In 2007, the Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) Educational Foundation Inc. raised more than $1.2 million in cash contributions (pledges were not accounted for in this total), resulting in a 156-percent increase in giving compared to 2006. These funds will support the College's critical initiatives, including financial assistance for LFCC students, and fill the void left by diminishing state support and recent state budget cuts.

"I cannot thank our donors enough for their support of LFCC. It is obvious that LFCC is making a noticeable difference in the lives of a growing number of individuals. In the face of decreased state funding, many individuals are recognizing the impact LFCC makes in the community and are showing their support and confidence in their community's college through an increase in contributions," said John J. "Ski" Sygielski, LFCC president. "Thousands of individuals have benefited from LFCC's presence in the community, whether they attended the College or hired someone who graduated from LFCC. These same individuals are giving back so that others can experience the LFCC difference — where we focus on our students' futures."

Despite the fact that LFCC is a state-assisted institution, state funds provided only 50 percent of the College's operating budget in 2006-07. To continue providing high-quality programs, cutting-edge technology, financial assistance and community services, the College must supplement its operating budget with private funds.

Click here to read more about last year's accomplishments and this year's fundraising needs.

On April 27, 2008, LFCC foreign language instructor Beth Padden will run the 26.2-mile Madrid Marathon to raise money for book and travel scholarships and instructional tools for students enrolled in Spanish classes at LFCC. To track Padden's progress and learn how you can contribute to her efforts, please visit the Mad Dash in Madrid Web site.

Heather Burton, formerly Heather Painter, the dual enrollment coordinator at LFCC's Middletown Campus, recently included the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. in her online wedding gift registry. Burton – who wed in January 2008 – saw the opportunity as a creative way to make a difference in the College and community. "This is the best gift that anyone could give us, because it gives back to the community," Burton said.

You can do this too!  It's a great idea for a special occasion, such as a wedding, anniversary, birthday, etc.! If you are interested, please contact Linnie Carter, vice president of college advancement at LFCC, at lcarter@lfcc.edu or 540-868-4077.

In fall 2004, the late Nancy Crosby established the College 4 Kids Endowed Scholarship Fund through the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. This scholarship enables second- through fifth-grade students from throughout the College's service region to participate in this unique program. The program offers a variety of classes, including art, computers, crafts, creative foods, dance, gymnastics, Native American history, Spanish and wrestling. Today, Crosby's legacy lives on through the lives of the students who are able to participate in the program as a result of her support. In 2007, the scholarship provided 10 students with the funds to enroll in the program. As one parent wrote in her thank-you letter:

"As a one-income family, I struggle to find affordable educational programs for my two children to participate in over the summer. College 4 Kids has been an excellent learning experience for them. I could not have afforded to enroll both children in the program, so we are very grateful to have received the scholarship." 

Because of Crosby's generous donation, several scholarships are awarded each summer.

Established by LFCC alumni donors in 2006, the LFCC Alumni Legacy Scholarship helps LFCC students who need financial assistance to continue their education. By contributing to this fund, you are helping students further their education. Please consider making a contribution to the LFCC Alumni Legacy Scholarship and helping more students reach their goals. To make an online contribution, please visit the Foundation Web site at http://lfcc.edu/Foundation/waystogive/index.html and click on the "Donate Online" button to the left.

Did you know that the LFCC Educational Foundation Inc. has experienced a steady increase in the number of donors since 2004? In 2004, 223 donors contributed. In 2005, 270 individuals and organizations donated. The following year, the Foundation had 317 donors. Last year – 2007 – the Foundation was fortunate to have 439 contributors. To see a list of our 2007 supporters, please visit the honor roll of donors on the LFCC Web site.

The list of spring 2008 scholarship recipients is available on the LFCC Web site. Because of our generous donors, we are able to educate students who never saw college in their future. Because of our donors, the students' futures are now bright!

Did you know there are more than 25 ways you can support your alma mater and make a difference in students' lives and your community? A list of the College's current funding needs is located on the Web site. Contribution forms are also conveniently located on the Web site. Please consider giving back to an institution that has given so much to you. Thank you!

