Nelson Retires after 35 Years at VGCC
Marsha J. Nelson of Henderson recently retired from Vance-Granville Community College. Nelson’s family joined her VGCC colleagues at a retirement reception at the college’s Civic Center on Dec. 17.
Nelson has been an integral part of VGCC almost since its beginning. In the fall of 1972, she became an instructor in the Secretarial Sciences program, and she later served as head of that program, from 1979 through 1999. Under her leadership, the program, later renamed Office Systems Technology, was a model for others across the state and attracted attention from other states and from Canada. In 1989, Nelson was named Instructor of the Year. She was promoted to Dean of Instruction in 1999 and named Vice President of Instruction by President Randy Parker in 2004. In 2006, Parker selected her as the winner of his second annual Excellence in Leadership award. She became Special Assistant to the President and interim Dean of Arts and Sciences in 2007. Nelson holds a bachelor’s degree in business education from East Carolina University and a master’s degree from North Carolina State University.
At the reception in her honor, Parker thanked Nelson for her dedicated service in various leadership roles at VGCC over the years. “You’ve touched many lives,” Parker told her. Nelson commented that the 35 years had gone by quickly, and that she has had “an incredible experience” being part of the college’s tremendous growth and seeing thousands of students graduate.
When Nelson’s VGCC career began, the school was known as Vance County Technical Institute and was located in a renovated hospital building in downtown Henderson. Nelson said that she and her co-workers “never dreamed we’d see the college grow to where it is today,” including four campuses with state-of-the-art technology. Nelson said she was pleased and honored to have had the opportunity to serve the college.
Above: VGCC President Randy Parker (right) thanks retiring VGCC official Marsha J. Nelson (left) for her service during a reception in her honor in the college’s Civic Center. (VGCC Photo)
