Dr. Robert H. Sandel, fourth president of Virginia Western Community College, announced Monday that he will retire on June 30, 2025.
Sandel has guided the institution through remarkable growth since 2001, leaving a thriving college that has seen seven consecutive semesters of enrollment growth as the College has emerged from the pandemic. Virginia Western’s accreditation has been secured for the next decade, and the Virginia Western Educational Foundation’s financial strength has reached an unprecedented level, ensuring student support for years to come.
President, Virginia Western Community College
“My greatest satisfaction has been being part of this faculty and staff, serving our students, and working with the College’s Local Advisory Board and Educational Foundation Board,” said Sandel, who arrived at the decision to retire together with his wife, Jane. “Virginia Western’s excellent team demonstrates the spirit of partnership that will propel the College forward.”
Sandel had a vision for a first-class, state-of-the-art campus, appealing to students and functional for academic programs. In his tenure, Sandel has overseen more than $138 million in new building construction and renovations. This investment has made positive impacts on the local economy, quality of student education and preparation of the region’s workforce.
“When I reflect on Dr. Sandel’s profound impact on our region, I am filled with gratitude. We are truly fortunate to have had his leadership at Virginia Western Community College during this pivotal time. His contributions have made our region a much better place,” said Todd Putney, chairman of Virginia Western’s Local Advisory Board, retired business executive and current chairman of the Rockingham Insurance Group.
“Bobby has a larger-than-life personality that makes you want to join him in championing whatever he is working on. What makes him so unique is that while he is a dynamic, curious and engaging communicator, his ability to follow through and effectively address economic development challenges truly sets him apart. Dr. Sandel is a rare talent, and we are incredibly thankful that he and Jane chose to make the Roanoke Valley their home,” Putney said.
Regional and statewide influence
Sandel is the most tenured president in the Virginia Community College System, with more than nine years as president at Mountain Empire Community College before he became president at Virginia Western. Prior to that, Sandel served more than 20 years in the South Carolina technical college system. His leadership has supported community college education across Virginia.
“During his 23-year presidency, Dr. Bobby Sandel’s visionary leadership has significantly transformed Virginia Western Community College, resulting in more than doubled enrollment and expanded access to higher education,” said Dr. David Doré, chancellor for the Virginia Community College System. “His unwavering commitment to expanding programs and investing in cutting-edge learning facilities will leave an indelible mark on the region, establishing a legacy that will enrich the lives of students and the community for generations. His creation of strong partnerships will guarantee that higher education remains accessible and meaningful for all.”
Chancellor Doré will work with Virginia Western’s Local Advisory Board and Educational Foundation throughout the presidential search process, the details of which will be announced at a later date.
Today, Virginia Western offers more than 100 programs and trainings to meet the region’s workforce needs. As a healthcare-driven region, the College’s array of health profession programs has grown to nine — the third largest among the state’s 23 community colleges.
Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop, community ambassador with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, highlighted the wide reach of Sandel’s service. “I want to congratulate Dr. Bobby Sandel on an outstanding career and all of his accomplishments and advancements at Virginia Western Community College,” he said. “While I served as president of Jefferson College of Health Sciences (now Radford University Carilion), building on our close friendship and collegial relationships, we were able to achieve a smooth and orderly transition of our Surgical Technology and Physical Therapist Assistant associate degree programs to Virginia Western,” Bishop said. “More recently, I interacted with Dr. Sandel while serving as a member and chair of the State Board for Community Colleges. I was proud and pleased to witness the statewide esteem with which he is held and the high regard for the continuous innovations he was bringing to Virginia Western programming.”
Foundation firmly established for student success
W. Heywood Fralin, chair of Retirement Unlimited, Inc., and co-trustee of the Horace G. Fralin Charitable Trust, serves as a Virginia Western Educational Foundation board member and chair of the Nominating Committee. “Bobby has had a tremendous impact on the economic development of the region. All economic development depends on well-educated employees,” Fralin said. “At Virginia Western Community College, Bobby has ensured that workers are well trained and ready to enter their field of study after graduation. He has worked closely with the high schools in the region to make sure the students are aware of the programs available at Virginia Western, which has led to a steady census of students and qualified graduates.”
When Sandel arrived at Virginia Western, the Educational Foundation operated out of a cubicle with no grants program and only about $1 million in assets under management. Today, the foundation has $34 million in assets under management. The grants office has secured approximately $48 million in grant funding since its inception in 2002 from the Department of Education: Title III Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), TRiO Student Support Services, Department of Labor, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as state, corporate and foundation grants.
Amid the College’s markers of success, Sandel vocally advocates for keeping the focus on students. “We want students to see us as an opportunity to move forward,” Sandel said. Currently, Virginia Western’s Foundation is the number one community college foundation in the state in the value of scholarship support to students. Since its inception, the Community College Access Program, known widely as CCAP, has provided approximately $11.8 million in tuition assistance. That investment has helped alleviate debt for 4,470 students. In addition, CCAP recipients have volunteered 37,000 hours of community service.
