Approaching its fourth year, Central Virginia Community College’s branch in Bedford continues to draw more students and offer more classes.
The campus opened in 2005 in the Bedford Center for Business on Venture Boulevard with 65 students and 15 classes. It has grown to 400 students and nearly 70 classes, Director Robert Lowry said.
It also is starting a second year of an early-college program that allows high school students to secure two-year degrees upon finishing school.
Last year, 65 area high school students applied to fill the 24 spots within the early-college program. This year, Lowry said, almost 100 applications were taken to add another 24 spots.
An agriculture curriculum is also developing that Lowry said would give farmers of all ages access to technology without having to leave their farms.
Public use of the facilities has skyrocketed, too.
More than 300 public meetings were held in the center’s meeting room a year ago, Lowry said.
“We’re already ahead of last year’s pace.”
The school is negotiating its lease with county officials to add another 3,000 square feet by converting existing offices to classrooms.
“We are expanding to have a biology lab and classroom,” he said. “Students were having to go to Lynchburg (CVCC campus) for the lab portion.”
The Bedford branch is one of four CVCC satellite branches in the area, and one of two that implements early-college programs. The first branch opened in Altavista in 2001 and a fifth is set to open next year in Amherst.
Appomattox and Brookneal also have branches.
CVCC President Darrel Staat said they serve individual students and businesses and have shown positive results.
“Now we have surrounded the (main Lynchburg) college in all directions,” Staat said. “They’ve all been doing quite well.”
The Moneta area near Smith Mountain Lake presents the possibility of extending another branch, Staat said, though it looks to be several years away.
“There’s definitely potential there,” he said.
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