 Dr. Virginia Hardy | WINTERVILLE�The Pitt Community College Board of Trustees welcomed a new member last month when Dr. Virginia Hardy joined the school�s governing board on Aug. 4. Hardy, who is Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs with East Carolina University�s Brody School of Medicine, replaces Valerie Dixon on the board. The Greenville native was appointed by Pitt County Commissioners for a four-year term that expires in June of 2012. Hardy said her role as a trustee gives her an opportunity to impact the education system from a different perspective. She explained that most of her educational work thus far had been as an instructor or administrator. �Being on the board allows me the chance to serve my community, especially in instituting policies and programs that address both an ever-changing economy and community,� Hardy said. �It affords me the opportunity to utilize my skills, training and experiences in impacting the lives of those students pursuing higher education as a means to change their futures.� Hardy said she feels PCC serves an important educational role in the community, which she said had shifted from primarily an agricultural community into one requiring a more specialized workforce. �� PCC has the versatility of adapting its programs and offerings to address the workforce needs of the community and industries,� she said. �PCC gives opportunities to people from all walks of life with varied aspirations and experiences. PCC gives people choices to better their lives.� The youngest of eight children, Hardy earned a bachelor�s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She later received a master�s in counseling from ECU and a Ph.D. in counseling from N.C. State University. �Education has always been important to both my family and me,� Hardy said. �My parents expected that each of us would attain post-secondary education so that we would be afforded opportunities that weren�t available to them.� Hardy added that higher education these days is �essential� for individuals to be competitive in the workplace and provide for themselves and their families. �As Malcolm X said, �Education is our passport to the future �,�� she said. In her free time, Hardy says she enjoys reading, spending time with her nieces and nephews, and writing short stories, which she calls, �therapeutic.� |