PVCC: Past and Future

Piedmont Virginia Community College has served as a center of education for students for over 50 years. Around 213,000 students have taken classes on campus, more than 12,000 associate degrees and certificates have been awarded to students, and over 500 students transfer to four-year schools each year. Moreover, local businesses rely on PVCC to bolster their workforces with graduates who are seeking employment.

“PVCC is committed to providing access to a college education for all who can benefit, an opportunity for each student to reach his or her potential and excellence in our programs and services,” says the summary on the college’s webpage. PVCC is a thriving community college that has been around for decades, but like all colleges, there was a time when the idea for a college by state Route 20 was fresh and new.

The idea for a new community college first struck the local steering committee in 1969, and at their request, the Virginia State Board for Community College granted permission to build a new college at a recently-purchased parcel of land located at the corner of Interstate 64 and state Route 20. PVCC’s first president, Harold J. McGee, was elected in September 1971. He served as president for four years.

Despite the State Board approving a college in 1969, it was not until April 1972 that the college was built, and at the time, it only consisted of a single building.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place April 17, 1972. Over 450 students applied to the college; the first was Wanda Birckhead.

“We had such a good time that first year with classes,” said Birckhead. “We knew that we were special, that we were in the spotlight because this was a new venture.”

Since the college building was still being constructed, PVCC’s first few semesters had to be held in different locations, including the University of Virginia and Albemarle High School.

According to the History of PVCC article on the PVCC website, it was not until Fall 1973 that Piedmont Virginia Community College was ready to hold classes on 501 College Drive.

From there, the college continued to grow and improve. In December 1979, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools gave full accreditation to PVCC, which allowed the school to give associate degrees. In July 1981, construction began on PVCC’s library, which was completed in September 1982. Construction also began on a new wing in August 1985, which was completed in May 1987.

But PVCC does not stop with just three buildings. A new building for the science wing is in the works, which means that things can only get bigger and better for Piedmont Virginia Community College.

“The college has expanded,” said Frank Friedman, “And I think this gives you a bit of an idea as to how PVCC has grown.”

Even though it has changed throughout the decades, PVCC remains a center of learning. It has educated people in the past, it educates them now, and chances are that it will continue educating them well into the future.