Spring 2013 - Tennessee`s Community Colleges
Transcription
Spring 2013 - Tennessee`s Community Colleges
SPRING 2013 COMMUNITY COLLEGE REPORT ISSUE 27 COMMUNITY COLLEGE REPORT LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Welcome to the 27th edition of the Community College Report, a quarterly letter from Tennessee Board of Regents two-year college presidents. This issue focuses on four themes: Completion, Partnership, Workforce, and Student Success. Each theme is identified by a distinctive icon. Completion SPRING 2013 ISSUE 27 Partnership Workforce Student Success The Community College Report is available also online at http://communitycolleges.tbr.edu/about/ccreport/. DYERSBURG STATE VOLUNTEER STATE PELLISSIPPI STATE SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE MOTLOW STATE WALTERS STATE JACKSON STATE ROANE STATE NORTHEAST STATE NASHVILLE STATE CHATTANOOGA STATE COLUMBIA STATE CLEVELAND STATE www.dscc.edu Page 3 www.southwest.tn.edu Page 4 www.jscc.edu Page 5 www.nscc.edu Page 6 www.columbiastate.edu Page 7 Page 2 www.volstate.edu Page 8 www.mscc.edu Page 9 www.roanestate.edu Page 10 www.pstcc.edu Page 13 www.ws.edu Page 14 www.northeaststate.edu Page 15 www.chattanoogastate.edu Page 11 www.clevelandstate.edu Page 12 Spring 2013 Community College Report DYERSBURG State Community College The Right Fit Kicell Stokes, a criminal justice student at Dyersburg State Community College, was selected to assist in the 57th Presidential Inauguration Parade and Ceremonies in Washington D.C. from Jan. 16-25 with his 268th Military Police Company of the Tennessee Army National Guard in Ripley, Tenn. Michael Brooks, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at DSCC stated “As a prior military and law enforcement member, I am proud of Kicells’ accomplishments and his military unit’s opportunity to serve our Commander-in-Chief during the Presidential Inauguration. It’s an honor to have him in the Criminal Justice Program at DSCC, and his presence in the classroom brings a real-world perspective to other students, that allows for critical-thinking scenarios.” After this wonderful experience, Stokes stated, “We should not be afraid of ambition because life is for the living.” Stokes is also employed as a Correctional Officer at the West Tennessee Prison in Henning, Tenn. 731-286-3200 www.dscc.edu Generous Donor Receives Prestigious DSCC Pinnacle Award Long-time donor Wayne Karlgaard was recently presented the prestigious Pinnacle Award in recognition of his generosity to the Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) Foundation. The presentation took place at the DSCC Foundation Board Annual Dinner Meeting held on Nov. 15 at the Oakview Community Center in Newbern. More than 60 Foundation Board Members and guests were in attendance. In 2010, Karlgaard established the Doris Ann Parmenter Karlgaard Endowed Scholarship in memory of his wife. Doris, a lifelong resident of Dyer County, was a graduate of DSCC and UT Martin. She was employed at Oldberg Manufacturing for 18 years and Colonial Rubber/Colonial West/PolyOne for another 18 years. The Pinnacle Award is given to community members who provide extraordinary service to DSCC. Karlgaard joins an exclusive list of recipients; only eight Pinnacle Awards have been presented in the nearly 43-year history of the school. Wayne Karlgaard, long-time donor at DSCC, is shown holding the prestigious Pinnacle Award given to him for his generosity to the DSCC foundation. Students Honored at 43rd Annual DSCC Nursing Pinning Ceremony Twenty-nine dedicated students were recently acknowledged for their hard work at the 43rd Annual Nursing Pinning Ceremony held in the auditorium of the Academic Building of the Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County on Dec. 14, 2012. In keeping with pinning ceremony tradition, DSCC President Karen Bowyer, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health Evelynn Miller and other members of the DSCC nursing faculty made special presentations. Dean Miller placed pins on each of the graduate’s uniforms. The nursing pin represents completion of the Associate of Applied Science degree requirements for nursing. Each graduate also received a small ceramic replica of the lamp carried by Florence Nightingale that was used in the symbolic lamp lighting ceremony. Since the program began in 1982, 1,175 students have completed their nursing degree at DSCC. Community College Report Spring 2013 Page 3 SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE Community College Southwest Participates in the Sickle Cell 5K Walk/Run The Sixth Annual Sickle Cell 5K Run/Walk, sponsored by the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee (SCFT), was held Oct. 20 at AutoZone Park. During this annual community service event, Southwest students, faculty and staff were able to exercise, network while enjoying good food, and raise awareness and funds to provide educational and social services for individuals living with Sickle Cell Disease. Activities concurrent with the walk/run included iron overload screening, sickle cell trait testing and a motorcycle ride in the Memphis community to increase awareness about Sickle Cell Disease. Associate Professor of Natural Sciences Ken Carpenter serves on the Advisory Council for the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee and is the founder of this annual event. 