The Roanoker July/August 2022 - 76

education
Students have the option of
in-person classes or excellent
virtual learning programs.
NANCY AGEE
CEO/President, Carilion
" Bobby Sandel is one of a kind. Wicked smart,
visionary and yet so very personable, humble
and kind. I don't think he has ever met a
stranger. Truly, he transformed VWCC, making
it a model for the remaining community
colleges in Virginia. Top tier leader for sure. "
HEYWOOD FRALIN
Virginia Western Educational Foundation
Board, Chairman of Medical Facilities Of
America, Inc., and Retirement Unlimited Inc.
" The financial condition of the college is
the best it's ever been. There are more
scholarships available for students than
at any time in the history of VWCC and
the curriculum is updated to provide the
education students need to obtain meaningful
employment.
" Bobby is constantly looking to improve
the curriculum to meet current demands of
employers. We are fortunate to have [him] as
president. "
ED HALL
Realtor, benefactor and board of the VWCC
Educational Foundation
" When I was president of the Roanoke Valley
Chamber of Commerce, Bobby asked if he
could talk to the board and it wasn't to ask
what business could do for the college,
but what he could do for business. One of
the results was the Hall Associates Career
Center, which led to training students for
specific businesses.
" Bobby is in the top two or three
community college presidents in the state.
He is a dynamo as president, and he has put
together a great staff. "
-DS
scheduled sooner rather than later, " will be okay
for the next number of years, " Sandel says.
COVID-19 required the college to intensify
its online offerings, which have now become
quite sophisticated and almost pervasive.
COVID, of course, did as much good as
harm in the way students are taught. VWCC's
enrollment took a hit (10-12% by one estimate,
while nationally the loss was 15-20%).
" We converted to online learning, " says Sandel,
" and didn't skip a beat. " He estimates that 50%
of VWCC's students could be learning virtually
by the fall. The college is also considering
shortening its terms to eight weeks from
the current 16, because " students want shorter
Virginia Western responds to the
COVID-19 pandemic by shifting
most classes online and expands
the Virginia Western Student
Food Co-op and Rapids Response
Student Emergency Fund.
Propelled by its first unrestricted endowment
fundraising campaign, the Educational Foundation
manages assets nearing $30 million. More than 3,400
students so far have attended Virginia Western tuitionfree
thanks to CCAP. Two fundraising campaigns have
raised $16 million in public/private support.
terms and we'd better be flexible, or lose our
base. The students' needs come first. "
When Sandel thinks back he recalls " a
great board that wanted something to happen.
I told them if they hired me, we'd be going
in the right direction. I was going to stir the
bucket, and some would take offense. They
needed to give me a long leash. Things don't
just happen. You have to make them happen.
When I became president of the chamber, I
felt accepted and that businesses saw me as a
transformational leader at Virginia Western.
The board support never wavered. "
And what you see today is what the board
got. I
Virginia Western starts new Physical Therapy
Assistant and Surgical Technology programs, with
Occupational Therapy Assistant in the works; the
expansion puts Virginia Western at No. 3 in the
VCCS for health care program providers.
2020
2021
76
JULY/AUGUST 2022
2022
Source: Virginia Western Community College
TheRoanoker.com
HEADSHOT: DAN SMITH / CAMPUS: COURTESY OF VWCC
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker July/August 2022

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