General Assembly Passes RBC Independence Bill
For Immediate Release: February 20, 2024
Contact: Jesse Vaughan, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer/jvaughan@rbc.edu
Courtesy of The Progress-Index
True autonomy for Richard Bland College is now only a stroke of the governor’s pen away.
Senate Bill 742, which sets up a board of visitors for the two-year junior college south of Petersburg, has cleared both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly and is on its way to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his action. RBC president Dr. Debbie Sydow said Youngkin’s approval would add to his “legacy” of supporting Petersburg and the surrounding area.
“Governor Youngkin has demonstrated his commitment to growth and prosperity in Petersburg, and his support of RBC’s independence will add to that legacy.” Sydow said in a statement to The Progress-Index Wednesday, one day after the bill jumped its last legislative hurdle.
The bill from Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, breezed through the legislature this session. It sets up a nine-member board of visitors for Richard Bland College beginning in 2026. It severs the final remaining link between RBC and The College of William & Mary, its longtime parent university.
William & Mary has already blessed the move, noting that Richard Bland has essentially been operating on its own for several years now. RBC leadership pushed for the separation, saying it was the next step in the college establishing its future as an academic and technological leader.
Sydow called the Assembly’s action “momentous, especially as RBC is poised to deepen and expand its strategic partnerships.”
Richard Bland is Virginia’s only junior college. Students graduate from there with associate degrees and can transfer those credits to most four-year colleges.
