Virginia
State Lead Organization & Contact l State Profile l Achieving the Dream Priorities l State Documents
STATE LEAD ORGANIZATION & CONTACT
Virginia Community College System
101 N. 14th Street
Richmond , Virginia 23219
Tel: 804-819-4901
www.vccs.edu
The Virginia Community College System is comprised of 23 colleges on 40 campuses. It was established in 1966 when the state envisioned a system of regional colleges serving every part of the state. The earliest colleges were founded as technical colleges or branch campuses of the University of Virginia or Virginia Polytechnic Institute, but were later brought into the community college system. Between 1966 and 1973, 23 colleges were established across the state. College presidents report directly to the Chancellor, who heads the system and reports to the State Board for Community Colleges. The VCCS provides comprehensive higher education and workforce training, enrolling nearly a third of all postsecondary students in Virginia . In 2001-2002, the system served 235,000 students, and another 127,000 individuals through workforce development services.
State Contacts:
Monty Sullivan
E-mail: msullivan@vccs.edu
STATE PROFILE
A quick overview of state demographics and the state higher education system.
(View Full State Profile 
)
ACHIEVING THE DREAM WORKPLAN PRIORITIES
1. Data and Performance Measurement - Implement the first phase of VCCS enterprise-level data warehouse, begin work on subsequent data marts, and ensure its compatibility with other data sources. Lay foundation for expanding Dateline 2009 to subsequent strategic plan, building on prior work and adding performance standards and additional success measures.
2. Student Success - VCCS will examine placement policies across the system and determine the criteria for a placement instrument, focusing on the needs of the colleges policy discussions will include the potential benefits and implications of making placement policies consistent throughout VCCS.
3. K-12 and Postsecondary Alignment - Collaborate with other education sectors to identify a statewide set of college readiness standards for mathematics and English.
4. Financial Aid - Develop and implement a plan for improving the delivery system for financial aid, finding a balance between system-level processes and institutional processes that would streamline the distribution of student aid.
STATE DOCUMENTS
> STATE WORKPLAN
(View Full State Workplan ) **UPDATED**
> LISTENING TOUR
In 2004, the Futures Project of Brown University led a Policy Listening Tour for Achieving the Dream in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Virginia. In each state, Achieving the Dream representatives met with stakeholders to discuss existing state policies and programs that promote student success and opportunities to advance new policies. The meetings included leaders from community colleges, other educational institutions and systems, state legislative and executive branches, and business and advocacy groups. Besides a summary report 
, the Listening Tour produced statelevel findings for Virginia .
In advance of Listening Tour meetings, each state prepared background materials for attendees. These materials include information on the state’s community college system, descriptions of current (as of 2004) policies and programs related to student success, and information on state data collection and use. Background materials for Virginia coming soon.
> PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH REPORT FOR VIRGINIA
In 2004, a national study examined public perceptions of community colleges and ways to raise the profile of these institutions. It found that Americans have highly favorable attitudes toward community colleges. People value community colleges because they provide opportunity for individuals to better themselves. Yet the public has limited awareness of the struggles community colleges face as they try to meet increasing demands with fewer resources. Besides the national report , the study produced state-level findings for Virginia .
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