One year into the pandemic, I feel a range of emotions. But my overriding sentiment is deep gratitude to the faculty, staff, students and community members for helping Kennebec Valley Community College forge ahead to achieve amazing results under very difficult conditions.

On May 15, KVCC will graduate 482 students — 104 more than last year. This did not happen by accident, but by dint of hard work, ingenuity, collaboration and heart. KVCC graduates will be better equipped to revive the economy, care for the sick, and build the new world. Thanks to unprecedented teamwork, KVCC graduates have developed skills and insights that will make them better able to help our society heal by turning our fragility and uncertainty into progress.

KVCC faculty made tremendous adaptations overnight. This rapid shift in the delivery of education also required that everyone had access to a laptop and the internet, that buildings and classrooms were appropriately sanitized, that faculty were trained to deliver courses online wherever possible. The college donated ventilators and PPE to local hospitals, as well as carryout food containers to local homeless shelters. This was done not because people were asked to take these actions, but because they care. This pandemic has shown our community to be full of selfless and empathic people.

As the fall semester began with 73% of academic programming delivered remotely, the administration ensured that student support services continued in the new world of social distancing. The KV Food Pantry expanded access to food. College mental health services, student activities and support services all adapted to pandemic operations with continued high service levels; staff worked hand-in-hand with faculty to maintain student retention and
completion rates. KVCC continues to process applications, issue financial aid, and register students for summer and fall courses. KVCC’s enrollment has fared better than expected and the numbers for fall 2021 are on track.

One major educational challenge is providing hands-on learning in the professions, technical trades, nursing and health care fields. Essential hands-on learning is 27% of KVCC programming; thanks to the faculty and staff such instruction has continued unabated by respecting physical distancing metrics, isolation protocols, and sanitation guidelines. To date there has been no community transmission detected on our campuses thanks to the vigilance of our community who know that safety comes first.

This year we opened a state-of-the-art welding laboratory and a specialized heat pump lab to help grow the Maine labor force. In addition to comprehensive financial aid packages, this year KVCC distributed almost half a million dollars of federal CARES Act funds directly to students with
demonstrated need and will distribute an equal amount of CRRSAA Act funds to students next year.

The college is upgrading its medical simulation lab so that students can achieve competencies despite a contraction in clinical placements due to COVID-19. In addition, upgrades to air handling and learning infrastructure will ensure continued safety of students, faculty, and staff.

KVCC moved rapidly to upskill the local population for new careers, and to meet demand in key professions, including the introduction of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and the expansion of Basic and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician training with satellite operations across
Kennebec, Knox and Somerset counties.

KVCC also transitioned many of its industry-certifications to hybrid format. The college now has Maine’s only program for forensic phlebotomy. KVCC spearheaded the development of training for child care providers to ensure mastery of foundational practices necessary in response to Covid-19. The college has also launched a Sustainable Landscape program — more than half of the participants had lost their jobs due to the economic contraction. Dual and concurrent enrollment of area high school students remains high, with about 1700 registrations — still the highest in Maine.

Generosity in our community has been unprecedented. The KVCC Foundation was keeping pace with annual giving to support student scholarships, but then came some extraordinary generosity. The most unexpected gift was a $1 million from the Lunder Foundation, solidifying KVCC’s ability to support students well into the future. The recent outpouring of kindness has meant that the foundation’s endowment will have more than doubled in eight years, and the level of annual scholarship distribution is at an all-time high.

The capstone event of this pandemic year has been the KVCC partnership with Northern Light Inland Hospital to launch a mass vaccination clinic on campus, treating more than 1,000 area residents per day. These events are remarkable not only for their efficiency and organization, but for the torrent of positive emotion from everyone involved: the clinicians, the volunteers, the KVCC staff, faculty and students.

Yet, because we love, we also grieve. Many in our community have faced daunting challenges: loss of loved ones, loss of livelihood, loss of family cohesion, and loss of social connections. One year on, the coronavirus has also laid bare the many inequities in our society, in health care, internet access, and even something as basic as food security.

One year since the start of pandemic operations, even in the face of our painful losses, I feel profound gratitude and indeed love to everyone at Kennebec Valley Community College and surrounding communities for their support to the college, to each other, and to our entire region.

Thank you.

Richard Hopper is president of Kennebec Valley Community College.