Retired USAF Officer, Motivational Speaker To Address VGCC TRIO Day Celebration
Community College will sponsor a TRIO Day celebration Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the college Civic Center.
TRIO programs are educational opportunity and outreach programs to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve academic success.
Henderson native Paul Lawrence Vann, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, shown at right, will be the keynote speaker for the observance. He now delivers motivational talks on how to succeed, conquering adversity and living one’s dreams. He has worked with numerous major American companies and with Congressional leaders.
Members of the public are invited to join VGCC faculty, staff and students at the TRIO celebration.
In 1986, a Congressional Resolution made it possible for such observances to occur on college campuses wherever a TRIO Program was in operation. TRIO Program students generally must be identified as low-income, first-generation college, or disabled to receive services. TRIO began with three programs: Upward Bound, which emerged out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964; Talent Search, the second outreach program was created as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965; and in 1968, Student Support Services, which was originally known as Special Services for Disadvantaged Students.
Over the years TRIO has expanded to include more services to reach more students. The Higher Education Act Amendment of 1972 added the fourth program entitled, Educational Opportunities Centers, and another amendment in 1986 added the sixth program, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. In 1990, the U.S. Department of Education created the Upward Bound Math/Science Program.
Student Support Services has been in operation at Vance-Granville Community College since 1978. It is currently funded to serve 250 eligible students per year. Since the inception of the program at VGCC, many students have been able to successfully graduate and transfer to four-year colleges or universities through tutorial, counseling, cultural enrichment and other services provided.
The keynote speaker Vann is an acclaimed motivational speaker on topics which include: How to Develop Leadership Skills So That You Can Lead; How to Understand Networking So That You Can Succeed; How to Appreciate Diversity So That You Are An Asset; How to Use Your Gifts To Be Victorious; and How to Conquer Adversity So That You Can Live Your Dreams. Vann served 12 consecutive years at the Pentagon during his military career. Since retirement he has worked with Mobil Oil Company, GTE Mobil Communications, National Data Corporation, United Parcel Services, and U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, First District of Rhode Island. He received certification in Legislative Studies from the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University; a master’s degree in Contracts and Acquisition Management from Florida Institute of Technology; a master’s degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University; and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Shaw University where he graduated with honors. Vann is expected to deliver a dynamic message to encourage students and others to “be the best they can be.”
