Photo: Fredericksburg Christian Schools
The Fredericksburg Region’s reputation for standardized test scores above the national average is a great lure for both business and families. Excellent public and private schools contribute to a high quality of life and prepare students for the future. Educators and administrators routinely win praise for creating challenging learning environments and spurring students to reach their potential. Newcomers are also attracted to the region’s diverse selection of colleges that offer affordable tuition, credit and noncredit courses, online distance learning and flexible class schedules. These colleges prepare traditional students and working adults for the specific needs of the workplace. The University of Mary Washington is a coeducational public institution with an undergraduate residential campus in Fredericksburg and a second campus in Stafford County. Last year, a third campus opened at Dahlgren to serve as a center of development for educational and research partnerships between the U.S. Navy, educational institutions and area employers.
www.fredericksburgchamber.org
Growth abounds on the main campus, where ground recently was broken for the new Information and Technology Convergence Center. UMW is also increasingly a driver of the area’s
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Photo: The Free Lance-Star
associate degrees, certificates, occupational-technical programs and college transfer programs.
Photo: University of Mary Washington
economy, as evidenced by Eagle Village, a mixed-use facility that includes restaurants, shops, office space, dormitories and a parking garage. Construction is now underway on a 93suite Hyatt Place Hotel at Eagle Village. The university, with a total enrollment of more than 5,000 students, is known for its commitment to academic excellence, a strong undergraduate liberal arts program and a dedication to lifelong learning and professional development. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly listed UMW as among the best values for a school of its size. In addition to its traditional four-year degree programs, the university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates for working adults at its College of Graduate and Professional Studies. Germanna Community College, one of the fastest-growing community colleges in Virginia, serves more than 11,000 credit and non-credit students annually at its Fredericksburg, Locust Grove and Stafford campuses. Germanna offers
A fourth location, Germanna’s Center for Advanced Technology, offers both credit and non-credit classes. It also provides workforce and development instruction and technology training. The center features a multi-purpose hall that seats up to 750 people; an executive conference center and an advanced manufacturing lab that is designed to host training activities for business and industry. Germanna is one of three community colleges in the state selected to pilot the Commonwealth Nursing Program that combines online course work with laboratory and clinical experience. The program allows students to earn an associate in applied science degree in preparation for the national licensing exam for registered nurses. Other post-secondary educational institutions with a presence in the Fredericksburg Region include University of Maryland University College, a comprehensive virtual university that focuses on the unique educational and professional development needs of adult students; National University, which offers classes at Marine Corps Base Quantico; and Old Dominion University, which offers various degrees through Teletechnet at Germanna.
Photo: City of Fredericksburg Dept. of Economic Dev.