THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505190504
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Thomas Nelson Community College's dream for a second campus on the Northern Peninsula moved a step closer to reality Thursday.
The State Board for Community Colleges endorsed the concept after reviewing a feasibility study that made the case for construction of a new campus to serve residents of Williamsburg, James City County and upper York County.
The board, meeting at the downtown Omni International Hotel, approved the use of $50,000 allocated last session by state General Assembly for the next step - a detailed planning study.
Shirley R. Pippins, president of Thomas Nelson, called the board's action a ``move in the right direction.'' Ultimately, the General Assembly would have to give its blessing before construction could begin.
``We really need community involvement and support for this to happen,'' Pippins said.
The college serves about 7,400 students at its Hampton location. A second campus, likely to be located in or near Williamsburg, would serve a projected 2,000 students. An estimated $18 million, the bulk of it state funds, would be sought to build and outfit a 120,000-square-foot facility.
Pippins said the Hampton campus does not serve residents of the upper Peninsula adequately. With population growth projected to hit nearly 20 percent this decade in the Northern Peninsula, the college wants a campus closer to those residents, she said. by CNB