Mission
The mission of the QVCC Foundation is to raise funds so that all residents of Northeastern
Connecticut are provided the opportunity to attend QVCC regardless of income, and to
support educational excellence, technological advancement, and professional development
at the College.
QVCC Testimonial
As reported in the Norwich Bulletin
First
person: College expansion is inviting, innovative
By
RACHEAL RENFREE
Danielson resident Racheal Renfree, 21, graduated Quinebaug Valley Community College in 2005 with a 3.96 grade point average and an associate's degree in liberal arts and sciences. She's a senior at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, where she's studying Spanish.
As a 2005 QVCC graduate, I could not have been more excited about seeing the completed expansion. Although I'm now at ECSU, I still come back to visit and use the library. Between balancing school, commuting, and work, I just haven't had time to stop in to see the final product. It's amazing.
When I took the tour at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The entrance is inviting with a lobby area and a beautiful art gallery adjacent to it.
The light from the abundant windows and the ambient lighting really create a comfortable place for students to gather and continue debates outside of class or to create and foster friendships.
There is a reading room with comfortable sofa chairs for study sessions or reading groups.
There are also study rooms available for group projects that can be reserved through the library.
The classrooms have the most advanced technology with Internet access and distance learning capabilities.
The distance learning capability really gives QVCC an edge. It allows for classrooms in Willimantic and Danielson to take a class simultaneously through a real-time webcam that is projected in each classroom.
This allows the classes to see each other so they can fully interact among themselves and the teacher although they are miles away.
Another innovative learning tool I saw in the expansion was a classroom in which every wall supports dry erase boards.
From floor to ceiling, both teachers and students can demonstrate their points in a different way and erase them at the end of class.
At most colleges, the president's office is off in some taboo corner of a building. Not so at QVCC. With the expansion, the president's office is now fully accessible in an inviting windowed office that is anything but intimidating.
I first attended QVCC as a Kids Academy student when I was 8. I have grown with the college and am so proud to see it growing with me.
I know even though I have already graduated, I will always feel welcomed there. QVCC puts the "community" in "community college." From the Kids Academy to the learning in retirement and small business programs, QVCC's doors are opened to everyone.
There are conference rooms available and the library also grew as part of the expansion. A quiet reading room in the back of the library is a perfect place to get some serious reading done in a comfy chair with a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling window view.
The only thing that could have made the expansion better would have been to finish it before I graduated.