Educational Foundation Inc.

Investing in New Leadership: LFCC Welcomes its New President – Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy!

On Jan. 12, LFCC welcomed its fourth president, Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy. Dr. Thompson-Stacy joined the Virginia Community College System in 2006 as president of Eastern Shore Community College, after serving as vice president for academic and student affairs at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.  She also held top academic posts at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and at Jefferson Community College in Steubenville, Ohio. LFCC is very excited about the leadership and ideas Dr. Thompson-Stacy will bring to the College!

Thank YOU for a Successful Year! – The Foundation’s Fundraising Activities

The LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. is managed by qualified, professional and ethical board members  and staff; establishes specific criteria for funds and uses all contributions according to donors’ wishes; undergoes a complete and thorough financial audit each year; and has comprehensive, accessible information on the Foundation Web site.

In 2008, 273 generous donors combined to contribute $488,033.70 to the Foundation. These funds will be used for scholarships, academic programs, facilities and professional development. Also, in 2008, 21 new funds were established, eight of which are scholarship funds. Because of the incredible generosity of the Foundation’s donors, 119 students received Foundation scholarships, enabling them to continue their dreams of pursuing a higher education.

LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. Targets Scholarship Fundraising in 2009

In these tough economic times, the Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) Educational Foundation Inc. and its generous donors provide a ray of sunshine to students, faculty and employees by raising funds for academic programs, facility upgrades, equipment, student scholarships and professional development for employees.

As an independent, not-for-profit entity, the Foundation generates support and resources for the College beyond those provided by the commonwealth of Virginia. Indeed, state funds provided only 59 percent of the College's operating budget in 2007-08.

In 2009, the Foundation is targeting its fundraising efforts based on the greatest need. One of those needs is student scholarships. Many LFCC students are struggling financially – more now than ever before – and need all of the financial assistance they can get. Most of the Foundation donors contribute to scholarships, and LFCC students need the funds. Scholarships also directly support the collegewide student recruitment and retention goals.

The need for scholarships is great. Everyone should have the opportunity to realize the power of his or her potential, regardless of financial constraints. Unfortunately, since the fall 2005 semester, nearly 500 current and potential LFCC students were not awarded scholarships, because the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. lacked the funds to award them.

The Foundation is committed to increasing its scholarship fundraising efforts in 2009 and beyond. That’s good news for students and an opportunity for donors to make the greatest impact on students’ lives and livelihoods, as well as spur economic growth and quality of life in our community.

For more information about making a difference through scholarships, please visit http://www.lfccfoundation.org/about/needforscholarships.html and http://www.lfcc.edu/current-students/financial-aid/scholarships/need-for-scholarships/index.html.

“Grant-astic” – Individuals and Businesses Grant Funds to the Foundation

• In July 2008, the Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) Educational Foundation Inc. was awarded a grant of more than $49,000 from the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services. The grant will be used to fund a project to implement a Leadership Challenge course focused on increasing the retention of emergency medical services (EMS) employees in our region. The course will provide quality leadership training to administrative and operating EMS personnel.
• Last year, several local dental professionals contributed funds to benefit LFCC’s Dental Hygiene Program. The funds will provide educational supplies and equipment for use in dental hygiene classes.
• In November 2008, a generous donor contributed funds to print a newspaper advertisement to help increase attendance for the second and third performance dates of “Broadway 101 – A Musical Journey,” the 2008 LFCC dinner theater production. As a result, the number of attendees at Saturday’s performance increased by 200 percent over 2007, and attendance at Sunday’s performance nearly tripled.

You’re Invited! – Upcoming Events at LFCC

• In honor of Black History Month, LFCC will host a guest speaker at both campuses. Former MTV Real World star and diversity consultant, Mohammed Bilal will present “12 Steps Toward Accepting Diversity,” a fun and interactive program that teaches individuals to appreciate diversity in the world around them. Bilal will speak at the Middletown Campus on Feb. 3, 2009, at noon and at the Fauquier Campus on Feb. 4, 2009, at 12:30 p.m.
• The Corron Community Development Center groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Feb. 10, 2009, from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the William H. McCoy Special Events Center, located inside the Alson H. Smith Jr. Technology Center, at LFCC’s Middletown Campus.  This 30,000-gross-square-foot building will be a multi-purpose facility that supports workforce services, continuing education, small business development, college advancement and community events. The facility will also provide additional training opportunities for area residents and the ever-increasing business community in the LFCC service region.