The College is enjoying a great deal of media coverage, which helps us to educate the community about the great initiatives occurring at your community college and all the ways we are changing lives. To see a sampling of the coverage, please visit the LFCC Web site.

You spoke, and we listened! Last year, we asked several of you to give us feedback on how to improve the Foundation Web site. We heard you loud and clear and revamped the Foundation Web site to reflect your feedback. We hope you like it! Please share your thoughts with us: lcarter@lfcc.edu. Thank you!

Please help us make the next Women's Luncheon and first Men's Luncheon memorable for our invited guests by offering your suggestions on a keynote speaker. The purposes of both luncheons are to celebrate women and men and raise much-needed funds for the College. Please click the following link to cast your vote online — http://www.lfcc.edu/textonly/Foundation/2008_luncheon_speakers/index.asp!

Do you have a passion for your field of expertise? Do you desire to share your knowledge and skills with others? LFCC is currently hiring part-time instructors for the fall 2008 semester. The College offers flexible teaching schedules, and individuals with full-time day jobs are welcome to teach at LFCC during the evenings. To learn more about these positions and to apply, visit the employment section of the LFCC Web site.

LFCC's Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, seeks to create a culture of critical thinking at the College.  In October, the plan was accepted by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools with two recommendations. The College made some minor revisions to the plan in response to the recommendations and is now looking forward to implementing the plan. Implementation includes:

• Sending three faculty to Tennessee for training in critical thinking assessment
• Hosting an adjunct workshop on critical thinking learning outcomes
• Promoting critical thinking activities in student events, including Global Awareness Day Administering the Community College Survey of Student Engagement to provide LFCC with data on student perceptions of academic rigor at the College
• Presenting the first "Outstanding Critical Thinking" Award to an LFCC employee in May

You may access a copy of the QEP at http://www.lfcc.edu/textonly/SACS/. For questions or comments, please contact Miriam Moore at mmoore2@lfcc.edu.

LFCC's Phi Rho Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) received an award at the 52nd annual FBLA-PBL State Leadership Conference for Virginia. The Phi Rho Chapter received a second-place award for their contribution to Project ASK, FBLA-PBL's state service project. Project ASK supports the Association for the Support of Children with Cancer, a nonprofit association of parents, health professionals and concerned citizens throughout Virginia.  FBLA-PBL's support of Project ASK enables the organization to conduct diagnostic research and fund a patient counselor/chaplain position.

LFCC's chapters of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges, recently received multiple awards at the 29th annual convention of PTK's Virginia Region. In total, the Alpha Beta Omega Chapter from the Middletown Campus and the Alpha Psi Iota Chapter from the Fauquier Campus received 11 chapter awards and six individual awards. Among the highest honors received, the Alpha Beta Omega Chapter was named a Distinguished Chapter and a Three Star Chapter, and the Alpha Psi Iota Chapter was named the Most Outstanding Chapter and a Five Star Chapter. The Alpha Psi Iota Chapter also received first place for their College Project, which centered around the four cornerstones of Phi Theta Kappa's International Service Program: education and awareness, recycling, beautification and clean communities.

The Lord Fairfax Small Business Development Center (SBDC), in partnership with Franklin Covey, is offering a workshop designed for small business owners, supervisors and managers. The "7 Habits for Managers" is a two-day intensive workshop that focuses on the fundamentals of great leadership. The workshop is based on the highly acclaimed book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey.

The workshop will be held on June 23 and 24, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Warren County Government Center in Front Royal. The cost is $399, which is 50 percent less than the regular price. This includes the two-day workshop, a comprehensive guidebook, a management essentials book, an audio CD with Stephen Covey explaining the seven habits and paper and electronic versions of workshop materials.

Interested individuals must register by June 4, 2008, by calling the SBDC at 540-351-1595, Fauquier Campus, or 540-868-7093, Middletown Campus.

Check out what is happening at LFCC, and join us at an upcoming event!

