Historically, the college-going rate in southern Virginia has been low. Chief among the factors contributing to the low rate of college attendance are financial and geographic barriers to pursuing post-secondary education in the region. The closest public four-year universities are more than two hours driving distance for most area residents. Responding to the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the 1990s, local civic and political leaders identified the need for improved access to higher education and began to advocate for the establishment of a college in southern Virginia.

2004

Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine, supported by a bipartisan coalition of state and local officials, spearheaded legislation to establish a college in southern Virginia. To sustain the legislative momentum, the Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont pledged $50 million towards the establishment of a state-supported, baccalaureate-level college in Martinsville-Henry County.

2005

Governor Mark Warner and the General Assembly committed more than $1 million to develop a comprehensive assessment of regional student and employer needs. Based on the findings of the needs assessment, state and local officials proposed the creation of New College Institute, a publicly-funded institution of higher education located in Martinsville-Henry County which would provide bachelor’s degree completion and master’s degrees.

2006

The General Assembly passed and Governor Tim Kaine signed a bill establishing New College Institute funded by an initial appropriation of $2.5 million for the 2006-08 biennium and a matching grant from the Harvest Foundation. That same year, New College enrolled more than 100 students in a pilot program of six bachelor’s degree completion and master’s degree programs in high demand fields. Academic offerings are augmented by an aggressive outreach program of community workshops, individual counseling, non-credit courses, and internship opportunities.

2007

New College Institute offers eleven degree programs in 2007-2008. In addition, New College sponsors an innovative partnership with the Virginia Museum of Natural History to offer teacher endorsement in earth science. Courses will be taught at NCI by museum faculty and labs will be held at the museum.  An additional endorsement in English as a Second Language will be delivered via a partnership between Radford University and the University of Virginia.