BRCC Celebrates 40th Anniversary
In 2007, Blue Ridge Community College celebrated its 40th anniversary. Since classes began on October 2, 1967, the College has become a staple for education and training in the Shenandoah Valley.
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| Excavation begins in 1967 |
BRCC Then, and BRCC Now….
An editorial in the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record printed shortly after the College’s opening, proclaimed “Blue Ridge’s opening fills a void in the area’s educational scheme….Blue Ridge is enormously important in the Valley’s educational system. Its graduates should play important roles in the region’s progressive economy.”
Some 85,000 students later, this prediction holds true.
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| Aerial view of original campus |
Headcount for fall 1967 was 908 students; this past fall headcount was 3979. The original BRCC Weyers Cave Campus included Armstrong Hall, and A, D, and E buildings, while today’s campus consists of 12 buildings. The total cost for those original four buildings was just under $1.5 million. The soon-to-be-completed humanities building alone will cost $6.2 million. In 1967 full-time tuition cost $135 per year; tuition for a full-time (12 credits per semester for two semesters) student this year was $1867.20.
BRCC has also grown in the programs it offers. That first semester, BRCC offered Associate degrees in the following areas: Agricultural Business Technology, Business Administration, Business Technology, Chemical Technology, Data Processing, Drafting Technology, Electronics Technology, Industrial Technology, Mechanical Technology, Secretarial Science, Liberal Arts (transfer), and an Associate in Science degree (AS). Diploma and certificate programs in Automobile Body Repair, Automobile Mechanics, Cosmetology, Machine Shop, Radio and Television Repair, Drafting, Clerk-Stenographer, and Welding were taught through the Blue Ridge at Valley Vocational-Technical School in Fishersville (called the BRCC South Campus).
Now the College offers Associates degrees in Accounting, Administration of Justice, Business Management, College/University Transfer Program, Computer and Electronics Technology, Human Services, Information Systems Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Nursing, Technical Studies, and Veterinary Technology. The College also offers career studies certificates and diplomas in more than 20 fields.
In addition to the main campus at Weyers Cave, BRCC has two off-campus centers – the Harrisonburg Center, opened in 1997, and the Augusta Center at AMC, opened in 2003.
Three of the original employees of the College are still full-time employees today – Sharon Hudson, Darrell Hurst, and Janice “Bonnie” Moyers. In fact, Dr. Hurst was the first faculty member hired by BRCC’s founding president, Dr. Douglas M. Montgomery.
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| Former Board members and long-time BRCC supporters Doug and Dwight Houff with President James Perkins and former VCCS Chancellor Arnold Oliver |
Despite all of the changes, in many ways the College remains the same. Still deeply connected to the localities it serves, and partnering with local businesses, BRCC ensures that Valley residents have life-long opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills, and values.
To learn more > Blue Ridge Community College: A History of the First 25 Years - PDF (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)