Dr. James B. McNeer, President

ABOUT RBC

             Welcome to Richard Bland College of The College of William and Mary in Virginia.  Founded in 1960, the 2007-2008 academic year marks our forty-seventh year of operation.  We are the Commonwealth’s only public junior college and our sole mission is to prepare students for transfer to both public and private colleges and universities throughout the country.  As a state-supported institution of higher education, we are governed by the Board of Visitors of The College of William and Mary.

                 The College's enrollment of 1,400 full and part-time students is indicative of the confidence expressed by the traditional student, the adult learner, and the general public in the quality of instruction offered by our outstanding faculty.

           Richard Bland College offers many challenging courses and programs that will provide you with a solid foundation in the liberal arts as you begin or continue your pursuit of higher education.  By attending Richard Bland College and completing the Associate Degree, you will have completed the first two years toward the Bachelor’s Degree. We have transfer agreements with colleges and universities across the Commonwealth which will enhance your educational opportunities.  Our students do well when they transfer and I encourage you to explore all these career and educational options with us.   

          What an exciting and challenging time to be part of the Richard Bland College experience!  A short walk through the trees west of Statesmen Hall one finds two four-story brick residential halls being readied for a fall 2008 opening.  A trip to the Student Center reveals a library that will double in size by next year.  The building that once housed the Art Department and Crater Criminal Justice Academy is in full use (including a two-story addition) for admissions, financial aid, counseling and student offices.  The basement of Maze Hall has been renovated to house several offices and Ernst Hall lecture hall has been modernized.

          We at Richard Bland continue to move forward with a confident spirit and the desire to foster the best possible educational environment.  I see that spirit demonstrated in the eyes of our students as they respond positively to the instruction of our outstanding faculty.  I see it in the contributions of our alumni and friends who support our many educational endeavors.

          When you consider the quality and transferability of our educational programs, our excellent and dedicated faculty, the personal attention you will receive, and our low cost, we believe you will find Richard Bland to be one of the best educational opportunities available for the first two years of college.

           Richard Bland College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone number 404/679-4501) to award the associate degree.

          WHO WAS RICHARD BLAND?

          Richard Bland College was established in 1960 by the General Assembly of Virginia as a branch college of The College of William and Mary.  The College was named for the Virginia statesman and champion of public rights, Richard Bland.  Son and grandson of successful planters, Richard Bland was educated at The College of William and Mary.  From 1742 until his death in 1776, he represented the area in which the College is now located—first in the House of Burgesses, and later, with the adoption of a state constitution, in the House of Delegates.  He also served as a delegate from Virginia in the First and Second Continental Congresses.  Because of his careful study of the ancient records of the colony, he was respected not only as a political leader, but also as the leading authority on Virginia’s history.

           It seems fitting, therefore, that an institution of higher learning located in an area served for so many years by this distinguished Virginia patriot and scholar, should derive its name from one whom Jefferson described “as the most learned and logical man of those who took prominent lead in public affairs.”

 OUR MISSION  

          Richard Bland College of The College of William and Mary in Virginia was founded in 1960.  It is The Junior College of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The College offers a traditional curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences leading to the associate degree, and other programs appropriate to a junior college.  The curriculum is intended to allow students to acquire junior status after transferring to a four-year college, or to pursue expanded career opportunities.  The College also recognizes its responsibility to serve the public by providing educational and cultural opportunities for the community at large.

TRANSFER DEGREE PROGRAMS

The only state-supported junior college in Virginia, Richard Bland College has as its primary mission the offering of transfer associate degree programs in liberal arts and sciences.

More than ninety percent of our graduates transfer to senior (four-year) institutions to complete their baccalaureate degrees.  Most of them choose to transfer to in-state senior colleges and universities; therefore, we have developed formal transfer agreements with the following Virginia institutions that guarantee automatic acceptance of our graduates:

 The College of William and Mary

George Mason University

James Madison University

Longwood University

Norfolk State University

Old Dominion University

Radford University

University of Virginia at Wise

Virginia Commonwealth University

VA Polytechnic Institute & State University

Virginia State University

Bridgewater College

Lynchburg College

Randolph-Macon College

Roanoke College

 The State Policy on Transfer ensures that students who graduate with an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science Degree will fulfill the lower-division general education requirements of all Virginia state-supported institutions.

 Complete copies of all transfer agreements are available at www.rbc.edu/transfer.html.  Although many agreements guarantee automatic acceptance of our graduates, agreements do vary among colleges.  Also, acceptance to a specific college does not imply admission to a specific degree program in that college.

These transfer agreements will help to ensure that you have a smooth and successful transfer to a senior institution.  However, it should not be concluded that you can transfer only to these institutions.  Our graduates have successfully transferred to all senior institutions in Virginia and to senior institutions throughout the United States.

 Our educational programs are designed for transfer to senior institutions and for the successful completion of the baccalaureate degree.  The Board of Visitors of The College of William and Mary has authorized Richard Bland College to confer the degrees of Associate in Arts and Associate in Science.  The core of each degree program is composed of traditional liberal arts and science courses that provide a foundation of knowledge and lifelong learning skills necessary for a successful and satisfying future.