901-333-5000 www.southwest.tn.edu Southwest Presents Grizzlies Poetry Slam Finale The Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association held their Third Annual Poetry Slam Finale, presented by Southwest Tennessee Community College, recently at Southwest’s Macon Cove Campus. The finale featured 18 winning students from individual poetry and art slams from Memphis area high schools. Under the theme “Be Great,” poets had two minutes to recite verses of original poetry while being judged on performance, interpretation and content. Poetry Slam Winner Brayana Rodgers (center) from Kirby High School with Southwest Director of Recruitment Vanessa Dowdy (L) and Tim Jordan (R), Grizzlies Coordinator, Community Investment. With a spoken word piece called “Fairy Dust,” Brayana Rodgers, a senior from Kirby High School, delivered in all of those categories to win the Third Annual Poetry Slam Finale, a two-year, full tuition scholarship to Southwest Tennessee Community College and an all-expense paid trip to New York City from the Grizzlies during her spring break. “It was extremely exciting,” said Rodgers. “My nerves were a little shot at first, but the whole experience was tremendous.” Southwest Graduates Land Jobs as Java Developers with Industry Leader Justin Durbin, Michael Boren, and Raymond Ortega, graduates of Southwest’s Engineering Technology Program, recently completed a six-week Java Boot Camp conducted by Cook Systems International, Inc., a leading systems integrator and provider of information technologies. The boot camp is a highly intensive, java-centric computer systems development training program. “There were 10 people that attended this boot camp, and six graduated. Half of the graduates attended Southwest,” said Durbin. Page 4 Java Boot Camp graduates are hired as fulltime Cook employees and placed on a work assignment with the company’s clients. “What we’ve found so far is that Southwest has turned out our best people. You guys have done the best job yet of producing the people that we found are closest and ready to take the next step and go to work. So, we are delighted to partner with you guys to go further,” said Senior Vice President of Technical Services, Robert H. Fortenberry. Spring 2013 Community College Report JACKSON State Community College 731-424-3520 www.jscc.edu Jackson State’s Bassett & Frost Present at Bellwether Conference Jackson State’s Mary Jane Bassett, Dean of Academic Support and NCAT Scholar, and Betty Frost, Senior Affiliate Faculty and fellow NCAT Scholar, presented at this year’s Community College Futures Assembly also known as the Bellwether Conference. They spoke on the techniques employed at Jackson State’s SMART Math Lab. Jackson State is the winner of the prestigious 2010 Bellwether Award in the category of Innovative Instruction and Services. After the implementation of the SMART Math program, completion rates of the developmental math program increased by 75 percent and student success in college level math courses improved by 12 percent. The lab also reduced the costper-student by over 30 percent. Jackson State’s SMART Math lab has garnered national attention resulting in numerous campus visits and phone calls inquiring about the program. Bassett and Frost also were invited to speak about the SMART Math lab program in over 50 presentations and consultations at various conferences and colleges. Jackson State and 6 TTCs Sign Articulation Agreement Jackson State Community College and six Tennessee Technology Centers signed an articulation agreement in January that will allow for joint academic program agreements. The goal of this articulation is three-fold: 1) to increase the number of students who desire and are willing to earn an AAS by facilitating a seamless transition for TTC completers into the JSCC Industrial Technology degree program; 2) to meet the demanding needs of the manufacturing field through continued education and work readiness; 3) and to maintain positive lines of communication between JSCC and the TTCs for future collaborations. Community College Report Benefits to students include ease of transition from one educational institution to another, elimination of coursework duplication, lower educational expenses, educational goal-setting and planning, and convenient access to higher education through the on-line JSCC Industrial Technology program. Spring 2013 High School Student, Earns 39 JSCC College Credit Hours in Dual Enrollment Program Three Way native and soon-to-be high school graduate Abbie Parrish will finish her academic journey through high school in May 2013 having earned 39 college credit