LFCC officially becomes Laurel Ridge
Lord Fairfax Community College officially became Laurel Ridge Community College.
Small ceremonies at its campuses in Middletown, Fauquier and Page County marked the name change.
In July of 2021, the State Board for Community Colleges approved the name Laurel Ridge.
This followed the boards decision to review the suitability of their name at all colleges in Virginia Community College System.
College Board Chair Michael Wenger said at the Page County naming ceremony, “The past year, they have been building the foundation, not for an ending, but a beginning, and it starts right away.”
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LFCC celebrates 51st commencement
Lord Fairfax Community College, soon to be Laurel Ridge, is celebrating its 51st commencement ceremony this weekend.
This is the school’s first in person ceremony since 2019 after two years of virtual commencements.
The class of 2022 will graduate with roughly 1000 members from the surrounding counties.
Frederick County is home to 228 members of the class, followed by Fauquier with 166, Winchester with 116 and Shenandoah County at 104.
The ceremony for health professions was held Friday.
The rest of the class will have their ceremony Saturday at 11 am.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
LFCC creates engineering program
Lord Fairfax Community College is creating a new associate of science degree in engineering.
Previously, students with engineering aspirations pursued an associate of science degree with a specialization in engineering.
The new degree will provide more clarity to students in the field as well as to the four year institutions where they will transfer.
The first year of the program will feature foundational classes on a variety of engineering aspects.
The second year will allow students to choose electives based on their interested discipline.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Spring Follies return to LFCC
The Spring Follies are back at Lord Fairfax Community College!
This year’s theme is the 60’s and will feature comedy skits, great music, and local talent.
Directing the program is the area’s own Russell Rinker, formerly of the Blue Man Group and numerous theatrical performances.
There will be performances at 2 pm and 7 pm today and 2 pm and 6 pm tomorrow with $5 admission at the door.
This year’s Follies will be held in the Corron Center.
This provides more space than previous performances in the LFCC Theater, but there will be no pre-show refreshments this year.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Career & Internship Fair at Lord Fairfax (becoming Laurel Ridge) Community College
We were on the screen recording for today’s episode of The Valley Today with Sarah Pangle, Career Services Advisor at Lord Fairfax (becoming Laurel Ridge) Community College to talk about the college’s upcoming Career & Internship Fair. Click here to have a listen.
The Career & Internship Fair will be held on Tuesday, March 22 at the Corron Community Development Center from 10am – 3pm. Sarah told us how attendees should prepare for attending the event (resume, wardrobe, small talk) and told us a bit about the types of employers who will be in attendance. While we were recording, another employer signed up bringing the total to 89 across over a dozen different industry sectors such as trades, manufacturing, healthcare, law enforcement, retail, etc.
The event will also feature free resume review services and a session: The 3 Secrets to Landing Your First Dream Job That No One Has Told You!
Registration is not required and the event is free to anyone in our community – being a student is not required.
For more information: lfcc.edu/careerfair
For more information about career services: lfcc.edu/careerservices
LFCC enters Amazon’s Career Choice Program
Lord Fairfax Community College and Amazon are partnering together with Amazon’s Career Choice Program.
This initiative provides full tuition to hourly employees to pursue a college education.
Eligible employees will be able to take any class offered at LFCC.
Amazon selected Lord Fairfax through a rigorous process due to their focus on helping employees with education programs, job placement, and the overall quality of education which leads to career success.
This initiative by Amazon is part of the company’s investment of $1.2 billion to upskill their employees by 2025.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Rotz Pharmacy partners with LFCC
Rotz Pharmacy and Lord Fairfax Community College are partnering together again, this time with a $25,000 donation to the LFCC Educational Fund.
The money will be used to create a scholarship that will be available to students.
Rotz and LFCC recently came together to provide over 5,000 COVID-19 vaccinations at the Middletown Campus.
Those clinics also provided nursing students hands-on learning experiences.
Building on this prior relationship motivated the pharmacy to want to give back.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
LFCC now has nine new scholarships available
An email news release from Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) announced they now have nine new scholarships to offer.
These new scholarships are made possible through donations from individuals, businesses, nonprofits and college employees.
A total of $130,000 worth of scholarship funds have been made possibly by those generous donors.
