Ride Along with Reynolds -- September 2023

Ride Along with Reynolds, a series about where the college is heading, who's joining us for the ride, and why it matters for our students and the community.

Transcript

Hi, I’m President Paula Pando, inviting you to Ride Along with Reynolds — a regular update on where the college is heading, who’s joining us for the journey, and why it matters for our students and community.

Reunited — and it feels so good!

Last month, we welcomed faculty and students back to campus for the start of the 2023–24 academic year.

First up were the faculty for a few days of reconnecting, department meetings and putting the finishing touches on class syllabi and lesson plans.

We were especially excited to welcome 17 new faculty members, including seven in business and industrial trades, four in STEM, three in health professions and the college’s first surgical technology instructor, as we stand up a new surgical technology program to meet growing workforce demand in this field.

Students returned in force on Monday, Aug. 21, and filled our classrooms, hallways and common spaces with the energy of a vibrant college. And we love seeing those full parking lots.

This fall, young learners, adult learners and lifelong learners have enrolled in more than 1,100 unique classes at our four campuses and online.

A special hello and welcome to the more than 1,400 new Red Hawks who’ve joined the flock so far this semester.

And how do we know the mark of a new Red Hawk? It’s pretty easy — it’s this way, it’s that way, it’s over here, it’s over there and it’s everywhere!

Here’s to another year of confidence-building, growth and success for our students! In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places we’ll go!”

Speaking of going places, I had the great honor of serving as co-emcee of the Virginia Community College System Chancellor’s Retreat in Roanoke with Virginia Peninsula Community College President Dr. Porter Brannon.

The inspiring and energizing retreat brought together more than 250 leaders from every corner of the commonwealth, where Chancellor Doré outlined his agenda for our system of colleges.

The ambitious agenda includes increased regional collaboration to better meet the needs of businesses in high-demand sectors; ensuring every high school graduate has a meaningful postsecondary credential; and funding what works.

It is a bold agenda — one that promises to position Virginia’s system of community colleges to be the finest in the country.

And speaking of finest, four Reynolds students showed up and showed out in Richmond as greeters at an event honoring the chancellor. Our students mixed and mingled with state board members, delegates, state senators, cabinet secretaries and the governor himself.

And I don’t want to say they stole the show, but Dino, Manuella, Fabiola and Alyssa… you kind of stole the show.

Kicking off the academic year with a bang; a bold new vision for the Virginia Community College System; and our students shining brightly in front of a VIP crowd — I can’t think of a more energizing combination.

Thank you for joining me on this edition of Ride Along with Reynolds. See you next month!