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By Dawn Klavon
Dr. Richmond Hill
Dr. Richmond Hill, associate vice president for student support services at Northern Virginia Community College, began serving as interim provost for the Woodbridge Campus on June 10.
“I want to provide collaborative and collegial leadership, support, and stability to ensure a smooth transition until a permanent provost is named,” Hill said. “Transitions can be challenging, and it is important to me that the students, faculty, and staff feel supported and encouraged during this period of change.”
Hill is well-known on the Woodbridge campus, since his career has been dedicated to education and to Prince William County. Before first joining NOVA in 2009, he held a variety of roles related to counseling services within the Prince William County Schools. From 2009-2017, he served NOVA as a counselor, assistant professor and coordinator of student success. Hill returned to Prince William County Public Schools for four years, leading student services programs and returned to NOVA in 2021 to take on the Associate Vice President role. Now he is eager to dive into his new position.
“I want to make sure the entire community is aware of the exceptional, accessible and affordable educational and career opportunities available to them right here in Woodbridge,” Hill said. “This includes traditional degree and certification programs with flexible class scheduling, as well as workforce partnerships for internships, apprenticeships and guaranteed interviews, and unique academic, social and career programming that is tailored to specific groups.”
An Active Role in the Community
Hill has played an active role in supporting the community at NOVA and in Prince William County. Among his many accolades, he was honored as the Virginia and Prince William School Counselor of the Year, as Man of the Year by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and he received the Prince William County Human Rights Commission Award. Hill holds an Ed.D. in higher education administration from George Washington University, an M.Ed. in counselor education and a B.A. in psychology and human development from North Carolina State University. He hopes to use his rich background to enhance the Woodbridge campus.
“NOVA has an educational and/or career enhancement opportunity for everyone no matter their age, economic status, educational history, or goals,” he said. “We provide modes of learning to meet all needs including online, hybrid, and in-person classes.”
Hill went on to say NOVA offers a robust student life program with dozens of clubs and activities that allow our students to build friendships, skills and enjoy similar interests.
“But most of all, NOVA is a life-changing community within the Prince William community,” Hill said.
Great Things at NOVA Woodbridge
Great things are coming to the NOVA Woodbridge campus, Hill said.
“The Woodbridge campus is currently in the throes of a huge project to completely renovate the Seefeldt Building, which is our largest and original building, built in 1972,” he said, adding that in the next six to eight months, the building will be closed and all classrooms, labs, offices and auxiliary services will move into a modular trailer village on campus.
“This substantial undertaking involves many moving parts and I want to provide leadership for a smooth process with as few disruptions as possible for our students, faculty and staff,” Hill said.
Hill started his higher education career at NOVA’s Woodbridge Campus in 2009 and said many of the faculty and staff that he met then are still working on the campus, which is a testament to NOVA-Woodbridge being a great place to work. Also, he says he’s excited for face to face interaction with students, faculty and staff.
“I’ve always had a passion for developing educational programs, providing students with the tools they need, and having a direct impact on student success,” Hill said. “As the Interim Provost, it is incredibly important to me that we remove all barriers that prevent students from succeeding.”
Dawn Klavon is a contributing writer for Prince William Living.
