Black River Technical College Pocahontas ▪ Paragould October 28, 2013 The Volume 11, Issue 14 River’s Edge Inside this issue: Holocaust Survivor Presentations to be Dietetics Club to Host “Fight 2 for the Cure “Fundraiser Held October 29-30 at BRTC Black River Technical Birkenau, but also his time at Mauthausen Concentration ASU Choral Music Director 2 College in collaboration with Camp where they were forced to carve tunnels into the Visits BRTC Choral Dept. the United States Holocaust sides of mountains and where Marty’s father died from Memorial Museum exhaustion and starvation. As the Allies advanced into Loan (continued) 2 (USHMM) will host Holo- Germany in the spring of 1945, Marty and other inmates caust survivor Martin Weiss went on a forced march to Gunskirchen, another sub-camp of Mauthausen, from where he was liberated by the United Randolph Home Scholarship for three presentations Octo- 2 Awarded ber 29-30. Weiss will be States Army on May 5th, 1945. speaking at 9:30 a.m. both After liberation, Marty eventually immigrated to the Tuesday and Wednesday MSSPS Awarded to 16 3 United States where he served in the Army during the mornings, and 7:00 p.m. Korean War. Marty has been a volunteer at USHMM Martin Weiss Tuesday evening. All presen- since 1998. Holocaust (continued) 4 tations will be held in the Randolph County Development Center auditorium on the “This will be the ninth Holocaust survivor to speak at BRTC as part of the Remembering the Holocaust - Survi- Campus Commentary… BRTC-Pocahontas campus. 4 vor Series, which began in April 2006 when we partnered Dr. Jan Ziegler According to the USHMM website, Martin (Marty) with USHMM,” noted Dina Hufstedler, Director of Com- Weiss was born January 28, 1929, in Polana, Czecho- munity Development and event coordinator. “The series slavakia, to Jacob and Golda Weiss. In May 1944, at the started with one presentation, but quickly grew to three to Important Dates age of 15, Marty and his family, including eight siblings, accommodate all of the area school groups that want to were deported from Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau. attend. We currently have over 1800 students from around His presentation will include the tragic story of what the area scheduled to attend next week’s presentations.” October 28 happened to him and his family at the hands of the Nazis. Dietetics Club “Fight for His experiences included not only the time at Auschwitz- (Continued on pg. 4) the Cure” Fundraiser October 29-10 Holocaust Survivor Series BRTC Loan for Science Complex Approved November 1 Officials at Black River Technical College received Flu Vaccines, 8:30-4:00, approval last week of a low-interest $9.5 million loan RCDC from the USDA’s Office of Rural Development to fund November 6-7 construction of a major new Health Science Complex on PTK Blood Drive the Pocahontas campus. The new facility will house the November 12 college’s Nursing, Phlebotomy, and Science programs, offering additional space for expansion of these high- PN Meet & Greet demand areas of study, according to BRTC President Dr. November 13 Wayne Hatcher. Business Etiquette Luncheon Several BRTC representatives were on hand to for- malize the project with the signing of loan documents. November 15 BRTC Board of Trustees Doug Cox and Dr. Paul Baltz LETA Graduation BRTC began the formal process of applying for the (seated, from left) sign loan documents presented by Justin Ladd loan from the USDA Rural Development Community November 21 with USDA. Other BRTC representatives present for the Facilities Direct Loan Program earlier this year, follow- signing were (back row, left to right): Angie Caldwell, VP for BRTC’s Got Talent ing approval from the BRTC Board of Trustees. A new Technical Education; Dr. Roger Johnson, VP for General November 26 Health/Science complex to allow for program expansion Education; Carolyn Collins, Interim VP for Student Affairs; Country Feast Brenda Gillogly, VP for Administration; and Dr. Wayne (Continued on pg. 2) Hatcher, BRTC President. Pa ge 2 River’s Edge Dietetics Club to Host “Fight ASU Choral Music Director for the Cure” Fundraiser Visits BRTC Choral Dept. The Dietetics Club at BRTC will be hosting Dr. Dale Miller, a drop-in event to raise money for the Ameri- Director of Choral can Cancer Society. “Fight for the Cure” will Music at Arkansas be held today, October 28, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. State University in in the Randolph County Development Center Jonesboro, was a re- Banquet Room. cent guest of BRTC’s “Each semester, students in the Dietetics Choral Department, Club participate in a ‘Give Back Project’ – according to BRTC Choral Director some type of community service project of Jerrica Gray showing items donated Dr. Dale Miller of ASU (center) visits with members of Joniece Trammel. their choice,” explained Kathy