Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) is a two-year institution of higher education established as a part of the statewide system of community colleges created by the 1966 Virginia General Assembly. During a period from 1966 to 1968, a committee composed of local business, civic, industrial, and political leaders was appointed by the governing bodies of counties and cities in Region 20 for the purpose of promoting and establishing campuses where needed. In 1968, the plan for building the Christanna Campus of Southside Virginia Community College near Alberta, Virginia, was approved by the State Board for Community Colleges, and appropriations were made for its construction. The local advisory board for the college was established in July 1969.