Dr. Marcia Conston, a member of our club, became the sixth permanent president of Tidewater Community College on January 6, 2020. While at her previous post at Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, she was named as one of the most influential women in Charlotte in 2019.

 

Dr. Conston wants TCC to be the first choice for individuals when it comes to education—as preparation for going on to a four-year school or job skills. TCC operates four campuses—Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk and Portsmouth—which in aggregate have 24,000 students.

 

TCC is opening a new 37,000 sq. ft. visual arts and design center in downtown Norfolk on September 21. PDG John Padgett is on the real estate advisory board and was instrumental in helping TCC raise funding for this facility.  Funding real estate projects through the state is very limited. They are also opening Child Development Centers in Portsmouth and Norfolk in the fall of 2023. These centers, which will each serve between 60 and 120 children, are essential to help those with small children either go or teach classes.

 

Workforce training is an important initiative for TCC. Since 1997, they have operated a Job Skills Training Program for low skilled unemployed individuals. Eighty-six percent of the 2000 participants have been placed after graduation. TCC has added WeldNow, an innovative program between Norfolk Works (Norfolk EDA), local shipyards and TCC’s Workforce Solutions Job Sills Training program. In 2022, WeldNow trained 49 welders at Lyon Shipyard and all are currently employed.

 

In an effort to help students facing financial hardships, TCC offers several programs including emergency assistance funds, and the Food to Finish Program which for those committed to completing their education, TCC will provide 30 pounds of food weekly during the school semesters. TCC also interfaces with various community resources to address the needs of its students including TimelyCare, a free mental health resource.

 

The Commonwealth of Virginia provides the majority of the funding based upon the FTEs enrolled. The municipalities provide additional funding. They get little help from their workforce development initiatives.

 

A donation to Rotary’s Polio Plus initiative will be made in honor of Dr. Conston’s talk.

 

 

We had two visitors today including Tom Ambler’s prospective member, Commander Chris Flannagan who has recently taken over the reins of the local Salvation Army. LauraBeth DeHority brought her son, Chris.

 

There is still time to sign up to play golf and attend the social at the Rotary Golf Tournament. The final day to sign up is Thursday, September 7.  The committee is looking for additional auction items and teams to play.

 

Happy Bucks: Today’s Happy Bucks are being sent to District 5000 (Hawaii) in response to the devastation of Maui by wildfires. If you would like to support the recovery efforts through Rotary, contributions can be sent to the Maui Fires Relief Fund.