From Germanna Community College:
Jack Rowley of Stafford County was the Germanna Community College winner of the 17th Annual Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy last week in Richmond.
More than two dozen individuals, families, and organizations were honored with the 2023 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy.
Dr. David Doré, the new Virginia Community College System chancellor, told the honorees, “Were it not for your generosity, some of our students would have to put their hopes and dreams on hold, while others might have to abandon them altogether…we are extremely grateful.”
The annual event, hosted by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, recognizes philanthropists from each of Virginia’s 23 community colleges and the statewide foundation. Recipients are nominated for their outstanding commitment to the growth and development of Virginia’s community colleges and their respective foundations.
This year’s class contributed $14 million to Virginia’s Community Colleges.
“Jack Rowley has worked fiercely and tirelessly for Germanna as a whole, especially in Stafford,” said Bruce Davis, head of the GCC Educational Foundation. Rowley is the GCC Real Estate Foundation president and has been a Stafford EDA Board member since 2001.
“Jack was involved with the Stafford EDA when they helped fund Germanna’s first little, tiny center in Stafford in 2009,” Davis said. “That facility was overwhelmed with students within three months of opening. Jack was then integrally involved in Germanna moving to a much larger rental facility which has served the school well up to the present,” Davis said
“With the spectacular growth in Stafford, Jack has led the Germanna Real Estate Foundation effort to purchase two office buildings totaling 40,000 square feet recently,” Davis added. The two buildings will open in 2024. One will be dedicated to the Germanna Nursing and Health Sciences program to double the number of graduates by 2027. The other building will primarily be dedicated to the Germanna cybersecurity program, allowing students to work on their degree program while at the same time interning for defense and intelligence contractors based in Stafford. The internships are expected to speed up the critical process of students receiving federal security clearances.
Rowley has served on the GCC Educational Foundation board for 25 years and is the Stafford appointee on the Germanna Local College Board.
Photo courtesy Germanna Community College
