BORN THROUGH INNOVATION: RBC
Richard Bland College (RBC), Virginia’s selective, two-year, residential, liberal arts transfer institution, was born through innovation. In 1959, years before the Virginia Community College system was imagined, Frank Ernst – a Gateway region native, entrepreneur, and retired executive of Hopewell’s Allied Chemical Plant – proposed the creation of an institution grounded in the liberal arts tradition with opportunities for specialized training in in-demand fields such as engineering to the State Council of Higher Education. After discussions with Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, Ernst found a willing partner in the College of William & Mary, the second-oldest university in the United States, who founded Richard Bland College in 1960. RBC has since offered multiple certificates and university-parallel two-year degrees.
The entrepreneurial spirit of RBC’s founding animates its collaboration in strategic partnerships to provide an affordable, accessible, and innovative education. Richard Bland in collaboration with the American Council of Education (ACE) adopted a one-size-fits-one approach to student success undergirded by the principles of Guided Pathways. With neighboring Virginia State and Virginia Wesleyan Universities, RBC is also able to offer unparalleled flexibility in pursuing stackable credentials and/or full baccalaureate degree programs through a joint virtual School of Technical & Professional Studies as well as a Center for University Transfer, respectively. RBC’s work with Navitas, a leading global education provider, internationalized its campus. Partnering with local industry partners formed the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) program – the first of its kind in the state – which offers students the ability to “earn and learn” on the job while in college. RBC also hosts a testing, training, and R&D center for DroneUp, a leader in unmanned aircraft systems. The DroneUp Flight Academy at RBC is the first of its kind in the United States.
The college’s fourth President, Dr. Debbie Sydow, has fostered the creation of this partnership network, shepherding RBC toward its visionary goal of becoming a new, hybrid model for higher education in Virginia. This network and the multiple expansions it engenders has necessitated a reimagining of RBC with William & Mary. In November 2022, the W&M Board of Visitors voiced its support for RBC to join other former W&M affiliate institutions such as Christopher Newport and Old Dominion University in establishing its own Board. The Bill to establish an independent Board of Visitors for Richard Bland College has enthusiastic support in the House and Senate and currently awaits legislative approval in the 2023 General Assembly session.
Excited for the future, Richard Bland College continues to calibrate its programming and partnerships to deliver the hallmark of an RBC education: preparation for a lifetime of endless potential.
