Welcome to the Potomac Local News Podcast. In this episode, host Uriah Kiser sits down with Dr. Janet Gullickson, President of Germanna Community College, as she reflects on her impactful tenure and upcoming retirement.
Dr. Gullickson has been instrumental in transforming Germanna into a leading institution, expanding opportunities for students, and driving innovative initiatives. We discuss her journey, the challenges she faced, and what’s next for the college and her own future.
Topics Covered:
- The evolution of Germanna Community College under her leadership
- The importance of community colleges in shaping local economies
- Her reflections on education, leadership, and the future of learning
- What’s next for Dr. Gullickson after retirement
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more local news and insightful conversations .
Germanna Community College (GCC) hosted a ribbon cutting at its new Stafford expansion today, January 23, 2025. The event marked the opening of two buildings in Stafford: the Barbara J. Fried Building at 10 Center Street and the Kevin L. Dillard Health Sciences Building at 25 Center Street.
GCC was established in 1970 as part of Virginia’s Community College System and has locations in Culpeper, Locust Grove, Fredericksburg, and Stafford. The school's website says over 13,000 students are enrolled.
The new expansion added 74,000 square feet to the campus with a $20 million investment. GCC plans to double enrollment in allied health services, like nursing. They will also expand their cybersecurity, IT, general education, and dual enrollment programs.
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Dr. Janet Gullickson, the first female president of Germanna Community College, will retire in July 2025 after eight years of leadership.
During her tenure, Gullickson oversaw significant enrollment growth, national recognition by the Aspen Institute, and the distinction of being the first college to host Amazon Web Services' mobile classroom. She also spearheaded work-based learning initiatives, including paid internships, to enhance student career readiness.
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Germanna Community College has announced the closure of all its locations on Monday, January 6, 2025, due to anticipated inclement weather. The announcement on the school's website states: "Due to anticipated inclement weather, all Germanna locations will be closed on Monday, January 6."
Serving more than 12,000 students annually, Germanna operates multiple campuses and centers across Virginia, including locations in Fredericksburg, Locust Grove, Culpeper, Stafford, and Caroline. The college provides a wide range of academic programs, including associate degrees, certifications, and workforce training, to meet the needs of its diverse student body.
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Germanna Community College (GCC) has expanded its presence in Stafford County with the opening of two new state-of-the-art locations designed to serve local students and support workforce development, including specialized resources for military personnel stationed at Quantico. The facilities, located on Center Street in Stafford, mark a significant milestone in the college’s mission to offer accessible education and workforce training across the region.
Dr. Cheri Maea, Dean of Academic and Workforce Operations and site supervisor for the new Stafford location, expressed enthusiasm for the expansion and its potential impact on Stafford County’s educational landscape. "These new facilities will allow us to double our nursing program and provide our students with modern resources and programs right in their community," Maier said. "Our goal is to make it easier for students to get the education they need to excel in high-demand fields without having to travel far."
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The Central Rappahannock Regional Library will hold the eighth annual Rappahannock Writers’ Conference on November 9, featuring keynote speeches from Laura Di Franco and John Gilstrap. The conference is open to adults and teens at all writing levels, with classes covering various writing topics.
Press Release:
Central Rappahannock Regional Library will hold their eighth annual Rappahannock Writers’ Conference on Saturday, November 9, 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., at the Germanna Community College Fredericksburg Area Campus, Workforce and Technology Center.
The conference will feature keynote speeches from Laura Di Franco, author and CEO of Brave Healer Productions, and New York Times-bestselling author John Gilstrap.
The conference is aimed at adults and teens at all writing levels, from those who are considering writing a book for the first time to experienced authors with many books already published. It includes relevant information for authors of all genres of fiction and nonfiction.
Saturday’s attendance is capped at 160 in person and virtual at 250. There are also special in-person-only evening workshops on Friday, November 8, at Howell Branch. While the Friday and Saturday in-person sessions are full, people may join the waitlists and sign up to attend virtually. Virtual attendees will receive a link by email to connect to select streaming sessions, as well as the featured speaker presentations. See the list of streaming sessions here.
In-person check-in on Saturday, November 9, begins at 8:15 a.m., and the conference begins at 8:45, with a keynote speech by Laura Di Franco, to be followed by classes, lunch, and a 1:00 keynote speech by John Gilstrap. After book signings and speaker meet-and-greets, there will be two more class sessions, running until 4:15.
Class topics include: the writing craft for both fiction and nonfiction, screenwriting, developing minor characters, poetry, creating audiobooks, blogging, querying an agent, writing for children, and many more.
Besides Di Franco and Gilstrap, other authors who are scheduled to be teaching and on panels include: Traci Hunter Abramson, Bill Blume, Alex R. Crawford, Paige Edwards, J.S. Furlong, William LJ Galaini, Steve Giegerich, Chandra Gore, Jeffrey James Higgins, David Keener, Wendy Latella, Mike Maggio, S.C. Megale, Tom Milani, James Noll, Rick Pullen, Elizabeth Spencer Spragins, Meredith R. Stoddard, Ksenya Swinton, Tara Taffera, Tracy Wainwright, Sarah Warburton, Steve Watkins, Linda J. White, Ellie Whitney, Martin Wilsey, and Stacy Woodson.
The conference is sponsored by Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Germanna Community College, Literature & Latte, and Topside Federal Credit Union.
For a complete list of classes, or to register, visit librarypoint.org/rappahannock-writers-conference.
