“You’re not college material.  You should just settle for NOVA.”  That’s what a high school guidance counselor told our daughter and many of her classmates more than three decades ago. Our daughter opted for a four-year degree at a Virginia school, but did take a couple of summer classes at NOVA (Northern Virginia Community College) to round out her curriculum.  In speaking with graduating high school seniors more recently, I often was told “I’m just going to NOVA,” again demeaning, probably unintentionally, our outstanding local community college. My response to those high school seniors, many of whom were the first in their family to graduate high school, I hope, was encouraging.  “You’re going to NOVA?  That’s wonderful!  You should be very proud.” 

Community colleges have been around since the 1800s as junior colleges or two-year programs, but community colleges got a real boost in the Higher Education Act of 1965, which expanded access to post-secondary education.  Today, more than 1000 community colleges serve students from rural to urban jurisdictions across the nation.  NOVA is one of the largest in the country, with six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield, and Woodbridge. NOVA serves nearly 75,000 students annually, and 80 percent of those students are under the age of 29. 

In a recent meeting of NOVA’s Annandale Advisory Board, NOVA President Dr. Anne Kress noted that the system provides equitable access to affordable and quality higher education, transforming lives of the students and the community.  NOVA provides career and student services and works with local businesses for employer recruitment. Every student has the opportunity for an interview with an employer, although hiring is not guaranteed.  More than 3000 NOVA students transfer to George Mason University each year through the ADVANCE transfer partnership with GMU. 

NOVA students often are the first in their family to enroll in post-secondary classes, and how they attend classes has changed considerably over time, especially since the Covid pandemic.  Where in-person on-campus attendance used to be 86 percent, only 56 percent of students are in-person now; on-line attendance was 13 percent, but now is 20 percent, and dual enrollment for high school students has increased from one percent to 20 percent today.  In fact, parts of the vast parking lots on the Annandale campus are planned for transition to green space as fewer students need parking.  Reflecting economic challenges for students, each NOVA campus offers a food pantry, grocery and childcare assistance, behavioral health options, and emergency assistance for things like housing, transportation, and car repair.  

Annual community college tuition and required fees are about a third of the cost of a four-year state university in Virginia ($5700 for NOVA compared to $13,815 for GMU).  Support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, including financial aid, covers slightly less than half of the actual cost of educating a NOVA student.  State support for higher education, both community college and four-year universities, has decreased over time, and greater investment by the General Assembly should be in any local jurisdiction’s legislative package for the new session that begins in January.  Support from local high school and community groups helps address the  funding challenge by raising money for scholarships for graduating seniors.  The Justice High School Scholarship Fund awarded a record $300,000 in scholarships for 91 outstanding Justice students.  A significant number of those graduates planned to attend NOVA, and some eventually will transfer to a university to complete their degrees. If you wish to support Justice student scholarships, log on to www.JHSScholars.org/contribute.  The Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club, Thurgood Marshall Fund, and Casey Shulman Foundation also provide scholarships exclusive to Justice High School students. There is no better investment we can make than in the education of our next generation.