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What happens when Blue Ridge’s inspiring new Strategic Plan meets AI songwriting technology? A campus anthem is born.
This fall, Blue Ridge Community College celebrated the creation of its new Strategic Plan, “Rising Together,” which is built around four key pillars: student success, employee success, community success, and institutional success. The plan represents the voices of more than 150 participants across 20 focus groups, hundreds of stakeholder surveys, and 18 working sessions, all woven together with data about the College’s service area. Each pillar highlights goals that reflect the College’s commitment to advancing success in every corner of its community.
At the College’s annual Convocation in mid-August, employees took part in a unique kickoff activity. After voting on favorite musical genres and key concepts for a song inspired by the plan, Blue Ridge turned the results over to an AI songwriting app. The two winning genres – power ballad and 2000s rap – were then paired with the language of the plan. The outcome was a high-energy song that surprised and inspired the campus community.
The song, titled Rising Together after the Strategic Plan itself, has become the soundtrack for a social media video highlighting Blue Ridge’s recent history, including classrooms, graduation ceremonies and the college’s Hurricane Helene response. For many employees, the anthem captures the heart of the strategic plan because much of its lyrics came directly from stakeholder input. When paired with images of students, campus life and learning, the presentation comes alive as a unique reflection of the college community.
One passage from the lyrics sums up the plan’s spirit:
“Empowering Learners for Lifelong Success,
We rise together, nothing less.
Empowering Generations to Come,
We beat the drum, we overcome.”
The anthem reminds students, employees, and community members alike that the Strategic Plan is more than words. It’s a call to action, rooted in shared values designed to carry Blue Ridge and community members forward.
“Rising Together”
Composed: August 11, 2025 | Copyright: Blue Ridge Community College
Yeah… Blue Ridge stand up! This is our time, our vision, our mission.
We’re changing lives out here, for our students, for their families.
Let’s go!
From the mountains to the valleys, dreams rise in our hands,
We’re building brighter futures, got a purpose, got a plan.
Every class, every skill, every lesson we teach,
Puts success in your grasp, lifts your goals in your reach.
Integrity strong, we hold that line,
Excellence in motion, every student is gonna shine.
Responsibility, we carry that flame,
Adaptability — yeah, we play that game.
No dream too far, no road too steep,
We plant the seeds now, for the future we keep.
Changing lives for the better of our students and their families,
Yeah, that’s how we do it, building legacies!
Empowering Learners for Lifelong Success,
We rise together, nothing less.
Empowering Generations to Come,
We beat the drum, we overcome.
Empowering Communities through Authentic Relationships,
It’s in our words, our work, our fellowship.
Empowering People through Purpose, Possibility, and Passion,
We make it happen. Dream in action!
This is transformation, through the power of learning,
Like wheels on the track, our mission keeps turning.
From the first step in, to the cap and gown,
We lift each other up, we don’t tear down.
We’re not just teaching, we’re building a force,
A competitive workforce on a winning course.
In classrooms, labs, and the jobs we claim,
We rep Blue Ridge, remember the name!
Every student’s story, a chapter of hope,
We hand out the tools, so you know how to cope.
‘Cause when you grow, the whole world sees,
That knowledge is power — and power sets you free!
Empowering Learners for Lifelong Success,
We rise together, nothing less.
Empowering Generations to Come,
We beat the drum, we overcome.
Empowering Communities through Authentic Relationships,
It’s in our words, our work, our fellowship.
Empowering People through Purpose, Possibility, and Passion,
We make it happen — dream in action!
To every dreamer… to every doer.
To every parent who believed, to every teacher who stayed late.
We see you.
We honor you.
We grow together.
Empowering Learners for Lifelong Success, Yeah, for life.
Empowering Generations to Come, (Keep it movin’.)
Empowering Communities through Authentic Relationships, (One heart, one love!)
Empowering People through Purpose, Possibility, and Passion.Changing lives for the better of our students and their families.
Blue Ridge — we empower the future.