When Vance-Granville Community College students step onto its Vance County campus this August, they will be continuing a tradition that began 50 years ago this week.
The institution originally known as Vance County Technical Institute (VCTI) was officially established by the NC General Assembly in September 1969, but establishment did not automatically come with a place to call home. The VCTI Board of Trustees quickly secured use of the old Maria Parham Hospital building in downtown Henderson, but even as VCTI classes started at that facility in 1970, it was apparent that student demand would soon outgrow the space.
By December 1971—just four months after VCTI held its first complete graduation—the VCTI Board already had architectural renderings for a permanent campus. By 1972, the Granville County and Vance County Boards of Commissioners had formed a joint plan to fund and build the four-building campus. By 1974, developers were breaking ground at the site off Poplar Creek Road. Even through economic challenges of the time, construction continued. The institution was ready to open the doors of its first permanent campus by the fall of 1976, complete with a new name that reflected its foundation of regional collaboration.
Vance-Granville Community College has come a long way since August 1976: from just four buildings on one plot of land, to nearly 20 buildings across four counties and new expansion projects on the horizon. As the College reflects on its history, we remember the many individuals and organizations of our surrounding communities who have supported our growth over the last half century. You are a crucial part of our story even if you have never been one of our students—thank you. Let’s keep building the future together!
Note: Additional history concerning the establishment of the College and its four campuses may be found in the book Vance-Granville Community College: The First Thirty Years (1999), written by Jan Pogue and developed/produced by Bookhouse Group, Inc. For more information about the book, contact VGCC Library Services.
