Summer Spotlights
Summer can offer the ability to plan and reflect on where we have been, what we have accomplished and how to consider moving forward. So, I’m sharing some recent good news and some highlights from different areas of the College for this past grant year.
Grant News!
TRIO! – We were excited to receive notification of the approval of a new 5-year grant cycle for TRIO with word coming in from Department of Education leading up to the 4th of July weekend! Our application had been submitted since last summer, so the good news was definitely worth the wait! Congratulations to the TRIO team, we are excited to see your continued efforts to support students in the year ahead.
And For Continued Goodness, Here Are A Few Grant Highlights
Another Shoutout to TRIO – Cheryl Hilton, Project Director shared the highlight of the TRIO year which honors TRIO Graduates. Graduation day is always a highlight made possible by grant funding. From listening to TRIO graduates share their inspiring stories of perseverance, support, and gratitude during the morning brunch to watching them cross the stage in the evening wearing their regalia and TRIO Scholars stole, nothing compares to the significance of this day. TRIO had a total of 59 graduates for the Class of ’25 (Fall Graduates -17, Spring Graduates – 27 and Summer Graduates – 15)
Earn to Learn – Kelley Pennell and Whitney Bowles have led the effort to collaborate with Carilion Clinic, with the support of Virginia Department of Health funding to offer nursing students the opportunity to have a paid clinical experience, mentored by a Carilion nurse, that reinforces the nursing student’s ability to be “practice ready” by graduation. This spring 5 nursing students participated in a pilot and of those students, 4 of the 5 are now employed by Carilion, working in the facility in which they had their Earn to Learn experience. In the fall, 23 students will have to opportunity to participate as well.
Workforce Hydroponics Courses – Farm Credit of Virginia – Workforce partnered up with STEM and Horticulture to apply for this grant to design and implement two hydroponics courses with equipment funded through the grant. Intro to Hydroponics and Advanced Intro to Hydroponics Workforce classes are now being offered with the funds utilized to build complete tent setups with hydroponic systems, providing students with hands-on experience in controlled environment agriculture. The intro course was offered in the spring, so look out for offerings in fall 2025. (Reach out to Bryan Walke for more info)
Student Credential Attainment – The Educational Foundation was offered an invitation to apply to the Advance Auto Parts Foundation 10for10 project, for one of ten $10,000 grants within the Roanoke and the NC Triangle area to support workforce readiness. The Foundation applied for, and was selected for funding to support students who were about to finish their education but needed additional support to finalize their credentials and certification exams. (Reach out to the Foundation for more info)
Joint Ventures Model – VFCCE and HCA Healthcare Foundation- Through the HCA Healthcare Foundation, initial funding was awarded to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) to identify and propose support for VCCS colleges, aiming to increase opportunities and access to healthcare careers for underserved populations, secure a future workforce, and elevate the healthcare industry. Virginia Western, utilizing our historical knowledge of joint-venture educational partnership delivery, is developing a toolkit for our VCCS sister colleges interested in such educational opportunities. Joint ventures offer a strategic pathway for community colleges to collaborate with one another to enhance programmatic, educational, and workforce opportunities. This toolkit will provide a comprehensive overview for colleges to pool resources, expertise, and networks to develop and sustain healthcare programs that meet the needs of their service regions. (Reach out to Marty Sullivan or Leah Savelyev for more info)
Such great work! I wish I had the ability to highlight everyone!
In the coming year, I will plan to share more spotlight moments as well as new and developing projects. Looking forward to continued work with you.
Shelley
Shelley Lyons
Administrative Officer for Grants Administration
Fishburn Hall, F204
540-857-6084
slyons@virigniawestern.edu
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.