Renovated Ruby Hicks Building Re-Opens Three Faculty/Staff
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A Publication from the Office of the President January 2019 In this Issue ... Renovated Ruby Hicks Building Re-opens We kicked off the spring semester with faculty, staff, and students celebrating the re-opening of the refurbished Ruby Hicks Building. The building now houses the Assessment Center, Advising, Cashier, Student Success Coaches, Curriculum and Academic Support, Administration, and conference/training spaces, as well as TC Central and its home offices Admissions/Recruiting/ Orientation, Registrar/Student Data Center, and Financial Aid. Catching Up with Alumni .......... 4 Students relax on the main floor of the renovated Ruby Hicks building. See more photos inside on page 6. A. Wade Martin Awards to Be Named at SCTEA ....................... 5 Three Faculty/Staff Members Honored as Tri-County’s Educators of the Year Three faculty/staff members have been honored as Tri-County Technical College’s Educators of the Year and will be recognized at the South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) County Councils Tour annual conference in February. Ruby Hicks ................................. 6 Jenni Creamer, dean Jenni Creamer Mia Tensley Scott Jaeschke of College Transitions, is the College’s outstanding administrator; Mia Tensley, reading instructor for the Comprehensive Studies Department, is the outstanding instructor; and, Scott Jaeschke, coordinator of community standards, is the outstanding staff nominee. SCTEA is a professional association of technical education personnel and others interested in post-secondary technical education. The group will be recognized at an awards luncheon at the SCTEA conference February 14–16 in Myrtle Beach. The conference theme is Collaboration: The Key to Success. Foundation Receives Generous Donations ................. 7 TRANSFORMING LIVES PassionateAND BUILDING STRONG people COMMUNITIES ONE STUDENT AT A TIME. is published ten times each year by the OfficeConnection of the President and the Public Connecting Relations Department. Looking Ahead: A New Mailing Address (All Campuses) Ten-Year Vison P. O. Box 587, Pendleton, SC 29670 n 2010, we published the College’s first Ten-Year Vision Dr. Ronnie L. Booth Pendleton Campus President titled “2010–2020: Transforming Lives, Shaping the 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton, SC Community.” Anderson Campus Nine years later we are setting the stage for 2020–30. Between now and the end of 511 Michelin Blvd., Anderson, SC June, we will lay the groundwork for the College’s next Ten-Year Vision and Strategic Plan. IOur College Commission is charged by law to ensure the College fulfills its mission Easley Campus and to set the parameters within which the College operates. Our Commission has 1774 Powdersville Rd., Easley, SC determined that our current direction is appropriate, effective, and should continue. Oconee Campus Notably, this does not mean our new plan will be just a continuation of past practices; 552 Education Way, Westminster, SC rather, it will reflect our new and ever-changing environment, taking into consideration new data, including demographic trends, economic development needs, emerging Main Number technologies, funding, and program delivery. (864) 646-TCTC (8282) The College Commission, Executive Staff, and President’s Advisory Council will Toll-free begin work in earnest in February. A number of steps have been identified, including 1-866-269-5677 an analysis of our current environment, both internally and externally, as well as our strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. All of this information will be used TDD/Voice to develop a practical vision and strategic directions for where we see ourselves in five 1-800-735-2905 years. Website After completing these steps, we will be able to identify the overall strategic directions www.tctc.edu that will guide us through the next decade, as well as the strategic activities we want to undertake during the first year of the new planning cycle—FY20. Your new President will be named during this process and have the opportunity to provide input. Our new Ten- Year Vision for 2020-30, a five-year Strategic Plan, and Strategic Initiatives for FY20 will be published by summer. We know this process works because we developed it—and it has stood the test of Tri-County Technical College time. When I look back over our annual plans from the last decade, I am able to quickly is accredited by the Southern see what were able to accomplish, how those accomplishments relate to our strategic Association of Colleges and Schools objectives and, ultimately, how they impacted student success. A few examples of our many achievements over the last decade: We opened the Commission on Colleges to award Easley Campus, Industrial Technology Center, Oconee Campus, and Student Success the associate degree. Contact the Center; developed a Cyber security plan; launched Technical Career Pathways; instituted Commission on Colleges at 1866 a student loan default management