FINANCIAL AID FRIDAYS!  - Need help completing the FAFSA?  Staff from the Office of Financial Aid and Veterans’ Affairs will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 13 and Friday, April 20 in Webber 311 to help students complete the online financial aid application. If you have not completed a FAFSA for the upcoming 2012-13 academic year, one of these Fridays would be a great day to do it.

The Institutional Effectiveness Office would like to thank all of the spring graduates who participated in the Information Literacy Core Competency Assessment. As promised, 10 participants were randomly chosen to receive $25 gas cards. And the winners are…

• Curtis Blankenship II
• Kimberly Brickwedde
• John Early, Jr.
• Rebecca Hammond
• Jessica Hunter
• Jeffery Journell
• Jennie King
• Nydia Meredith
• Anna Wallace
• David Wiggington

In order to assist students in class selection and program requirements; faculty and academic advisors will be available on Friday, April 13 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the following computer labs.

 Accounting, Administrative Management Technology, Culinary Arts, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Records Coding, Information Systems Technology, Management, Technical Studies and Welding students should go to Business Science room 268.

Math, Science and Health Technology students should go to Business Science room 320.

Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, General Studies, Early Childhood Development, Human Services and Wellness students should go to Business Science room 306.

The Advising/Retention Office will be closed on Friday, April 13 however they will be available in the labs listed above to assist students. If you have questions about which room you need to go, the front desk in Chapman Hall has a reference list and will be glad to assist.

Eat & Go Food Expo

Wednesday April 11 from noon to 2 p.m. in the Natural Science Center.

• Learn quick and healthy meals
• Demonstrated food and knife safety tips
• Food samples and take home recipes available

Come out and enjoy the fun!

Men’s Basketball Recruit Day

Saturday, April 14

2:30 PM in Gymnasium (H100)

Meeting for male students interested in playing on 2012-13 team.

If interested in attending send email to elliott5j@netzero.com.

Help Virginia Western choose a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) topic and have a chance to win an iPod Shuffle!  The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is the primary accreditation agency for school systems, colleges and universities throughout the southeast region of the United States.  Accreditation is a good check on our overall processes.  Students and their families want to be sure that we as a college can provide the education and value that we say we do. 

Virginia Western is currently working on our ten year reaffirmation process with SACS-COC. As part of this process, Virginia Western is designing a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to improve student learning and/or your learning environment, and we need your input and ideas. We have been working diligently this semester to gather ideas for our QEP topic. 

In February, several focus group sessions provided an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to provide their input for a QEP topic. Through the focus groups we found that there were several recurring topics: adjunct faculty training, dual enrollment, distance learning, K-12 partnership, and advising.  Along with these ideas, the campus community presented a total of 18 possibilities for our QEP. 

 We would appreciate your help in choosing a topic for our QEP. Please take a few moments to complete the survey below. Your participation in this survey is an excellent opportunity to provide your input and ideas on what we can do collectively as a college to improve student learning at Virginia Western. Two survey participants will be randomly selected to receive iPod Shuffles.

 We would greatly appreciate your feedback by Monday, April 16th.

 If you have any questions about the QEP or the survey, please contact Sarah Chitwood at schitwood@virginiawestern.edu.

Save the date for Virginia Western’s spring Transfer Fair!

When: Wednesday, April 25th, 10 am- 1 pm
Where: Courtyard between of Chapman and Duncan Hall

Visiting schools:
Averett University
Bluefield College
Ferrum College
Hollins University
Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Liberty University
Lynchburg College
Mary Baldwin College
ODU at VWCC
Radford University
Randolph College
Regent University
Roanoke College

Questions?- email rkraemer@virginiawestern.edu

• Graduation Fee Reminder -If you are a spring or summer graduation applicant and have not paid your $15.00 graduation fee, please do so as soon as possible in the Cashier’s Office, located in Chapman Hall.  After you have paid the fee, please bring your receipt to the Records Office.
• Graduation Video – The next shoot will be held on Thursday, April 12^th, 5-7 p.m. in M228, April 20^th during Spring Fling and April 25^th during Cap & Gown Pick-Up. Please email Publicrelations@virginiawestern.edu to sign up or with questions.
• Cap & Gown Pick-Up – April 25^th, Natural Science Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food, prizes, and graduation instructions.
• Commencement Name Pronouncement – Call 857-6699 to make sure your name is pronounced correctly at Commencement.

Since most grant programs (except the Pell Grant) have limited funding, the date of application is a critical factor. An application can be submitted as early as January 1 (e.g., January 1, 2012, for the 2012-2013 academic year). Primary consideration is given to those students whose applications are received and processed by the below dates.

• Summer 2012 - All paperwork is due by April 23rd (must complete 2011-2012 FAFSA)
• Fall 2012 - All paperwork is due by June 22nd (must complete 2012-2013 FAFSA)

Please submit your financial aid application materials as early as possible. Students who have submitted all material required by the Financial Aid Office by the priority date will have their financial aid packaged by the tuition deadline.

Material received after the deadline will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, even if you are able to receive support, it likely will be provided on a retroactive basis after you already have enrolled in and paid for your courses.

Financial Aid information will be sent via your Virginia Western email account. Please check your email daily. You can also track your aid package through your MYVWCC account. Contact the Financial Aid Office at 857-7331.