BRCC Community Link Newsletter, Spring 2022

Non Profit Org. U. S. Postage and Fees Paid BRCC

BRCC EDUC ATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.

BRCC Educational Foundation Funds Nursing Excellence

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Spring 2022

Friday Night Al Fresco

pring is here, and it’s the perfect time of year to get outside and dine “al fresco” – in the open air! What could be better than enjoying a gourmet meal for two (or more) made with care by Dayton Tavern & Catering Co. along with a wine pairing from Bluestone Vineyard – all while supporting Blue Ridge Community College? Funds generated from this event will allow the BRCC Educational Foundation to support our students, college and community.

The BRCC Educational Foundation thanks our generous partners for this event:

Title Sponsor

Menu Mini Buttermilk Biscuits with Pimento Cheese & Orange Marmalade Fresh Fruit Oven Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Honey Glazed Fried Chicken Breast Grilled and Marinated Eggplant & Portobello Mushroom with Zucchini and Red Peppers* Creamy Three-Cheese Tortellini Shredded Carrot & Cranberry Salad Peanut Butter Pie Parfait & Chocolate Mousse Pie Parfait Wine Pairing included: Bluestone Vineyard Cabernet Franc or Chardonnay

Diamond Partner

Platinum Partners

Friday, April 29, 2022 Curbside pick-up 5:00–7:00 p.m.

Robert E. Plecker Workforce Center $150 per picnic for two

Gold Partners

Friday Night Al Fresco— A Gourmet Meal-To-Go!

Friday, April 29, 2022 Curbside pick-up, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Robert E. Plecker Workforce Center $150 per picnic for two, reservations required Information & Online Purchase: https://www.brcc.edu/edfound/ friday-night-alfresco

(vegetarian entrée option*)

Save the Date!

Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation, Inc. P. O. Box 80 Weyers Cave, VA 24486 (540) 453-2211 www.brcc.edu/EdFound

Reservations required

Chair Matthias N. Smith , Vice Chair Andrew P. Vanhook, Secretary John A. Downey , Treasurer Cynthia F. Page Karen C. Clark Kenneth S. Cleveland III Steve Elkins

Dinah Gottschalk Bret F. Harrison Larry K. Landes

Mary McDermott Thomas C. Mendez David R. Metz

Paula C. Moore Mary Pavlovskaya Tassie L. Pippert

In partnership with our local hospitals, Augusta Health and Sentara RMH, and other community investors, the BRCC Educational Foundation funded BRCC’s stateof-the-art nursing lab, including the high-fidelity assessment manikins pictured above. These manikins give students the opportunity to hone their nursing and assessment skills prior to working with live patients in a clinical setting. Nursing students are able to talk back and forth with these manikins, feel their pulses, listen to heart and lung sounds, assess all body systems, administer medications to the manikins, and many additional functions aiding in the delivery of high-quality patient care. When COVID-19 limited the students’ time together inperson, virtual assessment and virtual patients were utilized to maintain competency.

The BRCC Educational Foundation also funded additional full-time nursing faculty members; funding additional faculty aided in current faculty retention and also made it possible for students to catch up on missed bedside clinical experiences as a result of COVID-19. In fall 2020 and spring 2021, students were removed from 60% of clinical sites, meaning many fell behind in required clinical hours. With increased staffing, innovative equipment, and virtual assessments, BRCC was able to bring the at-risk students up to date on necessary skills and clinical experiences needed for curriculum requirements and graduation standards.

The meal will be packaged in an insulated bag, ready to warm up and devour immediately, or anytime over the weekend. For more information, contact Sally Jane Conner at (540) 4532203 or conners@brcc.edu. Please visit https://www.brcc.edu/ edfound/friday-night-alfresco for online ordering and payment options, and for our full event partner listing.

Kenneth R. Boward Price A. Boxley Rob W. Cale

new nurses are set to graduate from BRCC’s nursing program in May 2022. Historically, 91.6% of BRCC nursing graduates are employed as Registered Nurses (RNs) within three months of graduation, and 84% of BRCC nursing graduates are employed locally. This means the majority of BRCC nurse graduates provide care to our local community in time of need.

Justin T. Rexrode William M. Saxman Jr. Linnea J. Spradlin

Courtney W. Thompson Pamela K. Ungar Keith J. VanBenschoten

Community Link is an official publication of the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation. It is distributed to friends in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as BRCC faculty and staff, and is published quarterly by the Development Office, Blue Ridge Community College, Weyers Cave, VA 24486. If you have any questions or comments regarding this publication, please contact Angie Glenn, Development Services Coordinator, at (540) 453-2307 or glenna@brcc.edu.

