Student Services

Student Success Center

The Student Success Center is located on the first floor of the Walker Building. The purpose of the Student Success Center is to assist students in navigating the personal, financial, and family challenges that often cause roadblocks in a student’s educational journey. The following programs are all housed within the Student Success Center:

• Great Expectations
• College Success Coaching
• Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative (RVHI)
• Shared Services Distance Learning (SSDL)
• Patriot Pantry
• Patriot Diggs

A wide array of coaches and assistants are available to help students navigate P&HCC and reach their academic goals.

Great Expectations - Great Expectations is a college transition program designed to help young adults (17-24 years old) who are or were affiliated with the foster care system. The program offers individual support to young adults transitioning into college by increasing awareness of the value and availability of a college education, and assisting students and service providers with accessing and successfully navigating the community college system. These services are offered free of charge to those students who qualify and are ready to make a commitment to their future.

College Success Coaching Program - The College Success Coaching program is a grant-funded initiative with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and seeks to use the “coaching” model in an academic setting. Four college success coaches maintain a case-load of 100 students each and assist them in all aspects of successfully navigating from first course enrollment to graduation or credential attainment. College Success Coaches are located on the 1st floor of the Walker Building.

Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative - The Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative (RVHI) awards incentives to GED recipients and low-income high school graduates to encourage the continuation of education in workforce and other programs of study. In addition, some of the funding is used to expand the availability of coaches, scholarships, and mentoring opportunities for the youth throughout the Rural Horseshoe communities. Each student may receive up to $1,000 (funding pending) to cover the costs of tuition, books, registration fees, workforce training programs, state licensures, industry-recognized certifications, and the National Career Readiness Certificate.

Shared Services Distance Learning - Shared Services Distance Learning (SSDL) offers an online option for many courses, in addition to previously scheduled courses, at P&HCC. All SSDL courses are online through the VCCS Learning Management System with instructors who work for a partnering community college. P&HCC students now have distance learning options for courses in foreign languages, ethics, accounting, and much more. Online options allow students to work part- or full-time jobs while pursuing higher educational goals. All SSDL courses comply with VCCS accreditation requirements, and in most cases, provide transferrable credits.

Patriot Pantry - The Patriot Pantry is open and free to all students. Hunger is a common problem on campus and our staff is here to provide students with food insecurities with the opportunity to lighten the financial hardship. Students may visit every two weeks to obtain non-perishable food and hygiene items. The Patriot Pantry is located in Walker 135.

Patriot Diggs - Patriot Diggs is established to provide students with clothing options for interview attire and is free and available to all students. Any student in need of an outfit for an interview can visit the Student Success Center on the first floor of the Walker Building. 

Access to Technology - Students in need of a laptop, calculator, or internet hotspot to complete coursework may be able to loan these items out on a semester by semester basis. Students in need of these technology items should visit the Student Success Center on the first floor of the Walker Building. 

Student Services Division

The Student Services Division exists to help meet the needs of students. College staff assist students in making informed decisions regarding their educational, vocational and personal plans.

Orientation. New students should initiate a meeting with a college advisor in the Student Services Office to discuss interests, results of the direct enrollment survey and curriculum choices. All students are required to participate in a New Student Orientation session, which is offered multiple times before classes begin each semester.

Pre-college counseling. Student Services staff cooperate with local high schools to schedule appropriate activities for students and counselors to inform them of the programs available. All youth and adults in the service region are invited to visit and/or request information concerning P&HCC through the Student Services office.

College Success Skills. The SDV 100 course offers each student an opportunity to meet individual needs and receive academic credit toward graduation. SDV 100 provides an orientation to the college, introduces study skills, career and life planning, and offers an opportunity to engage in activities aimed at self-discovery. Students enrolled in developmental courses should take SDV 100 in their first semester of enrollment.

The Career Center. The Career Center offers guidance with personal career development for all students. Successful career choices should be based on students’ interests, values, skills, and personality. Services, education, and resources are provided in choosing a career path, preparing for pre-employment, initiating searches for volunteer, internship, and job opportunities, providing links to local employers and job opportunities, as well as application processes.

Services include the following:

• Career advising using the Virginia Wizard Career and Course Planner, or the RIASEC Career Interest Model.
• Hosting workshops on various career readiness topics, such as “resume writing”, “job interviewing”, “professionalism”, “customer service”, and others.
• Guidance through the pre-employment process including resume and cover letter reviews and formatting advice, and interview prep.
• Handshake online career development program to help with job search and career development.
• Fostering positive relationships with local employers to provide direct job links for students.
• Collaborating with local workforce partners in the Virginia Workforce Center.
• Hosting career and job fairs, both on and off campus, to allow for networking with potential employers.
• Posting job opportunities and career events to social media for distribution to students and the community.
• Assisting with the application process for internships and/or job placement.
• Offering and proctoring ACT WorkKeys pre-employment testing to students and organizations.
• Proctoring credentialing assessments including Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC), National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), National Healthcareer Association (NHA), National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), and ServSafe Manager Training, as related to specific programs of study.

Transfer preparation. College transfer programs are designed to allow students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In addition, Patrick & Henry has formal articulation agreements with several institutions to make transfer easier for the student. For information about the Guaranteed Admissions Agreements and other transfer agreements, see the Student Handbook .

Student activities. A student activities program adds to the instructional program by providing a variety of meaningful educational, cultural, social, and civic experiences. The student fee supports this program. The college encourages student participation in extracurricular activities on campus. Students should consult the Student Handbook   section of the college catalog on all student organizations and contact the Student Activities office in the Walker Building to find out how to become an active member of a campus group.

Faculty advisors. Faculty advisors are appointed to help students complete programs and work through other problems that can affect student performance. Faculty advisors are assigned to all students according to the area of study. See the Student Handbook  for detailed information about the role of faculty advisors. Students who wish to change their major should visit with their advisor and then complete the online form. Students may only submit a Student Academic Program Change Form to change curriculum two times per semester, and students must be admitted with an eligible curriculum prior to the semester beginning in order to receive financial aid.

MHC After 3. MHC After 3 is a collaborative of many youth-serving community partners dedicated to providing exemplary youth development services. MHC After 3 programs serve middle and high school youth in the Martinsville Henry County community during out of school time hours. Students benefit from daily professionally mentored arts, academics, athletics, and personal development programs. MHC After 3 funders include 21st Century Community Learning Centers, National Science Foundation via Educational Equity Centers, Martinsville Area Community Foundation, The Harvest Foundation, private donors, and in-kind contributions from community partners, Patrick & Henry Community College, Martinsville City Public Schools, and Henry County Public Schools.

Upward Bound. Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science provide free high quality year-round programming to 130 area high school students in preparation for college entrance and success. Advisors provide weekly sessions to build student capacity for academic, career, financial, and career success. In addition to college, cultural and career exploration activities, students hone leadership, academic, and student success skills throughout the academic year and a six-week intensive summer discovery institute. These programs are funded by competitive grants through the United States Department of Education, each in the amount of $262,500 annually.