The Board of Visitors’ Richard Bland College Committee discussed innovations in the athletics programs and a new academic initiative at Richard Bland before moving into closed session Thursday.
This year, Richard Bland College rejoined the National Junior College Athletic Association. Athletics Director and men’s basketball head coach Chuck Moore described the advancements in the program since then. The schedule for the athletic programs has been set, with men’s soccer and cross country taking place in the fall, basketball and cheerleading in the winter, and track and field and women’s softball in the spring.
Major efforts have also gone towards developing the student athlete experience, which has involved closer monitoring of the athletes’ academic performances and motivating them to hold a championship mentality.
“We [have] got to develop them academically, athletically and socially — we got to get into their minds,” Moore said. “That is what we are trying to develop — above-average student athletes.”
Tyler Hart, director of the Center for Strategic Initiatives, spoke about new strategies for academics at the College. He spoke on the recent shift in focus from the recently established language institute program to the existing academic program, which has involved the elimination of degree emphasis options to add six new associate degree programs plus ten certificate programs. Popular among the additional associate degrees was the new program in logistics.
“We identified that logistics is a huge area for growth in the Petersburg area and in Virginia,” Hart said.
His solution for implementing these additional programs involved selling the idea of “stackable credentials,” making strategic partnerships and enhancing program feasibility.