hours through Jackson State’s Dual Enrollment program. When commenting on the most rewarding aspect of being involved in the program, Parrish said, “Becoming familiar with how college professors taught their classes and how they tested has made me a more confident exam taker.” When Parrish was asked if she was glad she did it, she said, “YES! I have completed a year of college and have gained confidence in my ability to learn and handle the college workload.” Page 5 NASHVILLE State Community College 615-353-3333 www.nscc.edu Nashville State Receives 2012 Partnership Award from Department of Homeland Security The department of Workforce & Community Development at Nashville State Community College was recently awarded the 2012 Partnership Award for developing the Technical Certificate in Homeland Security at the Nashville Metropolitan Airport for their Transportation Security Associates. The 9-credit-hour Certificate in Homeland Security offered by the college is comprised of Introduction to Homeland Security, Intelligence Analysis and Security Management, and Transportation and Border Security. The Certificate Program was requested by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, and has been provided by Nashville State for three years. Participants in the program can apply credits earned toward an Associate degree and are also eligible to enroll in additional NSCC courses. Susan Boase discusses methods of cooking fish with Nashville State Culinary Arts Program Coordinator, Chef Tom Loftis. Page 6 Spring 2013 Left to right: George Aldridge, Gail Phillips, and Marc Starrett accept the 2012 Partnership Award from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration. Culinary Arts Program at Nashville State Provides New Career Opportunities for Adult Student In her youth, Susan Boase dreamed of being a chef, but her parents insisted that she pursue a four-year degree. So she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and went to work. The 2010 recession resulted in a layoff that sent Susan back to her first love, cooking. Now, at 55-years-old, Susan is finally fulfilling her dream of being a professional chef through her studies at Nashville State Community College. “I love it here,” said Susan of her time at the college. In May 2013, Susan will graduate from NSCC with her Associate degree in Culinary Arts. Community College Report COLUMBIA State Community College 931-540-2722 www.columbiastate.edu Columbia State Surpasses State NCLEX Pass Rates The national exam required of a nursing graduate in order to be called a Registered Nurse (RN) is the NCLEX. Pass rates on the NCLEX are one measure of how well students are being prepared in nursing programs, but it is the gold standard of whether nursing graduates will be able to go to work as a nurse. Tennessee is ranked 5th highest in the nation for pass rates on the NCLEX with a 2012 pass rate of 92.03 percent. The highest ranked state was Nevada with a pass rate of 94.37 percent. While there is only a .08 percent difference between Tennessee and Nevada, the 2012 pass rate of Columbia State students hit 95.28 percent, exceeding both Tennessee and Nevada. Barbara Blum, Columbia State’s Nursing program director, said, “This is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of the Nursing professionals in our department who strive to maintain the highest standards for our students. Kudos to them!” Storm Damage & Partnership Responders Partnerships within a community college were never so important as they were in the early morning hours of Jan. 27 when storms created a roof breach of the Health Sciences Building on the main campus of Columbia State. The 4 a.m. breach left a hard rain inside the home of the Radiology and Veterinary Technology programs. By 8:30 a.m. all faculty had been relocated to temporary office space along with their phones, classes had moved to temporary locations, irreplaceable artwork and photographs had been moved to dry places, students had been notified of the changes and classes were beginning. A mere five days later, all faculty and Vet Tech classes had been returned home, and two days later, the Rad Tech classes went home as well. It took a team to respond to the sudden potentially catastrophic event. The partnership within the college was strong, vibrant and flexible. All hands were on deck. Just About Everything Interests Dylan Sometimes students take a campus by storm. That is probably the best way to describe the energy and enthusiasm of Dylan Platt. As the Student Government President, the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society president, active President’s Leadership Society member, QEP Student Leadership Team member for the College’s SACS accreditation, TBR Student President’s Council Secretary, and all around go-to person for a variety of activities, Dylan is on-target to graduate in May 2014 with an AA General Transfer. Dylan is a well-recognized presence on the Columbia Campus. This year, he spearheaded an effort to