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New Science and Health Professions Building for the Fauquier Campus

Case for Support

February 2016

A. Funding Need

In December 2015, Virginia Governor McAuliffe presented for the General Assembly’s

consideration a 2016-2018 biennial budget, including a $2.43 billion bond package to fund key

research and development initiatives.

The Governor’s proposal includes $214 million for projects at Virginia community colleges.

LFCC was thrilled to learn that an academic building for LFCC’s Fauquier Campus is on the list

of proposed construction projects.

If, at the conclusion of the General Assembly session this spring, the college receives the good

news that $17 million in construction funds are approved for the project, then LFCC is still

responsible for covering the costs of site work.

Site work expenses include excavation and bringing utilities to the site.1 In 2013, the estimated

cost of site work was $1,900,000. However, it is safe to assume that the costs have increased in

the past three years.

The LFCC Foundation’s goal is to raise a minimum of $2,250,000 – to make sure we have

sufficient funds for site work as well as funds to purchase any additional equipment or

furnishings needed for a state-of-the-art academic science building.

The LFCC Foundation currently has $1,750,000 to support site work expenses. This includes the

$1,000,000 grant recently announced from the PATH Foundation (formerly Fauquier Health

Foundation).

We need to raise an additional $500,000 this spring. Private support sends a powerful message to

the Virginia General Assembly that the Fauquier community stands behind the college and

endorses this important project.

It is also important to emphasize that all private donations secured are ultimately going to be

matched by $17 million in state funds for construction. There will be many naming

opportunities in the new building, including a first floor multi-purpose room that will be used for

many campus and community events.

1 Unfortunately, per state law, capital outlay funds do not cover site work expenses for community college projects.

State funds do cover site work expenses at 4-year universities. The Virginia Community College System has been

lobbying to change this law.

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B. Background

It has been said that the quality of a community can be

measured by its health care and educational resources

for residents. The Fauquier Campus of Lord Fairfax

Community College (LFCC) is a wonderful example of

what is possible when the Commonwealth of Virginia

and a local community work together.

In 1988, a dairy barn donated by Bob Sowder was

converted into 3 classrooms, and 17 students took

advantage of classes on the new campus. In 1996, the

General Assembly appropriated $7 million to build a 60,000-square foot academic and

administrative building. The college named the building Wolk Hall to honor generous

benefactors Paul and Sheila Wolk. Among the many businesses and individuals who have

supported us, Rose and Jesse Loeb and Fauquier Health deserve special recognition.

In the 28 years since we opened our doors in

Fauquier, LFCC remains the only institution of

higher education in the county. Of all the residents

of Fauquier County who are currently in college,

30% attend LFCC.

Nearly 2,000 students are enrolled at our Fauquier

Campus. Approximately 50% of these students

intend to transfer to a 4-year university. Others are

pursuing career certificates and career-switcher

programs.

LFCC provides affordable and accessible education to learners of all ages. The most significant

enrollment growth has taken place among students in the 18-24 age group. However, many

“lifelong learners” and seniors have enjoyed taking classes in Warrenton, and children have

participated in our summer camps.

LFCC’s Workforce Solutions department offers high quality workforce training, apprenticeships,

and professional development—tailored to the needs of local employers. Many high school

students in Fauquier County take advantage of LFCC’s popular dual enrollment program. LFCC

also makes education possible for academically gifted high school students by providing free

space on campus for the Mountain Vista Governor’s School.

Since the 2008 recession, LFCC has accommodated record enrollment. Residents began to take a

second look at the quality and diversity of academic programs offered close to home at LFCC.

Classes are small, accessible, affordable, and approximately 1/3 the cost of tuition at a 4-year

public university (not including the cost of dorms).

In the past eight years, the Fauquier Campus has grown 60.6% to its current enrollment of 1,887.

575 high school students take classes through the dual enrollment program.