• Lord Fairfax Community College will hold an Academic Open House on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the College’s Middletown Campus. If there is inclement weather on Feb. 21, the event will be held on Feb. 28, 2009.

  The purpose of the Academic Open House is to invite prospective students into the College to meet with discipline faculty, tour the facilities and learn more about the College’s programs of study.  Students will also be provided with information on financial aid and scholarships, New Student Orientations and academic advising. As the College continues its mission of providing high-quality and affordable educational opportunities for area residents, we thank you for your continued support of the College’s scholarship and academic programs! Please come out to the Academic Open House on Feb. 21, 2009, and spread the word to others who would benefit from the experience.

Visit the College’s calendar of events for more event information!

Giving Back – A Community College Invested in its Community

• LFCC’s Luray-Page County Center held a coat and sweater drive that resulted in the donation of more than 50 coats to the Page County Department of Social Services and Choices, a Page County shelter for abused women and children.
• LFCC’s Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education (WSCE) sponsored four adults through Blue Ridge Opportunities, a nonprofit organization that serves adults with disabilities in Warren County and the surrounding area.  WSCE staff held a holiday party for the adults they sponsored and presented them with gifts.
• LFCC employees participated in the Salvation Army’s Stockings for Kids annual campaign. The College provided Christmas stockings to 81 children in the area. Also, in December, members of LFCC’s Office of College Advancement donated their time to the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree campaign to help distribute Christmas gifts to more than 1,100 local needy families.

Investing Made Easy – The Many Ways to Give to the Foundation

Did you know that there are many ways to give to the Foundation, thus investing in the lives of students and the community?

Did you know that you can donate safely and securely online?

Find out more about all the ways to invest in LFCC – from naming opportunities to stock contributions!

If you have any questions, please contact Linnie S. Carter, vice president of college advancement at LFCC and executive director of the Foundation, at lcarter@lfcc.edu or 540-868-4077.

Welcome A-"Board" – New Board Members Prepare to Impact the Community

Following are biographies of the Foundation's newest Board members. Thank you to all Foundation Board members for their dedication and service!

Karen Bucher is a Frederick County resident and serves as the College’s director of enrollment management and registrar. Also, she is a graduate of the College. In addition to the degree she earned from the College, she received a bachelor’s degree from Shenandoah University and a master’s degree from Liberty University. Currently, she is a doctoral student in the Old Dominion University Community College Leadership Program.

James “Jim” Cobb serves on the College Board and Foundation Board and is the liaison between the two entities. Jim lives in Front Royal and retired from Warren County Public Schools as an administrator. He graduated from Clarke County High School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College and received a master’s degree from James Madison University. Jim is involved with several civic organizations, including the Front Royal Kiwanis Club and his church.

Phillip-Justin “PJ” Lewis is an insurance agent with his family-owned business, Lewis & Sons Insurance. PJ lives in Winchester and is a 2001 graduate of LFCC and a 2004 graduate of Old Dominion University. Currently, he serves as the president of the Winchester Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Ronald “Ron” Llewellyn is an entrepreneur, land developer and manufacturer. Also, the Front Royal resident graduated from Randolph Macon Academy and Virginia Tech. He is involved with many community organizations, including the Red Cross, Belle Grove Plantation, Warren Heritage Society, Blue Ridge Arts Council, Warren County Educational Endowment, Samuels Public Library Foundation Board and Warren Memorial Hospital Foundation Board. Also, Ron is a past member of the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Quality Enhancement Plan Seeing Results

LFCC’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to improve critical thinking skills at the College was approved, along with revisions, by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in March 2008.  However, our work to implement and support the plan has been going on since fall 2007, and we are beginning to see results.  In spring 2005, LFCC participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), a nationwide assessment instrument which provides the College with three benchmark scores directly related to critical thinking:  Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort and Academic Challenge.  The survey was given again in spring 2008, and in each of these three areas, LFCC saw significant gains.  Our students report that they are studying more, writing more and, most importantly, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating more.  In other words, they are developing into critical thinkers.

Activities over the next two semesters include supporting innovative instruction through critical thinking mini-grants and promoting critical thinking through campus activities.  Our goal is to see further gains when the CCSSE is administered again in 2011.  With the problems facing the economy, both at the state and national levels, we have a need for creative and critical thinkers.  LFCC’s QEP aims to meet that need.

