Here’s a round-up of education briefs around Southwest and Southside. Want more education news? Right now, there’s no full-time education reporter west of Richmond. We’d like to change that. You can help fund us.
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Tech alumnus endows engineering professorship
Virginia Tech alumni Jim Young given $1 milllion to endow a a professorship in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
The professorship will be named for Andrew J. Young, a member of the Class of 1924 who graduated from the electrical engineering program. Young’s father, Andrew J. Young Jr., was a member of the Class of 1955 and a graduate of the civil engineering program. Young’s two daughters, Laura Young Garbett and Caroline Young, and son, Jimmy Young, are Virginia Tech alumni as well.
Young grew up in Richmond, started his career in North Carolina as a research and development engineer for DuPont, then returned to his hometown of Richmond to work as a sales engineer for Trane. Young later owned Riddleberger Brothers, a large mechanical contractor based in Mount Crawford. Riddleberger was acquired by Comfort Systems USA in 2008 but continues to operate under its own name. After leaving Riddleberger, Young has focused on acquiring small, privately held companies and helping them grow. In 2012, he founded Young Capital Partners, and today, he is an investor and managing partner.
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Community School wins national recognition
Community School, a private school in Roanoke County, has announced that it has been named to the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Schools of Distinction program. It is one of only 12 schools worldwide — out of more than 100 who applied — to receive designation in the inaugural year of the program.
Community School was founded in 1971.
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Danville Community College team wins award
Danville Community College’s Center for Organizational Excellence and Data Analytics team has been named the winners of the Catalyst Award for Assessment Practices and Institutional Effectiveness by Anthology.
Founded in 2005, the annual Catalyst Awards recognize and honor innovation and excellence in the Anthology global community of practice, where millions of educators and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology.
The COEDA team is made up of:
- Cory Potter, Director of Institutional Planning, Effectiveness, & Research
- Justin Nichols, Research Analyst and Assessment Coordinator
- Mark Rutledge, Information Systems Specialist
- Tamela Adams, Online Student Coordinator
The COEDA team supports enrollment management, assessment, program review, accreditation, academic planning, and institutional strategic planning at Danville Community College. They respond to internal requests for institutional data as well as requests from state and federal agencies and other external organizations. In addition, COEDA is the home of DCC’s Innovative Ideas Incubator, an initiative to help students, faculty, and staff develop innovative ideas for college improvements.
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Lynchburg establishes scholarship for family members of graduates
The Lynchburg Alumni Association board has established the Lynchburg Legacy Scholarship for family members of University of Lynchburg graduates.
Providing about $2,500 per year, it’s intended “for the benefit of any undergraduate or graduate student of the University of Lynchburg, who has an immediate family member (i.e., parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles) that attended and graduated from the University of Lynchburg/Lynchburg College.”
To date, 14 members of the alumni association board have contributed to the fund through gifts or pledges.
To be eligible for the scholarship, apply for admission using the University’s online application and indicate any family members who graduated from Lynchburg.
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Virginia Tech, JMU and VCU partner to provide greater mental health support to students
On behalf of member institutions of the Virginia Higher Education Procurement Consortium, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, and Virginia Commonwealth University have entered into a system-wide agreement for telehealth and tele-mental health services with TimelyMD. TimelyMD is the leading virtual health and well-being resource for institutions of higher education, according to a release from the schools.
This agreement will bring additional mental health assessment and treatment services to all students at participating colleges and universities at a time when student mental health concerns and needs are increasing across the nation, according to the release. TimelyCare serves as a 24/7 virtual extension of campus counseling center resources.