Richard Bland College facts for kids
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Other name
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Richard Bland College of William & Mary |
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| Motto | The Junior College of the Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Type | Public junior college |
| Established | 1960 |
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Parent institution
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College of William and Mary |
| Accreditation | SACS |
| Budget | $25,091,121 (2023) |
| President | Debbie L. Sydow |
| Provost | Maria Dezenberg |
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Academic staff
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36 |
| Students | 2,528 |
| Location |
,
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United States
37°9′26.5″N 77°23′54.1″W / 37.157361°N 77.398361°W |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Green White |
| Nickname | Statesmen |
| Mascot | Statesman Eagle |
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Richard Bland College (RBC) is a public college in Prince George, Virginia. It's a special kind of college called a "junior college." This means it offers two-year programs. RBC is connected to the famous College of William & Mary.
The college was started in 1960 by the Virginia General Assembly. It was first a branch of the College of William & Mary. Even though other colleges that started this way became independent, Richard Bland College stayed a junior college of William & Mary. It has its own leaders, but William & Mary's Board of Visitors helps guide it. The college is named after Richard Bland, an important leader from Virginia. He lived in Prince George County, where part of the college campus is today.
Contents
History of Richard Bland College
Richard Bland College of William and Mary was created in 1960. It was part of a plan to offer more college options in Virginia. The main goal was to help students who lived far from the main William & Mary campus in Williamsburg, Virginia.
How the College is Governed
The College of William and Mary's Board of Visitors looks after Richard Bland College. The Governor of Virginia chooses the members of this board. A president, chosen by the board, leads the college's daily activities and classes.
Who Was Richard Bland?
The college is named after Richard Bland, a very important person in Virginia's history. He was a strong supporter of people's rights. He studied at the College of William and Mary. He also represented the area where the college is now located in the House of Burgesses and the House of Delegates.
Richard Bland was known for defending Virginia's rights against unfair taxes. He wrote a famous paper called An Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies. This paper was one of the first to explain why the colonies were against certain taxes. He also served in the Continental Congress. People respected him as a great leader and historian.
The Campus's Past Life
The land where Richard Bland College stands has a long history. Before the American Civil War, it was a large farm owned by the Gurley family. During the war, Union soldiers used the area. Two battles, the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road and the Battle of Globe Tavern, happened here. These battles were important for controlling a railroad that supplied Petersburg. Around that time, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President, even stayed at a nearby tavern.
In the early 1900s, the Hatcher-Seward family started a dairy farm on the land. They planted many pecan trees, which are still a beautiful part of the campus today. Later, during World War I, the land was used as a work camp. In 1932, the state bought the land for a hospital and training school for African-American youth. This school changed names several times before closing in 1959.
Starting Richard Bland College
In 1961, retired Colonel James M. Carson helped turn the old hospital into Richard Bland College. New buildings like Ernst Hall, a Student Center/Library, and a gym were added in the late 1960s. Colonel Carson was the first president until 1973. Later presidents, like Clarence Maze and James B. McNeer, helped the college grow.
Today, Richard Bland College has a large campus of 750 acres. It still has the old pecan trees and two old farmhouses. One farmhouse is the president's home, and the other is a guesthouse. An old dairy barn is now a theater. The campus also has a unique koi pond.
In 2008, the college added student housing. This made it the only two-year college in Virginia to offer dorms. More than 18,000 people have graduated from Richard Bland College. The college also helps the economy in Petersburg and nearby areas.
In 2012, Debbie L. Sydow became the fourth president and the first woman to lead the college. In recent years, there have been talks about Richard Bland College having its own separate board of visitors. This idea was supported by William & Mary's board in 2022, but it was not approved by the Virginia House Appropriations Committee in 2023.
Exploring the Campus
Richard Bland College has a large campus of over 700 acres. It is located in both Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, near Petersburg. The campus feels like a park, with green spaces and a mix of old and new buildings. You can see pecan orchards and historical spots, like parts of the old Central State Hospital.
Important Campus Buildings
- McNeer Building: This is where science and technology classes are held.
- Pecan Hall: This building is for social studies, humanities, and English classes.
- Ernst Hall: It has classrooms, labs, and faculty offices.
- Barn Theatre: This used to be a dairy barn. Now, it's a theater where students and community members put on plays.
- Campus Center: This is a busy spot with the library, a snack bar, dining area, student lounge, and bookstore.
- Center for Student Affairs: Here you can find offices for admissions, financial aid, and student activities.
- Maze Hall: This is the main administration building. It holds offices for the President and other leaders.
- Statesman Hall: This building has the gym, locker rooms, a weight room, and racquetball courts. It's where physical education classes are taught.
The campus library offers many helpful services for students.
Student Housing
Richard Bland College offers housing in buildings like Commerce, Freedom, and Patriot Halls. Commerce Hall used to have classrooms but was changed into a student dorm after 2008. Freedom and Patriot Halls offer apartment-style living. About 500 students live on campus. Students living in dorms need to keep a 2.5 GPA to help them focus on their studies.
A bridge, similar to the Crim Dell bridge at William & Mary, connects the athletic fields to the student housing area. This makes it easy for students to get to sports activities.
Academics and Student Life
Richard Bland College is a unique two-year college in Virginia because it offers dorms. It helps students get ready for a four-year degree. Many students transfer to the College of William & Mary after studying here. The college also helps students transfer to other public universities in Virginia.
RBC offers two main types of degrees:
- Associate of Arts (A.A.)
- Associate of Science (A.S.)
These degrees give students a strong start in their chosen fields.
Student Body and Admissions
In Fall 2021, Richard Bland College had 2,528 students. About 62% of the students were women, and 38% were men. Many students (32%) were the first in their families to go to college. Also, 57% of the students were students of color.
Richard Bland College was the only two-year college in Virginia to grow in student numbers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Its enrollment went up by 21%, while other two-year colleges in Virginia saw a drop.
College Rankings
College Factual is a group that ranks colleges. In 2023, they ranked Richard Bland College very highly.
- It was ranked No. 236 out of 1,330 colleges that offer associate degrees across the country.
- It was also ranked No. 13 out of 64 for overall value in Virginia.
- Overall, College Factual placed RBC at No. 778 out of 2,241 schools in the United States. This means it ranked higher than many four-year colleges.
College Sports
The official mascot of Richard Bland College is the Statesman Eagle. The college's sports teams are called the Statesmen. This name connects to the college's parent university, William & Mary. The athletic fields are on the east side of campus.
The Statesmen compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) at the Division I level. They are part of Region 10.
- Men's sports include basketball, soccer, and golf.
- Women's sports include volleyball, softball, and soccer.
Famous Alumni
Many successful people have graduated from Richard Bland College. Here are a few:
- Kirk Cox, 1981, a Virginia politician who was the 55th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
- Kelly Gee, 2008, who served as the acting Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth.
- Javaid Siddiqi, 1998, who was Virginia's Secretary of Education from 2013 to 2014.
