College Reaching Out to Southeast Community
Keisha Samuels (center) is leading the College's efforts to reconnect with the residents and employers in downtown Newport News.
Keisha Samuels has been teaching classes for Virginia Peninsula Community College at the Southeast Higher Education Center since 2015. Enrollment has steadily declined, but when the College decided to rededicate itself to the center and the areas it serves, Samuels knew exactly what to do, or not to do.
"We're not going to be in the business of coming to the Southeast community and telling the people what they need," said Samuels, who is the interim dean of Community Partnerships and chair of the College's Human Services program.
All too often, she said, outsiders sit around a table and tell the community what they need. She's doing the opposite: letting those community members tell her what they need from the College in the form of focus groups. The first took place a couple of weeks ago, another is scheduled for this week, and more later in the fall.
"The focus groups give us the perspective and the lens from those who live in the Southeast community, work in the Southeast community or have vested interests in the Southeast community," she said.
Nearly 375 people attended the first meeting at Brooks Crossing Innovation and Opportunity Center. None had taken a class at the College. They were all potential first-time enrollees at Virginia Peninsula.
"People were waiting outside the door just to hear what some of the programs we have to offer," said Franz Albertini, director of Workforce Development.
Pre-pandemic, the Southeast Center saw between 300 and 400 students a week. Samuels said numbers recently have grown from 22 students to 73 currently enrolled at the Southeast Center.
"And we're continuing to grow," she said, noting Workforce Development programs will be added.
At one time, the College offered classes in EMT, health, math, English, psychology and more at the center.
"You name it. We offered it at the Southeast Center and offered some Saturday programming at the Southeast Center," Samuels said.
Right now, Human Services is the only program offered at the center, but general educational courses are available, including English.
"We'll increase what we're offering," Samuels said. "We're trying to stand up those gen-ed courses that Human Services students need, but also other students who are truly non-traditional that need a gen-ed class."
As for Workforce Development, Albertini hopes to offer some short-term Allied Health programs in spring 2023. He mentioned phlebotomy and CMAA (certified medical administrative assistant).
"That's one of our goals," he said.
Classes meet Monday through Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m. and ending as late as 9:45 p.m. The Southeast Center is in an Achievable Dream's middle and high school, located at 5820 Marshall Ave. in Newport News, beside Heritage High School.
"There's tremendous opportunity for us to grow," Samuels said. "We have an entire building, which has labs. We have a gym, we have an auditorium, we have a cafeteria. There is tremendous growth that can occur."
The College will present a career fair Sept. 21 at the Family Life Center at 50 Maple Ave. in Newport News. Sponsored by Bay Electric, the event will have slots for 40 employers.
It's another way of reaching out to the Southeast community to inform the residents all the College has to offer, and not just Workforce Development.
"The goal is to put a footprint in the City of Newport News across the board," Albertini said. "We just can't have a sign on the highway saying, 'We are Virginia Peninsula Community College' and expect people to come. We have to do the grassroots as far as going out there and being able to make sure that folks are aware."
And as Samuels reiterates, it starts with the College listening, "not us saying what we think you need, but really what the community says they need."