Virginia’s State Board of Community Colleges on Thursday voted unanimously to amend its community college naming policy.
The decision represents the latest step in a process that began nearly a year ago, when local college advisory boards were asked to review the appropriateness of the names of their college, campuses, and facilities.
After completing a review, Patrick Henry Community College’s (PHCC) local board recommended that PHCC’s name remain the same.
The state board reviewed PHCC’s recommendation and unanimously voted to direct PHCC to reconsider this decision. The state board is asking the college’s leaders and the local board to reconsider their previous decision to retain their college’s name.
The new policy states that institutions’ names “should reflect the values of inclusive and accessible education articulated in the VCCS mission statement, with special emphasis on diversity, equity, and opportunity, and be relevant to the students it seeks to serve and to the geography of its service region.”
Following this recommendation, PHCC’s local board chairman immediately called four special-called meetings to discuss the policy change and to discuss amending its recommendation.
The state board carries the sole authority to decide the names of Virginia’s community colleges; however, the board has provided the colleges on opportunity to make recommendations.
The special-called meetings of PHCC’s local board be held at noon on Thursday, June 3; Thursday, June 10; Tuesday, June 15; and Monday, June 21.
The board will not take public comment at the meetings.
