A visit to Culpeper

Gov. Maark R. Warner
Published: February 8, 2008

During a Feb. 1 visit to Culpeper and Orange, I had the privilege of visiting with good friends - and making many new ones.

We met with business and community leaders and received an update on several projects and initiatives we launched together during my term as governor between 2002 and 2006.

 I also enjoyed visiting with about 90 residents and staff at the Orange County Nursing Home and discussing health care and other issues. And we also had an opportunity to tour the Powell Wellness Center, an innovative rehabilitation and preventative care facility that's a partnership with Culpeper Regional Hospital.

 But I must acknowledge that the highlight of the trip was my visit with Germanna Community College students at GCC's Daniel Center for Advanced Technology, which was built as a result of the successful statewide higher education bond initiative I was proud to lead in 2002.

 I recall meeting with leaders in this community as far back as 1999, even before I was elected governor, to talk about opportunities to create additional higher education and high-tech training programs to make this region even more competitive in the global economy.

 As many of you know, DCAT played a significant role in attracting the $270 million investment by the data firm Terremark. DCAT will help train local residents for the hundreds of high-skill, high-tech, high-wage jobs Terremark will provide.

Virginia's entire community college system should make all Virginians proud. The 23-school system is a testament to our shared commitment to a world-class public education system, and the students, faculty and staff at Germanna are working hard every day to extend knowledge and workforce skills in communities across the region.

When I served as governor, I spent a lot of time on expanding access to quality educational opportunities, and our administration insisted on accountability and results.

The numbers tell the story:
.  92 percent of Virginia's schools were accredited under the state Standards of Learning program in 2005 - up from 40 percent in 2001.
.  Unlike other states, Virginia did not back away from rigorous graduation requirements. In 2005, the first year that these standards had a direct impact on whether or not a student graduated, 94.6 percent of 12th grade students earned a diploma.
.  Virginia students posted the largest increase in math SAT scores in the nation in 2005.
.   The number of students taking at least one Advanced Placement course in Virginia increased by more than 26 percent over the course of our administration. The number of African-American students who took at least one AP test increased by 35 percent, and the number of Hispanic students by 50 percent.

GCC offers the "Middle College" concept we launched in 2003, serving as a "jump start" for higher education for young adults without a high school degree. Middle College allows young adults to pursue a GED, a community college degree, and workforce certification simultaneously and in a welcoming higher education environment.

I have always believed Virginia could be a leader in building and maintaining a quality education system to attract quality investment and jobs. That's the key to providing opportunities for our young people so they no longer feel as if they have to leave their homes in our smaller communities like Culpeper to find good jobs elsewhere.

A quality public education is at the heart of Virginia's success, and I'm proud of the work being done every day in the public schools and higher education facilities in Orange, Greene and Culpeper.

And our work together has been noticed.

Last year, the experts at Education Week magazine looked at what we were doing and determined that a child born in Virginia today is significantly more likely to experience success throughout life than a child born in any other state in the nation.

That's something all of us should be proud of.

Mark R. Warner is a former governor of Virginia and is currently a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.