Laurel Ridge Community College, formerly Lord Fairfax Community College, is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

with multiple campuses in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

and

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

regions of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. It is part of the

Virginia Community College System The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) oversees a network of 23 community colleges in Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlant ...

and operates four locations — the Fauquier and Middletown Campuses, the Luray-Page County Center, and a site at Vint Hill in eastern Fauquier County — that serve seven counties and one city in the area, enrolling 5,862 students in academic year 2021–2022. Students attending Laurel Ridge can obtain an

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

or certificate. In July 2021, the Virginia State Board of Community Colleges changed names for local institutions named after people who owned slaves or advocated racist policies such as

school segregation School segregation is the division of people into different groups in the education system by characteristics such as race, religion, or ethnicity. See also *'' D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic'' *Single-sex education By country * School s ...

. The board allowed the college to change its name to from Lord Fairfax Community College to Laurel Ridge Community College. Instead of venerating

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (22 October 16939 December 1781) was a British-born planter. The only member of the British peerage to permanently reside in British America, Fairfax owned the Northern Neck Proprietary in the Colony ...

plantation owner The planter class was a racial and socioeconomic class which emerged in the Americas during European colonization in the early modern period. Members of the class, most of whom were settlers of European descent, consisted of individuals who ow ...

, the new name honors laurel flower that has been associated with academic achievement.

History

The first president was William McCoy who served from 1970 until 1989. The second president was Marilyn Beck from 1990 through 2002. She was followed by John Sylgielski from 2003 until May 2008. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy became the fourth president in January 2009 and was succeeded by Kimberly Blosser in April 2019.

Campuses and facilities

Middletown Campus

Laurel Ridge's original campus in Middletown has grown with the expansion of Cornerstone Hall, and the construction of Alson H. Smith Hall, the Corron Community Development Center, the Science and Health Professions Building, and most recently, the Student Union Building.

Fauquier Campus

In 1988, a second campus was opened in Fauquier County. That campus has undergone major expansions, with construction continuing. In 2022, Hazel Hall, a science, engineering and health professions building, was opened and construction begun on a Center for Skilled Trades, which opened in September, 2023.

Luray-Page County Center

Laurel Ridge expanded their reach in 2006 to bring college classes to Luray. The original space on Hawksbill Street featured a computer lab and several classrooms. Ground was broken on a new Luray-Page County Center in 2019, and Jenkins Hall was completed in 2021. The 13,000-square-foot facility features classrooms, science and health labs, a trades lab, a boardroom, and student commons areas.

Vint Hill

Accreditation

Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees.

References

External links

* {{authority control Virginia Community College System Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Page County, Virginia Education in Fauquier County, Virginia Education in Frederick County, Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1970 1970 establishments in Virginia Two-year colleges in the United States