Inaugural NK University finishes amid accolades

New Kent University’s first class graduated Monday night to rave reviews, not only from the program’s organizers but also from the students themselves.

Twenty-six county residents accepted diplomas during Monday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. They are first to complete the eight-session curriculum that provided an in-depth look into how county government functions in New Kent.

Classes, meeting for two hours every other Thursday, began on Sept. 6 and wrapped up last Thursday. Back on opening night, students Susan Brucker and Jim Brabrand said they registered with a goal of learning more about local government’s inner workings. Monday night, they indicated they were not disappointed.

“This far exceeded my expectations,” Brucker said. “I learned a lot about local government, and I gained a lot of knowledge that will help with my work as a member of the Heritage Public Library Board of Trustees.

“I’ve been able to make connections that will help the library look for revenue sources outside of New Kent,” she said.

Brabrand labeled lessons learned as helpful and informative.

“I can assist other people who have concerns,” he said. “Most notably, I now know there are all kinds of resources out there for people who need help.”

NKU’s curriculum featured guest speakers from all county departments. Sessions focused on economic development, budgets and finance, law enforcement and the courts, fire and rescue, parks and recreation, human services, county schools, and community planning. An optional field trip enabled students to explore county-run facilities.

Brabrand praised the curriculum, saying there’s nothing he would add or change. Some in the class wanted to extend the program, but he added, “I’d look at it long and hard before I’d extend it much longer.”

Brucker, meanwhile, said adding information about New Kent’s history to the curriculum could prove valuable. And she recommended scheduling the field trip on a day when most class members are able to attend. Only about half of the class showed up, she said.

Both, however, enthusiastically endorsed NKU and would recommend it to others.

“I would highly encourage any county citizen — new citizens or longtime citizens — to participate in this program, especially if they’re on a county committee or board,” she said.

Brabrand agreed, saying, “Any time you can get citizens to contribute to their government, it can’t be anything but beneficial.”

Both voiced high praise for County Administrator John Budesky and his staff who were responsible for developing the curriculum and operating the university.

“I want to commend Mr. Budesky and his staff for their organization,” Brucker said. “This showed a lot of planning, and they modified the program throughout the eight weeks.”

Brabrand added, “The attitude of the whole county government is just outstanding.”

Budesky, meanwhile, was beaming as he helped choreograph a reception held before Monday’s graduation ceremony.

“This class really exceeded all our expectations,” he said. “They asked great questions that will help us better understand the citizens and help us develop better services.

“We learned as much from the class as they learned from us,” he said. “We had people in the class who have lived here for one year and we had lifetime residents. It was interesting to gain perspective from both groups.”

Brucker and Brabrand are both longtime county residents. Among the newcomers is Edward Schell who has resided in the county for less than a year.

“This was all new to me,” Schell said. “But it was very relevant and very beneficial.”

A former resident of New Jersey and Virginia Beach, he said he had never encountered the level of openness in government that exists in New Kent.

“There was a lot of information packed into two hours,” he said, suggesting that in the future, classes could be extended or the number of speakers reduced to fit within time allowed.

Students need the two-week interval between classes to digest material presented in each session, he said. It would be helpful to then have a question and answer period at the start of the next class to address matters from the previous class, he added.

“It would make me smarter and be helpful for those who have not lived here any length of time,” he said.

Budesky said he has already been swamped by students’ e-mails, many making suggestions for the next term. NKU is expected to become a yearly event with the next semester probably scheduled for the fall of 2008.

Budesky credited his staff — Connie Nalls, Krista Jones, Bill Kelly, and Amy Stonebraker — with keying the success of the first NKU endeavor.

“They worked really hard to provide a program the class would find beneficial,” he said.

“All New Kent departments stepped up and embraced the effort to create citizen partners,” he said. “We wanted to find a way to engage our residents, and this was one of the avenues we chose to do.”

Other graduates are Edward Chmielinski, Richard Cox, Lorraine Dismond, John Dismond, Laurie Fisher, Peggy Green, Deborah Harris, Timothy Harris, Kathie Hewitt, Fahamisha Jaramogi, Patricia Johnson-Smith, B. Ayars Lore, Barbara Lore, William O’Brien, Joanne Panek, Carter Perry, Percy Randolph, Rachel Randolph, Muriel Rodriguez, Rudolph Sheets, John Sinclair, Joseph Talluto, and Julia Taylor.