Germanna Community College is one of the twenty-three community colleges in Virginia that comprise the Virginia Community College System. It is a two year public institution of higher education established in 1970. As a comprehensive community college, Germanna provides quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities for the residents of the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford. The College is governed by policies set by the State Board for Community Colleges with support and advice from the Germanna Community College Board. Primary funding for the College is provided by the state, supplemented by contributions from seven counties and one city and by student tuition.
Mission
As a public, comprehensive community college, Germanna provides accessible, high quality educational and training opportunities that address our communities’ diverse and changing learning needs.
This Mission is achieved through:
Courses, programs, and services that enable students to gain access to and succeed in higher education; associate degrees and courses that prepare students to advance and to succeed in four year colleges and universities; training and services to develop successful employees who meet employers’ specific needs; training, associate degrees, and certificates for students to enter and succeed in the workplace; and services and support for community and economic development.
Vision
Germanna Community College is recognized as the region’s leader and preferred partner providing excellence in accessible educational opportunities and related services to our communities. Our quality learning experiences enable students to participate effectively in the social, economic, political, intellectual, and cultural life of their communities. Germanna, a dynamic learning organization, is the premiere gateway to personal and community development.
Values
Our values influence our thoughts, guide our decisions, mold our policies, and help determine our course of action. Student learning and success are at the heart of all that we do and are demonstrated by:
Passion for learning and teaching: We demonstrate our commitment to the belief that everyone can learn. Although at different rates and in different ways, all learners can learn if we challenge, support, and believe in them through everything we do and in every decision we make.
Integrity: We are true to our mission, to our values, to our learners, to our communities, and to each other. We say what we mean and we do what we say. We admit our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions.
Culture of service: We are dedicated to serving the educational and training needs of our students and communities. Our individual wants are secondary to the mission we serve.
Excellence: We seek to achieve excellence and to foster and develop excellence in our learners. We continuously improve our teaching and organizational systems and processes. We embody a culture of evidence and make decisions using that evidence.
Professionalism: We exhibit the skill, competence, and character expected of educational professionals.
Stewardship: We practice servant leadership. We effectively manage and maintain the resources in our care. We uphold the responsibility placed on us as teachers and supporters of teachers of the current and future citizens of our service area, our commonwealth, and our nation.
Respect: We treat our students, our stakeholders, our resources and each other with courtesy and respect. We respect each other enough to speak truths and have courageous conversations, and we do so with civility.
Accreditation
Germanna Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award an Associate degree. Curricula of the College are approved by the College Board and by the State Board for Community Colleges. Its two-year associate degree programs are also approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Germanna Community College. In addition, the AAS nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (3343 Peachtree Road N.E., Suite 850, Atlanta, GA, 30326 (404) 975-5000) and both the AAS nursing and the practical nursing certificate programs are approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing (Perimeter Center, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23233-1463, (804) 367-4473).
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Germanna Community College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; (703) 706-3245.
Diversity and Inclusion - “Promoting a Community of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion for All” Diversity and Inclusion Vision:
The vision of the Diversity and Inclusion Council of Germanna Community College is to actively promote demographic diversity of faculty, staff, and students to reflect the community that we serve promoting a culture of inclusiveness. This supports the College’s mission statement “As a public, comprehensive community college, Germanna provides accessible, quality educational and training opportunities that meet our communities’ changing learning needs.”
Virginia Community College System Policy on Diversity and Inclusion:
A major issue that the Chancellor’s Task Force grappled with is the meaning of “diversity.” Historically, definitions of diversity have centered on race and ethnicity, what some have termed “inherent diversity.” Current definitions of diversity are broader and include gender, sexual orientation, economic background, nationality, disability, and other factors. The meaning of “inclusion” is also challenging. While definitions of inclusion are not as prevalent as those for diversity, an inclusive environment can be defined as, “one in which the diverse backgrounds of individuals are leveraged to drive value and results by creating an environment in which employees feel involved, respected, valued and connected.” The members of the task force agreed to adopt broad definitions of diversity and inclusion in its work. The Virginia Community College System is committed to fostering, cultivating, and sustaining a culture of diversity and inclusion. The VCCS acknowledges the vital impact of a diverse and inclusive community on academic programs, on workforce development and other training, and on the larger communities served by our colleges. Students from diverse backgrounds, taught by faculty and assisted by staff from similarly diverse backgrounds, benefit from an abundant educational experience that prepares them for success in an increasingly interconnected and multicultural world. Therefore, it is the policy of the Virginia Community College System to employ and retain individuals that reflect our diverse society. A culture of diversity and inclusion shall be manifest in all dimensions of Virginia’s Community Colleges.
