VGCC wins national award for online ‘Voyager’ student guide
Vance-Granville Community College’s “ Vanguard Voyager ” student guide has been recognized with an award by the (National Council for Marketing and Public Relations) at the organization’s annual national conference.
The “Vanguard Voyager: Your Guide to Professional and Personal Success” was awarded a Bronze Paragon award at the conference in St. Louis, Missouri, in March.
“For this year's Paragon Awards competition — the only one of its kind that recognizes excellence in communications exclusively among two-year colleges — more than 90 judges from around the country reviewed nearly 1,800 entries,” said Andrea Hanstein, the NCMPR president. Seven of North Carolina’s 58 community colleges won Paragons.
The winning entries, along with all of the national entries, were displayed at the conference.
The Voyager is an online-only guide available to prospective students on the college’s website at vgcc.springerstudios.net/vanguardvoyager . Created as a web tool under VGCC’s Vanguard Vision goal to “provide resources and experiences to empower students and prepare them for work or higher education,” the Voyager is an easy-to-maneuver web tool that provides students with helpful tips on choosing a major, achieving goals and enrolling.
“Vance-Granville created the Voyager to provide a handbook that will help guide potential students to choose the programs that will be most beneficial to them as they pursue their educational and career goals for success in life,” said Dr. Angela Ballentine, VGCC’s vice president of academic and student affairs. “This online tool brings together for the first time the critical information that will help prospects compare our many options for degrees, diplomas and certificates.”
Each of VGCC’s curriculum programs and select continuing education offerings are detailed in the Voyager. Students can find the program options for each program, credentials offered, skills needed, typical job duties and work locations, the personality traits recommended for success in the jobs, salary ranges for jobs in the programs and key contact information.
The online features include colorful flip pages including an auto flip feature and thumbnails of each program for easy accessibility.
Pages can be printed individually or collectively as needed by the prospective students.
Above: Shown from left with the plaque awarded by NCMPR to VGCC for the “Vanguard Voyager” are Dr. Angela Ballentine, VGCC vice president of academic and student affairs; Cynthia Young, dean of arts and sciences ; Beth Gray, publications coordinator for the VGCC Communications department; Angela Gardner-Ragland, dean of business and applied technologies ; and Angela Thomas, dean of health sciences . Gray designed the Voyager from data submitted by VGCC faculty and staff coordinated by the college’s deans under the leadership of Dr. Ballentine. Not pictured: Dale Fey, VGCC dean of continuing education. (VGCC photo)
