VGCC celebrates 45th Anniversary
Vance-Granville Community College students, faculty and staff held a 45th anniversary party on Sept. 4, in the student lounge on the college’s Main Campus. The original charter for the college, then known as Vance County Technical Institute, was issued by the State Board of Education on Sept. 4, 1969, following authorization by the N.C. General Assembly earlier that year.
As recordings of some of the most popular music of 1969 played in the background, members of the college community enjoyed refreshments that included birthday cake, cupcakes and punch, all in the school colors, green and gold.
Attendees were welcomed by VGCC Vice President of Finance & Operations Steve Graham of Oxford, who is also a graduate of the college. Graham noted how far the institution had come over the past 45 years, thanks in part to leadership and support from the four counties served by VGCC. Meanwhile, another alumna of the college, Vance-Granville instructor and Quality Enhancement Plan coordinator Amy O’Geary of Henderson, cut the first piece of cake.
“This anniversary offers us a chance to reflect on the strong foundation that Vance-Granville Community College students, faculty, staff and leaders have built over the past 45 years,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of the college. “Their vision and their accomplishments, along with the support and engagement of our community partners, inspire us to imagine the opportunities we will have in the future to serve our students and our entire region.”
VGCC has grown from a single campus — in the renovated former Maria Parham Hospital building on Chestnut Street in Henderson — to a four-county college serving thousands of students at four campuses and online. Main Campus , located in Vance County midway between Henderson and Oxford, opened in 1976, just as the state legislature granted the school the status of a community college. VGCC’s South Campus , located between Butner and Creedmoor in Granville County, was established in 1982 before a permanent facility was built in 1988. The Warren County Campus also opened in 1988, in Warrenton. Finally, the Franklin County Campus began in 1991 at a location in Louisburg before moving to its permanent location in 1998. The college’s official mission statement , adopted in 2013, reads: “Vance-Granville Community College educates, inspires, and supports a diverse community of learners to achieve professional and personal success.”
See also: VGCC History
Above: From left (in foreground), VGCC students Tonya Parrish of Henderson and Ambrianna Winston of Warrenton serve “birthday” cake during the college’s 45th anniversary celebration. Parrish is a College Transfer student, while Winston is enrolled in the Office Administration program. Both work part-time for the college through the Work-Study program. (VGCC photo)
See a few more photos on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancegranvillecc/sets/72157647263923675/