enroll students in the campus-wide emergency texting service, organized the Angel Tree drive, and coordinated (and wrote the news release for) the PTK nutrition education effort with the Columbia YMCA Fun Company. His plans for next fall are still forming, but wherever he ends up, we are confident everyone will know him there as well. Photo by Susan Thurman, courtesy of The Daily Herald Community College Report Spring 2013 Page 7 VOLUNTEER State Community College 615-452-8600 www.volstate.edu Vol State Students Design Android Phone Apps Vol State students are developing applications for Android mobile phones as part of a Computer Information Systems class. Two of the student group projects are already available commercially. Vol State Partners with Music Industry Professionals “This course was designed to be preparation for our first programming class. With Google App Inventor, all you have to do is have the correct thought process,” said Instructor Dan Arena. “It’s cool. Within a couple of weeks, students were writing programs for app development.” Vol State has a new degree program in Entertainment Media Production. It combines several areas with the same purpose: to get students trained and plugged into the entertainment industry in Tennessee. The program offers certificates, which are designed to get students into the workplace. Those certificates can then apply toward a new associate of applied science degree. Student teams designed “Donut Text” as a way for texters to send automatic replies while they are driving and also have the text read aloud. “EchoTxt” takes those features one step further, by allowing texters to speak and send a reply text simply by shaking the phone. An advisory board of industry professionals helped put the program together. Partnerships with entertainment businesses in the area will be an important part of the study for students. The bigger vision behind the new program is to create a college version of Music Row -- a set of student teams working together on a music project, forging a creative synergy. “We’re developing a recording label that will combine student work in all parts of the music business from recording, video, legal, promotions, and web design,” said Steve Bishir, director of Entertainment Media Industry Programs. “It’s a realworld application to combine all of the stuff students have been working on.” Vol State Associate Professor Dan Arena shows off the “Donut Text” mobile phone app. Vol State Student Elected as City Commissioner The hard work of knocking on more than 1,500 doors and calling several hundred people has paid off for Vol State student Zach Young. He won a seat as a Goodlettsville City Commissioner. “I don’t think life will be too much different,” said Young. “I expect it to be busy and harder, but I welcome the challenge.” Page 8 The Vol State students even helped out the Massachusetts Institute of Technology along the way. MIT runs the App Inventor program. The Vol State students noticed a possible problem while developing their apps. They notified MIT developers who quickly realized that they had a bug in their latest version. MIT even loaded a special server with a patched version so that the Vol State students could finish their projects on time. Spring 2013 The 20 year-old is the youngest Commissioner in the city of Goodlettsville. “Age is just a number,” said Young. “It takes hard work, determination and passion. To set yourself up for success, you have to have passion about it.” Community College Report Motlow State Community College 931-393-1500 www.mscc.edu Rutherford County High School Students Attend College Goal Event at Motlow College in Smyrna Sixty-six Rutherford County students and their parents or guardians attended the Motlow College Smyrna Center’s first College Goal event to learn about the financial aid application process, said academic advisor Jonathan Graham. “This financial aid awareness campaign was a collaborative initiative between Motlow College and the local community,” Graham said. “A recurring theme that my fellow advisor Jeremy Mills and I observe with many incoming students and parents is the difficulty they have with the financial aid process. It was this observation that led us to collaborate with local high schools to put this event together in hopes to better serve our community.” Students attending were from many Rutherford County high schools, including Oakland, Holloway, La Vergne, Smyrna, Eagleville, Cumberland, Riverdale, and Middle Tennessee Christian. Graham said high school counselors, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation representatives and members of the Motlow College staff worked to make the event a success. Bridgestone/Motlow College Celebrate New Mechatronics Lab Fred Rascoe, director of career readiness at Motlow College, and Ingrid Williams, department secretary, spoke during a recent industrial expo at Oakland High School about the upcoming Mechatronics Dual Enrollment Program Motlow will offer this fall