A large, white tent was raised on the Cumberland Campus of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College for their spring commencement ceremony. (Photo by Chris Jones)
KCTCS honors 6,441 candidates at 2006 May graduation ceremonies - includes a total of 11,319 credentials
By the end of May, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System will have honored 6,441 candidates for graduation in 16 college ceremonies across the state.
"Graduation not only marks a beginning point for students, it is an affirmation of our work as educators," said KCTCS President Michael B. McCall. "Our graduates are empowered with a variety of choices. Some will enter the workforce, putting their new-found knowledge into practical experience. Others will continue their education, transferring into four-year baccalaureate programs. Whatever their decision, they carry with them a solid foundation of knowledge and skills."
Many of the candidates are receiving more than one credential. The 11,319 credentials include 6,104 certificates, 1,604 diplomas, and 3,611 associate degrees.
Spring commencement exercises at the KCTCS colleges began Friday, May 5. A list of college ceremonies follows.
2006 Commencement
Ashland Community and Technical College
Friday, May 12, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland.
Commencement speakers: Dr. Rita Rice Morris, president of Shawnee State University, and Hitomi K. Sturgill, a May graduate with High Honors.
Big Sandy Community and Technical College
Friday, May 12, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg.
Commencement speakers: Samantha Spence, a May graduate and president of the Student Government Association, and Linda Wagner Justice, 2006 Outstanding Alumnus.
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Sunday May 7, Lexington Civic Center.
Commencement speaker: Cecil M. Keeney, president and CEO of the Walle Corporation in Winchester.
Bowling Green Technical College
Friday, May 5, Hillvue Heights Church, Bowling Green.
Commencement speaker: Dr. Nathan L. Hodges, president of Bowling Green Technical College.
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Monday, May 15, Central Hardin High School, Elizabethtown.
Commencement speaker: Susan Simmons, a 1985 ECC graduate and senior vice president of First Federal Savings Bank.
Gateway Community and Technical College
Thursday, May 18, Northern Kentucky Convention Center, Covington.
Commencement speaker: Helen Carroll, manager, Community Relations, Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, and chair, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Hazard Community and Technical College
Saturday, May 6, The Forum of Hal Rogers Center, Hazard.
Commencement speaker: Assistant U.S. Attorney David Olinger, Jr.
Henderson Community College
Friday, May 12, Henderson Fine Arts Center.
Commencement speaker: Family Court Judge Sheila Nunley Farris.
Hopkinsville Community College
Friday evening, May 5, James E. Bruce Conference and Convention Center, Hopkinsville. Commencement speakers: Shante Randolph, HCC student government president; Dr. Ken Casey, HCC's 2005-2006 outstanding faculty member; and honored guest, 1978 HCC graduate Marcella Sue (Hartigan) Favre.
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Wednesday, May 17, Kentucky International Convention Center, Hall 2C.
Commencement speaker: Kelly Covington Few, a JCTC student.
Madisonville Community College
Friday, May 5, Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville.
Commencement speaker: Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, president of Cuyahoga Community College and Earlington native.
Maysville Community and Technical College
Friday, May 5, Front Lawn of the Maysville Campus. In case of rain, graduation will be held at the Mason County High School Field House.
Commencement speaker: Dr. Wayne D. Andrews, president of Morehead State University.
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Tuesday, May 9, Owensboro Sports Center.
Commencement speakers: Kentucky State Reps. Joe Bowen and Tommy Thompson.
Somerset Community College
Friday, May 5, SCC Center.
Commencement speakers: KCTCS President Michael B. McCall; Loris Sherman, SCC faculty member, and SCC Student Government President Jason Shelton.
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
Friday, May 5, Lawn of the Cumberland campus.
Commencement speaker: Dr. Edsel Godbey, founding president of SKCTC in 1960.
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Friday, May 12, Paducah Expo Center.
Commencement speaker: KCTCS Chancellor Dr. Keith Bird.
KCTCS President Michael B. McCall Presides Over American Association of Community Colleges Convention in Long Beach, Calif.
Writer: Amy Carman, KCTCS director of Public Relations KCTCS President Michael B. McCall continued his service as Chairman of the American Association of Community Colleges by leading 2,000 participants in the organization's 86th annual convention in Long Beach, California, April 22-25.
The 2006 convention concentrated on the role of community colleges in ensuring the education and training of a skilled workforce to keep the American economy growing. Featured speakers ranged from award-winning television journalist Forrest Sawyer to Gaddi Vasquez, director of the Peace Corps and a community college alumnus, to Martha Rogers, one of the 19 most important business visionaries of the past century according to "Business 2.0" magazine.
McCall said the convention provided an excellent opportunity for community college professionals to share ideas for empowering their institutions as they work to strengthen the nation's educational and economic framework.
"Never before has the mission of community colleges been more relevant and our performance more needed in solving the critical issues facing communities and the nation," McCall said. "We are looking for ways to keep our communities healthy and secure while educating 60 percent of new nurses and 80 percent of first responders. Our community colleges are providing essential learning opportunities in a society more diverse, more complex and, increasingly, more divided by gender, race, and economic status. Our continued success is crucial to the continued success of our nation as a whole."
Elected to serve during the AACC's 2005 convention in Orlando, Fla., McCall's term as chairman has been highlighted by the creation of the bi-partisan Congressional Community College Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. Designed to spotlight the contributions, needs and goals of community colleges, the caucus established in early 2006 already boasts more than 100 representatives from across the nation. Its members hold briefings, share information and work to raise the profile of community colleges in our nation's capital.
"The members of the Congressional Community College Caucus help illustrate the unique role that community colleges play within the American educational system," McCall said. "They remind their congressional colleagues that community colleges provide a low-cost, close-to-home education for more than 11.9 million students a year. They work as ambassadors on behalf of our efforts to train workers in an evolving economy. And, perhaps most importantly, they press our funding needs during the budgetary process."
McCall also credited his colleagues on the AACC Board of Directors for their work this year in developing a strategic plan that will sharpen the focus of the organization.
"We've defined our mission more closely and established a clear vision to reach our goals," he said. "Because of the efforts of so many dedicated professionals, it has been both an honor and a joy to serve."
McCall's tenure as AACC chairman ends June 30, 2006; he will remain on the AACC Board for another year as past chairman. McCall said his time in office has provided a valuable opportunity to showcase the achievements of KCTCS as it continues its quest to be recognized as the best community and technical college system in the nation.
"In meeting with my colleagues from across the country, I am reminded of the wisdom in consolidating Kentucky's community and technical colleges into a comprehensive system that works in tandem to address the Commonwealth's needs for community education, workforce training and economic development," McCall said. "Our positive momentum continues to grow and I look forward to applying the lessons I have learned through this year of national service to our own system's goals for continued improvement."
Also at the conference, Lesley Mayberry of Maysville Community and Technical College was honored as the 2006 New Century Scholar in Kentucky's two-year college system. The New Century Scholar Award is given each year to the highest-scoring community college student in each state in the All-USA Academic Team competition.
As the New Century Scholar, Mayberry received a $2,000 stipend from the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. Mayberry is a candidate for graduation in May from MCTC. She plans to transfer to the University of Kentucky where she will major in English. Her goal is to obtain a doctorate degree and teach at the collegiate level.
