CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – HCA Virginia Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals were recently honored with the 2013 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy. The hospitals, nominated for the award by John Tyler Community College, were recognized at a luncheon ceremony at the Country Club of Virginia on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.
Over the years, HCA Virginia Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals have generously supported John Tyler Community College in numerous ways. In 2006, they provided building space to the College’s Nursing Program, allowing the program to move to one location and to expand. The hospitals also support the John Tyler Community College Foundation’s scholarship program, giving students the financial assistance needed to continue their educations. And, HCA Virginia Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals provide educational resources to students in the College’s Nursing Program.
Tim McManus, chief operating officer for the hospitals and a member of the John Tyler Community College Foundation Board, accepted the Award for Leadership in Philanthropy on behalf of the hospitals. Quoted in the program distributed for the awards luncheon, McManus and Trula Minton, chief nursing officer for the hospitals, call community colleges a “vital link for people to receive excellent training,” adding, “We contribute as part of our mission to be a source of education and clinical education for nurses and other health professionals, which is an important part of our partnership with community colleges.”
“The College’s Nursing Program has been transformed thanks to a strong, long-standing partnership with HCA Virginia Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals,” cited Beverley Dew, executive director of the JTCC Foundation. “Margaret Lewis, former president of HCA’s Central Division and current president of its Capital Division, is a JTCC nursing grad and an emeritus member of the JTCC Foundation Board who paved the way for an iron-clad partnership that includes a physical home for JTCC’s Nursing Program at CJW and generous financial support for academic programming and nursing scholarships. The fact that 54% of the hospitals’ new nursing hires hail from the JTCC program speaks to the incredible nursing pipeline created by the partnership. Over the years, HCA support has catapulted JTCC’s Nursing Program to rank among the best in the state. The hospitals’ new CEO, Tim McManus, continues JTCC support to ensure an academically robust program that provides excellent nurse training. This is, indeed, a win/win partnership.”
The Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy luncheon is hosted by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) to honor the leading philanthropists from each of Virginia’s 23 community colleges as well as the statewide foundation. This marks the eighth year the awards have been given.
This year’s class of distinguished philanthropy leaders has contributed a combined total of more than $17 million dollars to Virginia’s Community Colleges.
“The generosity of the two dozen philanthropy leaders we honor represents a brilliant collection of individuals, foundations and employers who believe in the sheer beauty of transformation,” says VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois. “They believe in the knowledge and skills that Virginia’s Community Colleges offer to every Virginian. We thank them deeply for the partnerships that demonstrate the brilliance of philanthropy.”
The honored philanthropists will have a scholarship named after them which will be awarded next fall to a student attending their community college.
The luncheon’s keynote speaker was Mr. Michael Quillen, founder and former chairman of the board for Alpha Natural Resources. A former member of the State Board for Community Colleges, Mr. Quillen has also served on the board of the VFCCE and was himself a recipient of the Leadership in Philanthropy award in 2007. He is currently rector of the board of visitors for Virginia Tech.
John Tyler Community College is a two-year, public institution of higher education and is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served more than 14,895 students during the 2011-12 academic year, offers 18 associate degrees, eight certificates, and 35 career studies certificates. The institution also serves 15,000 non-credit students and more than 1,000 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance. The College also is committed to sustainability. In July 2010, it received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for Hamel Hall on its Midlothian Campus, becoming the first in the Virginia Community College System to receive such recognition. John Tyler Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.