Here’s a roundup of education briefs from around Southwest and Southside:
Roanoke College introduces new logo
Roanoke College has introduced a new logo and updated messaging, which will be rolled out though on-campus signage, merchandise, print publications and a redesigned website that will be completed in late summer.
A new shield logo, the most visible representation of the new branding, is inspired by key elements of the school’s values, history and goals: The dogwood flower represents the Commonwealth of Virginia, the College’s Lutheran heritage and the tree-filled campus, including its designation as a 2019 Tree Campus USA. The school mascot, the maroon-tailed hawk, occupies the lower left quadrant. This is balanced by the founding year and, in the lower right quadrant, a detail of the Administration Building that represents the school’s architecture.
“Yours, Roanoke” is the message at the heart of the new communications. The branding also includes a Roanoke College-themed food truck.
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Firefly Fiber donates to scholarship fund
Firefly Fiber Broadband, a wholly owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, has donated $10,000 to the Roberta I. Harlowe Scholarship, awarded by Virginia Maryland Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, which has provided 998 scholarships totaling $900,000.
The scholarship, named for Roberta Harlowe, the former VMDAEC Scholarship Foundation chair and current vice chair for the board of directors at CVEC, will be awarded in the amount of $2,000 to winning students in the CVEC territory. Firefly’s donation will be matched by CoBank’s Sharing Success program, totaling a contribution of $20,000 to local scholarships for high school students.
Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, based in Nelson County, serves customers in parts of 14 counties from Amherst and Appomattox counties to Louisa County.
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Virginia Tech joins semiconductor network
Micron Technology, Inc. has announced the formation of the Northeast University Semiconductor Network, a partnership focused on collectively developing the next generation of the U.S. semiconductor industry’s workforce. The network will drive foundational and emerging research to increase students’ opportunities for experiential learning across the semiconductor ecosystem.
At an April 10 press conference in Syracuse, New York, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, and Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Sethuraman Panchanathan joined Micron executives as they revealed the new network, which features 21 founding member institutions and includes Virginia Tech.
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Mountain Gateway CC announces commencement speaker
Mountain Gateway Community College will host Commencement Exercises on Friday, May 12, beginning at 7 pm in the Armory on the Clifton Forge campus. The featured speaker will be Dr. Devan Nicely of Lexington, who is being honored as this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. Student speaker will be Rachel Anne Madeline Reyns of Covington, a member of the 2023 MGCC graduating class.
This is the 56th such graduation ceremony for the College, founded in 1962 as the Covington-Clifton Forge Branch of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and later renamed Dabney S. Lancaster Community College when it joined the newly formed Virginia Community College System. The College was renamed in July of 2022, and this will be the first graduation ceremony as Mountain Gateway Community College.
Nicely, a native of Clifton Forge, is a veteran of the US Army and is currently Head Principal at Enderly Heights Elementary School in Buena Vista. Prior to joining the Buena Vista School Division, he was named Teacher of the Year in Roanoke City, where he was an instructor at the Noel C. Taylor Learning Academy, working with disadvantaged and at-risk youth. He then served as Assistant Principal at Mountain View Elementary School in Alleghany County for four years.