Tara Connor
Somerset Community College student, Tara Connor, crowned Miss USA
Miss Kentucky and Somerset Community College student Tara Elizabeth Connor, 20, of Russell County was crowned Miss USA on Friday, April 21, at the Miss USA Pageant held in Baltimore, Maryland.
Connor, a freshman business administration major, was enrolled at SCC when she was crowned Miss Kentucky in the fall of 2005. Pageant officials asked Connors not to enroll for the Spring Semester because of her duties as Miss Kentucky and in order to allow her time to prepare for the Miss USA competition.
Connor will now represent the United States in the Miss Universe Pageant to be held in Los Angeles on July 23.
Connor is the daughter of Brenda Johnson and John Connor. Her step-father is Barren Johnson. All live in Russell County. Both Johnson's are employed by Fruit of the Loom, located in Jamestown, Kentucky, while John Connor owns a barber shop in Russell Springs.
"They asked her not to register for the Spring Semester," her mother said. "Now, it's going to be at least a year. I don't know when she will get back to school."
Connor's mother described her family as "simple country people." However, Johnson was impressed at her daughter's news conference immediately following her win. "There were cameras and microphones everywhere and people were shouting questions at her, but she held her own."
"I'm an easygoing down-to-earth girl," Connor told the press following her win.
"The best part for me," Johnson said "was watching Tara on stage. She was so comfortable in front of the cameras."
"Tara was so much at ease, but I was so nervous. When they announced that she had won, I had to sit in my seat for a few minutes. I thought I was going to pass out," she said.
Johnson said that one of Tara's goals as Miss USA is to help eliminate any negative stereotypes associated with people from Kentucky.
"Some people, perhaps, consider us a little bit ignorant, but we are just like everyone else," Johnson said.
Janett Blythe, director of Public Relations at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, accepts her third best overall communication program award from KCTCS President Michael B. McCall.
KCTCS recognizes college marketing efforts - BGTC and WKCTC tie for Communicator of the Year Award
Bowling Green Technical College (BGTC) and West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) tied as the best overall communication program among all colleges in the third annual Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Marketing Awards competition.
This is the third year that WKCTC, headed by Public Relations Director Janett Blythe, has received top honors in the system-wide competition. Mark Brooks heads the public relations department at BGTC. Together the two colleges received 10 gold medals, six silver medals and three bronze medals.
Jefferson Community and Technical College received the silver medal and Somerset Community College received the bronze medal for their overall communication programs.
"On behalf of KCTCS, I extend my congratulations to all public relations staff in our System for their talent and dedication," said KCTCS President Michael B. McCall. "Marketing and public relations provides a vital link between the college and the community."
The top winners in each category were:
ELECTRONIC MEDIA: Web Site
Bronze - Bowling Green Technical College "www.bowlinggreen.kctcs.edu/"
Bronze - Somerset Community College "www.somerset.kctcs.edu/"
ELECTRONIC MEDIA: PowerPoint Presentations
Gold - Bowling Green Technical College "Apprenticeship Programs"
Silver - West Kentucky Community and Technical College, "Journey to Napal."
Bronze - West Kentucky Community and Technical College, "A New Chapter Begins"
ELECTRONIC MEDIA: E-Newsletters
Gold - West Kentucky Community and Technical College "Momentum"
Silver - Somerset Community College "SCC News"
ELECTRONIC MEDIA: Radio Campaign
Gold - Bowling Green Technical College "Testimonials"
Silver - Somerset Community College "October CED Classes"
Bronze - Hopkinsville Community College "Right Direction"
Bronze - Big Sandy Community and Technical College "Entrepreneur Center"
ELECTRONIC MEDIA: TV Production
Gold - Bowling Green Technical College "Testimonies"
Gold - West Kentucky Community and Technical College "Where Will You Go to College?"
Silver - Bluegrass Community and Technical College "Reasons"
Bronze -- Ashland Community and Technical College "Bridge to Success"
PHOTOGRAPHY: Digital or Film
Gold - Bowling Green Technical College "Fire Rescue Training - Propane"
Silver - Bowling Green Technical College "Culinary Instruction"
Bronze - Hopkinsville Community College "Commencement 2005"
PHOTOGRAPHY: Computer-generated Illustration
Gold - Bowling Green Technical College "Display Background"
Silver - Somerset Community College "Art Show Poster/Post Card"
Bronze - Bowling Green Technical College "Rubik's Cube"
PUBLICATIONS: 4-color Brochure
Gold - Bluegrass Community and Technical College "2005 Fact Sheet"
Silver - Big Sandy Community and Technical College "Cut thru Review 2005"
Bronze - Jefferson Community and Technical College "Seminary Building Restoration"
PUBLICATIONS: Black and White Brochure/Booklet
Gold - Madisonville Community College "Priority Registration Poster"
PUBLICATIONS: Annual Report
Gold - Bluegrass Community and Technical College "2003-2004 Annual Report"
Silver - Ashland Community and Technical College "Report to the Community '05"
Bronze - Madisonville Community College "2004 Report to Our Communities"
PUBLICATIONS: Newsletters
Gold - Ashland Community and Technical College "ACTC Bridges"
Silver - Bowling Green Technical College "BGTC Newsletter"
Bronze - Madisonville Community College "Scholarship Update"
PUBLICATIONS: Class Schedules/Bulletins
Gold - Hazard Community and Technical College "The Learning College Fall Schedule"
Silver - West Kentucky Community and Technical College "Spring 2005 Schedule of Offerings Training"
Bronze - Big Sandy Community and Technical College "Fall 2005 Schedule"
PUBLICATIONS: Print Advertising
Gold - Bowling Green Technical College "Problem Solved"
Bronze - Somerset Community College "Images Gallery Photo"
WRITING: News/Features
Gold - Somerset Community College "SCC Women Students Enthusiastic About Careers in Auto Tech and Carpentry"
Bronze - Jefferson Community and Technical College "College Consolidation"
MISCELLANEOUS: Publications
Gold - Jefferson Community and Technical College, "Student Art Calendar"
Silver - Bowling Green Technical College "Large Display"
Bronze - Jefferson Community and Technical College "College Consolidation"
Overall Marketing Campaign
Gold - Bluegrass Community and Technical College "New Name/Bluegrass Days"
Silver - West Kentucky Community and Technical College "Where Will You Go to College?"
Bronze - Ashland Community and Technical College "Your Bridge to Success"
Jerry W. Haynes, center, Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) president and CEO, has made a gift of $10,000 to Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College to establish a nursing scholarship in honor of his mother, Virginia G. Haynes, RN, at right. Dr. W. Bruce Ayers of Southeast, left, was on hand during the recent 50th anniversary celebration of the Whitesburg ARH to accept the generous gift. (Photo by Chris Jones)
ARH President & CEO makes a donation and pledge to Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College - scholarship created will honor Virginia G. Haynes, RN, and Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc.
Writer: Chris Jones, director of Public Relations, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical Colleg In a joint announcement made during Whitesburg's ARH 50th Anniversary celebration, Jerry W. Haynes, ARH President and CEO, and Dr. W. Bruce Ayers, President of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC), announced a new scholarship opportunity aimed at furthering Letcher Countians' education in the nursing field.