Questions or comments?  Please contact Miriam Moore, QEP director and associate professor of English and English as a second language, at 540-868-7173 or mmoore2@lfcc.edu.

Make a Difference in the Lives of Students – Teach at LFCC!

LFCC is seeking experienced professionals who would like to teach on a part-time basis. LFCC offers flexible class scheduling, so you can earn extra money when it’s convenient for you! Those with full-time jobs are welcome to teach at LFCC in the evenings. All teaching disciplines are needed. Visit the Employment Opportunities page on LFCC’s Web site to apply or find out more!

An LFCC Student who Inspires – Justin Ritenour

When Justin Ritenour applied to Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) as a teenager, he had already accomplished more than most people twice his age. As a high school freshman, he started Annual Home and Garden, a lawn maintenance and landscaping company in his hometown of Strasburg, Va. By 2008, his business had grown by leaps and bounds, operating at full capacity with a waiting list for potential clients.

Justin’s ambition and determination to succeed apply to other aspects of his life as well. In May 2008, at the age of 19, Justin was elected to the Strasburg Town Council. During the campaign season, he used his youth and idealism to his advantage. “I distinguished myself by using my age and my outlook on how to move Strasburg into the future,” he said. Although he attended numerous local events and knocked on almost every door in town, he says he was still surprised to learn he had been elected. “I remember having to just sit down and breathe,” he recalls, laughing.

As the Council’s youngest member, Justin has great plans for his hometown. He hopes to establish a recycling program and one day help the town build a new water plant.

Along with managing his business and Council duties, Justin is also a full-time student at LFCC, majoring in business. He says he chose LFCC because of its affordability and close proximity to his home. “It’s the closest place to receive a quality education,” he said.

Also, Justin says he enjoys being academically challenged. “It’s a small college, but it has great expectations of its students,” he said.

With tentative plans to graduate in May 2009, Justin knows he’ll be able to use his experience at LFCC to his advantage. “It’s a great starting point if you want to transfer,” he said.

When he has spare time in his busy schedule, Justin enjoys golfing and taking an occasional flying lesson.  In fact, he can already pilot an airplane solo.

With so many different interests, Justin is exploring all the career options in front of him. He even began taking criminology classes at LFCC to broaden his learning experience. “My experience at LFCC is helping me to determine what I want to do in the future,” he said.

LFCC Professors Honored for Exceptional Service

Two former professors were recently designated as professors emeriti by the Lord Fairfax Community College(LFCC) Board for their exceptional service and contributions to the College.

Anne Legge retired from LFCC in 2006 after teaching at the College for almost three decades. A Winchester resident, Legge joined the College in 1978 as a part-time instructor before accepting a full-time position in 1986. During her career, she taught a wide variety of literature and writing courses. In addition to teaching, she served LFCC as chair of the College Professional Development Committee, further adding to the intellectual and professional growth of the College community. Upon her retirement, in honor of her years of service, her colleagues established a literary fund through the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. to benefit the College’s libraries. The Anne Legge Literary Fund augments the library’s budget to purchase literature books to enrich LFCC’s holdings.

Harry G. Papagan joined LFCC in 1988 as a professor of English and later served as the Math, Humanities and Social Sciences team leader. He was repeatedly elected by his peers to the Faculty Council and was LFCC’s representative to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) chancellor’s Faculty Advisory Group. Due to his strong leadership abilities, in 2001, he moved on to become the dean of math, humanities and social sciences, a position he held until his retirement in 2005. While at LFCC, Harry received the B.J. Sager Outstanding Faculty Member Award, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Showcase Award and the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award. He was also an editor for Inquiry, a VCCS publication.

LFCC Professors Conduct Book Signing

In December, LFCC professors Ann and Rob Simpson held a book signing at the Winchester Book Gallery for three of their books: “Shenandoah National Park Simply Beautiful,” “Born Wild in Shenandoah” and “Born Wild in the Smokies.” Ann and Rob have published several photography-based books, many of which focus on the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding areas.

Area Banker Invests in “Great Local Education” at LFCC

The Bank of Clarke County first opened its doors for business in 1881, making it the fifth oldest bank in Virginia, according to bank president John Milleson. Since then, the bank has served Clarke County and surrounding areas in numerous ways, including financially – the bank is a valued LFCC donor.

