Congratulations

Kati Bracken, wife of CJ Bracken, Instructional Technologist, gave birth to their son, Tyler, on Friday December 14. CJ reports that mother and baby are both doing great. Congratulations on the new baby.

Miguel Lechuga, Assistant Professor of Spanish, announced that he has received his doctorate degree from the University of Madrid. Congratulations Doctor Lechuga.

Holiday Message

Virginia wears frost and morning snow
lightly, as if friendly with winter
as wary neighbors are of each other.

The rime turns diamond in the sun.
Our exhalations become winter air.
We feel the deep damp cold despite cloaks.

Like fireplaces on returning indoors
after snowball fights and snowman building,
friendship warms us specially at yearend.

We joy in the fire of good fellowship,
the trust of long years sharing good work,
the knowing of a New Year full of promise.

**********************

To all of our students and stakeholders;

To all of our volunteers, donors, partners and supporters;
To all the faculty and staff who serve Germanna Community College, its students, and its communities:

I wish you and your families the best of holidays, the warmest of good times together, the best of health, and the most meaningful successes in the New Year.

With appreciation for all that you do,
David Sam

Germanna Community College Begins Strategic Planning Process

With a kickoff during the all-college in-service on August 20, Germanna Community College began a strategic planning process that will review and renew its mission, develop a shared vision of what the college needs to be in 2 or 3 decades, develop shared values to guide how we treat students, our community and each other, and develop a set of major strategic initiatives as first big steps.

All full-time faculty, many adjunct faculty, and all full- and part-time employees gathered at Germanna's Daniel Center for Advanced Technology in Culpeper, and began the process during roundtable discussions.

During the fall, members of the communities we serve will be invited to participate in this process through open forums, by-invitation meetings, feedback forms on the college web site, and other communications. Check this blog and the president's page on our internet site for further details.

Samantha Wilson Earns MSN Degree

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Samantha Wilson of Germanna's Nursing faculty for having earned a Master's of Science in Nursing degree from Old Dominion University, graduating this August 2007. Her hard work as a student is equaled only by her hard work as a valued teacher of future nurses.

Germanna Nursing Program Reaccredited

We are proud to celebrate the reaccreditation of Germanna Community College's Nursing program by the National League for Nursing -Accrediting Commission during its July 2007 meeting. GCC's nursing program has been continuously accredited by the NLNAC since 1976. While Germanna's nursing program is certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia and accreditation by NLNAC is not required, continuing accreditation is a hallmark of the quality and success of our program, our faculty, and our students.

According to their web site (http://www.nlnac.org/home.htm), "NLNAC supports the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by the functions of accreditation. Accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality."

Congratulations to our Nursing Program faculty and administration for their dedication, hard work, and quality teaching.

Germanna License Plate

As a newcomer to Virginia, I had to purchase new license plates for my personal vehicle. At the DMV, I noticed that there is a Germanna CC license plate, and ordered one, which is now mounted.

According to the DMV web site, "As a revenue sharing plate $ 15.00 of the $ 25.00 fee is transferred to GERMANNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE after sale of the first 1000 plates."

When it comes time to renew or buy a new license, I encourage you to purchase a Germanna plate. Not only will it provide the college with extra funding, it is a way to say that you are a proud supporter of Germanna Community College.

Greetings

With excitement and a sense of high honor, on March 12, 2007 I join Germanna Community College. This blog will serve as one means of keeping the college internal and external communities informed and involved. It will also serve as a vehicle to celebrate past, present and future accomplishments at the college and of our students. Finally, it will serve as one means for you to comment on and make suggestions about the direction of the college and the things we should celebrate together.

Linda and I move into our new home in Culpeper the week of March 5. We looked at homes from one end of the Germanna service area to the other, and it was hard to choose. We found wonderful communities, friendly people, and lovely homes wherever we looked. We both look forward to joining Germanna and to meeting members of the college faculty and staff and of the local communities.

My plan over the next several months is to make many opportunities for listening and learning: community and college forums, meetings with individuals, informal chats and gatherings. I will seek to get to know as many people as possible. I will ask faculty, staff and students two questions:
1) What are you most proud of about Germanna?
2) If you could change one thing, what would it be?

I will ask members of the communities we serve two similar questions:
1) In what ways is Germanna serving you well?
2) In what ways could Germanna serve you better?

From the answers to these questions and the conversations we have together, we will develop two lists:
1) A list celebrating the best of what we do, the success of our students, good learning and teaching, and the successes of the college.
2) A shared vision and agenda for the future.

Germanna has more than three decades of success in serving its students and local communities. I join with you in celebrating Dr. Frank Turnage's leadership and am honored to succeed him. I look forward to joining with you in continuing our success.