Haynes has donated $10,000 to fund the ARH Virginia G. Haynes Nursing Scholarship Endowment both to honor his mother, Virginia G. Haynes, RN, and ARH, the organization with whom he has been employed for the past 26 years.
Haynes has pledged an additional $5,000 to initiate scholarship awards for students from Letcher County beginning in the fall of 2006 at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College as part of the institution's Fulfilling the Promise Campaign.
Virginia G. Haynes was employed at ARH for 22 years, serving in a number of nursing roles including the Director of Nursing Services at Whitesburg ARH.
According to one of Mrs. Haynes colleagues, "Mrs. Haynes trusted us to do our jobs. If we had problems we could talk to her. It was a privilege to work for Virginia Haynes." Mrs. Haynes retired from ARH in August 1997.
Haynes said, through the scholarship, he wants to recognize his mother's years of dedication to ARH and the time she spent caring for patients in Letcher County and eastern Kentucky as a whole.
"Since my mother dedicated most of her career to promoting the health of those living in Letcher County, this scholarship seemed like the ideal way to honor her and contribute to the future generations of nurses and the quality of healthcare in eastern Kentucky," Haynes said. "Nurses play a vital role in our hospitals. SKCTC has an excellent nursing program and I am confident the students who benefit from these scholarships will become leaders in nursing and will help further ARH's mission to contribute to the good health of our communities."
In acknowledgement of the gift, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College has created The ARH Virginia G. Haynes Nursing Scholarship Endowment with proceeds from the fund being used to support residents of Letcher County who have been accepted into SKCTC's nursing program.
"We are delighted to accept this generous gift," Dr. Ayers said. "ARH and Mr. Haynes have been friends and strong supporters of the college for more than 20 years, and this gift is especially important because it recognizes and rewards students from Letcher County enrolled in our nationally recognized nursing program."
Access for All?
When Madisonville webmaster Craig Dixon set out to redesign the college's web site, he had a new goal in mind--making the site accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. "Designing with accessibility in mind seemed the right thing to do," says Dixon.
What Craig didn't know at the time was that he would soon hear firsthand how the effort paid off for a Madisonville student.
Most of us know by now that our web site serves as the "front door" to our college for the majority of our audience. Think of the thousands of visitors to our web sites--students, employees, parents, legislators, vendors, and more. Some of those visitors are people with disabilities who may have difficulty using the web. If the web is our front door, then we must make sure we keep it open for all our visitors. That's what the idea of "web accessibility" is all about.
Several types of disabilities can affect a person's ability to use the web, including impaired hearing, motor skills, cognitive abilities, and susceptibility to seizures. People with these disabilities face unique challenges in utilizing the Internet. Those with visual impairments either cannot see the screen well enough to read it (if at all). Those with motor difficulties may not be able to use the mouse well. (Consider how difficult a "simple" point-and-click operation would be for someone with Parkinson's disease.)
Many technologies and devices have been created to help persons with disabilities more easily experience the Internet. Blind users may use screen reader software that actually reads the text of a web page out loud. Those with motor disabilities may use retinal scanning devices, breathe control devices, or speech recognition technologies, or they may simply rely on their keyboard rather than a mouse.
These technologies have one thing in common - they need help from a web site's designer to work as intended. This is what Craig had in mind when he began the Madisonville web site redesign. He had a lot to learn.
"When I started as the webmaster at Madisonville Community College, I knew as little about web accessibility as anyone. However, the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn, and the more I wanted to implement what I had learned." Craig soon discovered ways to improve his site's accessibility--providing a way for users to skip repetitive navigation links, captioning and describing multimedia content, writing for a broader audience, and more.
The desire to create an accessible web site wasn't enough however. Craig met with some resistance. "I ran into the standard refrains about how we've never had a blind student and how an inaccessible web site is only a problem if we get a complaint."
Fortunately, Craig had two important factors on his side: Madisonville President Judy Rhoads and the law. Federal and state laws dictate that government web sites be accessible to people with disabilities, and KCTCS policy is to comply with those laws by designing web sites meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium.
Even though web accessibility is a legal obligation, as well as plain old good policy, KCTCS webmasters have had difficulty catching up to the law. Many of them are part-time webmasters, and nearly all are in very high demand with very limited resources to draw on. Occasional faculty and staff resistance to accessibility initiatives makes the job nearly impossible without strong support from other quarters. For Craig, support came from his college president.
Convinced that the issue was too important to drop, Craig took his case to Dr. Rhoads and her Cabinet. "They lent their unanimous support to my efforts. With their blessing, I finished my redesign of the web site with accessibility features throughout. It was a moral victory that I was proud of."
Soon after the redesign was complete however, Craig learned that it was more than a moral victory. It was in fact work that had a direct impact on a new Madisonville student.
Creating an accessible web site involves a real commitment, according to Craig. "It means hiring qualified designers and committing to keep them trained in best practices. It means listening to those designers when they make recommendations, and backing them when they've made an appropriate case."
Web accessibility can also mean a better experience for all web site visitors, not just those with disabilities. More careful thought about design principles, information architecture, and clear communications benefit all users. And the more welcoming the "front door" of the college is, the more likely it is that it will attract and retain all kinds of students, as well as better serve all Kentuckians.
(Photo by Chris Jones)
EGG-stravagant Encounter
Children from the Victory Road Christian Academy at Cumberland took part in an Easter egg hunt on the campus of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College.
The children enjoyed hunting for the precious eggs as well as other activities sponsored by SKCTC teacher education students,taught by SKCTC Professor Roberta W. Pratt.
How "Lean Enterprise" is Changing Home Health; Other Departments to Follow
When Travis McDonald was approached by Karen Freeman, Director of Human Resources, last February and asked to become the Hospital's Lean Champion, she was excited to have a new challenge, but wasn't quite sure what she was getting into.
"I had heard of Lean Enterprise," she says, "but didn't know much about it."
Since that time, Travis, whose full-time job is as Department Secretary for the Rehabilitation Center, has taken on the new task with enthusiasm.
"I enjoy it a lot and am learning so much, along with those who are actually participating in the Lean Enterprise process." In May, she was sent for a week's training at the Lean Leadership Institute at the University of Kentucky.
In January, 2005, Joe Razano,Workforce Development Coordinator and other staff from the Henderson Community College presented an all-day simulation of Lean Enterprise at the Hospital Home Health volunteered to become the first Methodist Hospital department to take on the Lean Enterprise challenge.
Twenty-three projects were identified and meetings were scheduled to look at a process from beginning to end. Called "Value Stream Mapping," the process looks at how to make things better by improving and streamlining the process. Lean thinking, explains Travis, is to work smarter, not harder. It strives to even out the workload among staff and is not about workforce reduction, but to do a better job with the staff and resources available. (There are certain things the Team cannot change, including policies, job titles, and hours worked.)
Methodist Hospital Administration approved a dollar amount which could be spent to improve a process on each of the 23 projects, and in June, after many hours of intense meetings and working together on the identified areas, the Lean Implementation
Team made a presentation to administrative staff. Along with approval for several other projects, they received the go-ahead to implement a Point of Care software program which, while requiring a capital expenditure, will also generate a major return on investment, an increase in annual revenue and capacity.
