Anne Holton to Visit NOVA-Annandale on Wednesday

The former first lady of Virginia, wife of former Virginia Governor and current candidate for the U.S. Senate Tim Kaine, will tour the campus and discuss Kaine's plans for STEM curriculum.

Former First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton, wife of former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, will meet with students and faculty at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College on Wednesday. The visit is part of Holton’s tour of community colleges and universities across Virginia, according to a press release about the event. During her visit, Holton will tour the campus and speak about Kaine’s “strategies to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum, career and technical education, and workforce training,” the release states. Kaine is currently running against former Virginia Gov. George Allen for the open Virginia U.S. Senate. Holton will speak in the Godwin Building on campus at 2 p.m. Previously, Holton …

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Report: NOVA Awarded the Most Associate Degrees in 2010-2011

Northern Virginia Community College had the highest number of students earn associate degrees according to a report from Community College Week.

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has been ranked as the top two-year institution to award the most associate degrees for the 2010-2011 academic year, according to Community College Week, a biweekly publication. According to the report, NOVA students earned 4,695 associate degrees in the 2010-11 academic year. “Our graduates are eligible to transfer to all the well-known Virginia four-year colleges and universities through our guaranteed admission agreements. That’s a great deal,” said NOVA President Robert G. Templin Jr. in a press release. “In this tough economy, knowledgeable consumers make the most of their college funds by finishing the first two years at NOVA.” In addition to awarding the most degrees, NOVA received two …

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NOVA Professor Studying at CERN Physics Lab in Geneva

Physics professor Dr. Walerian Majewski hopes to use the knowledge he gains at CERN to create a new physics course at Northern Virginia Community College.

Northern Virginia Community College Professor Dr. Walerian Majewski is currently spending his summer visiting CERN, the European laboratory for particle physics in Geneva, Switzerland. Majewski, who teaches at the NVCC-Annandale campus, plans to use the information he learns at CERN to apply for a grant create a new introductory course of “Modern Physics” in the fall. “I am witnessing a fascinating moment in the history of physics,” Majewski said in a news release from NVCC. “We have just completed our understanding of ordinary matter, only to realize that it makes barely 4 percent of the universe. The ultimate theory will have to include the remaining 96 percent and the Collider, after recently finding the Higgs boson, begins the search …

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STEM Student Program Expands in Northern Virginia

SySTEMic program has its roots in Manassas Park.

A science program born in the Manassas Park school division is growing and spreading its arms to other Northern Virginia Schools. A $1 million grant from the Virginia General Assembly is funding the expansion of Northern Virginia Community College’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative. NOVA officials plan first to expand the program, called SySTEMic Solutions, into Loudoun County schools, but then extend into the Fairfax County, Alexandria and Arlington, according to a press release from the college. SySTEMic is a collaboration among employers, colleges and universities and secondary education school divisions to have more than 3,000 students preparing for STEM careers by the year 2015. Through SySTEMic, …

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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Signs Legislation at NOVA-Annandale

The governor signed 13 pieces of legislation into law that deal with human trafficking, protecting victims of domestic violence, and enhancing campus safety.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) signed into law 13 pieces of legislation Tuesday geared toward enhancing campus safety, protecting and supporting victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and other violent crimes, at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College. The visit was part of his "Virginia: Growing Strong" statewide tour. The audience at the Ernst Cultural Center all stood as the governor was introduced by NOVA Community College President Dr. Robert Templin, Jr. before he addressed the audience. “As a father of five, human trafficking and crimes of sexual abuse are a parent’s worst nightmare,” McDonnell said to a crowd composed of 150 local elected officials, NOVA students and faculty, the Governor's Domestic …

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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to Visit NOVA-Annandale

On Tuesday, McDonnell will sign legislation to protect victims of sexual and domestic violence at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) will visit the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College on Tuesday as part of his "Virginia: Growing Strong" statewide tour. McDonnell will sign several pieces of legislation, including bills that would protect victims of sexual and domestic violence and human trafficking, at 2:30 p.m. in the Ernst Community Cultural Center after his morning visit to Fredericksburg Machine and Steel, according to a press release on his website. Several local Annandale representatives will attend the signing, including Del. Vivian Watts (D-39th) and Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, along with NOVA Community College President Dr. Robert Templin, Jr. and NOVA-Annandale Campus Provost Dr. Barbara Saperstone…

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Annandale Patch Viewfinder

Annandale Viewfinder: Fire Safety, Elvis Presley and Climate Change

A gallery of photos taken around Annandale this week.

George Mason Regional Library and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department taught fire safety to area children. Author and researcher, Warren Perry, presented a lecture about Elvis Presley at Northern Virginia Community College. Steve Bruckner, conservation chair for the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, gave the Shepherd's Center of Annandale-Springfield Adventures in Learning participants a lot to think about during his climate change presentation at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.

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Annandale Patch Viewfinder

Annandale Viewfinder: WWII Speaker, Winterfest and Leaps and Bounds Learning

A gallery of photos taken around Annandale this week.

The guest speaker for the Shepherd's Center of Annandale-Springfield Lunch N' Life was Grant Ichikawa from the Japanese American Veterans Association. The Northern Virginia Community College gym was filled with visitors to the Vienna Wireless Society Winterfest, a gathering of amateur radio operators. The 'Leaps and Bounds' program at Hidden Oaks Nature Center taught the participants some amazing animal facts.

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Virginia Educational Changes Needed to Prepare New Workforce

Local educators say more cooperation and collaboration needed in Virginia to prepare for changing job market.

This is the second of a two part series about the Feb. 25, 2012, joint retreat of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County School Board.  Part I, Board of Supervisors, School Board Team Up, was published Monday. __________ Providing a skilled work force for the next decade is going to require collaboration between public school systems, community colleges and four-year universities, according to local educators. Dana Kauffman, director of College Government Affairs at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), said local communities need to grow their own front-line work force.  He addressed the joint retreat of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board Saturday. A 2011 study conducted by Dr. Stephen …

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Transcript: President Obama Remarks on 2013 Budget at NOVA-Annandale

The president spoke at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College.

Read our live updates from President Obama's speech at NOVA-Annandale and our full recap of the event for more information. 11:12 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Virginia!  Thank you, NOVA!  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Everybody who has a chair please have a seat.  I know not everybody has a chair.  AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Love you! THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Laughter.)  Great to be here. First of all, I want to thank Mike for the wonderful introduction.  Please give Mike a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  It is great to be back here at NOVA.  I’ve been here so many times I’m about three credits short of graduation.  (Laughter.)  But there are a couple of reasons that I keep on coming …