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C. The Need for a New Building

To better serve residents of Fauquier County, our Warrenton campus is in desperate need of more

space for classes and for large campus or community events. Although not ideal, six modular

buildings were installed in 2010.

Our science professors share our limited labs and classrooms with the Governor’s School.

Our nursing and health professions programs cannot expand without more facilities.

While our beloved Barn remains the most important “flex space” on campus, it has a limited

seating capacity of approximately 100 (theatre style), making it difficult to offer a variety of

cultural and campus events for students and the community.

D. Building Description

The 40,000 square foot STEM-H building (science,

technology, engineering, math, and health) will include:

• State of the art, flexible purpose classrooms

• Science and health professions laboratories including

clinical simulation stations

• Expanded distance learning opportunities

• A large multipurpose space for 200-300 people,

featuring flexible use meeting facilities. This would

enhance partnership opportunities between LFCC and

the Fauquier community.

E. Time Line

October 2013. LFCC Foundation hosted a 25th

anniversary celebration of the Fauquier campus.

At this celebration, Dr. Bill Hazel, Jr. announced a $1 million donation to support the science

building fund from the William A. Hazel Family Foundation.

December 2013. Fauquier County Board of Supervisors appropriated $150,000 for the project.

April 2014. During the 2014 General Assembly session, the academic building was added to

the list of projects in the “detailed planning” phase of the capital outlay budget. This is the phase

when work can begin on securing the many necessary approvals, such as VDOT, environmental

impact studies, and so on. This is also when preliminary design work may begin.

It is highly unlikely that our building would have made it this far without the $1 million gift from

the Hazel family. We know this because the state budget language references the private gift we

had received, and LFCC was required to pay for half of the planning expenses. Therefore,

$500,000 of the Hazel family’s donation was used for this purpose.

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2014 and 2015

It can take years for a building to advance from the planning phase to actually receiving

construction funds. We knew that it was very important to continue to build momentum and

raise more private dollars.

The Foundation hosted numerous “friend raisers” and fundraisers, planned our first annual

Spooktacular charity golf tournament, and participated in the Northern Piedmont Community

Foundation’s “Give Local Piedmont” initiative.

An architect has been selected and will be announced soon.

F. Lord Fairfax Community College Education Foundation

Mission

The Foundation raises funds to help the college fulfill its mission to provide accessible, quality

academic and workforce training opportunities to all students, regardless of financial need.

The LFCC Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c) (3) organization. All gifts are tax

deductible as allowed by law. The Foundation’s operating budget is $150,000. Assets are valued

at $20 million, including a $6 million endowment. The Foundation also owns the $9.5 million

Student Union at the Middletown Campus, which was built on property donated to the LFCC

Foundation in 1995.

Leadership

The Foundation is led by a 13 member board, including representation from the Fauquier region:

Terry L. Nyhous, Past Chair in 2013, U.S. Air Force retired, Former Fauquier County Board

of Supervisors & Warrenton Town Council

Katy Reeves, VP of Human Resources, Fauquier Health

Margie Markham, VP of Commercial Lending, Summit Community Bank, Warrenton

T. Brooke Howard, Attorney, Howard, Morrison, Ross, and Whelan, Warrenton

Rosa Crocker, owner of Monroe & Crocker, LLC, Flint Hill in Rappahannock County. She

is also a board member of Mountain Vista Governor’s School and Headwaters Foundation.

The LFCC Foundation has a full-time staff of three—the executive director, senior development

officer, and an administrative and donor relations coordinator. The Foundation also has a part-

time accounting manager and a part-time grant writer. Liv Heggoy is the executive director and

Bev Butterfield is the senior development officer.

Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy became LFCC president in January 2009. In 2015, Dr. Chris Coutts

was appointed the Provost of the Fauquier Campus, which includes the Warrenton and Vint Hill

locations. The Provost position is new and reflects the increasingly important role of LFCC in

Fauquier. Dr. Coutts was previously LFCC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs.