Education
Unlike most rural areas, Virginia's Heartland boasts three institutions of higher education. These colleges and university are economic generators in their own right, but they bring much more than jobs to the area - they contribute to the region's quality of life.
Hampden-Sydney College, Longwood University, and Southside Virginia Community College also offer cultural and social opportunities for residents of the Heartland.
Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) has a campus in Charlotte County and another in nearby Mecklenburg County. In addtion, SVCC offers classes at the Luther P. Jackson Adult Education Center in Cumberland County, and offers classes at several locations in nearby counties. As a result, the Heartland has the highest percentage of high school students enrolled for dual credit in the state community college system of any region in Virginia. Among SVCC's offerings is Old Dominion University's TELETECHNET.
Hampden-Sydney College is a four-year traditional liberal arts college for men that is ranked among the country's top liberal arts institutions. Since 1776 the college has sustained its mission "to form good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning." Among its alumni are one U.S. President, 13 Senators, and many Congressmen, state representatives, doctors, attorneys, ministers, and leaders in business and industry (nearly one alumnus in 10 is president, owner, or CEO of a company).
Hampden-Sydney's Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest was launched in 1997. It was renamed in 2000 to honor Lt. General Samuel Vaughan Wilson at the time of his retirement as president of the college. The Wilson Center offers a wide variety of public service and civic education programs for Hampden-Sydney students, faculty, staff and the community.
Examples of these programs include the Public Service Certificate Program, which prepares students for careers in public service through selected coursework, leadership seminars, research projects, and internships. Interns are placed with federal, state, local, and foreign government or private not-for-profit agencies, including the White House, the Australian Parliament, and the American Embassy in Brazil.
The Central Virginia Public Affairs Forum, another Wilson Center Program, brings debates, symposia, and speakers of relevance to the area.
Hampden-Sydney Alumni, with careers in Public Service, are invited to campus to share their expertise with current students in panels, class lectures, and seminars.
The Wilson Center also makes a variety of Youth Programs available to area high school students.
Longwood University — With a legacy of learning dating back over 150 years, it should come as no surprise that Longwood University has developed a lifestyle of learning that extends far beyond the classroom. Founded in 1839, as the Farmville Female Seminary Association, Longwood University is a coeducational, comprehensive state university offering programs leading to bachelor's and master's degrees in a wide variety of subjects.
Today, Longwood has an undergraduate enrollment of 3,900 students, combining the ambiance of a private university with the cost benefits of a public institution. Longwood was cited recently as one of the nation's best college buys in America's 100 Best College Buys, a national publication that profiles schools that are the highest rated academically but have the lowest annual costs. Small classes (average = 25) and a favorable faculty/student ratio (1:14), provide an opportunity for both professors and students to develop close, personal relationships.
Longwood operates a Small Business Development Center drawing on the talents of its business faculty and staff and operates the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, which is open to the public in downtown Farmville.