LFCC faculty member Dr. Brent L. Kendrick was named recently as a recipient of the state's 2008 Outstanding Faculty Award. Kendrick was one of 12 faculty members selected from public and private colleges and universities throughout Virginia. The Outstanding Faculty Award program is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and is funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion, one of the nation's largest producers of energy. On Feb. 20, a ceremony will be held in Richmond, Va., to honor the 12 recipients for their excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration and public service.
 
"I am thrilled and honored to be one of the 12!  I can't imagine anywhere else on earth other than Lord Fairfax Community College where I would have had such an opportunity," said Kendrick, who was one of two community college instructors to receive the 2008 Outstanding Faculty Award. He is the first professor in LFCC's history to receive the award.

Kendrick came to the College as an adjunct instructor in 1998. He joined LFCC after working for a quarter of a century at the Library of Congress and after receiving that institution's highest award forDistinguished Service. In 2001, LFCC appointed him to associate professor of English, and, in 2005, to full professor. At last, Kendrick — the sixth child of a West Virginia coal miner and the first in his family to attend college — had fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a college educator.

Applauded for his enthusiastic, passionate and energetic teaching style, Kendrick's students sing his praises. One student commented, "He is emotionally attached to his subject, and it shows all over his face. This makes me want to learn more and achieve the same happiness I see in him." 

Kendrick has taught more than 2,300 students in more than 100 traditional and online classes at LFCC, ranging from College Composition and American Literature to Creative Writing and Technical Writing. His specialized classes include Major American Writers, Southern Literature, Appalachian Literature and Leadership Development. Also, he designed and launched a 32-credit-hour Technical Writing Certificate Program incorporating technical editing, desktop publishing and Web page design.

An active scholar and researcher, Kendrick is an authority on New England writer Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. He authored "The Infant Sphinx: Collected Letters of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman," which was praised by "The Journal of Modern Literature" as "the most complete record to date of Freeman's life as writer and woman." Kendrick served as an editor of the 754-volume "National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints," hailed as the "bibliographic wonder of the world." Currently, Kendrick is working on two scholarly projects: an edition of "The Humourist" essays published in the "South Carolina Gazette" during the 1750s and "Celebrating 400 Years of Virginia Writers: John Smith to Lee Smith."   

Kendrick is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 2007, Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of the two-year college, named him a Mosal Scholar, the highest honor bestowed upon Phi Theta Kappa advisors. He received the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Teaching Excellence Award in 2005 and 2007. The LFCC Student Government Association designated him Outstanding Faculty of the Year in 2006, and his LFCC colleagues selected him as the B. J. Sager Distinguished Faculty Award recipient in 2004.  Kendrick earned his doctoral degree at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., and his bachelor's degree at Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, W.Va.

"What I love about Lord Fairfax Community College is that it offers open access education for all," said Karen Bucher, an LFCC alumna and the director of enrollment management at LFCC.
           
Bucher graduated from LFCC in 1991 with an associate degree in education and human services. She continued her education at Shenandoah University (SU) in Winchester, where she graduated in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

She lives in Stephens City with her husband and two children and enjoys spending time and traveling with them.

Bucher described herself as a "hometown girl" and said she decided to enroll at LFCC in part because she wanted to stay in the area. She has never regretted her choice. "My experience at LFCC prepared me well for my transfer to Shenandoah," Bucher said.

While studying at SU, Bucher had a work-study position with the office of financial aid. Two months before her graduation, she accepted a full-time position in the office as student loan coordinator. She worked at SU for nearly 12 years.

In 2004, Bucher accepted a position at LFCC as coordinator of financial aid programs and has been there ever since. "I'm very happy to be back here," she said. In December 2007, she was promoted to her current position as director of enrollment management, which she described as an "exciting venture."

"When I heard the position was available, I jumped at the chance," Bucher said. "It has kept me involved with financial aid, which I love, and I also get to focus on other areas."

As director of enrollment management, Bucher's responsibilities include overseeing the College's Financial Aid Office, the Admissions and Records Office and the Testing Center. She also is responsible for the implementation of an enrollment management plan, which focuses on increased recruitment and retention.