Administration
The President is responsible for the administration of the College and is subject to the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System and the State Board of Community Colleges.
It is the President’s duty to administer the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as they are applicable to the College and to fairly implement the policies, rules, and regulations of the State Board for Community Colleges, the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, and the Germanna College Board.
Any authority or responsibility or duty granted to or imposed upon the College President may be delegated to another person or persons on the faculty or staff of the College. The President or an appropriate delegate may take whatever legal or institutional action is necessary to activate this authority.
Alumni Association
The Alumni Association supports the mission of Germanna Community College by promoting positive and lasting relationships among alumni, students, faculty and staff, and by encouraging partnerships within the community. All Germanna graduates are welcome to be a part of the Association. Persons interested in serving on an Alumni committee, organizing events or helping with social activities, should contact the Foundation Office at (540) 423-9060.
Educational Foundation
The Germanna Community College Educational Foundation, Inc. was established in 1983 to promote the growth and progress of the College. The Educational Foundation raises, invests and administers private funds in support of the mission of Germanna Community College. Subject to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, the Foundation is tax exempt and donors may deduct contributions as provided by the Code. The Germanna Community College Educational Foundation is registered with the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.
While State funding supports the basic mission of the College, there are many enrichments for educational excellence that Germanna needs to offer students. The Educational Foundation supports the College’s programs and initiatives within the policies of the State Board for Community Colleges and the by-laws of the Germanna Educational Foundation.
Individuals, businesses, and industries can help the College provide student scholarships, state-of-the-art instructional resources, faculty and staff professional development, and other enhancements. Cash gifts, securities, wills, trusts, insurance policies, and property are among the means through which donors can contribute. Unrestricted gifts are managed and administered by the Foundation Board of Directors; and restricted gifts are designated by the donor, subject to the policies of the Board.
For additional information or assistance in planning a gift, please contact the Foundation Office at (540) 423-9060.
History of the College
Germanna Community College takes its name from a group of settlers at Germanna Ford on the Rapidan River, where in 1714, Governor Alexander Spotswood established a frontier fort and settlement for the German miners and their families.
In 1956, descendants of the original settlers at Germanna Ford organized the Memorial Foundation of Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Inc. In 1966, the Virginia legislature created a community college system. A site selection committee recommended that the College be located in the center of its service region. In 1969, the Memorial Foundation of Germanna Colonies donated 100 acres of property along the Rapidan to the state for a community college. The College Board unanimously chose the name Germanna Community College to recognize the gift and the history associated with it.
Germanna held its first classes on October 13, 1970, in its partially completed building.
The opening of the Fredericksburg Area Campus in January, 1997 was a major undertaking for the College. The 70-acre site, donated by the John T. Hazel Family, was selected by the Germanna Board on September 12, 1989. State funding for Phase I was acquired mainly through the efforts of Delegate V. Earl Dickinson for whom the first building is named. Additional support was received from the local governments in the Germanna service region and from private donations.
Phase II, The Workforce Development and Technology Center, opened in October 2004.
On September 9, 1998, the College’s Educational Foundation received its largest single gift to date: 100 acres of land in Culpeper. The land was generously donated by Rose Bente Lee, Kaye and Marie Andrus, Nicholas and Flora Tomasetti, and Philip and Susan DeSiato. The Joseph R. Daniel Technology Center opened in 2006.
In July 2009, Germanna opened a fourth facility with the support of the Stafford Economic Development Authority. Germanna’s Stafford County Center has served over 1,000 students since opening and enrollment continues to increase. In August 2018 a new facility will open.
The Science and Engineering Building and Information Commons opened in May 2012. This is the Fredericksburg Area Campuses third building and the facility provides laboratories, instructional resources, student services and more. Additionally, Germanna opened a parking garage on this campus in August 2012.