The Team continues to meet regularly, with Travis serving in her role as Lean Champion by attending all meetings to facilitate, get projects started, and make sure they stay on track. "The Lean philosophy says that nothing is ever finished; it is a process of continuous improvement of performance and efficiency," she says.
"However, as more Lean Implementation Teams get underway, I will no longer be able to attend all meetings, so a member of the Team will step up to lead the meetings." In Home Health's case, two members, April Perry and Lori Champion are acting as co-leaders.
April says, "The Lean Enterprise experience has been a great way to share ideas, reduce frustration, and implement changes. So far, we have gotten 32 suggestions from our staff through our communication board, and feel good about doing things to streamline our jobs." Lori adds," It has opened my eyes to the duties of others in my department and helps me understand what they're going through."
$100,000 donation to provide textbooks for students in need - National City gift establishes endowment account
For some students, the high cost of textbooks can be a nearly insurmountable barrier to attending college. Thanks to a commitment from National City Bank of Kentucky, however, students at Jefferson Community & Technical College soon will be able to apply for scholarships that cover the cost of textbooks.
The $100,000 donation, to be paid at $20,000 over five years, will fund the National City Endowed Textbook Scholarship Fund at the JCTC, where the average student is 26 years old and balances work and family responsibilities. The cost of textbooks reaches into the hundreds of dollars each semester for some students.
"This is very welcome news," student government President Charles Waters said of the National City gift. "For a student balancing living and college expenses, the cost of textbooks sometimes means the difference between attending classes or not."
Jefferson President Dr. Tony Newberry said that National City Bank's gift blends with the college's mission as an open access institution, welcoming and supporting all who seek a higher education. "National City's generosity demonstrates its commitment to higher education and to improving the lives of area residents. This gift particularly will have a significant positive impact on students."
National City Bank proposed the donation after meeting with college officials to assess areas of need. The bank has other notable commitments to education, including sponsorship of the Every1Reads literacy program with Jefferson County Public Schools.
"The economic stability of our state dependent upon having a workforce ready and prepared to meet the growth and development needs of the future," said Charles P. Denny, president and CEO of National City Bank of Kentucky. "National City is committed to supporting and creating programs throughout Kentucky that improve the opportunity to obtain a college education."
The number of scholarships awarded each year will be determined as the endowment grows, but the gift will allow textbook scholarships in perpetuity. The college hopes to begin awarding some scholarships as early as Fall 2008.
A Pilot Project with KCTCS, WKCTC, and Smarthinking
Editor's Note: William Wade, Director of Distance Learning and Professor of English, West Kentucky Community and Technical College, outlines a pilot project to improve the way we teach English composition.
The Plan
The question was "Can we increase the number of students taught in a composition class without taking unfair advantage of faculty and without loss of quality in instruction?"
The answer is not nearly as easy as the question. Teachers must teach grammar, structure, clarity, order, and encourage specific and concrete support. So, the only way to increase numbers in composition classes is by having better essays after that instruction. If students "got it" after instruction, the teacher would have higher quality essays, and, therefore, could teach more students in less time. Here is the typical scenario. The teacher begins with a writing sample which determines student readiness for the class. Then, remediation is applied where needed. Next, the teacher defines an assignment by explaining that assignment's characteristics and requirements. The student begins the task of writing the prescribed paper. Writing assignment one is submitted in draft form, comments are made on that draft, and it is returned to the student. It is revised. Draft two is turned in to the teacher who either grades the paper or returns it for further revision. If a third draft is given, usually a fourth choice is not allowed, the paper is graded and the student moves to the next assignment. Reducing the number of readings by the teacher would allow that teacher to increase student numbers and the teaching of important concepts and evaluation progress for the student and aid that student in reaching the desired outcomes.
What if the teacher could assess a writing sample, remediate obvious difficulties, make an assignment, and grade a final draft? Wouldn't that decrease the time spent and allow more students to take the class? The answer is yes, but how can that happen?
When the student reads the assignment, accepts the recommendations of the tutor and teacher, revises the assignment, and turns in better work, the instructor can grade the paper and move on.
The K-CoRE Plan
In June of 2005, West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) combined with Smarthinking Tutorial Services of Washington DC to put together a basic English composition pilot course for the fall semester which would begin in mid August 2005. The trial course was designed to offer composition to a greater number of students. Based on a Kentucky initiative referred to as K-CORE, The Kentucky Collaborative Online General Education CoRE, a year long discussion that began as a statewide collaborative effort to define ways in which online course presentation could be more efficient. With a kickoff date of October 2004, the team began looking at ways to improve the number of students served with the existing faculty. For the next year, three postsecondary institutions, the University of Kentucky, Murray State University, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, began an in-depth study of what it would take to define and then create an efficient online class in beginning composition. In addition to defining course competencies, the majority of the institutions represented found and agreed upon a grading rubric to use in the pilot class.
Beginning in June, 2005, KCTCS and WKCTC began working out the details of a pilot course. Seven people were involved in the West Kentucky effort: Michelle Martini, master teacher and course content director (teacher); William Wade, Professor English, Director of Distance Learning, and course designer; Rebecca Wilson, help desk and technical assistant for course design; Sandra Tucker, online academic advisor; Pat Blaine, English Professor and course evaluator; Rhonda Thacker, student course evaluator; and Shelby Townsend, student course evaluator. All seven people worked in their various capacities during the fall semester 2005. Excerpts from their input will be included below.
The Course Design and Smarthinking
The course was designed using small learning units. Each learning unit had a specific purpose and led the learner to either a new step or a number of smaller reviews. The first step in the class was an initial orientation quiz that gave the student an overview to mastery learning where the learner is an active participant. Once the quiz was complete, the student moved on to a course pretest. The pretest assessed the student's current knowledge of grammar, mechanics, and development. If the student scored less than an 80%, that student was routed to interactive reviews identified by the test. If a student scored 80% or higher, that student went directly into a writing assignment. Successful completion of the first writing assignment opened the door to the second writing assignment. This process continued until four graded assignments were completed. The student had access to written information on each assignment, length requirements, strategy for writing, and basic instruction on outcome expectation. The class teacher was available to provide added instruction, clarify technology needs, and give guidance when written instructions were not clear. A technical help desk at the local level provided the student in-course information when technology failed, and a national help line was available when software or hardware ceased to function. Two types of tutor assistance were also available. Smarthinking, a Washington DC based online tutoring group, gave advice to the student as that student wrote through the first draft of each graded paper. Once the student completed the assignment, it was turned into a second set of tutors provided by Smarthinking. These second-line teaching assistants' output was called Grade Guidance. They not only marked the paper for the student to see strengths and weaknesses, they also sent the same material to the class teacher with a suggested grade. The idea was that with the input from the Grade Guidance tutors, the student would write better drafts allowing the teacher to grade fewer major errors and, therefore, work with a larger number of students.