to Oakland students. Community College Report Motlow College Smyrna Center’s COR Club Visits the Walls of Jericho Members of the Motlow College Smyrna Center’s Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Club stand in a geological formation at the Walls of Jericho during a recent hike. From left are Matt Wilder, Assistant Professor Kevin Fitch, Professor Alan Bottomlee from San Juan Community College in New Mexico, and Whitney North. Dual enrollment courses are those in which students earn both high school and college credit. Roscoe said mechatronics courses are based on the Siemens Mechatronics Systems approach to product manufacturing and are designed to prepare students for careers in today’s high tech manufacturing environments. Representatives of Nissan and Bridgestone, both of which utilize mechatronics, also attended the expo. For more information about the dual enrollment program in mechatronics, visit the Motlow Career Readiness website at www.mscc. edu/careereadiness or email Williams at iwilliams@mscc.edu. The Walls of Jericho is a 750-acre natural area within the 8,943-acre Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Area, according to the Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation’s website. Fred Rascoe, director of Career Readiness at Motlow College, and Ingrid Williams, department secretary. Spring 2013 Page 9 ROANE State Community College 865-354-3000 www.roanestate.edu Roane State paralegal student featured on magazine cover Roane State paralegal student Pam Smith is on the cover of Adult Learner magazine, a college publication that features advice for adult students. Smith, 52, quit school at 15. Over 20 years later, she earned her GED. She then took classes at a Tennessee Career Center and a Tennessee Technology Center and later enrolled at Roane State. “Going back to school at 50 is a hard thing to do. …” Smith said. “… I was a nervous wreck. Once you start, though, it’s not about age anymore. You are just another student working hard to try to get a degree.” Roane State’s Adult Learner magazine features paralegal student Pam Smith. Roane State donates ACT prep, college success books to high schools Roane State donated ACT preparation books and college success books to high schools throughout the college’s service area. The set includes flash cards, books that provide test-taking tips and exercises, and books about how students can excel in college. “This enhances student learning with more rigor, engages students to determine their careers and prepares students for college and to be successful in life,” said Dallas Davis, principal of Central High School of Wartburg in Morgan County. The donation was made possible by a Tennessee Board of Regents Access and Diversity Grant awarded to Roane State in 2010. The grant allowed Roane State to start a pilot program called Prepare, Learn and Navigate (PLAN). Roane State partners in the PLAN program with the Tennessee Technology Center in Harriman, Harriman High School and Worldwide Interactive Network, a Kingstonbased education technology firm. Roane State launches mechatronics program A new certificate program in mechatronics will train students to become technicians who operate, maintain and repair high-tech automated manufacturing systems. The one-year mechatronics program began in January at the Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility. The program is organized in cohorts with classes held in the evenings. The mechatronics program was developed with funding from a $19.7 million grant awarded to the National STEM Consortium (NSC) and 10 community colleges in nine states under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) grant program. Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland leads the National STEM Consortium. Instructor Reid Kress teaches “Introduction to Industrial Electronic Systems” at the Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility. Students, faculty and staff at Central High School in Morgan County appreciated ACT preparation materials donated by Roane State. Page 10 Spring 2013 Community College Report CHATTANOOGA State Community College Student Michael Williams After living in Italy for 35 years, Tennessee native Michael Williams returned to his hometown of Chattanooga and enrolled in business management at Chattanooga State. Michael joined the staff of the student newspaper and volunteered to assist the men’s basketball coach. He maintains a rigorous daily routine: arriving on campus at 6:45 a.m. and leaving at 9 p.m., a schedule he says “keeps me out of trouble.” And, he notes, he fulfills the college’s Quality Enhancement Plan demonstrating workplace discipline. “I have to manage my time wisely and study hard. I’m successful in class because I’m involved outside class.” 