Murdock, Die- for Dietetics fundraiser. BRTC’s Choral Music Department. tetics instructor. “Last semester, the students “Dr. Miller came to held a fundraiser for the Mary Sallee Single Parent Scholarship (MSSPS) fund, BRTC to show support for the BRTC Choral Department and to recruit stu- which they plan to do again in the spring.” dents for the ASU choral program,” Trammel explained. “His visit included According to Murdock, the “Fight for the Cure” event was the idea of Dietetics directing the BRTC choir rehearsal while encouraging the students in their student and club member Jerrica Gray with full support of the entire Club. All pursuit of a degree in music.” proceeds from the event will go the American Cancer Society in support of the "Collaboration between a four-year college and a two-year college is very fight against all types of cancer. important to students that are planning on continuing their education,” said Refreshments will be provided and tickets will be sold for $1 each for a chance Trammel. “It not only encourages students to continue their education, but to win a large assortment of prizes generously donated by area businesses and also connects them with an instructor in their field of interest." individuals. Tina Roberts and Jamie Mulligan, both breast cancer survivors from Dr. Miller invited any interested choir students to sing with his choir in Pocahontas, will be speaking beginning at 4:30. Spain in March of 2014. Loan Cont’d from Pg. 1 Randolph Home had been identified as the institution’s top building “We are very excited about this project,” Cald- Scholarship Awarded priority more than two years ago, and the Board well said. “Currently, for every available nursing and Administration had considered various funding slots, we have an average of three qualified appli- Jordan Whitted has options before learning of the USDA option. cants seeking admission.” been named recipient of the Randolph Home The Financial Feasibility study indicates the Because Nursing is a science-intensive program Healthcare Scholarship remainder of the cost of construction and furnish- of study, the need is apparent also in the demand at Black River Tech- ings will be funded by BRTC. The project is ex- for science classes, notes VP for General Education nical College. She is pected to commence this fall, with a projected Dr. Roger Johnson. “Not only will this facility help the daughter of Virgin- completion date of July 31, 2015. us to serve the number of students who need sci- ence classes either as prerequisites for Health Sci- ia and Kris Roberts of To be located northeast of the existing science ence programs or for Gen Ed requirements,” he Maynard and a gradu- building, the new 44,000 sq. ft. facility will almost explained, “but it also means all our science stu- ate of Maynard High double the current capacity of the science labs. It dents will greatly benefit from modern new class- School. She studying will allow for an additional ten students annually in rooms and equipment.” to become a nurse with Jordan Whitted the RN program, an additional eight students in PN a desire to work as a Labor and Delivery Nurse. (Nursing I, II, and II) classes, or 24 additional Possibilities for renovation and re-use of the The Randolph Home Healthcare Scholarship is students annually, and an additional eight students current science building are under review, and $1000 per semester and it is awarded to a student in the Nursing Assistant class, representing a poten- include new programs of study in other areas of who is pursuing a healthcare related certificate or tial annual increase of forty CNA students. The Allied Health, in Agricultural Science, or in Pre- degree. The scholarship is awarded for both the Fall RN and PN class expansions are contingent upon Engineering or other STEM (Science, Technology, and the Spring semesters, provided that the recipient approval from the Arkansas State Board of Nurs- Engineering, Math) programs, according to Presi- maintains a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5. The ing, and the CNA program expansion must be dent Hatcher. application process includes submission of the schol- approved by the state’s Office of Long Term Care, “We appreciate the assistance from the USDA’s arship application, a transcript, and a 100-200 word according to BRTC’s VP for Technical Education Rural Development staff, the support of our Board, self-descriptive essay. Angela Caldwell. The ASBN expressed its en- and especially the immense effort from our own dorsement of BRTC’s planned expansion in a letter staff,” he added. “This much-needed project repre- For more information about scholarships availa- of support, citing a critical need for trained health sents a major step forward for our students, college ble at BRTC, contact the Office of Financial Aid at care workers in the state and nation.