Reorganization Main Topic of Town Hall

At Virginia Peninsula Community College’s virtual town hall Feb. 3, several topics were discussed, with the major themes looking forward and optimism.

President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon explained the new organizational chart for the College, which she said wasn’t initiated by a need to save money.

“Most of the reorganization has nothing to do with cost savings,” she said. “We are operating as lean fiscally as we can possibly be at this point.”

Two main factors were behind the reorganization: the fact College enrollment has gone from about 15,000 a little more than a decade ago to close to 8,000 today; and a number of vacancies. She, along with the cabinet, looked at it as an opportunity to find out what kind of organizational structure is best for the current needs of students, faculty and staff. The needs of the College have changed drastically in the past 10-15 years.

“We spent the majority of last year on how we organize the College,” she said, adding the goal was to do it “in a way that allows for sustainability.”

There are more than 25 open positions, and Brannon said those are “ones that were deemed to have the greatest impact and direct support to students. As our goals and realities change, we will continue to add to our personnel.”

It’s about finding the best ways to serve students, faculty and staff.

“What we decided as a cabinet is there is a risk to not having certain vacancies filled. There is risk to us, risk to our students,” she said.

The organizational charts, which will be updated three times a year, can be found at

https://www.vpcc.edu/about/admin/hr/organizational-chart.html.

Other topics of discussion at the town hall, which was attended by more than 180 faculty and staff:

Enrollment: Fall numbers are official, and enrollment was up 3 percent, driven by a 23 percent increase in dual enrollment. Spring numbers are on pace to be even with last year, and dual enrollment is up 47 percent.

Steven Felker, the director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, said non-credit hours were up in 2022, and he expects the trend to continue in 2023. The College is working on ways to grow credit instruction.

Budget and facilities: Steve Carpenter, the VP of Finance and Administration, said work on converting the Hampton IV Building should be done in March, with staff moving in in late spring or summer, and classes beginning there in the fall.

As for the auditorium in Templin Hall, the contractor is hoping for a spring groundbreaking, but summer is more likely. The remaining part of Templin will not be demolished, contrary to rumors. Roof and HVAC units are being replaced, though.

He added the College’s budget is in good shape.

Building names: A survey is underway regarding new names for Griffin and Wythe halls. Cyndie Callaway, VP of Institutional Advancement, said the naming committee hopes to have a recommendation to the College Board at its April 2023 meeting. Unlike the renaming of the College, building names do not need state approval.

The survey closes Feb. 10, and is available at https://tncc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6x80awgPoGgv0ou. 

Hiring update: The hiring process is underway for numerous positions. For more information, contact Melanie McNall, the interim director of human resources, or see the openings at  Hiring Priorities.pdf