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VGCC Talks Scholarships, Joint Programs, Admissions With High School Counselors

Vance-Granville Community College’s Counseling Services hosted counselors and other school officials from the four counties the college serves for an annual information session and lunch Oct. 25.

During the session, representatives of high schools in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties were reminded by Gene Purvis, dean of Student Services, that the college gives each school $500 scholarships to award to graduating students. He also reminded them that every graduate in the top 20 percent of their graduating classes is guaranteed a $1,000 scholarship from the VGCC Endowment Fund and Scholarship Program.

Purvis told the counselors how to nominate their students for the $1,000 grants.

Vanessa Jones, dean of Student Development and Advancement Services, discussed cooperative programs and dual enrollment programs in which high school students also attend Vance-Granville Community College for credit. Jones also discussed placement testing and who is required to take the tests.

Counselor Beth Brockhaus also talked about placement tests when she discussed new admissions requirements that have been mandated by the state for community colleges. High school graduates now must score at least 500 on math and 500 on the reading portion of the SAT or they are required to take placement tests for VGCC, she said. For those taking the ACT, the minimum score is 19.

If candidates do not score at a certain level on the community college placement tests, they have to take remediation classes, Brockhaus said. Most of those falling in this category are not recent high school graduates, but are older students returning to school after several years, she added.

Maria Bailey, counselor for health and pre-health programs, told the counselors that these programs are jammed at VGCC. Five years ago, there were 125 students vying FOR 100 slots in four health programs, but that number of applicants has now soared to about 1,500, she said.

To help accommodate this demand, Bailey said the college is considering a night program for Associate Degree Nursing. If this is adopted, classes will be held at night during the week when classrooms are free, and clinical practice will be on weekends when the hospitals have openings. She emphasized that students entering health programs need chemistry and biology.

The program closed with the viewing of a video about one of VGCC’s vocational programs. Videos have been produced for all the college’s seven vocational programs, and they will be distributed to high school counselors to show to students who express interest in these fields.

Representing Granville County at the Counselor’s Meeting at Vance-Granville Community College Oct. 25 were, front, from left: Darren Small, counselor, J.F. Webb High School, Webb Principal Roy Winslow, and South Granville High School Principal Harold Carver. On the back row, from left, are J.F. Webb counselors Robert Ayers and Karen Williams, and Darwin Howard, Granville County Schools workforce development coordinator.