Study Limitations
The college opened registration for this trial class on August 3, 2005. Within about twelve days, we had reached an enrollment of 49 students, and the college closed registration. The regular size of a single online basic composition class is 24. As with all online classes, the first several days were spent explaining the structure of the new class and how its content was arranged. The student was given a walk through the initial quiz and the pretest. Once writing began, they were also given a quick look at the online tutoring and an introduction to Grade Guidance. The assignments had submission rates illustrated below in a section written by the class teacher.
At the beginning of the class, the students had typical questions about course make-up and where certain bits of information were located. An outline of the semester's activities was posted on the Home Page of the Web CT offering. Individual links and assignments were posted that led students to new assignments and gave feedback about completed assignments. Each assignment had an overview, detailed information about what was expected, and a student-written paper illustrated each assignment strategy. A Public Discussion link was placed on the Home Page along with a link to Private internal E-mail. In these communications areas, the student could post threaded discussion notes for all to read and react to or post private questions on evaluation and direction to the instructor. By the third week, most students were navigating the class and finding information on assignments.
With this initial pilot, the attrition rate for the class was high. Of the 49 initial students, 10 successfully completed the class. A number of factors may have come into play with the numbers. August 3 was the first registration date for the class, and that was just ten days before the beginning of class. The entire enrollment came from late registration, and students were not given an orientation to the course make-up and process. By September 27, 18 students had dropped or never attended the online class. While 30 students did not drop, only 10 made a C or higher grade. This percentage is neither acceptable or typical of an online class. The average successful completion rate for a WKCTC ENG 101composition class is currently 61%. The nature of the class and the late registration numbers probably both played a major role in the percentage of successful completion.
An online orientation to the class is under construction. Because of a change in Course Management Systems (CMS), the orientation was not designed for the spring semester but will be in place for the Fall of 2006. Other changes that were evident were that students will be educated about the use of Smarthinking, they will be given an overview of the new CMS which is Blackboard, and they will be given insights into the workings of a modular, interactive, mastery level composition course. Smarthinking was an important tool for this class. Further study is required before the advantages of Grade Guidance can be verified for the faculty. It is very clear that the advantages are strong for the student.
Observations by the Instructor of record
As the instructor of record and class teacher for the English section, I had high expectations of the KCoRE project and its outcomes. First, the pressure of designing the course was lifted, and the initial technical problems students encounter including access to the course and navigation were handled by another source. I did not expect Smarthinking's involvement to abdicate my responsibilities as instructor. Rather, the idea was that students' repeated,
systematic revisions and submissions to Smarthinking tutors would result in a higher quality essay. Therefore, my job in grading essays would be easier because the focus would be on content and fine tuning rather than concentration on grammatical and organizational issues.
Although I did not design the course, which I thought initially would make things easier, I found that becoming familiar with the course content was time consuming. Like the students, I had to navigate through unfamiliar material and learn about the modal set up of the site. However, it did not take long to adequately be able to help with student questions. The first weeks of any online course consist mainly of answering "Where is the link?" type questions, and just like any other course, much of my time was spent re-opening assignments that had closed and directing students to the appropriate links. Obviously Smarthinking did not assist in this process, but the help from the course designer was valuable in dividing the task of answering students' navigation questions.
Once students had access to Smarthinking's tutors and understood the process by which they were to submit drafts, they began submitting drafts to Smarthinking. Twelve students submitted drafts of the first assigned essay to Smarthinking tutors. No positive correlation appeared between Smarthinking submissions and higher grades on the first essay. Upon viewing a cross section of students' drafts submitted to Smarthinking as compared to their final draft, I came to several conclusions after the first graded essay: 1) the more responsible students, and therefore those likely to receive higher grades regardless, were more likely to submit to Smarthinking and heed some of the tutors' comments, 2) the students who did poorly on the final submission but still submitted to Smarthinking did not heed Smarthinking's tutors' feedback, and 3) the majority of students were not taking advantage of the service. The tutors' comments, therefore, often were the same suggestions I made. If the students had utilized Smarthinking's service, I would have been able to concentrate on other, less serious errors and instead concentrate on areas that needed more analysis or content development. However, the majority of the issues I addressed in the essays were related to organization and thesis development - the most basic essay components. As a whole, the essays were below average in content and grammar. It's important to point out that lecture material provided within the course and assigned reading in the textbook addressed essay construction and grammar. Before submitting the first essay, students should have participated in a grammar review and read information about organizing an essay.
My process for grading the first round of final essay submissions was as follows: reading and commenting on students' final submission; assigning a grade; reviewing the Smarthinking report to see if students had submitted drafts; if students had submitted a draft, reviewing the draft(s) and tutors' comments to see if the student had made some of the suggested changes; and finally, suggesting (if necessary) that the students heed tutors' suggestions, which often mirrored my own. I recognize that because this course was a pilot, reviewing Smarthinking's input was crucial. However, the process was much more involved and time consuming than I anticipated and much more difficult than grading essays in my other online courses. After grading the first assigned essays, my assessment was that Smarthinking was valuable when students used the tutors' comments in the draft
stages. I also felt that the "Grade Guidance" portion of the Smarthinking report was not useful to me as the instructor. I assigned the grade I felt was appropriate, and while the students could benefit from having grades assigned by Smarthinking, I didn't need confirmation from an outside source to validate the grade I assigned.
As the process evolved and students felt comfortable submitting drafts to Smarthinking, we received positive feedback from students regarding its help in the drafting stage. However, the same students kept submitting drafts, and the number of students submitting drafts to Smarthinking did not increase. Eleven students submitted drafts of the second assigned essay, and ten students submitted drafts of the third assigned essay. I began to see significant improvement in those students who submitted drafts and heeded tutors' suggestions. For example, Student A received an 89 on the first essay, a 92 on the second, and a 97 on the third. Because I did not review draft submissions to Smarthinking until after the final grade was assigned, the results of the students grades were not affected by the fact that they submitted drafts. However, upon review, the quality of the essays seemed to improve with increased involvement in Smarthinking's service.
While the data I have collected is by no means scientific, students who routinely submitted drafts of each essay to Smarthinking received higher than average grades. This result could be because higher-than-average students were more likely to participate anyway, but in at least one or two cases average writers received higher-than-average grades because of extensive drafting and feedback from qualified tutors. The student to whom I referred earlier received an A for the course. Another student whom I'd like to use as an example, Student B, submitted drafts of all assigned essays to Smarthinking. I would consider Student B slightly above average for freshman composition. Her first final submission received a high C; however, her essays progressively improved, and Student B earned an A in the course. Upon reviewing her draft submissions as compared to her final submissions, I found evidence of extensive revision. She began the semester revising mechanical issues and organization of the essay, and by the end of the semester, she was able to concentrate on content and style. Student B was an exception; the average grade for the course was well below average. It is difficult to quantify the results because of so many extenuating factors; students who did not submit final drafts of all essays failed the course (part of the policy), and several students withdrew. My assessment is based mainly on those who participated in the course throughout the semester.
My work continued to be more involved than in other online courses. Smarthinking continued to adapt its reports to our needs, and each round of essays required evaluation of the procedure and reports given to us. Constant monitoring of the site and students' progress was necessary, and the large number of essays to read and evaluate was daunting at times.
If the students utilize the Smarthinking tool, it will continue to be valuable in the revision process. In order to be valuable to the instructor of record, the reports should be more user-friendly. The Grade Guidance report was lengthy and difficult to print and view.
