Richard Bland College
Encyclopedia
Richard Bland College of The College of William and Mary (commonly Richard Bland College or simply, RBC) is a public junior college
with about 1,400 students located near Petersburg, Virginia
. Named after Virginia statesman Richard Bland
, RBC was established in 1960 by the Virginia General Assembly
as a branch of the College of William and Mary
, and was once considered part of the "Colleges of William and Mary" umbrella. While self-functioning, RBC is governed by William and Mary's Board of Visitors. Richard Bland College is currently the Commonwealth of Virginia's only public junior college (as the University of Virginia's College at Wise
became a four-year college in the early 1970s). At Richard Bland, students have access to a library with over 67,000 books, 53,000 e-books, 2,000 videos and 2,200 DVDs (largely due to an anonymous donor) and the Virtual Library of Virginia
.
Richard Bland was established in order to provide the first two years of college education, which would be followed by a transfer to William & Mary, or to another of the state's four-year colleges. To this end, RBC has formal credit transfer agreements with over a dozen Virginia colleges, including William & Mary, VCU
, JMU
and Virginia Tech,Virginia, Liberty,
Virginia Military Instute, and Washington and Lee.
In the fall semester of 2008 Richard Bland College became the only junior college in the state of Virginia to offer on campus housing. The residence halls are named Freedom Hall and Patriot Hall and offer Richard Bland College students with apartment style living accommodations. The College offers one, two, three, and four bedroom apartments. A standard four bedroom apartment has two bathrooms, four bedrooms, a full kitchen, dining area, living room, and a walk-in laundry room. All apartments are equipped with the following amenities: a full range stove and oven, a microwave, a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, a refrigerator, a washer, and a dryer. The Residence Halls also provide the students who live on campus with access to both wireless and wired internet as well as cable television jacks in both the individual bedrooms as well as the common living area.
The combined capacity of both Patriot and Freedom Halls is 243 students. Due to the academic atmosphere that the College desires to foster in its living areas there is a 2.5 GPA requirement for all incoming students who wish to live on campus.
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
with about 1,400 students located near Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
. Named after Virginia statesman Richard Bland
Richard Bland
Richard Bland , sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was an American planter and statesman from Virginia...
, RBC was established in 1960 by the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
as a branch of the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, and was once considered part of the "Colleges of William and Mary" umbrella. While self-functioning, RBC is governed by William and Mary's Board of Visitors. Richard Bland College is currently the Commonwealth of Virginia's only public junior college (as the University of Virginia's College at Wise
University of Virginia's College at Wise
The University of Virginia's College at Wise is the liberal arts college of the University of Virginia, and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, located in Wise, Virginia...
became a four-year college in the early 1970s). At Richard Bland, students have access to a library with over 67,000 books, 53,000 e-books, 2,000 videos and 2,200 DVDs (largely due to an anonymous donor) and the Virtual Library of Virginia
Virtual Library of Virginia
The Virtual Library of Virginia is the consortium of the nonprofit academic libraries within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Members include all of the 39 state-assisted colleges and universities , as well as 32 of the independent institutions and the Library of...
.
Richard Bland was established in order to provide the first two years of college education, which would be followed by a transfer to William & Mary, or to another of the state's four-year colleges. To this end, RBC has formal credit transfer agreements with over a dozen Virginia colleges, including William & Mary, VCU
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
, JMU
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
and Virginia Tech,Virginia, Liberty,
Virginia Military Instute, and Washington and Lee.
In the fall semester of 2008 Richard Bland College became the only junior college in the state of Virginia to offer on campus housing. The residence halls are named Freedom Hall and Patriot Hall and offer Richard Bland College students with apartment style living accommodations. The College offers one, two, three, and four bedroom apartments. A standard four bedroom apartment has two bathrooms, four bedrooms, a full kitchen, dining area, living room, and a walk-in laundry room. All apartments are equipped with the following amenities: a full range stove and oven, a microwave, a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, a refrigerator, a washer, and a dryer. The Residence Halls also provide the students who live on campus with access to both wireless and wired internet as well as cable television jacks in both the individual bedrooms as well as the common living area.
The combined capacity of both Patriot and Freedom Halls is 243 students. Due to the academic atmosphere that the College desires to foster in its living areas there is a 2.5 GPA requirement for all incoming students who wish to live on campus.