SWCC Learning Resources Center Information

Earl E. and Dorothy J. Dellinger
Learning Resources Center

Dellinger Hall

Southwest Virginia Community College is privileged to dedicate the Learning Resources Center in honor of philanthropists Earl E. and Dorothy J. Dellinger.

Education has always been very important to Earl Dellinger. His father instilled the value of education into his children and once rejected a job offer because there was no local school near the place of employment. Earl advanced within
the automobile industry to become the owner of one of the most successful car dealerships in southwest Virginia. This success enabled the Dellinger family, Earl and his wife Dorothy, to help deserving students. Earl and Dorothy spent 63 wonderful years building their lives and their business.

Their family has created an educational legacy that will ensure that many of the region’s citizens can transform their lives through a college
education.

Special Recognitions

Lee Smith Archives
A generous and treasured gift from popular award winning novelist and short story writer, Lee Smith, includes her writing memorabilia, papers, first edition books and other treasures. These important items will be placed in the Lee Smith Archives. The archives room, which is adjacent to the main library, will serve as a reading room for faculty and staff as well as a resource for Lee Smith scholars. Lee is also a member of the CORNERSTONE SOCIETY, having included SWCC in her estate plans with a charitable remainder trust bequest by will. Lee’s writing has its “roots” in Grundy and southwest Virginia, and she has never forgotten her home of Buchanan County.

Alumni Legacy Patios
The donation of the upper patio furniture celebrates the life of Jenny Alford Walk (1959-2007), a graduate of the SWCC Class of 1979. Jenny served as Administrative Assistant of the SWCC Educational Foundation from 1987-2006. While at SWCC, she was an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, a member of the college choir the PHILOS, and she was selected for the SWCC Alumni Hall of Fame. Jenny’s zest for living was a “tonic” to everyone who knew and loved her.

SWCC Alumni, Faculty and Staff will sponsor additional patio furnishings. If interested in supporting this project, please contact Phyllis Roberts, 276.964.7588 (phyllis.roberts@sw.edu) or Mary W. Lawson, 276.964.7348 (mary.lawson@sw.edu).

About the Learning Resource Center

The Earl E. and Dorothy J. Dellinger Learning Resources Center (LRC) is a 50,000 square foot, two story facility, and centerpiece of the Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) campus.

The center features a 15,000 square foot Library, which can house 100,000 volumes of material, a 36-station computer teaching center, 24 public access computers, wireless internet connectivity, faculty research area, and the Lee Smith Archives. Also included is a designated reading area for children, and private study rooms for students, as well as access to catalogued information and book collections in university and public libraries throughout the nation.

The Distance and Distributed Learning department of the LRC is an advanced technological area that serves as a student services center, online testing facility, terraced electronic classrooms, and television and production areas, in addition to private student study areas.

The Learning Assistance area of the LRC provides numerous services to SWCC students, including tutoring services, placement services, developmental study materials, academic programs for students with disabilities, and software for Allied Health and other instructional programs.

Also located in the LRC is Old Dominion University’s (ODU) distance learning program. This program enables SWCC students to pursue college degrees from bachelor degree levels to advance graduate Dr. Bob Sutherland studies without leaving campus. ODU offers interactive televised and online programs, as well as personalized advisement services for students.

In addition to the superb technological capabilities of the LRC facility, several unique architectural design features have been incorporated to include an expansive indoor waterfall with brick and stone sculpting that further promotes the existing beauty of the SWCC campus.

- Dr. Bob Sutherland
SWCC Learning Resources

Below are before and after photos of the area at the center of campus depicting this beautiful addition to your college. Images will auto rotate. Hover over photo to access headings and controls.

Ratcliffe Foundation Funds Brick Sculpture for Learning Resources Center

Dellinger Hall Learning Resources Center features brick sculptures depicting the American Indian pictographs located at nearby Paintlick Mountain.

A generous gift of $150,000 from the Ratcliffe Foundation, established by the late A. M. “Smiley” Ratliff, provided funding for the sculpture. Scott Cole (second from left), Chair of the Ratcliffe Foundation Board, was on hand for the announcement. Johnny Hagerman (third from right), internationally acclaimed brick sculptor and SWCC alumnus, in conjunction with General Shale Brick, coordinated this very important effort.

Pictured at the announcement (left to right): Mary Lawson, Executive Director of the SWCC Foundation; Cole; Estepp, Hagerman, Dr. Bob Sutherland, Dean of Learning Resources; and Phyllis Roberts, Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

The Earl E. and Dorothy J. Dellinger Learning Resources Center is now under construction on the campus of SWCC. The groundbreaking ceremony for the building took place in October with remarks made by several, including the Chairs of the SWCC Local College Board and the State Board for Community Colleges, as well as members of the legislature and others. A statewide funding initiative, approved by the voters of Virginia in 2002, paved the way for construction of SWCC's new Learning Resources Center,. View a photo gallery of the groundbreaking ceremony Pictured above are (left to right): Dr. J. Mark Estepp, SWCC President; Mary Lawson, Executive Director of the SWCC Educational Foundation; Dr. Bob Sutherland, Dean, Learning Resources; Earl E. Dellinger; Dr. Charles R. King, SWCC President Emeritus.