Rather than having to view each document submitted to Smarthinking, it would be helpful if the instructor received a report containing the main suggestions for revision for each student's essay, perhaps in a bullet-pointed list. Also, the students should understand Smarthinking's participation and the procedure for submitting drafts as soon as the class begins. Perhaps a tutorial with sample submissions would help explain the process to students. Finally, students' incentive for participating in Smarthinking's assessment process should be evaluated in order to find a way to encourage more students to submit drafts throughout the semester. I look forward to seeing the progress of the project.
Conclusions and Improvements
"Can we increase the number of students taught in a composition class without taking unfair advantage of faculty and without loss of quality in instruction?" Probably. But, a number of questions must be answered and those questions have many options. A number of composition teachers are currently seeking answers, and those answers are needed as students continue to stand in line for classes in composition, math, and many other subject areas. Composition is an excellent place to search for answers as grading and instruction are subjective and individual in composition. Currently, objective tests and computer grading are not sufficiently accurate to replace the teacher, and that technology does not seem to be on the horizon. WKCTC, KCTCS, and Smarthinking hope that this trial course has helped in that discovery process.
William Wade, Director of Distance Learning
Professor, English West Kentucky Community and Technical College
K-CORE ENG 101 course designer
William.wade@kctcs.edu
And
Michelle Martini, Instructor English, West Kentucky Community and Technical College
mmartini0001@kctcs.edu
Photo by Chris Jones)
KCTCS special assistant visits Cumberland campus
Jack Thomas, left, special assistant to the chancellor of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, was greeted by Dr. W. Bruce Ayers, president of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, during a visit to the Cumberland campus. Dr. Thomas met with SKCTC officials to discuss new technical programs in fire rescue science, including training for first responders.
KCTCS College News
Ashland Community and Technical College
The Community and Technical College Foundation of Ashland kicked off the public phase of its first Major Gifts Campaign for ACTC by announcing a $3.2 million goal - with nearly $2.3 million already donated or pledged by faculty, staff and major donors. The "Fulfilling the Promise" Campaign will support construction of a Child Development
Center and three other initiatives: establishment of a science and technology program for K-12 students, creation of a Workforce Literacy program and endowment of faculty chairs.
The ACTC chapter of the American Association of Women in Community Colleges collected used DVDs, audio and video cassettes, CDs and video games to sell at the Spring Fling events. Proceeds will be used for the chapter scholarship.
The ACTC Multicultural Student Organization, in support of Rivers Cities Harvest, participated in the Kentucky Harvest Millions in a Month Food Raiser in March. Nonperishable food items were collected for donation to 19 local agencies.
The ACTC chapters of Phi Theta Kappa and the Kentucky Education Association Student Program have collected more than 300 books since January 1 to help Hurricane Katrina victims. The books are forwarded by Better World Books to the National Center for Family Literacy for distribution to students and faculty impacted by the hurricane. Donations of $.50 per book by Better World Books and a matching donation by an area business will be used by the chapters for educational/service projects.
Hazard Community and Technical College
Kentucky School of Craft woodworking instructor David Wright is featured in a new way to teach woodworking - on DVD. David Wright's picture is on the cover and his subject is included in an interactive, 18-minute segment. Those watching the video can learn about spindle making for Windsor chairs. The DVD, "Woodworking in action," is a quarterly publication, hosted by author, woodworker, and teacher Graham Blackburn. "There's nothing else like it," Wright said. "It's cutting edge. Instead of getting a magazine, you get a DVD so you can see the demonstration of the process, pause it, and rewind it."
Tim Glotzbach has started the August G. Glotzbach and Family Endowed Scholarship at Hazard Community and Technical College as part of the "Fulfilling the Promise" Campaign. Glotzbach and his family created the scholarship in honor of his father for non-traditional students that have evidence of commitment to fine craft and a career in wood/furniture design. Glotzbach is the Dean of The Kentucky School of Craft.
HCTC Associate Professor Judy Lucas has started a student scholarship at Hazard Community & Technical College as part of the college's Fulfilling the Promise" campaign. Ms. Lucas, Academic Resource Center coordinator, works for the Lees College Campus of HCTC in the Breathitt County Life Skills Center.
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College observed recently Domestic Violence Awareness Month on the Whitesburg, Cumberland and Middlesboro campuses. Ginny Norris, librarian at Whitesburg, conducted a professional development seminar that provided faculty, staff and students the opportunity to learn more about the effects of domestic violence. The event included the screening of the Appalshop film "Shelter." The film was directed by Anne Lewis and examines the lives of battered women living in Appalachia.
Jerry W. Haynes, Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) president and CEO, has made a gift of $10,000 to Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College to establish a nursing scholarship in honor of his mother, Virginia G. Haynes, RN.
Staff, faculty and students on the SKCTC Harlan campus have formed the Operation UNITE Coalition, according to chairperson Stephen "Chuck" Sturgill. The mission of the coalition is to educate and galvanize individuals through the development of the alliance and to no longer accept or tolerate the drug culture that is prevalent within the region. They plan to host several projects and activities during the spring semester that will help make students on the Harlan campus and local citizens become educated as to the dangers of using drugs, treatments available and provide support to family and friends who have been affected by drug use and addiction.
Owensboro's "Spring Fling"
OCTC held their annual Spring Fling this week. The event included guided nature walks, a dunking booth, food, and goodies. The attached photo features the nursing students booth.
KCTCS People in the News
Ashland Community and Technical College
Two ACTC employees have been selected to receive the annual New Horizons award. The Faculty Award went to Pamela Bird Duelley, associate professor of developmental education, who teaches developmental classes in reading and writing. She is also Developmental Writing coordinator, a Master Advisor, and chair of the Academic Advising Committee. The Staff Award went to Carol Roe, an agency representative on the Student Affairs team, who works with veterans and students that receive
financial assistance from third party agencies.
Molly Webb was nominated for the National Institute for Staff and Organization Development (NISOD) 2006 Teaching Excellence Award. Webb is coordinator of the Business Administration Program, advisor for Students in Free Enterprise, and active in community organizations.
Big Sandy Community and Technical College
Dr. George D. Edwards, president of Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC), was presented with a Patriotic Employer citation by First Lieutenant Shawn Roop on behalf of the Kentucky National Guard and the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
First Lieutenant Roop, an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at BSCTC, recently returned to teaching duties at the college following a tour of active duty in Iraq.
The following BSCTC faculty members have been promoted to the rank of assistant professor, effective July 1, 2006: Eric Dixon, Jennifer Leedy, John Maynard, Mary Stepp, and Judith Valade.
The following BSCTC faculty members have been promoted to the rank of associate professor, effective July 1, 2006: Randell Haney, Joseph Compton, Tammy Compton w/tenure, Melissa Steele Skeens, Diana Anderson, and Brian Staley.
The following BSCTC faculty members have been promoted to the rank of professor, effective July 1, 2006: Forrest Joe Stewardson, Mark Wells, Susan Chafin, Vanessa McKenzie, Keithen McKenzie, Roger Owens, and
Elizabeth Cole.
