For Immediate Release:
October 30, 2024
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
Laurel Ridge Community College faculty and staff are doing great things and have the stats – and the extra dollars – to prove it!
For four straight years, the college has been No. 1 among the 23 institutions that make up the Virginia Community College System when it comes to student success data points the state system’s outcome-based funding model measures.
These measures include entry performance metrics, such as the number of developmental and college-ready math and English students who successfully complete college-level courses in the subjects in a certain timeframe; retention performance metrics; progression performance metrics, such as the number of fall, first-time-in-college students earning 12 credits with a 2.0 GPA or higher by the end of the spring semester, as well as those earning 24 credits; the number of students earning degrees or certificates within the academic year; and transfer performance metrics, including those earning a bachelor’s degree within six years of enrolling at the college.
For its top-ranked performance, for fiscal 2025, Laurel Ridge received about $549,000 in funding above what it would have received from the enrollment-based funding model, said Cory Thompson, vice president of financial and administrative services. That additional funding has been allocated across the college’s educational and general operating budgets to support various needs, he said.
These top-ranked performances are a “testament to what is happening in the classrooms and student services and wraparound services,” according to Dr. Caroline Wood, associate vice president of student services and academic support.
“We have just exceptional faculty who care about making sure students are learning and are successful,” she said. “We know that these faculty relationships are critical.”
Student Services employees have also played a vital role in this success.
“Everything we do and everything we strive to do in Student Services is about the whole student,” Dr. Wood said. “We help students find their path. We have set up Student Services to prioritize student success.”
Academic advising has been done via a case-management model for about seven or eight years now. This means students are paired with an adviser who they will have for the entire time they’re at Laurel Ridge. The adviser works with the student to set up an academic plan.
“It’s from the top of the funnel – outreach and marketing – all the way through to completion and graduation; all of our student services are set up to take care of the student,” Dr. Wood said. “We assign a care team to every single student. We really believe that makes a huge difference for them.”
Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum in order to prevent negative impacts on students and faculty.
“The Financial Aid Office understands what advising is doing, advising understands what’s happening in SDV and understands what’s happening with the library, tutoring and Trio,” said Dr. Wood. “We always do warm hand-offs. We make an effort as academic advisers to align students with the certificate and the degree pathways so they’re getting the most credentials they can out of their experience with us.”
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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