She has been able to network with colleagues from community colleges across the country, which she said has been helpful as she transitions into her new position. "They have taken me under their wing and don't seem to mind sharing their trade secrets," Bucher said. "It's been a great experience meeting people across the country, and it has closed the gap on my knowledge."

Bucher is currently working on her doctorate in community college leadership through Old Dominion University. She is finishing her course work in April and hopes to complete her degree in two years.

Bucher recently began teaching a college success skills class, which she says has been a great experience. She taught sections last summer and fall and will teach again this summer. "My goal is to be well-rounded in higher education, and teaching is completely beneficial, because it closes another loop for me," she said. "I can relate to some of the experiences that the faculty have, and I also get to relate to the students and get to know them on more than just an administrative level."

Bucher said she loves what she does and is proud of what LFCC offers to students. "Anyone can come to college here, whether they want to get a degree or take a class to brush up on their computer skills," Bucher said. "I think everyone should consider us – we have something here for everyone."

"Dr. Ski [LFCC president] calls it 'your community college,' and I think that's true."

Judy J. Suddith is the face of Lord Fairfax Community College's Luray-Page County Center, serving as office manager of the Center, which is located in the former Wrangler Building.

Suddith is the Luray-Page County Center's only full-time staff person, she said, and has been there since September 2006, seven months after the Center opened. "At the College, I do a lot of marketing. I go to Chamber of Commerce events and other meetings in the community. I try to be the face of Lord Fairfax [Community College] in the community."

Suddith, who is completing a two-year term on the Planning Commission, said with changes such as the closing of textile manufacturing industries in many towns, "You have to rethink the way you do business, look at the way your town used to be and the way it is now."

She is also mid-way through an appointment by the governor to represent the Staunton District on Virginia's Board of Transportation Safety.

"I love my job at the Luray-Page County Center. I see the center as an opportunity to help our community, to improve it in a positive way," she added. "I also love watching the students become what they were meant to be and what they can be."

The difference between the Center, with its teachers, students and classrooms, and LFCC's Fauquier and Middletown Campuses is that the Luray-Page County Center does not have facilities such as a library and business office. She praised the spirit of cooperation between the campuses and the Center.

"I've never had a job where I've had so much assistance," she said. "I work with a bunch of great people, both my colleagues here and at the Fauquier and Middletown Campuses. Any time I have a problem, I pick up a phone, and help is there."

Suddith said she notices that among the students currently taking classes at the Center, approximately 150, the difference in ages of those students there for retraining and the ones recently out of high school does not seem to make a difference. "It's interesting to see how they communicate," she explained. "There doesn't seem to be any barrier."

Luray is Suddith's adopted home. She grew up in Cumberland, Md., graduating from Fort Hill High School and then from Allegany Community College (ACC) and James Madison University (JMU).

She majored in media technology at ACC and earned a bachelor's degree in radio, television and film production at JMU, with emphasis in broadcast journalism. Broadcasting is what brought her to Luray and the cable TV company where she was hired to be producer and director.

She met her future husband, C.R. Suddith, after he saw her on television and had mutual friends introduce them on her birthday. He is the Page County treasurer, which is an elected position.

In her leisure time, Suddith is writing a novel whose working title is, appropriately, "Hawksbill."

"It's a mystery about a small town in Virginia," she said, adding that LFCC's Luray-Page County Center is located on Hawksbill Street.

She also wrote two plays, "Strike Down the Shepherd" and "No Strings Attached," which is for children. Both plays have been published by Abingdon Press, the book-publishing arm of the United Methodist Publishing House.

But, one of her greatest rewards is seeing students outside the Center who have graduated from Lord Fairfax Community College and are now at four-year institutions.

"They often throw their arms around me and tell me how much they miss me, the staff here and LFCC. It's a great feeling — worth more than money."

Alumni, we would love to hear about your accomplishments and successes after leaving the College. Please take a few minutes to complete the "What's New With You?" form. This information may be used for future issues of Legacy. Thanks for sharing!