423-697-4404 www.chattanoogastate.edu Chattanooga State Honored with Prestigious Bellwether Award Chattanooga State received the Bellwether Award at the 2013 Community College Futures Assembly. The award is bestowed upon a community college with leading edge practices worthy of replication. Since its inception 19 years ago, only 55 winning projects have been selected from among thousands of applicants. Chattanooga State won in the From the left are Tim McGhee, Dr. Jim Catanzaro and Dr. George Graham Workforce Development category for “The Wacker Institute: Diplomas with Job Offers!” According to Dr. George Graham, director of the Wacker Institute, “This is an affirmation of the tremendous efforts made by our faculty and staff to provide a world-class educational program that exceeds the expectations of our partner, Wacker Chemie. Eighty- eight percent of those enrolled have persisted to completion; and 98 percent of those who completed got job offers from the company. As Tim Spires, CEO of the Manufacturers Association, noted: “Chattanooga State’s approach to learning the competencies needed in industry and developing a workforce with those competencies hits the mark every time.” This innovative collaboration provides students an exciting blend of theory and hands-on experience in a one-of-kind pilot plant on the college campus. Graduates leave with their diploma in one hand and a job offer from Wacker in the other. Chattanooga State Selected for National Roadmap Project In January, after a rigorous selection process, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced that Chattanooga State has been selected as one of 10 community colleges in the nation to join its Roadmap Project. The Roadmap Project will assist selected institutions in creating pathways that encourage newly admitted students to take ownership of their educational process and maintain academic engagement throughout their journey of learnCommunity College Report ing. Over the next five years, Chattanooga State will collaborate with this cohort of community colleges and AAC&U to develop and implement a model for student success through campus-wide ePortfolio integration. The models developed by the community college cohort will provide “Roadmaps” for other institutions seeking to improve learning and completion- Front, left to right: Michelle Olson, Amanda --measurable student success. Hyberger, Leanders Burns. This nationwide initiative is supported by a grant from the MetLife Foundation. Spring 2013 Back, left to right: Donna Seagle, Julius Dodds, Sheila Albritton, Juliette Biondi. Page 11 CLEVELAND State Community College CSCC Students, Faculty, Staff Take a Day ON for MLK Jr. Day Instead of taking a day off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students, faculty, and staff from Cleveland State Community College chose to take a day on helping others. The students joined hundreds of other colleges and universities across the country in an effort to honor the life and contributions of Rev. King. Cleveland State recruited six teams of students, faculty and staff who signed up to use the day as a day of service while providing hours of help to local nonprofit agencies in Bradley, McMinn and Monroe Counties. 423-472-7141 www.clevelandstatecc.edu Cleveland State Hosts Manufacturing Skills Day Cleveland State recently hosted a Manufacturing Skills Day open to all manufacturers, state workforce professionals, and local organizations in the Cleveland community. CSCC had four industrial skill assessment machines on display during the day -- the mechanical skills assessment machine, electrical skills assessment machine, PLC skills assessment machine, and the CNC skills assessment machine. These programs were developed by Scientific Management Techniques (SMT) and simplify the hiring process, lowering both the risk and cost of hiring. Dr. Hite, Cleveland State president, speaks at the recent Manufacturing Skills Day held at Cleveland State. Photo by Delaney Walker, Cleveland Daily Banner. CSCC Holds Inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Cleveland State Community College recently held its inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame induction at the Mountain View Inn in Cleveland. The inaugural class of 25 inductees represented the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, women’s softball, baseball, golf and tennis, coaches, as well as recognize meritorious service to Cleveland State Athletics. The class represented Cleveland State Athletics from 1967 through 1984. Volunteers from Cleveland State Community College assisted in the YMCA Community Garden in Athens. Kneeling, Left to Right: Dr. Steve Williams, Melinda Shell Strickland, Robert Kincaid, and Norma Davis. Middle Row, Left to Right: Mike Benson, Steve Longley, Ted May, Zandra Montgomery Morris, Rhonda Snow, Liz Hannah Jackson, Kim Gentry Smith, Jim Gibson, Mike Fitzgerald, and Dr. Lynn Griffith. Back Row, Left to Right: Tom Maupin, Scott Bell, Mike Moore, Hugh Walker, Data Caldwell, Jim Cigliano, Ralph Buckner, Jr., and Larry Simcox. Page 12 Spring 2013 Community College Report PELLISSIPPI State Community College 865-694-6400 www.pstcc.edu KenJo Markets donates $10,000 Pellissippi