VGCC names dean to lead new Student Learning and Success Center
As part of a national focus on making sure college students succeed, Vance-Granville Community College is creating a new division, the Student Learning and Success Center, which will focus on helping students reach their educational, personal and career goals. Jennifer M. Johnson of Henderson (pictured above) has been appointed to lead the center in the new position of Dean of Student Learning and Success. A longtime VGCC faculty member, Johnson first joined the college as an Early Childhood instructor in 1999 before being named head of the Early Childhood Associate program in 2003.
The VGCC Student Learning and Success Center will mark a significant change to the way the college operates, according to Johnson, and is part of a nationwide paradigm shift toward “The Completion Agenda.” This national community college movement seeks to create “student success pathways” that can, in the next two decades, double the number of students who complete a certificate or an associate degree, or who transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree. The effort involves collaboration among all college faculty and staff members so that each student sees a clear path through education to a career. “As faculty and staff, we want to foster intense personal connections with all VGCC students, so that they feel that they are not on their own, and they receive motivation, encouragement and assistance all along the way,” Johnson said.
The Student Learning and Success Center incorporates and connects existing college services such as academic advising, counseling, mentoring, career services and tutoring. “The plan is that the new center will be each student’s ‘second stop’ along their educational journey,” Johnson explained. “They will apply for admission and financial aid first, and then go to the center to be advised. We will ask each student, ‘Why are you here? What is your ultimate goal? Is it employment, transferring to a four-year school, or a certificate?’” Johnson said. “We will be there to advise you, the student, from the moment you walk in the door to the moment you walk across the stage at graduation.” Also as part of the center, a “Freshman Experience” course is being designed to guide a student through their first semester successfully. Dr. Angela Ballentine, VGCC’s interim president, said that she was excited about the new model represented by the Student Learning and Success Center. “Under Jennifer’s leadership, this new center will contribute to students being more successful and completing their programs of study,” Ballentine said. “This will take VGCC’s tradition of being student-friendly to a whole new level and set us apart as a college that is leading the way into the future of higher education.”
Johnson earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s in Special Education from UNC-Charlotte. She taught in public and private elementary schools before joining the community college system. Johnson is the author of three books and several supplements for educators, and has served as president of the N.C. Community College Childhood Educators group. Then-VGCC president Randy Parker presented her with a President’s Leadership Award in 2008. In 2010, Johnson served on a VGCC task force appointed to take a critical look at the college’s student advising processes and procedures in the context of student success.
