Germanna Community College unveiled its new Stafford County Center on Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 74,000-square-foot complex off Garrisonville Road features two state-of-the-art buildings: the Kevin L. Dillard Health Sciences Building at 25 Center St., and the Barbara J. Fried Building at 10 Center St.
The $20 million project represents the largest effort in the history of Germanna’s Educational Foundation, according to a press release announcing of the opening. Renovations, managed by the college’s facilities team and Dario Construction, began in 2023 after the buildings were acquired in October 2022.
The center aims to address workforce needs in health care, cybersecurity and information technology.
With room for up to 400 nursing students, the center will aid in doubling Germanna’s nursing program enrollment, bolstering efforts to address the regional worker shortage. The facility also will offer general education courses, evening cybersecurity classes and workforce development programs.
Germanna said that the project was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Stafford Economic Development Authority, The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region, Mary Washington Healthcare, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, Shore United Bank, Dario Construction, and architect John Berger, alongside federal support from Virginia’s U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.
In addition, contributions from donors such as Mary Jane O’Neill, Rhonda and Adam Fried, and Kevin Dillard were instrumental in bringing a vision to life for the college, established in 1970.
“Thanks to our tremendous community support, we’re going to explode here in Stafford County,” Germanna President Janet Gullickson said in the announcement. “We’re going to make something here. We’re going to change the lives of everyone in our community. I can’t tell you how proud I am that we came together as a community and did this.”
Jack Rowley, president of the Germanna Real Estate Foundation Board and local college board member, recalled the institution’s history in Stafford.
“This is truly an honor,” Rowley said after it was announced that the Student Services Center in the Fried Building would be named in his honor. “I think back to 2009 when we were able to get the first five Germanna classrooms in Stafford County, and now we’ve grown tremendously.”
At Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, student speaker Alexus Manning also shared excitement for Germanna’s expansion.
“Being a mother of two toddlers, starting the nursing program was scary,” Manning said. “I felt lost. But I decided to take my next step at Germanna Community College. Here, my professors have provided me with top-tier educational experiences. I feel that I am wholeheartedly prepared to provide value to Fredericksburg, Stafford and the world.”
Enrollment at the Stafford County Center is now open, and prospective students and others can explore Germanna’s expanded offerings online.