“Our bank budgets a certain amount at the beginning of the year to spend on contributions and donations,” Milleson said. “We have a philosophy that we like to spread out the money to as many folks as we can.”

The bank also supports organizations such as 4-H, the Future Farmers of America and churches.
“We try to do the best we can for everybody in our communities,” Milleson said.

According to its Web site, in 1935, the Bank of Clarke County merged with Boyce State Bank, creating the bank’s second branch. Since then, the bank has opened nine additional branches in Winchester and Frederick County.

Milleson has been the bank president since June 1999. He is a lifelong Clarke County resident who holds a bachelor of science degree in economics from Bridgewater College and an MBA from Shenandoah University.

Milleson took classes at LFCC in the early 1980s in real estate and computers, both of which he said helped him in his career. A class in real estate law particularly helped him satisfy requirements to get into graduate-level banking school. “It brought me up to speed,” Milleson said.

Describing himself as a “die-hard Clarke County native,” Milleson said he has known many people in the county who have attended and benefited from LFCC.

“I’m a firm believer in great public education, and we’ve [Clarke County] sent a ton of great people to LFCC and had great success with the results,” Milleson said.

Let’s Focus on our Community College – 2007-08 Annual Report

Discover how Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) is focusing on its service region by viewing the 2007-08 LFCC Annual Report. The completely electronic publication showcases outstanding College achievements and poignant student profiles.

This is your community college! Learn about how LFCC is accomplishing Dateline 2009 goals, as outlined by the Virginia Community College System’s strategic plan, and celebrate its many successes.

And the Award Goes to…

Lord Fairfax Community College’s (LFCC) 2009 honoree for the Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy is Bob G. Sowder. This award recognizes outstanding contributions made to the growth and development of Virginia’s community colleges and their respective foundations.

While serving on the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce, real estate developer Bob Sowder and other community leaders were working to open a college center in Warrenton. The problem they faced was a lack of adequate facilities to house such an institution. The search was on to find someone who could afford to donate land or a facility to LFCC to expand into Fauquier County.

Sowder did not immediately think about donating his farm, but one day he saw his barn in a different light. He noticed that each of the stalls had a door on it and was a moderately sized room. He grabbed a tape measure and found the dimensions of the barn to be 60 feet by 100 feet, enough for six rooms.

At the next Chamber meeting, Sowder proposed the gift of his barn and an interest-free loan of $90,000 for renovations. In 1988, Sowder officially donated his barn to LFCC and began working to renovate the building. After pouring his time, energy and money into the renovation of the space, it was completed in the same year and appraised at $437,000, including the 3.5 acres accompanying the gift of the barn.

Sowder negotiated for, and the College was given, 50 more acres when he sold the remainder of his farm to Fauquier County. Then, in 1996, after much advocacy, the Virginia General Assembly appropriated $7.2 million to construct the current 60,000-square-foot classroom and administrative building on the Fauquier Campus. Celebration of the opening of the new campus building occurred three years later in 1999. Without Sowder’s support and contribution, the Fauquier Campus would not have been a reality.

Sowder has continued to monetarily support LFCC throughout the years for a multitude of projects. In total, he has personally contributed $168,132.26. His company, Sowder Enterprises, has donated an additional $20,400.

Because Sowder realized that many students face a lack of financial resources when pursuing a degree, he developed the Bob. G. Sowder Scholarship to address that problem through the disbursement of scholarship funds.

“I believe that you get so much more than you give,” Sowder said. “I meet parents and students who have benefited from the scholarship I established, allowing them to get an education when they might not have been able to otherwise. To have someone come up to you on the street, put their arm around you and thank you for your gift, you can’t get much better than that.”

Without Sowder’s vision and generous donations, LFCC would not be the institution it is today. “My goal in life is to give back. Every little bit can have an impact.”

Recognition of extraordinary leadership across the Commonwealth elevates the significance of private sector investment in students attending Virginia’s community colleges. Individuals eligible for the Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy include current and former foundation board members; community volunteers; and benefactors.  For more information, please visit the Virginia Community College System Web site.

LFCC in the News

Check out the latest issue of LFCC in the News, a monthly electronic compilation of clippings from area newspapers and publications. Find out about the latest College accomplishments and read examples of how LFCC is changing lives!