plan; created the I-BEST Pathways program; created Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia TC Central; developed a Student Engagement Strategy; implemented High Impact 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 Practices; developed a Master Facilities Plan; defined the Transformative Student for questions about the accreditation Experience and the Transformative Employee Experience; and implemented Banner 9. of Tri-County Technical College. This volume of work is tremendous, and the results of that work are nothing short of remarkable. As I have said many times to many people, the proof of our success is in the Tri-County Technical College does numbers, and the credit for our many accomplishments goes to each and every one of not discriminate in admission you—our faculty and staff. We rank at the very top in graduation, transfer, and student or employment on the basis of success rates among all sixteen colleges in the S.C. Technical College System. race, color, religion, sex, qualifying More importantly, for many students the TCTC experience is far more powerful disability, veteran’s status, or than gaining the skills and knowledge they need to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year college or university. We literally transform their national origin. (continued on page 10) 2 • CONNECTION TLIGHT O P S on NSLS Scholarship Recipient Spotlight As a two-year breast cancer survivor, Lynn Bonner has learned winners of the Little Leaders how to appreciate every moment in life. Award, which carries a “Having cancer really puts things in perspective,” said Lynn, $1,200 stipend. an associate degree Nursing major who was diagnosed with Lynn’s two daughters breast cancer at age 33. She is a BRCA gene carrier with no have long wanted to take family history of cancer. “Initially when I received my diagnosis, I gymnastics classes, but it was stunned. But quickly I opted for the double mastectomy, and was too costly. She enrolled it was the best decision I ever made.” them in classes which In fact, she has come to view it as a blessing, she said. “I began this month. “They are don’t get so overburdened now. I used to stress myself out about so excited. They deserve everything,” said the single mother of three children, ages, 11, 6, it. They have sacrificed so Lynn Bonner and 4. Through her illness, she says she also gained a new family much,” she said. “This is an consisting of friends and co-workers who stood by her during amazing gift to give them. They have been my cheerleaders for her year-long battle. A 2013 graduate of Tri-County’s Medical this whole season of my life. I am now ready to be theirs.” Assisting program, Lynn worked as a Certified Medical Assistant for five years until she enrolled again at the College last year. Upon returning to college at age 35, she was asked to join the Fall Semester President’s National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), a national student organization designed to identify and develop students’ List Recipients Honored leadership skills with real-world applications. NSLS is the nation’s largest leadership honor society, where top students nominated by their colleges come together to identify and achieve their goals. Tri-County’s chapter focuses on the personal goals of members and how they can achieve them. Last semester students who achieved GPAs of 2.75 or better and had completed at least 12 credit hours of full- and part-time college work were eligible to apply for membership. Lynn was among the 18 who completed all of the steps in fall 2018 to be fully inducted into the organization. She applied for one of the organization’s scholarships—the Little Leaders Award. On its website, the National Society of Leadership and Success recognizes that “we all have a ‘Little Leader’ in our lives, be it your child, cousin, sibling, or even a family friend, who could benefit from a program which fosters and supports their interests (e.g., academic tutoring, sports classes, foreign language classes, etc.). The Society Little Leaders Award pays for these programs that will help our Little Leaders grow to be well-rounded individuals who make a better world.” In her application letter, Lynn told her story about being diagnosed with cancer and later undergoing chemotherapy “Congratulations on your good work. We’re really proud of you,” treatment followed by six surgeries in one year. Throughout Dr. Booth, front, center, told the President’s List recipients (who the cancer battle, she admired her children’s resilience and earned all A’s for Fall Semester 2018) at a reception January 28. To be eligible for the President’s List, a student must be classified as endurance. a degree, diploma, or certificate-seeking student; earn at least 12 “My 11-year-old daughter is amazing. My kids are my leaders. credit hours in courses numbered 100 or above; attain a GPR of 4.00; They are my rock and were instrumental in my recovery.” cannot earn an “F,” “WF,” or “U” grade for courses numbered 100 or She learned late last year she was one of five nationwide below, or MAT 150 or ENG 150.