Sandel “earned the appreciation of the citizens of Salem by making our community the first school system to implement the CCAP program,” said Forest G. Jones, retired city manager of the City of Salem. “This program has been a great benefit for students throughout the region in seeking an affordable college education.”
Notably, the Educational Foundation has never raised money for a capital project. The naming gifts received by the Foundation are directed toward student assistance.
“It has been such a pleasure serving on the Educational Foundation Board of Directors and seeing firsthand the impact President Sandel has had on Virginia Western Community College,” said Deborah L. Petrine, chair and CEO of Commonwealth Care of Roanoke and chair of the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation Board of Directors.
Petrine noted that some of the Foundation’s most important initiatives are CCAP; student scholarships; a student emergency fund; and the Virginia Western Forward Permanent Endowment Fund: a vision of Dr. Charles W. Steger, Jr. “President Sandel has been steadfast in his support of the Foundation’s efforts. He is a tireless advocate for students, accessibility for all, and providing the support and innovative programs needed to meet faculty and staff needs. He has indeed been a transformative leader of Virginia Western and his legacy will last at the college, in students’ lives, in the region and in the Commonwealth.”
Many of Sandel’s partners in the business community have served the College through the Educational Foundation. “My first contact with Bobby Sandel, and I knew things were going to be different at Virginia Western. His question was, ‘Can I come and speak to the Chamber board? I need to know what the business community needs instead of us telling you what you need,'” said Edwin C. “Ed” Hall, founder of Hall Associates Inc. and former board president of the Virginia Western Educational Foundation and chair of the Scholarship and Foundation Grants Committee.
“Because Dr. Sandel understood what education is supposed to be, for students’ betterment, he inspired me and my family to create the Hall Associates Career Center and Hall Family Center for Business Science and be involved in the College in many different ways. As always, he likes to say, ‘We change people’s lives,'” Hall said.
A wide-reaching legacy
In addition to the extensive renovations to existing buildings, notable on-campus facilities added during Sandel’s tenure include:
- Horace G. and Ann H. Fralin Center for Science and Health Professions
- Maury and Sheila Strauss Family Student Life Center
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building
- College Services building to house campus police and facilities management
- Colonial Avenue streetscape improvements
These accompany significant building projects at off-campus facilities:
- Claude Moore Education Complex at the Roanoke Higher Education Center, home to the Al Pollard Culinary Arts Program
- Greenfield Education & Training Center addition
Additionally, Virginia Western offers programming at the Franklin Center for Advanced Learning & Enterprise in Rocky Mount and the Roanoke EnVision Center in Northwest Roanoke.
Under Sandel’s tenure, Virginia Western has gone beyond the classroom to serve the Roanoke Valley’s changing economy. In 2017, the City of Roanoke received a grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia to open the Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program (RAMP), the region’s first business accelerator. Sandel committed to the effort, with the Foundation running the operations and the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council helping bring in companies.
“RAMP is the first and only accelerator in this region to help startup companies be successful in the initial phases of operation. It is essential for the success of startup companies in our region and would not be in existence without Bobby Sandel,” said Fralin. “At a critical time in RAMP’s early development, it needed a financial sponsor to become operational. Bobby Sandel and Virginia Western stepped up to fill that need, and today, the RAMP accelerator thrives. Bobby is a visionary, and without him this region’s economy would not be where it is today.”
Sandel, a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, was named Roanoke City Citizen of the Year in 2013. He has served on numerous local and state boards including chair of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Pre-K Committee for Smart Beginnings, board president for the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, member of the Friendship Health and Rehabilitation Center’s Board of Trustees, and president of the Board of Trustees for LewisGale Medical Center.
In spring 2024, Dr. Sandel was named to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council Hall of Fame, and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Roanoke College. Sandel is being honored this fall by Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia as the 2024 Laureate in the Southwest Virginia Business Hall of Fame.
Sandel earned his bachelor’s degree from The Citadel, his master’s degree from South Carolina State University, and his doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Sandel’s wife, Jane, is a retired educator. They have four children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Those who have worked with Sandel in the community note the breadth of his accomplishments. Addressing him, Jones said: “Your deeds speak for you far better than anything I can say. You have devoted yourself unselfishly to a host of causes. Your activities have been so extensive it would almost seem one lifetime could not encompass them all. Yet you have found the time and the energy to serve, to work and to lead. In all of my dealings with you, you have always shown patience, tolerance, and common sense, which was needed in your leadership role.”
Sandel’s colleagues at Virginia Western and beyond will long be buoyed by one of his favorite exhortations. “When everyone comes together and nobody cares who gets the credit,” he has said often, “that’s when great things can happen.”
