Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC; informally NOVA) is a 2-year college composed of six campuses and four centers located in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. NOVA is the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Overview
Northern Virginia Community College is part of the Virginia Community College System. Dr. Scott Ralls is the current president of the College. NOVA's campuses are: Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, MEC (Springfield) and Woodbridge. The educational centers are: Arlington, Reston, Ft. Belvoir, Quantico, and Innovation Park.
The College was established in 1964 under the name Northern Virginia Technical College. In the fall of 1965, the College opened with 761 students in a single building in Bailey's Crossroads under President Robert L. McKee. To accommodate an ever-growing student body, the college purchased 78 acres (320,000 m2) in Annandale in 1966 to create the first of six permanent campus sites. NOVA has also offered distance learning courses since 1975.
The College includes more than 75,000 students and 2,600 faculty and staff members. NVCC is also one of the most internationally diverse colleges in the United States, with a student body consisting of individuals from more than 180 countries. NVCC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and offers more than 160 degrees at the associate's level and certificate programs. NVCC also offers distance learning programs through their Extended Learning Institute (ELI) and continuing education courses through Workforce Development.
NOVA offers dual-enrollment so high-school students can enroll in classes at the age of 16.
NOVA offers a wide variety of courses, and encourages students to enroll in four-year colleges after completing their NOVA education. To do so, it fosters a system of preferred transfers into public colleges and universities located in the Commonwealth like George Mason University in Fairfax, the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, and Longwood University in Farmville. Private Washington-area schools recruit at NOVA also, including American University, Georgetown, Marymount University in Arlington, Trinity Washington University, and George Washington University, as well as out-of-area and out-of state schools such as Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, West Virginia University, and even the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
The College is served by a library system extending across all six campuses and the Arlington Center. NVCC Libraries contain more than 250,000 volumes and subscribe to more than 200 databases, many of these purchased through the Virtual Library of Virginia, meaning that NVCC has access to many of the same resources as the other colleges and universities in Virginia.
The school's fundraising arm, established in 1979, is the NVCC Educational Foundation. Largely through the foundation's efforts, NVCC has been able to fund an increasing number of scholarships, and in 2001 completed the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on the Alexandria Campus.
In 2009, NVCC hired English professor Jill Biden, wife of vice president Joe Biden. Jill Biden is the only Second Lady in United States history to hold the title while still employed.
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Campuses
Alexandria
The Alexandria campus is located 7 miles south of Washington, D.C. and includes 5 buildings, notably the Bisdorf Building, Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, and Tyler building. The campus sits on 51.7 acres in Alexandria, Virginia. Notable programs offered by the Alexandria campus are the Computer Aided Drafting and Design CADD program, Photography program, and the Motorcycle Training Program. Thirteen world languages (including English) are offered at the Alexandria campus:
- Arabic
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hindi
- Italian
- Japanese
- Russian
- Latin
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
- English
Annandale
The Annandale campus is located 14 miles south of Washington, D.C. and includes 14 buildings, notably the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center, McDiarmid Building, and CN Building. The campus sits on 78 acres in Annandale, Virginia, and is the largest NOVA campus. Notable programs offered by the Annandale campus are the Fire Science program, the American Sign Language program, and the Culinary Arts program. Many buildings at the Annandale campus can be rented out, including their classrooms, the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center, atrium, soccer field, gymnasium, dance studio, and others.
The Annandale Campus also houses the offices of The Lifetime Learning Institute of Northern Virginia (LLI) a non-profit, member-run organization of adults age 50 and over who desire to pursue enriching cultural and educational experiences. These experiences are obtained through classroom instruction, travel, discussions, and social interaction with peers.
Manassas
The Manassas campus, which is located 26.9 miles west of Washington, D.C., is next to the Battlefield park of Manassas. It is located in Prince William County. The campus is considered the smallest campus of NOVA with regard to the student population size. It has eight buildings, but the three main ones are Colgan, Parrish and Howsman hall. The campus offers different programs, such as ACLI, which is an English language program for international students, Communications Technology, Social Science, and Science and Applied Technology. In addition, the Manassas campus offers an Early Childhood Program. Also, the campus provides student services and amenities like a soccer field, a basketball court, a library, open computer labs and indoor and outdoor theaters. The campus is surrounded by natural forest where students can study and have a picnic.
Medical Education Campus (Springfield)
Located in Springfield, Virginia, the Medical Education Campus offers several health careers majors that lead to licensure or certification. Programs can be as short as one semester or as long as five.
Woodbridge
Located in Woodbridge, containing several art classes and general studies.
Loudoun
Loudoun Campus
Athletics
NOVA started intercollegiate athletics in 2011 as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The College sponsors women's volleyball, men's soccer, women's cross country, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's lacrosse, and women's softball at the intercollegiate varsity level. In addition, NOVA has a club ice hockey team that is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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