A new grant by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technological Education program will help Virginia Western Community College create a pathway for students to gain employment in the growing field of geospatial technology. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in geospatial technology is expected to increase 35 percent by 2020.

A partnership consisting of four Virginia community colleges, the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, and the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program, based in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, has been awarded a grant of $899,870 by NSF to support community colleges in their effort to prepare more skilled geospatial technicians.

The participating community colleges include Virginia Western Community College, Thomas Nelson Community College, Southwest Virginia Community College, and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

The Expanding Geospatial Technician Education Through Virginia’s Community Colleges (GeoTEd) project is a three-year effort that will continue a statewide partnership to create academic pathways and train faculty in the use of geospatial technologies.

“Our students are developing geospatial knowledge and abilities that will give them a competitive advantage in the workplace. We are excited to be working with project partners to provide students with nationally aligned curriculum and expanding opportunities for their continued education at senior institutions.” said David Webb, Geospatial Program Head at Virginia Western Community College.

The project, administered by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, will establish academic pathways in geospatial technologies (such as geographic information systems, global positioning systems, and remote sensing). These academic pathways will serve as model programs for other community colleges nationally.

The U.S. Department of Labor considers the geospatial technology field a high-growth industry, particularly within the public sector—federal, state and local governments—as well as in regulated industries, such as telecommunications, utilities and transportation. According to GIS Lounge, Virginia ranks highly on geospatial job growth with a recent analysis showing it trailing only California and Texas nationally.

“The geospatial industry is causing a social and economic transformation that is impacting almost every sector of the society,” explained John McGee, geospatial Extension specialist in Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation.

“Virginia’s geospatial industry has long been considered to be one of the nation’s most vibrant, and the demand for geospatially literate employees continues to grow,” he continued. “This project engages stakeholders from many different sectors to ensure that the region is well poised to support the geospatial technology workforce demand of the future.”

The GeoTEd project will align curriculum with the National Geospatial Technology Competency Model developed by the Department of Labor and the National GeoTech Center and the needs of business and industry in the Commonwealth.

Virginia Tech will host the regional Geospatial Technology Institute, which provides hands-on training in geospatial technologies to 25 faculty from Virginia’s community colleges as well as from Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Participating faculty will attend a one-week session in each of two years and receive mentoring and follow-up support from project partners.

Other components of the project include the development of distance education courses in geospatial technology, mobile applications, the geospatial Web portal, and career awareness information. The Virginia Space Grant Consortium’s GEOTREK12 program will also provide professional development to 45 high school teachers from the service regions of the partnering community colleges.

“This grant and this partnership continue to pay big dividends for the people of Virginia and we are excited about that,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “You cannot talk about education today without hearing the word, ‘STEM’, (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Well, this is what STEM looks like. Our shared focus on STEM means we are helping people prepare for exciting careers and we are positioning Virginia as a leader in a growing industry.”

The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program, supporting the development of technicians in emerging fields, recognizes the need to inspire, motivate, and empower students to develop and achieve career goals. The program funds projects that focus on developing partnerships between community colleges, other higher education institutions, and employers to provide workforce development and education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels.

ROANOKE —Virginia Western Community College and the Virginia Western Educational Foundation announce the addition of Roanoke County to the Community College Access Program (CCAP) for the 2013-14 academic year. Along with last week’s additions of Botetourt and Craig Counties, CCAP now extends to the college’s entire service region and gives local high school graduates the opportunity to attend college tuition free.

Administered by the Virginia Western Educational Foundation, CCAP is currently available in Franklin County, Salem City and Roanoke City. Launched through a Salem pilot program in 2008, and expanded to Roanoke City in 2009 and Franklin County in 2011, CCAP impacted 176 students during the 2012-13 academic year. CCAP for Roanoke, Botetourt and Craig Counties will be pilot programs for 2013-14.

“We wish to thank Roanoke County for continuing to be a great partner and becoming part of CCAP. A region-wide program is a momentous achievement for Virginia Western and all the localities we serve. Our local economy will directly benefit by having a better educated workforce,” said Dr. Robert H. Sandel, President of Virginia Western. “The cost of higher education will no longer be a barrier to high-quality students seeking to better themselves and achieve their life goals.”

Through CCAP, college is possible for high school graduates in all the localities off Virginia Western’s service region who meet program guidelines.

“We are excited to be part of a pilot in the CCAP program,” said Dr. Lorraine Lange, Superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools. “Roanoke County Schools has always had a strong partnership with Virginia Western. This pilot will only strengthen that partnership and bring new opportunities to our students.”

The Virginia Western Educational Foundation funds CCAP through the support of local governments, businesses, foundations and individuals. Roanoke County CCAP is a partnership between Roanoke County and the Virginia Western Educational Foundation; Botetourt County CCAP is a partnership between the Botetourt Education Foundation and the Virginia Western Educational Foundation; and Craig County CCAP is a partnership between Craig County and the Virginia Western Educational Foundation.

“Educators who I’ve talked to throughout the state are amazed by the generosity of Virginia Western. I’m so thankful to Dr. Sandel and the college’s administration for giving this opportunity to our students,” said C. Hampton Gray, Superintendent of Craig County Public Schools. “The gift of higher education is life-changing, community-changing and generational-changing.”

