NOVA awarded $500,000 in federal funds for infrastructure upgrade
Rep. James Walkinshaw presented a check for $500,000 in federal funds to Northern Virginia Community College for infrastructure improvements at the Annandale campus.
The funds were appropriated by Congress for FY 2026.
“NOVA really is the economic engine for Northern Virginia,” Walkinshaw said at the presentation event on April 27.
The funds will be used to replace an aging underground utility system that has experienced periodic failures, said Provost Diane Mucci.
The central plant, with the HVAC system, water pipes, boilers, and chillers, is located under the CFH Building. A pipe leak and equipment failure led to NOVA having to temporarily close three or four buildings three times in the past four years, said John Kambic, the chief facilities officer.
The new system and pipes will be installed under the CS Building. Construction is expected to start within the next six months.
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After that project is completed, the CS Building will be replaced with a new building, which will house the library, science labs, business center, IT center, virtual reality lab, maker spaces, classrooms, spaces for student collaborations, faculty offices, a lactation room, and a meditation room.
That project, currently in the design phase, is expected to be completed in 2032.
The Annandale campus serves 18,000 students a year. Students can take classes in person, online, or in a hybrid format.
While many NOVA students plan to transfer to other institutions of higher education after they graduate, the college is working to expand short-term workforce programs. A new program trains students for jobs as data center technicians, Mucci said, which is being added to a long list of other programs that offer certificates in such areas as IT, cybersecurity, commercial driving, and healthcare.
The recently established NOVAnext program helps displaced federal workers earn credentials for new jobs, noted Steven Partridge, vice president for strategy, research and workforce innovation.
NOVA’s state-funded FastForward program helps people with some college, but no degree, earn credentials in six weeks or less in such fields as IT, healthcare, and the skilled trades, he added.
College officials are working to stay up-to-date on the changing job market, Partridge said. “Labor market intelligence is becoming a bigger part of what we do.”
The session with Walkinshaw included a panel discussion with several students about their experiences at NOVA.
Daniela Felix des Santos, an Annandale resident from Brazil studying business administration, said international students don’t qualify for financial aid, so she’s had to search for scholarships and jobs to pay tuition. Another obstacle she faced was the inability to transfer credits from Brazil.
Living on her own has been financially challenging for Karen Triana, a fine arts student from Colombia. NOVA’s food pantry has been a big help, she said.
Keisha Votega, an international student from Kenya studying engineering, said her biggest challenge was “shifting gears to a completely different education system.”
She said she appreciates the wide variety of resources at NOVA, the small class sizes, and the opportunity to meet people from many different places.
Related story: NOVA offers free job training to unemployed federal workers