Ride Along with Reynolds -- October 2024
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.
Join us for the latest episode of “Ride Along With Reynolds” as we celebrate enrollment, retention, and completion milestones not seen in years, stay on the leading edge of using data and analytics, and welcome the community to campus for Hawk Fest!
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.
It’s an incredible time to be at Reynolds Community College, where focused work is leading to outstanding results and impact for our region.
Last month, we came together to celebrate enrollment, retention, and completion milestones not seen in years. Our full-time enrollment numbers and retention rates are at their highest levels since 2017, with our current fall enrollment seeing its highest year-over-year increase in nearly two decades.
Equally important, Reynolds awarded nearly 1,200 credentials this past spring—a 34% increase over 2023—in addition to the nearly 2,000 credentials awarded through CCWA, our workforce development division.
This progress didn’t come without its challenges, but our faculty and staff do the hard work, arm in arm, through the discomfort. Why? Because our North Star truly is about our students—their success, and in turn, our community’s success.
And that success shines through the amazing impact our students have on our region—as nurses, welders, auto technicians, technologists, paramedics, chefs, transfer students who return home after college into strong careers, and many more.
Much of the transformative work we’ve done in recent years has been in partnership with Achieving the Dream—leading the most comprehensive non-governmental reform network for community college student success in the country.
Recently, a group of Reynolds faculty and staff attended the Achieving the Dream Data and Analytics Summit in College Park, Maryland. Together, we explored emerging topics such as the promise and perils of AI in higher education, and the relevance of programs and credentials in today’s dynamic labor-market landscape.
Community colleges are key drivers of economic and social mobility, and it’s important for Reynolds to be at the leading edge of using data and next-generation metrics to drive student success.
And speaking of celebration—Reynolds and Henrico County soared at our inaugural Hawkfest at the Parham Road Campus. We welcomed hundreds of guests from the wider community who celebrated our amazing community of Red Hawks with live music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities. It was a beautiful, sun-soaked day of fun and connection.
A special shout-out to Dr. Jewell Booker, our phenomenal mathematics professor and coordinator of the Early College Academy with Richmond Public Schools. Dr. Booker lent her incredible vocal talent to the event—what a voice! Thank you for making Hawkfest even more special. And of course, we couldn’t have done it without our amazing partner, Henrico County Recreation and Parks.
Thank you for being such an integral part of making this event a success.
There’s so much more to celebrate this academic year, and we’re just getting started. See you next month!