. Upon graduation from high school, Kiara, attended a four-year college for a semester, but did not find it to be a good fit. She returned home and graduated from SVCC in 2009 with an Associate of Arts & Sciences degree.  Read More

Two 16-week HVAC Programs Offered Students pictured, left to right: Jarrell Reese, Marquis Petty, Corban Oliver  SVCC, intent on developing today’s HVAC workforce, offers two, 16-week Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) programs at the Lake Country Advanced Knowledge Center in South Hill. SVCC recognizes the demand for these skilled workers is greater than the supply. The need for individuals with installation, maintenance, and repair skills has continued to increase in recent years. In fact, the  Bureau of Labor Statistics   (BLS 2018) expected that openings for HVAC professionals would grow 15 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2026, more than double the anticipated growth for all occupations.   Read More SVCC Graduate Featured in Virginia Solar for All Facebook Post Jerry Smith, a recent graduate of SVCC's Solar Photovoltaic Installer Program, was recently named in Virginia Solar for All's FACES of SOLAR feature: "Our next FACES of SOLAR feature is Jerry Smith, who is a native of Chase City, Virginia. Jerry attended Southside Virginia Community College, where he noticed a posting about a new class that would teach hands-on solar panel installation at a solar farm that was being built nearby. Immediately Jerry was fascinated by the technology of solar energy generation and saw the economic benefits the workforce training..." Read More

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