The new scholarships include:
Axalta Bright Futures Scholarship
As a long-time employer in Front Royal, Axalta is committed to helping local students from diverse backgrounds become the next generation of scientists, engineers, and manufacturers. The company’s scholarship will support students who are enrolled in STEM or trades programs, as well as residents of Warren County, first-generation students, and those with financial need.
Beltane Scholarship
Kerry and Stephen Kilpatrick are both community college graduates, and Kerry is a librarian at the Fauquier Campus. Their scholarship will support a full- or part-time student, and preference will be given to students with financial need.
Dual Enrollment Scholarship for Fauquier and Rappahannock County
The scholarship will support high school students in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties who are enrolled in college-level courses through LFCC and have financial need.
John R. Rice Memorial Scholarship
Established by the Nerangis Management Corp., this scholarship honors the legacy of John Rice and his 40-year career with McDonald’s. It will support students enrolled at the Middletown Campus who are employed at an eligible McDonald’s restaurant (two in Front Royal and six in Winchester owned by the Nerangis Management Corp.).
Judy Fogle Teacher Education Scholarship
Established by the Virginia Beta Iota Chapter (Winchester) of Alpha Delta Kappa – an international honorary sorority for women educators – this scholarship supports students who are enrolled in LFCC’s education program and plan to pursue an education degree at a four-year college or university.
Navy Federal Credit Union Scholarship
With an operations center in Winchester, NFCU is pleased to support students enrolled at LFCC, particularly those who have demonstrated a commitment to service and leadership, and those with financial need. Additional criteria include a preference for active-duty military, veterans, or military dependents.
Patrick Allen Duff Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Established by LFCC Professor Brent L. Kendrick, this scholarship honors the legacy of Allen Duff, who was an educator and a certified surgical technologist, most recently with Valley Health’s Shenandoah Memorial Hospital. The scholarship will support students enrolled in the health sciences, with preference given to those enrolled in the surgical technologist program.
Physical Therapist Assistant Scholarship
Students enrolled in the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program will benefit from this scholarship, thanks to the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education and the generosity of Page County resident Patricia Dougans. Preference will be given to Page County residents.
William C. “Bill” Daniel (’91) Dual Enrollment Scholarship
The scholarship will support high school students who are enrolled in college-level courses through LFCC and have financial need, with first preference given to Clarke County High School students. Established by Mary Costello Daniel, this scholarship honors Bill Daniel’s service to LFCC on the College Board and his dedication to students throughout his 30-year career in education.
Contact LFCC Foundation Executive Director Liv Heggoy at (540) 868-4091 for more information on these scholarships.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
News Maker LaTasha Do’zia on Selah Theatre production Glory Bea
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit Selah Theatre Project is producing the locally written play Glory Bea a Shenandoah Christmas Story.
The show opens tomorrow night Dec. 10 at Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown through Dec. 12 and again Dec. 17 through the 19.
We spoke to Selah Theatre Project’s Executive Director LaTasha Do’zia about the production in our latest news maker segment.
The good news is brought to you by The Town of Front Royal.
LaTasha tells us how the show is locally written and centers around the 1933 Shenandoah Valley and was a favorite at Wayside Theater.
LaTasha also talks about a great opportunity for the aspiring actor in the family.
It is a great Christmas gift to encourage an actor and is available starting Jan. 4 but you must register by Dec. 28 at Selah Thratre Project Winchester.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
LFCC Workforce Solutions: Career Cafe
Our conversation today centered around job seekers and the unique approach Fauquier County is taking to attract more people to their employers.
Joining us: Guy Curtis – Director of Marketing for Lord Fairfax Community College (becoming Laurel Ridge), Donna Comer – Program Manager at LFCC Workforce Solutions/Fauquier County Economic Development Coordinator, and Marty Bywaters-Baldwin – Director of Workforce Services at Rappahannock Goodwill Industries/Director of Workforce Services at the Virginia Career Works’ Culpeper center.
We learned about the Career Cafe – an unintimidating way to network and talk with local employers – and the important role it plays in Fauquier County connecting job seekers to local businesses. Donna & Marty explained how the cafe came to fruition, it’s goals, and how people can participate. The next event will happen on January 19, 2022.
For more information about Career Cafe, be sure to follow LFCC Workforce on Facebook.
You can reach out directly to Donna here: 540-351-1044 / DComer@lfcc.edu
You can reach out directly to Marty here: 540-847-9238 / marty.baldwin@fredgoodwill.org