CCAP sponsors include: Advance Auto Parts, Botetourt Education Foundation, Carilion Clinic, Craig County, Franklin County, Ingersoll-Rand, Kroger, LewisGale Regional Health System, MFA, Quantum Medical, Richfield Retirement, Roanoke City and Roanoke City Public Schools, Roanoke County, Roanoke Women’s Foundation, Salem City, Stop-In Food Stores, Trane, and the Virginia Tobacco Commission.

“We are extremely excited about Roanoke County coming on board, as this means the College’s entire service region is covered by CCAP,” said Ed Hall, President of the Virginia Western Educational Foundation Board. “For donors, this means their contributions make an impact valley-wide.”

“As CCAP came along, and we saw the resources that were available to students in the region, we knew we had to make it happen for our students.” said Dr. Anthony S. Brads, Superintendent of Botetourt County Public Schools. “We are very excited about 2013. We are starting small but we are looking forward to growing the program. We thank Dr. Sandel and the Botetourt Education Foundation for all their help.”

Graduating seniors of participating high schools are eligible to apply for CCAP. Applicants must have attended high school in a participating locality for their junior and senior year, and have been a resident of the same participating locality for their junior and senior year. The entire application, with instructions and checklists for each locality is available at www.virginiawestern.edu/ccap. Students applying to the program are required to apply to Virginia Western, complete the financial aid process, take the Virginia Western placement test, and complete the online CCAP application. The deadline to apply and submit all required documentation is March 29.

“Virginia Western’s goal is to provide the opportunity for any local high school graduate to gain a college education. With the addition of Roanoke, Botetourt and Craig Counties, and the expansion of CCAP region-wide, that goal is attainable,” Sandel said. “The continued support of private individuals, companies and governments will ensure that the Roanoke region remains economically strong for generations to come.”

Roanoke — Friendship Retirement Community recently announced its support of Virginia Western Community College with a $150,000 gift to name the RN Nursing Lab and RN Simulation Lab in the Center for Science and Health Professions. The center, currently under construction, is scheduled to open for student access in the Fall Semester 2013, and house classroom and lab space for the School of Science, Math and Health Professions.

Virginia Western and the nursing program there are the perfect partner for Friendship Retirement Community," said Russ Barksdale, Friendship Retirement Community President and CEO. "The highest quality students educated in the new center for science and health professions today will be the nurses we're hiring tomorrow

The naming rights of the two nursing labs are the first to be granted by the Virginia Western Educational Foundation for the $26 million center. The Educational Foundation works with community organizations and businesses interested in investing in the College and the Roanoke Valley by supporting students through a variety of tuition-assistance programs. The Friendship Retirement Community donation will be administered at the discretion of the Virginia Western Educational Foundation Board of Directors, and the final decision on expenditure of the funds has not yet been made.

“An investment like that by Friendship Retirement will create additional learning opportunities for students from the entire service region,” said Dr. Robert Sandel, President of Virginia Western Community College.

Virginia Western Community College student Greg Whiting, of Buchanan, was one of 44 Virginia community college students honored on Nov. 13 at a ceremony highlighting their scholastic achievement and success. The scholarship recipients represent the 23 colleges of Virginia’s Community Colleges.

Whiting graduated from James River High School in 2012 and is attending Virginia Western to study for an eventual degree in industrial design, or marine biology. He works part-time, and lives with his parents and younger brother. He received the Advance Auto Parts Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship.

“If I could see them face-to-face, I would definitely say thank you because it is a humongous help to offer up such generous donations in order to help me get through school,” he said.

Students from across the commonwealth who demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to developing leadership skills comprise this year’s group of 24 Commonwealth Legacy Scholars. Each scholarship is named for a philanthropy leader who has supported Virginia’s Community Colleges.

Twenty additional scholars are also honored this year – 10 recipients of the prestigious Valley Proteins Fellowship, sponsored by Valley Proteins Inc. that provides a full year of tuition and fees plus access to leadership opportunities. Virginia Western student Lindsey Narmour, of Ferrum, was named as a 2012 Valley Proteins Fellow. She is pursuing a childhood education literacy program at the Roanoke Rescue Mission as the project for her fellowship.

“I’m really passionate about literacy, and I feel there’s really a home for an outreach program in the Roanoke Valley,” she said.

At Virginia Western, Lindsey is pursuing an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and plans to transfer to a four-year college to study English. Her long-term goal is to teach at the collegiate level. She’s also interested in journalism and dreams of working in broadcast radio.

“We are very proud of our Virginia Western students, and thankful to donors like Advance Auto Parts who make it possible for us to continue to provide a quality and affordable education,” said Virginia Western President Dr. Robert Sandel.

Ten additional named scholarships include two for a new scholarship program: The Godwin Society Scholarship, designed to honor former members of the State Board for Community Colleges. Both Central Virginia and New River Community Colleges awarded scholarships in the honor of former State Board members Nathanial Marshall and Gary Hancock.

Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, in commending the 44 scholars, said “I believe that all young people should be encouraged to go to college. Our workforce, our economy, and our quality of life depend on it.”

Former Secretary of Education James W. Dyke, currently a member of the board of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, was a keynote speaker at the luncheon.

More than 250 students across the commonwealth have received these funds in the past four years.