Wallops Higher Education Partnership (WHEP) is a regional partnership established to support the higher educational needs of the Wallops area community and the greater Delmarva peninsula. The current partnership is comprised of the following colleges and universities:  Eastern Shore Community College, Wor-Wic Community College, Old Dominion University, and Wilmington University.
The mission of WHEP is to ensure regional access to higher education, training, and student-centered services for veterans, for active-duty military and their families, and for civilian personnel in order to build a stronger regional workforce. The partnership, announced in July 2015, will enable those stationed at the area’s Navy and Coast Guard facilities to access higher-education services more easily, said Linda Thomas-Glover, president of Eastern Shore Community College. Military veterans and workers at NASA Wallops Flight Facility also can participate.

WHEP’s vision is to be the collaborative higher education portal through which students in the Wallops region are offered personalized student support and academic programs with worldwide credential transferability. The idea for the partnership grew from the signing of an agreement between the US Navy’s Surface Combat Command Center (SCSC) at Wallops Island and Eastern Shore Community College in 2012. One concern that surfaced quickly was although active duty service members enroll in and complete college courses at a high rate, the academic program completion rate could be improved. All agreed that professional, face-to-face higher education support and guidance would be valuable in helping to create an individual educational plan that showed these service members how to get from the first day of classes to graduation. In addition, an increased knowledge and understanding of financial aid options would help these students to achieve success.

For many, joining the armed forces is a ticket to higher education. Several financial-aid packages are available to active-duty service members. But turning those dreams into reality in the Wallops area can be challenging because of its isolation, officials say. And many who do succeed in enrolling lack the guidance they need to stay on track. “They want to be able to get the guys to not just take a course here and a course there,” said P. Bryan Smith, an ESCC project specialist. “They want someone to tie it all together.”

The plan is to have Virginia-bases students study at ESCC. A pair of college courses were offered last spring at the Northrup Grumman building, and two more are planned in the fall. Maryland residents will get their start at Wor-Wic. From there, Thomas-Glover said they can transfer credits seamlessly into the four-year programs at Old Dominion or Wilmington. Both offer myriad online courses. The partnership “helps fill the void,” she added.

For more information regarding WHEP, including courses, location, hours of operation, and the individual partners involved, please contact one of the following:

Bryan Smith
Eastern Shore Community College
Phone: 757.789.1774
www.es.vccs.edu

Daphne Bell
ODU Online
Phone: 757.787.5590
Email: dabell@odu.edu
www.dl.odu.edu

Michael Cylc
Wilmington University
Phone: 302.856.5780
Email: s.michael.cylc@wilmu.edu
www.wilmu.edu

Fred Howard
Wor-Wic Community College
Phone: 410.334.2882
Email: fhoward@worwic.edu
www.worwic.edu