News

Virginia Peninsula Community College is partnering with Virginia’s Community Colleges (VCCS), the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and Tech For Troops to bring laptops to veterans. Marc Vernon, VPCC’s director of Military and Veteran Services, explained the VCCS and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services joined forces to better serve military members and their families. He noted of 23 VCCS institutions, VPCC is among several to “opt-in” to...

RICHMOND, Va. – In accordance with Section 23.1-307 (D) of the Code of Virginia, the State Board for Community Colleges provides notice that it will consider tuition and mandatory fee increases for Virginia’s Community Colleges, effective fall 2024, at 9 a.m. on May 16, at the Virginia Community College System, System Office, 300 Arboretum Place, Richmond, VA 23236. The State Board will consider mandatory tuition and fee increases of between 1% and 4.9% for undergraduate...

Virginia Peninsula Community College anticipates enrollment growth of more than 7% for the spring 2024 semester. Citing preliminary figures, Jeffrey Bonavita, interim director of Institutional Research at the College, expects the final official count for credit instruction this spring to be nearly 6,260 students, and roughly 3,270 for full-time equivalent students (FTES). The numbers represent more than a 7% increase in headcount and more than a 5% increase in students compared to...

Solid pitching and timely hitting helped the Gators post a 6-3 victory over Caldwell Community College on Friday, March 29, in the opener of a three-game series at War Memorial Stadium. Tyler Stobbs drove in a run in the first inning on a groundout for a 1-0 lead. After the visitors from Hudson, N.C., scored two in the second, Jayden Alvarez put VPCC back in front with a two-run single in the fifth. Caldwell tied the game in the seventh, but the Gators again responded. VPCC took a 4-3 lead on...

The summer work schedule of four nine-hour days Monday through Thursday, and four hours Friday, runs May 20 through Aug. 9. The College will be closed May 27 for Memorial Day, June 19 for Juneteenth, and July 4 for Independence Day. Office hours will be adjusted during the weeks in which these holidays are observed. Summer HOURS of operation, unless otherwise posted, are: Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday 8 - 11:30 a.m.   May 31 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. June 21 8 a.m....

The Gators dropped a single game to Virginia State University and a three-game weekend series to Surry Community College of North Carolina. In a 13-8 loss to VSU on March 20, the Gators cut a six-run deficit to one with two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth. Unfortunately, the visitors responded with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth for the victory. Marco Fernandez had three hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs, and William Bennett had two hits,...

College President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon held anohter inslallment of "Tea with Dr. B" on Wednesday, March 20. Instead of the usually panel discussion led by Dr. Brannon, it was a question-and-answer format faciliated by Student Government Association President Tiye Smith. About 50 people were in attendance, with a handful more participating via Zoom. Dr. Brannon discussed leadership, the direction of the College, artificial intelligence and more.

Virginia Peninsula Community College’s online associate program in computer science is ranked in the top 25 in the country. "It is an honor to be recognized for the hard work and high quality of instruction that goes into making our computer science students successful,” said Scott Stauble, dean of the STEM division at VPCC.  TechGuide, which lists VPCC at No.22, wrote in a press release: “This recognition highlights the excellence of your program and...

Virginia Peninsula Community College unveiled its new athletics website last week. It’s still a work in progress with sports, stories, schedules and stats being added almost every day. The goal is to create a better avenue to inform fans of what is going on with the Gators athletic programs. The company behind the new site, PrestoSports, works with college and athletics organizations throughout the country to provide a sports entertainment platform to engage fans with their favorite...

Empowering others through education is what Dr. Janelle Sokolowich is about. As the associate provost for social mission at Chamberlain University, she has not only excelled in her career but is an advocate for equity and equality in the academic landscape.          “No matter what my role, I always felt I would be the voice of the person who was marginalized, underserved and may have had multiple...

Andres McIntyre was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning when the uniforms for Virginia Peninsula Community College’s new track and field team arrived last week. It wasn’t so much how they looked, although he says they are sharp. It was what they represent, which he stressed to his athletes. “Seeing the jerseys come in is like, ‘Do you all realize? Do you all understand?,’” said McIntyre, who was named track and field/cross...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball team dropped a pair of doubleheaders last week, extending their losing streak to eight games. After their game against Chowan University’s JV team was rained out Feb. 29, the Gators (4-14) lost two games to The Apprentice School on March 1 at War Memorial Stadium. In each game, they were done in by big innings. In the opener, Apprentice scored five runs in the second inning and seven in the fifth for a 12-3 victory. Marco Fernandez...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams suffered losses two days apart, ending their respective seasons. The men’s season wrapped up with an 84-77 loss to Mountain Gateway Community College in the quarterfinals of the Region X tournament Feb. 25-28 at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, N.C. The Gators (7-14), who earned the fifth seed in the tournament, led 48-46 at halftime but couldn’t hang on. The fourth...

When Debra Gaskill wrapped up her journalism career in 2016, she wasn’t done writing. She has loved the craft since childhood. Gaskill enjoyed a rewarding career with stints at several newspapers in her native Ohio and periodic Associated Press assignments. She ultimately became managing editor at the Record-Herald in Washington Court House, Ohio, and the newspaper earned two Associated Press General Excellence awards during her tenure. Taking her talent in another direction made...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball team swept a doubleheader from Monroe College of the Bronx on Sunday, Feb. 18, to run its winning streak to three games. The previous day, the Gators lost 19-15 to Owens Community College before defeating Monroe 13-6. In Saturday’s first game, Caleb Gonzales led the Gators’ offense, going 3 for 3 with a pair of two-run doubles. Jayden Alvarez had three hits and four RBIs, Austin Smith two hits and three RBIs, and Isaiah...

Pam Roberts is taking extra care in preparing the Virginia Peninsula Community College ballroom dance team for its most prestigious event of the season, BAM Jam. “That’s a really big one to end on,” Roberts said of the national competition at the University of Maryland on March 30. With just one dancer returning from last year’s team, the squad doesn’t have much experience. Roberts targeted the Carolina DanceSport Open at North Carolina State...

Virginia Peninsula Community College is pleased to announce a generous contribution of $99,000 from Sentara Health to assist with providing affordable education in health-related fields. The donation from Sentara will be utilized by VPCC to establish the Gators Finish and Forward initiative, the goal of which is to help low socioeconomic students overcome barriers to social mobility in order to achieve academic and career success. “This generous gift from Sentara will directly...