Dr. Alan Harris Paul D. Camp Community College P.O. Box 500 271 Kenyon Road Suffolk, VA 23434 Telephone: 757-925-6306 Fax: 757.925.6371 Email: aharris@pdc.edu

John F. Kennedy once said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental source.” The work that is done by Virginia Community College System (VCCS) employees makes a huge impact, on the individuals that we help and our communities, but also to the progress of our nation. The number of people affected by our work is staggering. According to the highlights about VCCS on its webpage, three out of five of Virginia’s public undergraduates were enrolled in Virginia’s Community Colleges in fall 2008. Currently, over a quarter of a million students are enrolled in Virginia’s Community Colleges. Partnering with VCCS, the Virginia Community College Association (VCCA) strives to meet the professional needs of those within VCCS and provide leadership opportunities.

What is VCCA? The VCCA is an organization of like-minded individuals who believe in the value of higher education and the value that an educated populace brings to their colleges, communities, and to the state as a whole. VCCA is the only organization within the Virginia Community College System that is open to anyone who shares in the commitment to the community colleges: administrators, faculty, classified staff, part-time employees, students, or friends of Virginia’s community colleges. Nowhere else can employees gather with others who believe as you do, who believe in the mission of the community colleges in Virginia, and who seek to gain new perspectives in their professional development. VCCA is the longest serving professional development venue in our 43-year history.

How does VCCA benefit me? First, our association offers some of the finest state conferences available, rated outstanding by attendees year after year. Second, we offer grants for many professional development opportunities across the state. Third, we have formal commissions that address concerns throughout our colleges that include Faculty/Instructional Affairs, Learning Resources, Student Services, Public Relations and Publications, Support Staff, and Black Concerns. Some of these commissions are supported in having their own conferences, such as, the Black Concerns Conference and the Support Staff Commission Summer Workshop. Fourth, with such a diverse array of professionals representing all components of the college, we offer unique opportunities to share, network, and work together to contribute to our college and communities. Fifth, we provide the opportunity to recognize and honor achievement through our faculty and classified showcase and media awards. Last, is the opportunity for personal renewal.

We are all impacted by our national and state budget crisis. With burgeoning enrollments coupled with downsizing and the shifting of job responsibilities, the need for personal renewal should be among our strategies to guard against burnout. Will it be possible for our colleges to fiscally support as many or any members to our conference this year? For many of us, the answer to that question remains to be seen.

But, I want you to know that our chancellor, Dr. Glenn DuBois, supports our mission and has communicated his support of VCCA to the college presidents. The executive committee is working diligently to provide the same quality personal and professional development opportunities that our members have come to expect. Plans are in full swing for our twenty-eighth annual conference, which will be held September 30 - October 2nd at the beautiful Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel and Waterfront Conference Center, featuring the best speakers, presenters, vendors and venue that we can provide. Take a few minutes to take an e- tour of the hotel by going to: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/orfpt-renaissance-portsmouth-hotel-and-waterfront-conference-center/ . We have also included information about the quaint, historic seaport city of Portsmouth in the newsletter. Mark your calendar and plan to join us!

One of the ways that you can help us is by joining or renewing your membership in the VCCA. If you are not familiar with the organization, each college has a point of contact that you can go to find out more about us. You can visit our website at http://www.vccaedu.org/ and see highlights from past conferences, an electronic copy of Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, grant proposal forms, and the like. Dues are still only $15; the cost has not been increased in over fifteen years! So, when your campus contact person comes knocking at your door please join. We need your membership, your support and your participation.

Look forward to seeing you on September 30th in Portsmouth!

Alan M. Harris, EdD, President
Virginia Community Colleges Association

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