2007 Virginia OFA Recipient

Dr. Charles Errico is a Professor of History and the Assistant Dean for the Social Sciences at the Woodbridge Campus of Northern Virginia Community College where he started his academic career in 1975. He has twice received the Alumni Federation’s Faculty of the Year Award and won the Educational Foundation’s Excellence in Teaching Award. As the Chancellor’s Commonwealth Professor, Dr. Errico developed a nationally recognized television program that became a model for distance education telecourses. It included videotaped interviews that he conducted with influential twentieth century figures such as Betty Friedan, William Westmoreland, Julian Bond, and Jeane Kirkpatrick.

Dr. Errico’s extensive publications have appeared in American Heritage, The Washington Post Magazine, The Maryland Historian, and The Social Studies. In 2003 and again in 2006, he co-authored a two volume reader and textbook, Portrait of America, that is required reading at more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide. Dr. Errico has delivered papers at dozens of conferences, including ones for the American Historical Association and the American Association of Higher Education.

In the past five years, Dr. Errico helped write two Teaching American History grants that have provided over $3 million in professional development funds through the Department of Education to Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria. He serves on the advisory board for those grants and is a frequent speaker before public school teachers throughout Northern Virginia. He also wrote a leadership development program for the United States Federal Court System and serves as a faculty mentor for its participants.

In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Errico is committed to community service. He is a regular speaker at local historical gatherings, but his favorite audience consists of senior citizens and nursing home residents. They lived through the history he teaches and frequently correct him on his factual errors.

Dr. Errico’s most avid fans are his students who describe him as “deeply caring” and “always available whenever you need help.” A woman returning to college commented: “Friends wrinkled their noses and wondered why I would take a nighttime history course, stay awake, and still have time to nurture and care for two small children (not to mention a husband!). I enjoy it because of Dr. Errico. I can learn and escape!” Another student commented: “Dr. Errico is extremely engaging, organized, and has a kind heart. He spoke about history like it was a story in which we could all relate. I looked forward to this class everyday.” A former provost added: “I have watched Dr. Errico teach. His commitment to this task is tireless, his support for his students is perpetual, his students’ respect for him is enduring.” Dr. Errico received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in American diplomatic history.

Nomination Package