NRCC News

Gary Hancock: Local leader supports NRCC

May 22 2006

This is an archived article!

This article was published on May 22 2006 and was archived on Jul 23 2006. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

Pulaski attorney and former town mayor, Gary Hancock, who serves on the State Board for Community Colleges, is a huge fan of New River Community College (NRCC). That is why he has spent over a decade serving NRCC in various volunteer capacities. "New River Community College offers hope and opportunity for individuals from eighteen to seventy-five years old," he says. "Plus it is both accessible and affordable."

When asked how he first became involved with NRCC, Hancock, who is a partner at Gilmer, Sadler, Ingram, Sutherland & Hutton, says as he smiles, "Bob Ingram at the practice was on the Charter Board at New River and served as the chair. Tom McCarthy in my office also served as chairman of the NRCC Board. They kind of steered me that way."

Hancock began serving New River as a member of its Educational Foundation Board in 1995 and filled the role as chairman until his 2002 appointment by Governor Mark Warner to the State Board of Community Colleges. Presently, he is serving on both the academic affairs and the facilities committees for the state board which meets in Richmond five times a year to make budget and policy decisions for Virginia's 23 community colleges.

Born in Hillsville, Hancock grew up the son of factory workers. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Madison College (now James Madison University) in Harrisonburg and a law degree from the University of Richmond. He has been active in both the Pulaski County Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar as well as in several community organizations, including the Pulaski Free Clinic and the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley, where he served as chairman of both boards.

Hancock served as the speaker at New River's graduation in 2005. He was inspired by the diversity of the graduates he saw that day. He recalls, "One seventy-four year old woman drove fifty miles one way to NRCC and she actually had a job in medical technology waiting for her. Two other students, who were deaf, earned degrees in computer drafting. One young man who had taken a distance ed course in Iraq made arrangements with the military to attend his New River graduation. And one high school student actually earned his NRCC associate degree before receiving his high school diploma."

Gary Hancock feels that he has grown up with New River Community College. He believes that he can identify with New River and the population it serves.

"I had a cornbread and beans sort of upbringing in Carroll County," he says. "My parents never had the opportunity to go to college and even with my generation, the idea of going to college was far-fetched for many people. Over the past three decades, I've watched New River Community College flourish and become a vital part of our community."

One New River Community College program that Hancock has singled out for its tremendous impact on the community is NRCC's Middle College. This career and leadership development program helps young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who want to move through the GED certificate program to a NRCC certificate, diploma, or associate degree program. "Sometimes individuals who are out of school for a little while realize the importance of an education," he says. "The Middle College program provides an effective way for them to go back and get that education or training." Gary Hancock says that New River Community College is a special place.

"It's a place where people like each other and they like what they are doing," he says. "I am always struck by the friendly atmosphere... I am just so proud of New River."