The grants office is excited to report a few projects that were funded over the summer. Congratulations to everyone who helped make these projects happen — grants are definitely a team sport. Below, I have included ways YOU can help students benefit from these programs as well. Don’t assume students know about them already … your guidance could make all the difference. 1. TRIO Student Support Services TRIO Student Support Services (SSS), or TRIO Pathways, is supported by the federal Department of Education (DOE). After a very involved application process, we are thrilled to report our TRIO project has been awarded another $1.6 million grant over five years, starting this September. Each year, TRIO SSS offers 250 eligible students individualized academic advising and coaching; career advising and exploration; financial literacy and financial aid advising; transfer services; tutoring; and cultural enrichment trips and events. Who: The whole TRIO team should be commended for their continued support of students: TRIO Project Director Angela Hairston-Niblett; Academic Success Coaches Cheryl Hilton and Cathrin “Kitty” Walls; and Office Manager Rhonda Campbell-Kay. The program will now report to Lori Baker, Dean of Student Affairs. How you can help: You have the power to help (1) low-income… Continue Reading 3 new grant awards you should know about (and how you can help)Read More
We’ve all been, uurmm, a little busy since March, so you may have forgotten Virginia Western’s Educational Foundation funded another round of Innovation Grants in late spring. The college shared a news release in June, touting these creative projects. Your colleagues deserve a round of applause for their successful proposals, which they submitted just as the pandemic was upending our lives. These grant champions have been given the option to extend their project into 2021-22 due to COVID. Here are the innovators, listed in alphabetical order: Cathy Ferguson, School of CCT: Alleviating Barriers for Adult Learners Through Portfolio Assessment; will help create an innovative and more consistent credit for prior learning program, and some professional development. ($5,000)Matthew Goff, School of STEM: Microscopes and Slides for STEM Center, which will give students more access and time to study for biology lab exams. ($7,242)Cheryl Hilton, TRIO Pathways: VWCC/Northwest Collaborative: United for Impact, which will increase the footprint of VWCC in Northwest Roanoke through collaboration with neighborhood, nonprofits and grassroots organizations which promote health, education and training and community development. ($5,000)Wil Preston, School of CCT: Accelerating the Automotive Technology Pathway, which will expand program capacity and support new automotive course partnerships focused on… Continue Reading A round of applause for our innovative colleagues!Read More
Back in the Before Times, I was planning to blog about some inspiring examples of faculty and staff who excelled at creating communities, where students had a sense of belonging and trust. Our G3 planning grant discussions reinforced that relationships are the “secret sauce” to student success, and I saw specific examples across Virginia Western. My focus was going to be on the PHYSICAL spaces where students just like hanging out together. Examples include our Military Student Center in Webber; the new cybersecurity labs in Business/Science; and the numerous events and trips hosted by our TRIO Pathways coaching team. Of course, all of this changed in March. Many (but certainly not all) of Virginia Western’s classes will be conducted remotely this fall. One of the persistent criticisms of online learning has been the absence of face-to-face interactions that help build a sense of community. In fact, only 12% of community college students reported they preferred online-only instruction in a recent national survey conducted by the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE). Much more popular was in-class only instruction (42%) and hybrid classes (46%). In the same CCCSE survey that asked how they were managing the pandemic, one of the… Continue Reading How do you build relationships in an online world?Read More
About Shelley
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.
Recent Posts
- Have you heard? October 28, 2024
- The Game of Life – Innovation Edition! August 29, 2024
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023