New River Community College recently received the Gerald L. Baliles Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative Award from the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education to increase high school and college completion.
The award was created to reduce the number of rural Virginia residents without a high school diploma from one in five to one in 10 and to increase the number of rural Virginia residents with an associate degree, diploma or certificate from 26 percent to 52 percent.
The award is named for Gerald L. Baliles, the 65th governor of Virginia, a native of rural Patrick County who worked to ensure that all Virginians had access to education and training.
The award has provided more than $10 million in direct and matching funding toward achieving these goals. Significant outcomes indicate that the population of the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative region aged 25 and over without a high school degree has decreased by 4.2 percent and those with at least an associate degree has increased by 4.0 percent.
New River Community College will use the award to continue the funding of a student resources specialist staff position. This position is housed in the student services department and provides direct student support by engaging current and future NRCC students as they navigate the college process from consideration to completion.
“This award allows us to continue serving our students through personal support and direct contact,” said NRCC President Pat Huber. “We are always striving to offer the best student support experience possible, and this award helps us to continue to meet the expanding student needs in our local community.”
The NRCC Educational Foundation will provide matching funds through local efforts.
