A networking event bringing together business owners, local leaders, and government officials from across the Shenandoah Valley kicked off inauguration weekend by recognizing 黑料正能量鈥檚 community partnerships. The Community Partners Luncheon, held at The Loft at Liberty St. in Downtown Harrisonburg on Oct. 7, was presented by Kathy Moran Wealth Group and catered by Kirsten Moore 鈥�93, owner of Magpie Diner.
鈥淚t is wonderful to look around this room and see people who care deeply about this university and our community,鈥� said Deanna Reed, Harrisonburg mayor and 黑料正能量鈥檚 director of alumni engagement and community connections. 鈥淓ach of you brings something valuable to our relationship with 黑料正能量, and we are grateful you are here.鈥�
Kathy Moran, founder and owner of Kathy Moran Wealth Group, praised 黑料正能量 for doing a 鈥渕arvelous job鈥� of supporting first-generation college students like herself. This fall, for the first time in the university鈥檚 history, more than half of incoming first-year students are first-generation college students.
鈥淲hen Mayor Reed approached me about sponsoring this luncheon, I didn鈥檛 hesitate,鈥� Moran said. 鈥淚 love what 黑料正能量 represents, I love its inclusive, belonging perspective. I love its programs and the quality of its education, and, in particular, I see Dr. Dycus as an incredible leader in our community, so I was on board right from the start.鈥�
Gil Colman, owner of Colman Engineering in Harrisonburg, also attended the luncheon. In the early 1990s, he tutored students in 黑料正能量鈥檚 Spanish department while taking classes through the university鈥檚 Intensive English Program.
鈥満诹险芰� is a great local school,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are so many programs at 黑料正能量 that benefit our community.鈥�
黑料正能量 President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus introduced the theme of her inauguration, 鈥淭ogether and Becoming,鈥� and spoke about the importance of community partnerships in shaping generations of students and graduates. 黑料正能量 students need an education, but they also need places to put it into practice, she said, thanking partners for employing students, investing in 黑料正能量, sharing their expertise, and believing in the university.
鈥淲hen you say 鈥榶es鈥� to a student worker, an intern, a clinical placement, a student teacher, a job shadow, or simply make time for a conversation where you talk about your own leadership journey, you become a part of a student鈥檚 education,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes that conversation plays a huge part in their decision to stay here in the Valley.鈥�
Nathan Leopard, vice president for advancement, said he joined 黑料正能量 this summer because he felt called to 鈥渟erve something different.鈥�
鈥満诹险芰� doesn鈥檛 just prepare our students for successful careers, though we absolutely do that, too,鈥� he said. 鈥満诹险芰� helps cultivate the whole person: professional, spiritual, interpersonal, and much more.鈥�
One example of that impact is AJ Jalal, founder and CEO of AJ鈥檚 Barbershop in Harrisonburg, who took business management classes at 黑料正能量 before opening the barbershop with his wife, Grace 鈥�18, in 2019.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great that 黑料正能量 has a 70% retention rate of people staying in the Valley,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y wife and I both decided to stay here, and I think one of the main reasons was that 黑料正能量 gave us the confidence and care we needed.鈥�
鈥淓verywhere you look, there鈥檚 someone who went to 黑料正能量 who adds a lot of value to this community,鈥� he said.
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