Mark Wells was elected Faculty Representative and Denese Atkinson was elected Staff Representative on the BSCTC Board of Directors by their peers at the college. Wells and Atkinson will each serve terms of 3 years which will begin July 1, 2006.
Bowling Green Technical College
Wren Mills, English Instructor at Bowling Green Technical College, is published in the Murray State University Teaching Chronicle. The article, "The Changing Student," describes how students and teaching methods are changing as we integrate more technology into the classroom. She also contributed to Western Kentucky University (WKU) pamphlet done by FaCET; titled "How to Deal with Hurtful Evaluations."
Anatomy and Physiology instructor Craig Gillam gave a presentation at WKU titled "Trans-respiratory Membrane Diffusion of Insulin via Lipid Soluble Nanoparticles". This was part of the requirements for a materials chemistry course he completed last fall.
Cyndia Tarrence tested and became the certified administrator of the Pearson VUE Testing Center that is located at the Bowling Green Technical College KATI Campus. They have administered approximately 10 tests in the field of A+ Certification and Microsoft programs. Pearson VUE Authorized Centers (PVTC) provide on-site, on-demand testing for IT certification and select professional licensure exams.
Rick Wilson, Financial Aid Director at BGTC, attended the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Annual Conference in Greensboro, NC, held February 12-15, 2006. "Financial Aid Unmasked" was the conference theme, and Rick co-presented (with Sandra Neel, SASFAA Secretary and Financial Aid Director at UT-Martin) a concurrent session titled "Web Links That Will Help Unmask Your Daily Headaches." The one-hour session was a geared toward new aid officers and was well attended.
Kevin Kenady, ACCLAIM doctoral student, published a synthesis and concluding commentary in the ACCLAIM Rural Mathematics Education Digests that summarized research related to the rural context of mathematics education.
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Martha Page, a kindergarten teacher at Hodgenville Elementary School and part-time instructor in ECTC's Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education program, was honored as a 2006 WHAS-TV ExCEL Teacher Award recipient. The award was sponsored by WHAS-TV, Louisville, and E.ON U.S., the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership.
Julie Coy and Gail Ledford (WKU) presented at the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs national Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on March 18. Their presentation was on the 2 + 2 Teacher Prep option offered by ECTC and the working relationship of ECTC with WKU. The title of the presentation was "The Kentucky Community and Technical College's Role in Teacher Preparation Programs...The New 2 + 2 Teacher Prep Partnerships."
Rose Garvey has been selected for Empire Who's Who of Women in Education.
Doug Cantrell contributed several entries to the Encyclopedia of Appalachia, which was published in March by the University of Tennessee Press. His entries are pieces on ethnic groups including Polish Immigrants, International Communities in Appalachia, Himlerville, Italians, Syrian Pack Peddlers, Hungarians, Old Immigrants, New Immigrants, and Recent Immigrants, as well as an article on the Harlan County Mine War from 1932 to 1937.
Grant Logsdon will travel to Honduras in June on a mission with his wife and two daughters to work at a girls' camp for about 30 orphaned girls. They will help clean and maintain cabins as well as teach a variety of science and math lessons at the camp.
Hazard Community and Technical College
Twenty faculty members at Hazard Community and Technical College received national honors. They are:
Who's Who Among America's Teachers : Dan Begley, Marcella Brock-Moore, Linda C. Blair, Marilyn Brown, Venita Caldwell, Janie Combs, Cynthia Cory, Donna Delpont, Tim Dunn, Sabine Globig, Ludrenia Hagans-Shepherd, Valina Hurt, Tom Nease, Sandy Phipps, Ron Reed, Sue Riddle, Bob Smoot, Stephanie Vergne.
Who's Who in American Education, December 2005: Sabine Globig, Cynthia Cory.
Who's Who of American Women 2006-2007: Sabine Globig, Cynthia Cory.
Empire Who's Who: Deborah Campbell, Delores Vance.
Donna Sparkman, assistant professor of English, and Randy Moon, associate professor of English, participated in a roundtable discussion on student publications at the Appalachian Studies Association conference in Dayton, Ohio.
Tim Glotzbach, dean of the Division of Heritage and Humanities, The Kentucky School of Craft, gave the following presentations: "Craft Education and the Creative Community- Knott County's Response," at the Kentucky League of Cities Conference, Louisville; "Arts, Education and Economic Development in Knott County," at the
Leadership Rockcastle County- Brushy Fork Institute; "Embracing a New Marketplace: Creative New Economies" at the annual Appalachian Studies Association Conference, Sinclair Community College, Dayton Ohio.
Richard Crowe, economics professor, will participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities workshop on Henry Ford and the Early Years in the Auto Industry in Detroit, Mich., June 2006. He also will talk on rural health issues at the Kentucky River Valley Community Health Care Board in Reno, Nev. in May.
Dean Osborne will head the new Bluegrass and Traditional Music Program at Hazard Community & Technical College (HCTC). Osborne of Leslie County has shared the stage with some of the most well-known names in the Bluegrass world, including the Osborne Brothers, J.D. Crowe and Ralph Stanley. He has also recorded as a guest artist with Richard Bennett and appears on Rebel Records first "Live" video featuring Richard and Wanda Bennett, Randall Barnes and Phil Leadbetter.
Henderson Community College
Marc Baltzell is the new learning specialist with the Title III program at Henderson Community College. He is from the Orlando, Florida area where he spent the last 10 years in elementary and secondary education. His most recent position was as an educational technology facilitator for the Seminole County Public School system. He is experienced both in technology integration and curriculum design.
Melody Burbage was selected as the staff representative to the Henderson Community College Board of Directors. Melody is an assistant in the financial aid office. She has been at the college for 12 years.
Bill Gary, associate professor in English, has been appointed District Advancement Chairman of the Boy Scouts. He works with Eagle Scout candidates, guiding them through the application process and their Eagle Scout Project. Gary has been a volunteer with the scout program for 11 years, serving as an assistant scoutmaster, scoutmaster and district training chairman. He is also an Eagle Scout.
Hopkinsville Community College
Six employees at Hopkinsville Community College were recognized for attaining plateau marks in their years of services at the college. Those recognized were:
Twenty-five Years of Service: Debbie Owens
Twenty Years of Service: Debbie Francis and Ann Holland
Fifteen Years of Service: Pete Catlett
Ten Years of Service: Jason Warren
Five Years of Service: Joe Harris
Madisonville Community College
Dr. Deborah Cox has been named dean of academic affairs at Madisonville Community College (MCC), effective April 1. Cox has served as interim academic dean for the past year. She has served as dean of students, social sciences faculty member, and cooperative education coordinator at the college.
Dr. Scott Vander Ploeg, professor of English, has been selected to be a Governor's Scholar Program faculty member this summer at Bellarmine University in Louisville. Vander Ploeg will teach in the creative writing and literary studies discipline and will also instruct a special topics class entitled, "Water, Water Everywhere...and Especially in Kentucky." The class will focus on water imagery in literature. He also plans to take his class on a field trip to complete water testing.
Maysville Community and Technical College
Dr. Augusta Julian, president of Maysville Community and Technical College, has received the 2006 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College. Dr. Julian was recognized for her support of the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Maysville Community and Technical College, and for her commitment to promote the Society statewide and internationally. She received the award at Phi Theta Kappa's International Convention in Seattle, Washington. Rod Risley, Executive Director of Phi Theta Kappa, and Society Board Chairman Dr. Shirley Gordon, for whom the award is named, made the presentation.
