New VCCS Chancellor Dr. David Doré Visits PVCC
On April 6, the new chancellor of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Dr. David Doré visited PVCC and met with students in the Bolick Student Center between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
PVCC was the fourth school Chancellor Doré visited after taking up the position on April 3. Doré is scheduled to visit all 23 community colleges in the VCCS before the end of the spring semester.
Students, faculty, and staff gathered in rows of seats in the Student Center with Doré standing at the front with a microphone. “One of the things that are really important to me as the chancellor of the system is that the system elevates the voices of you, students,” Doré said as he opened the discussion.
The first question came from the Student Government Association Treasurer Malcolm James, who asked about the neglected maintenance of college buildings. Doré explained that the issue James was discussing was deferred maintenance (maintenance that has to be postponed due to lack of resources) and talked more about his responsibilities as chancellor to explain how he might go about dealing with the problem. “One of my key roles is I am the advocate of this system with the general assembly, with the governor, with our partners,” he said. Doré expressed his intention to assess the maintenance of all buildings in the VCCS in the near future.
Other topics of discussion included pay for teachers, mental health services, veteran students, and the increasingly diverse student body of Virginia community colleges. Throughout the discussion, Doré emphasized the importance of creating a good structure for communication in the VCCS to make sure students’ voices are heard and of forming partnerships with local businesses to augment the student experience.
In an interview after the discussion, Doré also explained his plans to incorporate new technology into both better-serving students and the material being taught to students.
Doré finished the event by thanking students for their questions and re-expressing how important their voices are to him and the VCCS. He said, “You are the heart and soul of what we do. You are why we exist.”