Press Release:
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation (CMCF) has granted $75,000 to UVA Health to support its mission to build a strong foundation of healthcare workers in the Culpeper Region. The grant is for a Regional Collaborative Program Coordinator, who will be the central point of contact for the new initiative that will enhance and strengthen connections among key Culpeper stakeholders in education and healthcare.
UVA Health is leading the effort in conjunction with Culpeper County Public Schools, Culpeper County Government, and Germanna Community College. Their goal is to build a sustainable pipeline of talent to support the healthcare needs of individuals in the UVA Health footprint.
The Culpeper Regional Collaborative is designed to overcome current challenges in the area by creating programs that expose students to healthcare careers and offer educational opportunities early in academic careers. It also will prepare high school teachers to teach medical terminology to better prepare graduating students for entry-level healthcare careers and/or entry into college with the credentials to move directly into healthcare degree programs.
Another pillar of the program will be to prepare and provide dual-enrollment educators who can support both high school academic needs and meet community college academic requirements for healthcare education.
“Claude Moore is excited to help UVA Health launch this new collaborative for the Culpeper region, and see this program as a great example of building a healthcare ecosystem that will benefit the entire area and all of its residents,” said J. Lambert, CEO of CMCF.
“We are more than grateful for the support of the Claude Moore Foundation in our efforts to help fill gaps in healthcare needs here in the Culpeper region. With this grant, we can better support those who need quality healthcare and those who want to create a successful career in healthcare,” said Donna Staton, Chief Operating Officer UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer, UVA Health’s community medical centers and clinics in Northern Virginia and Culpeper.
CMCF is a recognized leader in the healthcare workforce field in Virginia and has invested more than $24 million in workforce programs and initiatives designed to provide entry points and advancement in healthcare careers.
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation
Founded in 1987, The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. In addition to the annual support for the Loudoun County Education System and local charities, significant contributions have also been made to the Claude Moore Heritage Farm Park, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Nursing, the University of Virginia Medical Library, the Roanoke Higher Education Center, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport, James Madison’s Montpelier, Inova Health Systems, and the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.
For more information, please visit www.claudemoorefoundation.org
Germanna Community College is set to open a new campus on Center Street in North Stafford to serve as the hub of college operations in Stafford County.
Dr. Janet Gullickson, President of Germanna Community College, shared insights about the new facility, highlighting its significance and what it will offer to the community.
Gullickson explained that the new campus will be much larger than its predecessor, with approximately 75,000 square feet of space across two buildings, about four times its current campus at 124 Old Potomac Chruch Road near Stafford Hospital.
“We will eventually serve as many students there as we do at our Fredericksburg campus,” she said. The college’s Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania County is the main center and most significant in a chain of locations, including Locust Grove in Orange County.
The new Stafford campus will house various programs, including the nursing program, which will now be fully offered at the new site. “Our nursing program will double in size because of this facility,” she noted.
The campus will also offer cybersecurity, IT, and business programs, catering to the region’s growing demand for professionals in these fields. “We are extremely excited to be able to offer a whole new cadre of students the opportunity to become nurses and other health care workers,” Gullickson said. Additionally, the campus will focus on small businesses and entrepreneurship, reflecting the region’s economic growth.
The new campus’s location at 10 and 25 Center Street in North Stafford, just off Route 610, near Interstate 95 and Stafford Marketplace, is strategic for serving a broad range of students from the surrounding areas. Gullickson emphasized the importance of accessibility, saying, “We believe that an unintended consequence might be that people start going south.”
There will be two buildings: 10 Center Street, the Barbara J. Fried Building, and 25 Center Street, which will be called the Kevin L. Dillard Health Sciences Building.
The new campus is expected to open on October 17, and preparations are underway. “Students should come to Barbara J. Fried, the current site, to register for the fall. We will have seven-week courses that will conclude by the time we open up in mid-October,” Gullickson explained.
Private donors Mary Washington Healthcare and the Stafford Economic Development Agency have supported the establishment of the new campus. “We did not get any state money. We’re hoping to get some other assistance, especially as we expand from the locality and other areas,” Gullickson said. She also mentioned the importance of community support, highlighting the contributions of local leaders and organizations.
Gullickson expressed gratitude for the community’s support and emphasized Germanna’s commitment to serving Stafford County. “The vast majority of our students stay in this community. We are the number one educational provider for Stafford County,” she said.
The new campus will feature various facilities, including a wellness clinic, admissions office, computer labs, cybersecurity classroom, faculty offices, financial aid services, a library, and a tutoring center. “We are really going to be a full-service experience,” Gullickson concluded.
You can find more information about the Stafford County Center here. You can also watch our interview below.
Ava Conway, a distinguished student who received an associate degree with the highest honors, served as the keynote speaker for the event. At just 18 years old, Conway hails from Eastern View High School, where she is set to graduate with an advanced diploma on May 18. Ranking in the top 10 percent of her class, Conway is faced with a choice between three universities for her continued education.
During the ceremony, Germanna conferred a total of 1,307 degrees and credentials upon 867 students. Conway, who plans to pursue a master's degree in fine arts to fulfill her dream of becoming a drama teacher, reflected on her journey through Germanna's Scholars program, which allows students to earn degrees without leaving their county. This initiative, spearheaded by Culpeper businessman Joe Daniels and generously supported by him and his wife Linda, provides significant opportunities for local students.
