Virginia schools are changing with the times

The growing community-college population is getting younger, and more students are transferring to four-year institutions.

As the job market becomes more technologically advanced and service-oriented and jobs become less permanent, community colleges are offering job-specific academic programs and training for more employers and employees.

J. Sargeant Reynolds and John Tyler community colleges and Richard Bland College, a junior college affiliated with the College of William and Mary, are changing with the times.

"Our community colleges, just like those things, are evolving. We will evolve," said Gary L. Rhodes, president of J. Sargeant Reynolds.

One of his changing roles is that of a fundraiser, Rhodes said. He hopes that this year, the college will complete a $15 million campaign that started two years ago.

The college, with campuses in downtown Richmond and Henrico and Goochland counties, has an all-time high enrollment of 19,000.

J. Sargeant Reynolds, in partnership with John Tyler, also serves about 22,000 noncredit students through the Community College Workforce Alliance, Rhodes said.

"To have a healthy community, we need to have a healthy business," he said. "To have healthy businesses, we need to have employees who can perform the work for those companies."

The three colleges have guaranteed-transfer arrangements with a number of state four-year colleges and universities.

"The transfer function has grown and grown, and it is now the fastest growing part of our curriculum," said John Tyler's president, Marshall W. Smith.

John Tyler, with campuses in Chester and Midlothian, has seen a 10 percent increase in enrollment in recent years to 8,600 this past fall, he said. It serves 12,000 to 15,000 noncredit students through the Workforce Alliance.

Richard Bland in Prince George County opened two student residence halls this past fall, which has allowed the school to attract students from a wider area..

"We've been able to recruit statewide: Fredericksburg, Alexandria, the Tidewater area and the Richmond area," said Richard Bland's president, James B. McNeer.

That led to the creation of a campus police department and a medical center, extended hours at the library and cafeteria and more course offerings. Student enrollment increased this fall by about 250 students, to 1,650. McNeer said he attributes the growth to the residence halls and the tough economic times.

"People are staying closer to home, and they're trying to save money," he said.

Richard Bland plans to start building a $20 million Science and Technology Center in April. Planning for more residence halls will also begin soon, McNeer said. In five to 10 years, he expects the school to be serving about 2,500 students, he said.

John Tyler plans to open a $21 million, 75,000-square-foot expansion next fall at the Midlothian campus.

"I continue to see us getting younger," Smith said. "That's going to have a lot of implications for student life. We'll need more student centers and even athletic services."

In the next decade, Rhodes said, J. Sargeant Reynolds will add a fourth campus in the Varina area, where the college has acquired land. Two parking decks are planned at the Parham Road and downtown campuses. He expects to double the number of students, build a couple of student centers and expand transfer partnerships with universities.

Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or .