State has received a $10,000 BP Fueling Communities grant from KenJo Markets in support of the college’s students with disabilities. KenJo Markets President Charles W. “Wes” Carruthers Jr. nominated the college for the grant and recently presented the check to the Pellissippi State Foundation. As a BP branded marketer, KenJo services BP sta- tions throughout East Tennessee. The BP Fueling Communities funds will go toward the purchase of equipment such as a high-speed color scanner to scan textbooks and other classroom items. It also will fund laptop computers to provide real-time transcription services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and stateof-the-art dynamic FM systems to enhance speech recognition for students who are hard of hearing. “This new equipment and technology underscores a critical mission at Pellissippi State, which is access to education,” said Carruthers. From left to right: L. Anthony Wise Jr., Pellissippi State president; Charles W. “Wes” Carruthers Jr., KenJo Markets president; Peggy Wilson, vice president of College Advancement and executive director, Pellissippi State Foundation; and Michele DeFelice, Services for Students With Disabilities coordinator, Pellissippi State. Pellissippi State drives workforce development and innovation with AMP! Pellissippi State has a key role in the Advanced Manufacturing and Prototype Center of East Tennessee (AMP!), one of 10 public-private partnerships that will receive federal grant funding to revitalize U.S. manufacturing and create jobs. The grant application for AMP! resulted in the largest award—a total of $2,391,778— and was the only one from the Southeast chosen to be funded. The grant enables Pellissippi State to create a certificate program in Additive Manufacturing and update existing curricula. It also funds more than $250,000-plus in scholarships for students in Advanced Manufacturing courses. From left to right: Daniel Ostrom, Paralegal Studies program coordinator Arlene Cleveland, and Kelli Canan. Pellissippi State students earn paralegal scholarships Two Pellissippi State students have been named winners of scholarships that attracted applicants from across the state. The Smoky Mountain Paralegal Association awarded Daniel Ostrom an $800 scholarship. To be eligible, students must be enrolled full time in a sustaining member educational institution or be an SMPA student member. They also must have completed 6 credit hours in their major and be in good academic standing. The Tennessee Paralegal Association also awarded Kelli Canan a $500 scholarship. The TPA scholarship is based on financial need, scholastic ability, leadership and extracurricular activities. Pellissippi State’s partners include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee’s Center for Industrial Services and Tech 20/20, the lead applicant on the grant. The partnership aims to connect resources and encourage collaboration, innovate and improve technologies, and develop a workforce that will drive that innovation and expand entrepreneurship. Community College Report Spring 2013 Page 13 WALTERS State Community College 423-585-2600 www.ws.edu WSCC Student Finishes Class Via Facetime Stephanie Webb thought a mid-semester move to Missouri would end her studies. Walters State’s use of technology enabled her to complete the semester with the rest of her classmates. When informed of her situation, professors moved her to online sessions. Faculty members decided to allow Webb to attend the class via Facetime, a video-telephone app developed by Apple Stephanie Webb, shown on the iPad screen, was Inc. able to complete her last semester at Walters “In this case, technology played a big role State despite a move to the St. Louis area mid-way through the semester. Joining her to discuss the in helping Stephanie reach her educational final project for a class on human psychology and goal,” said Dr. Lori Campbell, vice president education are Darlene Smith, assistant professor of of Academic Affairs. Webb now attends Education; Jasmine Mathis and Shakai Hurley, both Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. education majors. She is a special education major. WSCC Named Apple Distinguished Program Walters State has been named a 2012-13 Apple Distinguished Program for its mobilelearning initiative. The Apple Distinguished Program designation is reserved for programs that meet criteria for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence, and demonstrate Apple’s vision of exemplary learning environments. “The selection of Walters State as an Apple Distinguished Program highlights the successes of our faculty, staff and governing board in enhancing and extending teaching and learning with thoughtful and innovative implementations of technology,” said Dr. Wade McCamey, president of Walters State. The college has realized a 10 to 25 percent increase in student learning through the use of mobile technologies in the classroom. Page 14 Tommy Reynolds, in cap and gown, is the