The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education

Celebrating 60 Years of Impact: The Virginia Community College System (VCCS)

VCCS 60th Anniversary Celebration

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026

6:00 –7:30 PM THE JEFFERSON HOTEL
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

Honorary 60th Anniversary Co-Chairs

Dr. Michael Wooten, VCCS State Board Chair
Mark Hourigan, VCCS State Board Vice Chair
Darren Conner, VFCCE Board Chair
The Honorable William Hazel Jr., VFCCE Board Vice Chair

60th Anniversary Steering Committee

AJ Robinson, Chair

For six decades, the VCCS has fulfilled its founding mission of expanding access to education and empowering Virginians with the skills that strengthen families, uplift communities, and drive our state’s economy. The VCCS’ 60th Anniversary Celebration will honor this remarkable legacy by spotlighting the VCCS’ role as the state’s leading provider of workforce training, serving more than 230,000 students annually across its 23 colleges, representing 46% of all public undergraduate students in Virginia.

This milestone event will convene more than 300 business, community, and government leaders, along with student scholars and college presidents, to highlight the essential role of Virginia’s Community Colleges in expanding the Commonwealth’s workforce talent pipeline. Invited speakers will include Virginia’s newly elected Governor and key legislative leaders.
The celebration will also look ahead, showcasing the VCCS’s bold goal of awarding 300,000 meaningful credentials by 2030.

See the Timeline

To achieve this, the VCCS will continue to:

  • Invest in state-of-the-art facilities and programs to train tomorrow’s workforce.
  • Expand FastForward short-term workforce credentials, which have served more than 65,000 students and generated over $6.3 billion in wages.
  • Sustain and expand high school student access to community college dual enrollment programs to give more students a head start on their college and career journeys.
Partnership Opportunities

Our Impact

Increasing Economic Opportunity and Virginia's Return on Investment

The VCCS is the only institution of higher education that can support regionwide
or statewide workforce training for employers at scale.

$2.70 in added tax revenue and public sector savings is gained for every $1 invested in Virginia’s Community Colleges.

The VCCS generated $11.6 billion annually in total economic impact and supported 135,119 jobs.

Associate degree graduates increase their annual earnings by an average of $12,200.

81% of Virginia Community College graduates stay in Virginia.