VGCC Logistics program produces first graduates
At Vance-Granville Community College’s commencement exercises in May, the class of 2011 included the first three graduates of the Global Logistics Technology degree program in the college’s history. Rodney L. Davis, Jr. of Oxford, Timothy M. Thompson of Garner and Sam Tim Woolard, III of Winterville all completed the program, which started in the fall of 2009 when Walter Martin joined VGCC as director of logistics technology.
Davis and Woolard both worked in logistics jobs and wanted to get a degree in the field in which they were already employed. “I thought since I had been in this field for over 10 years now, I was pretty knowledgeable in this field,” Davis said. “I was wrong. There is so much more involved than I ever imagined. I think I am a much more well-rounded individual in my field now.” Thompson was a truck driver when an injury led to him working for several weeks in his company’s warehouse facility. “As I learned more about the warehouse side of the trucking industry, I enjoyed this part just as much as getting behind the wheel of a truck and going out on the open road,” Thompson said. “I learned the receiving side, what goes into making sure a trailer is loaded with the right materials, and inventory control. So once I had the opportunity to acquire a degree in the GLT field, I jumped at it. I never realized that there is so much knowledge that is needed and that can be obtained in the GLT field until I started the courses.”
As a full-time employee and father of a young child, the fact that VGCC offers so many classes online (including all major logistics courses) appealed to Davis. He took nearly all of his courses online, except for a small number of evening “hybrid” classes, in which students do much of their work online but must also meet several times on-campus. Woolard also took advantage of VGCC’s online offerings, since he lives approximately 100 miles from the college’s main campus. Woolard said that taking classes from a distance did not prevent him from forming good relationships with his fellow students and instructors. “If anything, I actually felt closer to the students than I normally would because of all the online discussion board activities,” he said.
Davis had nothing but praise for his instructor, Walter Martin. “He really goes above and beyond to make sure we understand what we are learning,” Davis said. “He has also helped me out with other situations and has given career-oriented advice. Personally, I think Mr. Martin is what made this program for me!” Woolard added that Martin had encouraged him to continue his education, even though “at first I wasn’t sure if I would even complete this first step by getting my associate’s degree, but now I have been accepted to East Carolina University.” Thompson said that Martin “really takes the time to set the classes up so they are fun and very interesting. You can tell that this is something that he enjoys teaching and he enjoys any interaction he has with his students.”
VGCC offers the two-year associate degree in Global Logistics Technology , as well as certificates and short-term training, through the North Carolina Consortium for Logistics Education (NCCLE), a partnership that also includes Wake Technical Community College and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill. Logisticians are employed by a variety of businesses, especially those that ship goods around the world, with starting salaries averaging $40,000 nationwide, and with available jobs expected to grow nearly 42% by 2018. For more information, call Walter Martin at (252) 738-3259.
Above: From left, Rodney Davis and S. Tim Woolard pose in line as they prepare to become the first Global Logistics Technology graduates at VGCC’s May 13 commencement exercises. Not pictured: graduate Tim Thompson. (Photo by GradImages)
