Education and economics

Mar. 4—HENDERSON — Vance-Granville Community College's seventh president, Dr. Rachel Desmarais, spoke to the Dispatch for a spell on Friday about the college and what it seeks to do.

VGCC opened up shop as Vance County Technical Institute in 1969. Though there wasn't really a shop, they operated in a few locations around the community. A year later, they moved into the old Maria Parham Hospital building near downtown.

Commissioners from Vance and Granville counties passed a joint bond issue in 1972 and the college rebranded to Vance-Granville Technical Institute. By 1976, they moved into their new and current location at 200 Community College Road off I-85 exit 209.

For her part, Desmarais served as Forsyth Technical Community College's executive vice president for 17 years before moving on to VGCC in 2019.

"I knew it was in a unique position," she said of VGCC.

Indeed, there are some challenges to operating a community college in a rural area. Urban areas have more resources in general, so they have more available for colleges. It's a bit trickier to find funding in rural areas — there are fewer and narrower charitable foundations. That means to say, they have fewer resources and fewer ways to use them.

The college's coverage area, Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties, are mostly rural — and right on the cusp of the growing Triangle.

The four counties are on or near I-85 and more or less equidistant between two national ports. And Vance County has Kerr Lake, both a tourist attraction and an essential natural resource.

And yet, the Triangle is growing mostly southward, not north. She was struck with the question of why — one she's still trying to answer. The community has answers, she said. The path to finding them requires a balance between experienced voices and new perspectives.

Regardless, the college has a few priorities. Number one is to increase economic mobility for its students. Part of the strategy there is to get students out on field trips or offer them some way of hands-on learning that broadens their horizons.

What one sees can limit their aspirations, said Desmarais.

Then, things get a touch complicated. Some lower-paying jobs, like home health and healthcare support workers, even cosmetologists are needed, if not essential. The college doesn't want to discredit those jobs, but also wants to invest in programs that lead to higher wages.

So, the college tries to offer students the resources needed to make an educated decision by making them aware of a job's earning potential. For example — barbers and hairstylists had a median pay of $16 or thereabout per hour in 2022 — whereas commercial tractor trailer drivers might expect around $24.

Students tend to gravitate towards those higher-paying jobs.

Elected officials like Rep. Don Davis have spoken before about the brain drain affecting Eastern North Carolina wherein young people go to college out of town and stay there after graduation. There simply aren't as many opportunities at home.

Desmarais said it will encourage students to do what's best for them, whether that's leaving or staying. Regardless, "we can't exist or lead in a dying community," she said.

The solution is for the local area to offer more opportunities, more industry — a future — to students, said Desmarais. The community needs to be a safe place to work and play as well.

The college can help by offering apprenticeships. She called for more companies to participate but noted that it can be a difficult sell — few businesses are willing to make that sort of long-term investment in a potential worker.

On that note, the college hosted some listening sessions to gather feedback from community members and employers. Among both parties, there's an increasing demand for short-term workforce development — short-term programs that culminate in certifications and get students into the workforce.

VGCC's last academic year saw 4,870 enrolled in continuing education courses, compared to 3,702 working towards diplomas or degrees. There are a few overlapping students. The total number of enrolled students in that academic year was 8,367.

One example is the commercial truck driving program, a nine-week course costing around $1,200 that ends with students earning the ability to work as a bona fide driver.

The college is looking to expand that program, to boot, by building a transportation logistics center in Warren County. The commissioners over there are deciding between two potential sites.

There's also the construction of an advanced manufacturing education center off I-85's exit 206 that will, when finished, offer courses in maintenance, mechatronics, electronics, welding and fabrication.

Desmarais thanked state Rep. Frank Sossamon for his help in securing the funding necessary for the center.

As mentioned, the college serves four counties — in several different ways. Communication is tailored by county — Warren County residents generally respond better to physical announcements posted around town or at churches. Franklin County folk prefer social media.

One area they need to improve on, Desmarais said, is reaching the Hispanic community. The percentage of Hispanic students is not reflective of the region's population, she said.

Returning to that brain drain issue, it's a problem the college can't outright fix — but its president said it will always be a "happy and willing partner and participant," whether that's operating a food pantry, clothes closet for job interviewees or offering mental health counseling to students.

Its presence is still a magnet for rising college students. In fiscal year 2019-20, the college added $1.6 million to the local economy by retaining those students, an economic impact analysis from 2021 shows.

That impact totals $129.5 million. Some 399 people are employed at the college across the board, with 50 hired in the last year. Taxpayers put $20.1 million into the college and got $30.8 million back out in the form of higher earnings and increased business output. That's a buck seventy for every dollar.