With increased staffing, the nursing program was able to undertake a major curriculum transition and implement it over the past three years. These factors all contributed to 20202021 students achieving an impressive 8.8% jump in scientific literacy scores over 2017-2018 scores. Nursing students now place at the top of the College in overall scientific literacy.

Nursing faculty report that students are applying clinical judgment in the clinincal setting and demostrating critical thinking to the highest level seen in recent years. Plans are in place to begin program expansion in fall 2022, adding 10 additional nursing students this year and increasing that number over the next three years, for a total program expansion from the current 93 enrolled students to approximately 140 combined first and second-year students.

This type of program innovation could not happen without the support of our community. The tangible return on your investment in BRCC is showcased by BRCC nursing faculty and graduates, but extends beyond the college to be felt community-wide.

Investment in the BRCC Educational Foundation helps to improve instructional quality and enhance the learning experience of generations of future BRCC students. From new program development, student scholarship assistance, special equipment purchases, to innovative teaching grants, and much more, your support gives the Educational Foundation the maximum flexibility to respond to changing student, campus, and community needs.

Either directly or indirectly, BRCC has had a positive impact on each and every one of us.

You Can Make a Difference

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lue Ridge Community College is doing everything we can to keep our students on track with their educational plans, and the Foundation is vital to helping make that possible. By investing in the Blue Ridge Fund now, you give the Foundation the flexibility to respond to the College’s needs in a timely and effective manner. To make a gift, please use the enclosed envelope, or scan the QR code above. Thank you for your continued support!

Nuts About Animals

by Sarah Sedwick

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he Wildlife Center of Virginia is a non-profit, animal welfare facility that provides healthcare to wildlife around the state. The Center was opened in 1982, has treated more than 85,000 wild animals, and is open to sharing lessons with children about the importance of animal welfare This year, the Veterinary Technology Club at Blue Ridge Community College teamed up with The Wildlife Center to host a fundraiser.

Alumni Spotlight: BRCC Graduate Ashley Robinson

“Each year, for the holiday season, the Blue Ridge Community College Veterinary Technology Club does a fundraiser for a non-profit organization that supports animal welfare,” explained Gail Foley, a Vet Tech Club Advisor. “Winter is a particularly difficult time for wildlife due to cold temperatures, snow, lack of free-flowing water, and food scarcity. This all adds up to more wildlife needing to be admitted to the wildlife center for care. These animals have no owners looking out for their welfare or paying for their treatments.”

While planning the fundraiser, the Vet Tech Club gathered a “wish list” from the Center that included specific necessities that are crucial to the healthcare the animals.

“They also need lots of native nuts, so the Vet Tech Club got together during our annual bonfire to collect as many nuts as we could,” said Cassi Little, a first-year Veterinary Technology student at BRCC. “The Distance Education Vet Tech Students, who are all over the state, were also gathering up donations and nuts. They also got to have a photoshoot with the donations when they came for one of their in-person labs.”

Since the fundraiser was set-up to run for approximately one month, the Vet Tech Club had plenty of time to encourage students, faculty, and staff to participate.

Cassi noted being able to participate in the fundraiser was a good reminder that wildlife need care too; it’s not just pets who need our help. Overall, the Vet Tech Club was able to raise $3,065 in donations to go towards aiding The Wildlife Center. This included: baby food, office supplies, canned pet food, peanut butter, a storage bin, cleaning supplies, and a blood rocker. As well, the club was able to collect 9 pounds of acorns, 18.2 pounds of hickory nuts, and 60.7 pounds of walnuts.

“The Veterinary Technology Department is extremely proud of each and every one of our students who stepped up during this incredibly busy and stressful time of the semester (end of semester practical exams and written exams) and looked beyond their own circumstances to help other living souls in need who have no voice of their own,” said Gail.

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rawn to helping others and impacting her community, Ashley Robinson’s current position at Open Doors is the perfect fit for her service-minded nature.

The Broadway High School graduate came to BRCC because she felt it was a good local option with “budget friendly” college programs. During her time at Blue Ridge, Ashley had experiences that helped solidify her social work career aspirations. As a member of the Beyond the Blue club (a student organization for Human Services students), she saw “there are many ways that we as students and humans can help others.” And during a unique opportunity to visit the General Assembly with a few fellow students and BRCC President, Dr. John Downey, she was able to advocate for the G3 program (a funding assistance program for eligible students studying in-demand programs) that was implemented last summer.