first person to earn Walters State’s Associate of Applied Science in Clean Energy Technology. He is shown with Tom Sewell, center, dean of technical education, and Andy Aarons, associate professor of Clean Energy Technology. First Student Graduates from WSCC Clean Energy Technology Program Walters State Community College celebrated the first graduate from its unique Clean Energy Technology Program in December. “Putting this program together was a very large group effort,” said Tom Sewell, dean of Technical Education. “We had faculty members who were willing to go beyond what was expected or required. Many community organizations and businesses believed in us.” Tommy Reynolds came back to Walters State after losing a long-held job due to the recession. “I know that our natural resources will eventually disappear. If we don’t do something to develop clean energy sources, I don’t know what kind of place we’ll be leaving our children and our grandchildren,” Reynolds said. Walters State was named a 2012-13 Distinguished Apple Program for its mobile learning initiative. From left are Dr. Jeff Horner, dean of the Natural Science division; Dr. Wade McCamey, president of Walters State; Dr. Lori Campbell, vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. Robbie Melton, TBR associate vice chancellor of Organizational Effectiveness and Strategic Planning; and Kim Bolton, interim executive director of the WSCC Claiborne County Campus and head of the Biology Department. Spring 2013 The next big milestone for the Clean Energy Technology Program will come in three semesters, when 16 graduates enrolled in the College Express cohort earn degrees. Community College Report NORTHEAST State Community College 423-323-3191 www.northeaststate.edu Northeast State, Eastman named AACC award finalists The American Association of Community Colleges has selected Northeast State Community College and Eastman Chemical Company as finalists for the 2013 AACC Award of Excellence in the Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership category. The award honors collaborations between community colleges and business and industry that have achieved notable, multi-year success in advancing economic prosperity and the learning excellence of students. Nomination materials cited several Northeast State/Eastman collaborations including the creation of 10 web-based courses in support of the chemical process operations program, development of scholarships for students majoring in advanced manufacturing fields, and development and construction of the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Eastman, Domtar, the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Kingsport. The AACC will announce five category winners at the organization’s annual convention, which is set April 23 in San Francisco. RCAM noted in Northeast State’s AACC nomination. A commitment to serve: Altheria Davis at NSCC Altheria Davis counts herself as many things: college student, veteran, wife, mother, and woman with a vision to improve public health access in the region. She served her country as an active duty army medic for three years and active reservist for three more. Davis plans to complete her university parallel associate degree requirements this summer. She plans to seek a bachelor degree in public health at East Tennessee State University. After earning her bachelor degree, she plans to join forces with a nurse practitioner and establish a mobile care center to serve the poor and indigent population of Southwest Virginia. Community College Report Persistence makes for life-long learning success Northeast State alum Jon Walters believes in persistence. Walters took his first class at Northeast State in 1989, but didn’t graduate until 2005. The long journey paid off for Walters, who is currently Jon Walters employed as the lead data center engineer for Northrop Grumman. He deals with all aspects of daily operations at the company’s main Enterprise Data Center, from project design and installation to server and network support. Ever the life-long learner, Jon is enrolled at Penn State University, working on a bachelor of science in Information Technology and a bachelor of science in Security and Risk Analysis with a concentration in Cyber Security. He plans to graduate in fall 2014. “Without Northeast State I would have no real prospects of advancement and completely unhappy with my life,” Jon said. “I owe everything I have in my professional career to what I learned at Northeast State.” Altheria Davis Spring 2013 Page 15 Produced by the Tennessee Board of Regents Office of Community Community Colleges. The Tennessee Board of Regents does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, disability or age in its programs andactivities. The Vice Chancellor for Access & Diversity has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies can be reached at 1415 Murfreesboro Road, Suite 340, Nashville, TN 37217 or 615-366-4483. 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