In September 2012, the College opened a new Automotive Center with the help of a Stafford EDA award of $75,000 towards the construction of the facility. In addition to serving area residents, the facility supports local high schools with instructional opportunities and facilities.
Germanna’s Center for Workforce & Community Education opened the Caroline Center in 2015, and the FredCAT center in 2017 expanding the accessibility to noncredit workforce training.
The College needs resources to continue to serve its communities well in the face of growing challenges - please contact the Germanna Educational Foundation to learn more about the leadership investment opportunities available (540) 423-9060.
Location & Facilities
Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania
10000 Germanna Point Drive, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22408
Telephone: 540-891-3000
The Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania is located at Lee’s Hill near the intersection of Interstate 95 at Routes 1 and 17 South, about five miles south of the city. The Dickinson Building, which was Phase I of the Fredericksburg Area Campus, is a 76,000 square-foot building that includes classrooms, laboratories, student lounge, bookstore, and offices for faculty and administrative staff.
The Workforce Development and Technology Center, which was Phase II of the Fredericksburg Campus, is a 40,000 square-foot building devoted to the use of technology for the delivery of instruction and advanced training programs.
The Science & Engineering Building and Information Commons opened in May 2012. This is the third building for the Fredericksburg Area Campus and the facility provides laboratories, instructional resources, a library, student lounge, and offices for Deans and Faculty. This building is adjacent to a parking garage.
Joseph R. Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper
18121 Technology Drive, Culpeper, Virginia 22701
Telephone: 540-937-2900
Located at the junction of U.S. Route 29 and State Route 3 just east of the town of Culpeper, The Joseph R. Daniel Technology Center occupies 34 acres. Built on two levels, the 39,000 square foot facility is designed primarily for workforce development instruction and technology training. A wide variety of credit classes are also offered.
Some of its features include: conference center that seats 600 theatre-style, banquet seating for 300, manufacturing technology lab, executive conference room, interactive video theatre, computer tech lab, training suite, and a catering kitchen.
Locust Grove Campus
2130 Germanna Highway, Locust Grove, Virginia 22508
Telephone: 540-423-9000
The Locust Grove Campus is located on Route 3 midway between Culpeper and Fredericksburg. The campus consists of 100 acres adjacent to the Rapidan River in Orange County. This campus houses the college’s Nursing and Allied Health Programs.
The campus building of approximately 65,000 square feet includes classrooms, laboratories (including a state-of-the-art technologies laboratory), bookstore, administrative and faculty offices, a library, information services, business office, and student lounge. Outdoor facilities include a playing field, as well as nature trails, jogging paths, and a picnic area.
There are plans for expansion of facilities at Locust Grove in an effort to keep pace with growing demand for nurses.
Barbara J. Fried Center in Stafford County
124 Old Potomac Church Road, Stafford, Virginia 22554
Telephone: 540-288-8830
In 2009, Germanna opened a facility with the support of the Stafford Economic Development Authority. Germanna’s Stafford County Center enrollment continues to increase and is now over capacity. Due to growing demand Germanna Community College has moved to a brand-new building at the address above.
Automotive Technology Center
42 BlackJack Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405
Telephone: 540-834-1978
The Stafford County EDA awarded funds toward the construction of the GCC Automotive Technology Center which opened in September 2012. The facility provides educational opportunities for area residents and local high school students.
Caroline Center
11073 Colonel Armistead Drive, Ruther Glen, VA 22546
Telephone: 540-891-3012
Germanna’s Center for Workforce & Community Education opened the Caroline Center in 2015, bringing noncredit workforce training to residents of Caroline County. The facility has spaces for classroom and computer lab training. In addition, classes will be offered using interactive video, broadcasting from other Germanna sites to the new Caroline site.
Fredericksburg Center for Advanced Technology
1325 Central Park Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Telephone: 540-891-3070
The Fredericksburg Center for Advanced Technology, FredCAT, is located in Central Park and offers credential programs, apprenticeship training and support services aimed at high-demand fields. Our skilled training programs are designed and led by experts in the field making students and graduates stand out to local employers in well paying fields that are growing and hiring. The new center also provides a home base and work space for students and entrepreneurs to come design, prototype and collaborate to support local technology and manufacturing startups.
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