Somerset Community College
Associate professor of economics Chris Phillips attended the annual University of Kentucky Economics Teaching Workshop. This year's speaker was Glenn Hubbard, dean and professor of finance and economics, Graduate School of Business, Columbia University. He is also a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Dr. Hubbard also served as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors from 2001-2003.
Cynthia Snell, a division administrative assistant in Academic Affairs at Somerset Community College, has been on the Dean's List at Lindsey-Wilson College for the past two semesters (Fall 2005 and Spring 2006). She is majoring in Human Services and Counseling. She plans to graduate in December 2006.
Jennifer Geouge, an adjunct history instructor at the Somerset Community College Laurel Campus, will preside at the 41st Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, MI.
Rick Sparks, a member of the Maintenance and Operations staff at Somerset Community College, graduated from the SCC Radiography Program in May.
Roxanne Miller, a student affairs assistant on the Somerset Community College Laurel Campus and an SCC student, won the Bert T. Combs Most Outstanding Member Award at the Kentucky Regional Phi Theta Kappa Convention in Louisville on Saturday, March 11. The Bert T. Combs Award is the highest honor an individual member of Phi Theta Kappa can win on the regional level. The Civic Engagement Chair for the SCC Omicron Zeta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Miller also received the Distinquished Regional Officer Award. Phi Theta Kappa is the academic honor society for two-year colleges.
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
Suzanne Bagony and Anne Carr have received certification in Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT), making them among the first to be pressed into service in the event of a man-made or natural disaster. The CERT team, of which the Bagony and Carr are members, can be activated by the local coordinator. In the event of a local emergency, team members can also be called out by the fire chief. The sisters also passed an online course offered by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) receiving their certification.
Former nursing faculty member Dianne Belcher co-wrote the article, "Perspectives of Nursing Education in Poland," which has been published in the International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship. Ms. Belcher is currently on the faculty of Eastern Kentucky University.
Faculty member Ronnie W. Daniels was honored recently as a Kentucky Colonel for his role in helping promote tourism in Harlan County, specifically related to the opening of the Black Mountain off-road park.
Wanda S. Lewis has been named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers for the 2005/06 academic year. She will be included in the 10th edition of the publication. This is the sixth time she has been honored, and less than two percent of faculty is included in more than one edition.
Long-time administrator and faculty member Dr. Roger Noe was honored recently by Lindsey Wilson College as a School of Professional Counseling Community Advocate for his work to expand higher education opportunities in southeast Kentucky. Professor Noe, who, for a number of years served as the SKCTC dean of academic affairs, returned to the classroom last year. During his tenure as dean, he played a key role in assisting Lindsey Wilson College in establishing a bachelor's and master's degree program in the field of professional counseling. The majority of course work for the degrees is offered at Southeast's Cumberland campus.
Stephen "Chuck" Sturgill graduated from the Lindsey Wilson College School of Professional Counseling, receiving a master's degree in education. He completed 60 hours of advanced course work and supervised clinical experience in CACREP-approved graduate specialization in the area of human development and counseling. He was also awarded membership into the counseling academic and professional honor society, Chi Sigma Iota, in recognition of his scholastic and professional excellence. Sturgill serves as the student services coordinator at the SKCTC Harlan campus.
Sheila Hubbard, business affairs specialist on the SKCTC Cumberland campus, has created a form which also serves as an instruction tool outlining the procedures and allowances of food purchases. She came up with the idea for the form several years ago for use by SKCTC faculty and staff as a guideline for what is allowed and not allowed in regard to charges of food and refreshments. Last fall the form was adopted by KCTCS and is now widely used throughout the system. Hubbard has been at Southeast since 1994.
Professor Elijah Buell Jr. is currently serving as the first chairman of the Southeast faculty, a post he assumed at the beginning of the academic year. At SKCTC since 1980, Buell is the division chairman for social sciences and is program coordinator of the college's business administration program. He also serves as a KCTCS Senate Council representative in addition to being the co-chairman of the system's business administration curriculum committee.
Professor Michael Corriston recently was elected to the board of directors of the Kentucky Festival Events and Association, an organization for those who operate various festivals across the commonwealth. The Kingdom Come Swappin' Meetin', a two-day arts and crafts festival held on the SKCTC Cumberland campus, was a winner of four awards presented by KFEA during its annual state meeting. The awards were for sweatshirt design, first place; brochure, first place; novelty pins, (black bear), first place; and poster design, first place, and created by local artist Rose Cohelia.
Dr. Katherine M. Thomas attended the annual conference of the Association of Caribbean Studies held at St. Kitts West Indies where she presented the paper "To Wake the Dead: Edwidge Danticat's Dew Breaker." The paper will be published this spring in the Journal of Caribbean Studies. She also had a paper published in PALARA entitled "Hippolytus in Haiti: Alejo Carpentier's El reino de este mundo;" a review of Flor Sephir's "The Haitian Americans" in the Journal of Caribbean Studies, and "Multifaceted Medea" published in the Kentucky Philological Review.
Nursing faculty member Carolyn Evans was awarded the MSN degree from Eastern Kentucky University. She began work in the nursing field in 1977 and has worked throughout southeast Kentucky as well as in Knoxville and Lexington, serving in settings such as acute care, public health, education and home health.
The published works of Professor Jamie H. Vaught - who has written four books about the University of Kentucky basketball program - continue to be cited in another book about the Wildcats. "Wildcat Madness: Great Eras in Kentucky Basketball," written by Wilton Sharpe, is the latest book to use Vaught's books as references. Vaught, who has been at Southeast since 1991, teaches accounting and business courses on the Middlesboro campus.
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Mellissa Duncan, St. Louis, has been named the director of the Challenger Learning Center in Paducah at West Kentucky Community and Technical College. She served as Education Coordinator at the Challenger Learning Center in St. Louis for three years. Since opening in 2003, more than 30,000 students have participated in space simulations at the WKCTC Challenger Learning Center.
Paducah businessman Harold T. Alston is the first recipient of West Kentucky Community and Technical College's African American Legacy Award. The award was presented during the "Celebration through Music," at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. Businessman B.A. Hamilton and educator Donna Hawkins, both of Paducah, also received certificates of recognition for their community activities.
For the fourth time in his teaching career, Gerald Watkins, an associate professor of political science, has been named Teacher of the Year at West Kentucky Community & Technical College. Watkins, a McCracken County resident, has taught at the college for 16 years.
Dr. H. Steve Freeman of Benton recently completed his doctorial thesis in Education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Freeman, dean of institutional research and effectiveness at West Kentucky Community & Technical College, wrote his dissertation on the "Impact of Selected Professional Services on Job Satisfaction of New Kentucky Community and Technical College Faculty". Freeman has worked at the college since 1995.
Bill Wade, WKCTC distance learning director and English professor, published an article in The Greentree Gazette, a business magazine for Higher Education. The article, ""Spanish online: Students and teacher share the talk." It also was published in the League for Innovation in the Community College.
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