Ashley graduated from BRCC’s Human Services program in 2021. As a single mother she’s felt the challenges of trying to juggle parenting while being a student, but has also seen her situation in a positive light, “She (her daughter) sees me working hard at my education as well as my dreams and aspirations,” Ashley noted.

Currently, as the Director of Operations at Open Doors, she helps guests at the Harrisonburg homeless shelter identify and connect with community resources. “I’ve heard many stories and I’ve seen their struggles. It’s important that they have folks like our staff to help them,” she said.

There are approximately 60 individuals at the shelter each night. “Being a mother has impacted my career in that I want to be a support system for our guests who likely didn’t grow up with that.

I want to be a positive influence on their lives and empower them to keep going and to work hard for what they want. All of those are things that I’ve learned as a mother.”

Ashley is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work at Mary Baldwin University and says that she continues to “educate myself on advocacy work for vulnerable populations.” She plans to take additional courses in non-profit leadership and grant-writing as she is “excited to be part of the team that will lead Open Doors into their exciting future!”

“I feel like we are making a huge impact in our community and I like that I am a part of that.”

Alumni Spotlight: BRCC Graduate Shajaesza Diggs

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s a lab technician in the Lahondère and Vinauger Labs at Virginia Tech, Staunton native and Blue Ridge Community College graduate, Shajaesza Diggs is pursuing her love of biochemistry through hands-on research of mosquito behavior!

After graduating from VT in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biochemistry, Shajaesza is continuing her studies with a Master of Science in Biochemistry; she also continues her research in the labs at Tech. “I am doing research in the olfactory rhythms of mosquitoes, and I am also running experiments on the activity of mosquitoes during a day and night period,” she said. The purpose of her research is to gain insight into mosquito behavior in terms of disease transmission.

After graduating from Staunton High School, Shajaesza chose BRCC because she “thought it would be a great way to save money and earn college credit for the four-year institution of my choice.”

Shajaesza thrived at BRCC and took advantage of student activities, including the STEM Club and Adventure Club. An outstanding student during her BRCC tenure, she was awarded the Henry C. Clark and Mary Ann B. Clark Endowed Scholarship in 2018-19.

As the STEM Club President, she credits working closely with BRCC professors John Maxfield and Robert Oliver with influencing her decision to pursue a STEM career. “Shajaesza was an excellent president,” said Maxfield.

“She led the club in a variety of activities, including a computercontrolled jack o’lantern, a soldering workshop, and a DNA transformation lab.”

But her involvement at BRCC wasn’t limited to the classroom and club activities; she worked as a peer tutor in the Center for Academic Vision and Excellence (The CAVE), and as a student librarian in the Houff Library.

Shajaesza said that all of these experiences at BRCC “gave me a great foundation and deepened my love for STEM.” She was also quick to acknowledge the support and kindness she experienced during her time at BRCC – from professors, transfer advisor, coworkers and friends.

From BRCC she decided to continue that drive for a STEM career by transferring to Virginia Tech.

“I chose VT because I really loved their Biochemistry program. They are one of the top schools in Virginia for research,” she explained. And she added, “The campus is great, and the people are amazing.”

Congratulations, Dr. Marlena Jarboe!

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r. Marlena Jarboe is currently Dean of Academic Affairs for Blue Ridge Community College. She successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled “The Experiences of LowIncome Student-Parents at a Community College During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic” this past fall and received her doctorate degree from Old Dominion University (ODU). Through her research, she determined that legislators and community college leaders have opportunities to improve support to students who are attempting to attend college and earn a degree while being a parent. Ultimately, the goal is to help student-parents persist and earn a degree. Dr. Jarboe concluded that providing flexible course schedules, increased financial aid, and support services such as childcare and mental health support “can help end the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of student-parents, their families, and our communities.”

Just recently, word was received that Dr. Jarboe has been selected as the recipient of the Community College Leadership and Higher Education Program Dissertation of the Year award for the 2021-22 academic year. She was selected by the faculty to be recognized with this award that celebrates a graduating Ph.D. student whose dissertation research has strong potential to make a substantive impact on the field. Dr. Jarboe will be recognized at ODU’s Hooding Ceremony on May 6, 2022.