On July 1 at midnight, the culmination of over a year’s worth of work will finalize as the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (DLCC) in Clifton Forge, VA officially takes on its new name: Mountain Gateway Community College.
It’s not alone.
Staff at Laurel Ridge Community College's Middletown Campus stand next to their new sign. The college changed its name on June 3, from Lord Fairfax Community College.
In all, five community colleges in the state have either already changed their names or are finalizing the process, completing a statewide movement sparked after the murder of George Floyd two years ago.
The Virginia Community Colleges System (VCCS) Chancellor Glenn DuBois wrote to each of his 23 college presidents in July 2020, asking them to conduct a thorough review of the names of their colleges, campuses, and facilities. That request was codified by the state board one year later with a new policy that institution names must reflect the inclusivity and diversity prioritized in the VCCS mission statement.
Across the VCCS system, which serves almost a quarter million students, 44% of the student population are minoritized populations. Many of the colleges were created and named over 60 years ago, “and some were named for people who represented a different time and very different values that are unacceptable in the current era,” said Jim Babb, internal communications manager at VCCS.
The idea of changing the names of beloved community institutions did not go over well with everyone. Litigation was even brought against the state board, arguing that the decision to rename the five colleges did not follow proper procedure. Babb said the board (and the colleges changing their names) have been straightforward and transparent, working with their communities on this process.
