Since 2022, Virginia Western Community College President Dr. Robert H. Sandel has invited leaders of nonprofit groups in Northwest Roanoke to a series of outreach breakfasts where they explore a shared mission of improving lives through education. At the most recent breakfast, held Feb. 8, 2025, at the College’s Hall Associates Career Center, the group thanked Dr. Sandel for initiating this outreach.
“Dr. Sandel had a vision that every person in every community would have the opportunity to learn a skill, get a certificate or a degree,” said Kenneth J. Belton, a Virginia Western Educational Foundation board member who co-hosted the outreach breakfasts. “These community organizations have partnered with you and Virginia Western to help us execute that vision.”
About 30 nonprofit leaders and College staff gathered at the Feb. 8 breakfast with a focus on the student support services that Virginia Western offers its students. Speakers included the College’s Student Behavior Advocate, Kim Stafford, who addressed the increasing mental health challenges facing today’s post-COVID student population, and Hillary Holland, who leads the Office of Disability Services and serves as a guide for students seeking accommodations as they learn.
Leaders at prior outreach breakfasts suggested that Virginia Western connect with potential enrollees earlier in their educational career, instead of waiting until their junior or senior high school years. With that in mind, Roanoke City CCAP Success Coach Frank Tyree and College Recruiter Paige Miller last fall started visiting eighth-grade classrooms in Roanoke as part a new middle-school outreach initiative. At the Feb. 8 breakfast, Tyree and Miller detailed their school visits and career exploration activities.
“I’m so proud of the collaboration and shared commitment that has grown from these outreach efforts,” said Bernadette Battle, Vice President of Student Affairs. “When we come together with open minds and a common purpose, we create meaningful opportunities for our students and strengthen our entire community. It’s through these partnerships that we turn vision into action and make a lasting difference in people’s lives.”
Another outcome of the outreach breakfasts was the College’s involvement in the Roanoke EnVision Center, which opened in late 2022 across from Lansdowne Park, the city’s largest public housing development, and operates as a free one-stop community resource center for career counseling, resume development, mental health, financial literacy and education. Last fall, Virginia Western offered its first Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) classes on-site, with financial aid support from the state’s FastForward, G3 and Fantic programs.
Program Coordinator Brittany Boltinghouse told the breakfast attendees that the CMAA students had a 90 percent certification rate in the class. Positions with this certification typically start at $14 an hour. Six of the 10 participants were current Roanoke Regional Housing Authority residents.
First-time attendee Eric Beasley, Board President of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, said he appreciated learning about the College’s Great Expectations program, which provides a success coach and financial support for students who were previously in foster care.
“Programs like Great Expectations have the power to transform family trajectories,” Beasley said.
“By combining resources with coaching, it significantly enhances the chances of success for foster youth and adults. Research shows that educating a parent has generational payoffs, improving their children’s and grandchildren’s educational attainment, social mobility and overall well-being.”
Dr. Sandel, who retires in June 2025 after 24 years of service, said he approached the breakfasts as an opportunity to learn about other community resources and to hear feedback about the College, both positive and negative. “I always said, ‘Help us do better. Be honest with us, and let us know how we can help you.’ ”
For more information about Virginia Western’s community outreach initiatives, contact Community Engagement Specialist Jessica Mahuron at (540) 857-7610 or jmahuron@virginiawestern.edu.
