VGCC Third in State for GED, AHS Diplomas

Vance-Granville Community College president Randy Parker recently praised the college’s basic skills/literacy programs for awarding the third-highest number of both GED (General Educational Development) and Adult High School diplomas of any community college in North Carolina. VGCC SAW 524 students complete their GEDs and 116 graduate with an AHS diploma during the 2005-2006 fiscal year. “With a total of 680 people completing the equivalent of a high school diploma, you could say that Vance-Granville had a larger graduating class than the combined high school graduating classes of any single county in our college’s service area,” Parker said.VGCC ranked behind only Central Piedmont Community College and Wake Technical Community College (the state’s two largest community colleges) in the numbers of GEDs and AHS diplomas awarded.Also, the college experienced a remarkable 32 percent growth in enrollment from January through August 2006 over the same period in 2005. “I attribute the growth to quality instruction and quality instructors,” VGCC Director of Basic Skills Sue W. Grissom said. “Our instructors go above and beyond to meet the needs of each particular community in our four-county service area, each one of which is unique.” Grissom also pointed out that recently, Vance-Granville has placed Basic Skills students in traditional classrooms (not unlike the ones they remember from school) until they are ready to study on their own. This “back-to-basics” approach has made a tremendous difference in retention, Grissom said. She also noted that VGCC stresses positive, invitational learning. “We want to create a pleasant, kind environment for our students, because some of them left education due to unpleasant experiences. We not only invite them to finish their GEDs and AHS diplomas, but we also invite them to come back to Vance-Granville for more opportunities. Basic Skills is not a place to stop — it is a springboard to lifelong learning.”On Dec. 18, VGCC held a celebration to honor the Basic Skills staff in the Civic Center on the college’s main campus. Dr. Randy Whitfield, associate vice president of Academic and Student Services for the North Carolina Community College System’s Basic Skills Department, was the keynote speaker. Three VGCC Basic Skills students also spoke, including Paul Giddings of Henderson, who completed his GED at age 69 and is also employed by VGCC as a custodian. Giddings has also been selected to be a part of the community college system’s new Literacy Ambassador program. Julia Thorpe of Henderson, an AHS graduate, and Lisa Kiser of Creedmoor, who completed the GED online, also addressed the audience. The assembled VGCC instructors said that they found the students’ messages inspiring.In addition to Parker and Grissom, VGCC’s Roberta S. Scott, Adult High School Coordinator, Leo Kelly, Dean of Adult Basic Education, and Vanessa Jones, Vice President of Community and Economic Development, also took part in the Dec. 18 program.Both the AHS program and GED classes are offered at all four of VGCC’s campuses. If you are interested in obtaining your GED or high school diploma, or improving your basic skills through online learning, call Grissom at (252) 492-2061, ext. 3315, for more information.Pictured above: Dr. Randy Whitfield of the NC Community College System (left) presents a certificate to Paul Giddings of Henderson in recognition of Giddings becoming Vance-Granville’s first representative in the statewide Literacy Ambassador program. (VGCC Photo)