Educational Support
The College offers services and activities that complement academic programs to support the development of each student. The College maintains a staff of trained advisors who provide services to facilitate the academic, career and personal development of students. These services help students acquire skills and access resources necessary for academic success.
Academic Advising
Laurel Ridge Community College believes that an appropriate and interactive academic advising process is essential to student success. The College is committed to providing students with the guidance necessary to make appropriate academic and career decisions. At Laurel Ridge Community College, academic advising is a comprehensive process that utilizes both educational counseling and program planning. All program placed students are assigned an academic advisor to support their educational goals.
Educational counseling and planning are provided by a staff of trained academic advisors to assist students in clarifying their life, educational and career goals.
Students who change their academic goals must meet with their assigned advisor to ensure appropriate program placement. For more information, see http://laurelridge.edu/advising.
Academic Support Programs
The College offers academic support to students.
Tutors provide face to face support in core general education courses and writing support across the curriculum at the Middletown and Fauquier Campuses. In addition, virtual appointments are available to all students. Students may request individual appointments by walking into a campus tutoring location, or through the scheduling function within the Navigate Student application, accessible through the MyLaurelRidge home page. Tutoring for additional subjects may be requested through the Brainfuse application found at the MyLaurelRidge home page.
For more information about Laurel Ridge Community College’s academic support resources, please see www.laurelridge.edu/tutoring.
Career Services
The College offers services and resources to assist students and graduates to carry out their career plans. Trained advisors offer career assessment and advising in the areas of job readiness, resume development and job search skills. See www.laurelridge.edu/careerservices.
Laurel Ridge Community College students can make an appointment with an online career coach by emailing coach@laurelridge.edu.
Disability Services
Laurel Ridge Community College is committed to ensuring students with documented disabilities can take part in educational programs and services in accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are federal laws designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal funds. Under this law, individuals with disabilities are defined as persons with a physical, medical, or mental health impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities include caring for oneself, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, performing manual tasks, and learning.
Students are encouraged to communicate their needs to the disability services provider located on their home campus by scheduling an appointment as early as possible, preferably prior to the first day of class. During this meeting, students are encouraged to articulate their academic strengths and limitations and bring any documentation they feel supports their requests and academic needs. Documentation does not need to contain all these components, but the more information provided, the easier it is to determine which accommodations are appropriate. The disability services provider will determine reasonable and appropriate academic accommodations, in consultation with the student, based on information gathered during the meeting and supported within the documentation provided. Guidelines for supporting documentation is as follows:
- A diagnostic statement identifying the disability and date of the most current diagnostic evaluation. A description of the diagnostic tests, methods, and/or criteria used, which should follow adult norms.
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A description of the current functional impact of the disability. There should be a description of how the individual’s identified impairment substantially limits a major life activity. The description should include the current functional impact on physical (including mobility and dexterity), cognitive (including processing, attention, and communication), and behavioral abilities and should be described through specific results from the diagnostic procedures.
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A statement indicating treatments, medications, and assistive devices/services in use, including a history of previous academic adjustments and auxiliary aids and services, and their impact. Recommendations regarding accommodation should be reasonable within the academic setting.
- The credentials of the professional(s), if not clear from the letterhead or other forms. (Diagnosing professionals shall not be family members or others with a close personal relationship with the individual.)
Although it is not required, if you have documentation from a doctor or other credentialed professional that recommends specific accommodations for college, please share that as well. If you do not currently have any documentation, please let the disability services provider know so that an intake can be scheduled to discuss further.
For more information on the College’s process for requesting academic accommodations, visit www.laurelridge.edu/disability.
Great Expectations
The College offers a Great Expectations Program which helps Virginia’s foster youth complete high school, gain access to a community college education, and transition successfully from the foster care system to living independently. Great Expectations provides a college-wide advisor who supports these students through advising and educational support services. These services aid students in preparation for both college and career readiness at Laurel Ridge Community College and beyond.
Libraries and Learning Resources
The libraries of Laurel Ridge Community College are open to the public without charge. The collection of approximately 65,000 physical items supports the College’s academic programs and student interests. The collection consists of books, journals, video recordings, DVDs’ compact discs, newspapers, and other print-based materials. The library catalog is accessible through the College’s Web site at http://www.laurelridge.edu. In addition, materials move between the College’s sites.
Materials not available in the libraries can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan from other libraries worldwide. The libraries also provide access to electronic resources of all kinds, including full-text journals, e-books, and streaming videos. Off-campus access to all resources is available to students, faculty, and staff. The libraries also provide high- speed Internet access. The highly skilled library staff provides the highest quality service possible, online or in-person.
On the Fauquier Campus, the Bob G. Sowder Library is home to a growing collection of resources that support the College’s programs and personal interests. Special facilities include eleven study rooms, nine for one or two people, and three large group study/library instruction rooms.
On the Middletown Campus, the Paul Wolk Library contains most of Laurel Ridge Community College’s collection of materials. The library houses the William B. Remington Archives Room.
TRIO Student Support Services
TRIO provides academic and personal support services to assist eligible students in successfully completing their programs of study and achieving their personal, academic, and career goals. The program offers a wide variety of services and activities, including academic advising, transfer counseling, individualized tutoring, financial aid assistance, and financial literacy education. Programs and services are individualized based on each student’s specific needs.
Students may qualify for TRIO by demonstrating an academic need and by meeting one or more of the following criteria:
- First generation students: Neither of the student’s parents graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree.
- Low-income students: Students who meet low-income guidelines.
- Students with disabilities: Any student with a documented disability.
Contact the TRIO program office at the Middletown Campus or visit www.laurelridge.edu/trio for further information.
Veterans Services
Laurel Ridge Community College is proud to serve veterans and their families to ensure their academic needs are met. Veterans Services at Laurel Ridge Community College serves all members of the armed services, all veterans, and all students using VA benefits by providing:
- Dedicated academic advising,
- Assistance coordinating military-related federal and state educational benefits,
- Help selecting classes and navigating Laurel Ridge Community College policies,
- Priority enrollment before other Laurel Ridge Community College students,
- Free on campus printing,
- Transfer assistance, and
- Evaluation of military transcripts for college credit.
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