Joint Commission and Legislative Delegation Meeting

On Tuesday evening, the College’s Commission and Legislative Delegation met at the Baxter M. Hood Center. The meeting with our legislators is held annually where we share the highlights of the past year and plans for the future. I provided an overview of our current projects which included the new Chester Center, new Heavy Equipment Operator program facility in Chester, partnership with the City of Rock Hill and our Building and Construction Trades Program to build certified energy efficient homes on Flint St., articulation efforts with Winthrop University, and our current work with the Rock Hill Schools, just to name a few. I presented the College's current budget situation and what that means to the future of the institution.

Guest speakers included Charlie Miller, CEO of Piedmont Medical Center, and Jim Morris, Site Vice President for the Catawba Nuclear Station. They spoke about the importance of preparing their workforce and the needs that they will likely see in the future. Having these two significant companies share the importance of York Technical College's role in meeting their workforce needs made quite an impression.

We also had the pleasure of hearing Beth Morgan, a senior nursing student, speak about her experience at the College and the impact Lottery Tuition Assistance has had on her life.

In addition, an overview of the 2009-2010 SC Technical College System Legislative Priorities was provided which include:

• Lottery Tuition Assistance
• Allied Healthcare Initiative
• Enterprise Campus Legislation
• Accelerated Job Readiness
• readySC
• Lottery Technology Funding

On January 13, a joint meeting with the College Commission and Chester County Council will be held at the new Chester Center. In February, our Commission will meet with the York County Council.

Faculty Recognitions

Dr. Janie Sigmon, Biology Instructor, was recently accepted as a member of the second cohort of BEN (BiosciEdNet) Scholars. The process of becoming a BEN scholar is competitive and only twenty scholars are selected each year. The goal of the BEN Scholars Program is to promote the use of digital library resources and student-centered teaching and learning methods in higher education, specifically in biological sciences lecture and laboratory courses, and in research training programs. As a BEN scholar, Dr. Sigmon will participate in two years of professional development activities, including developing submissions for digital libraries and completing outreach activities. For more information about the BEN Scholars program, please see the story published on the AAAS website at: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/0730ben.shtml

Dr. Cree Stout, Department Manager for ECT/EET, successfully completed ABET’s (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) Institute for the Development of Excellence in Assessment Leadership (IDEAL). During her time at the Institute, Dr. Stout developed skills in the principles of program assessment, change management, and facilitation. As an IDEAL Scholar, Dr. Stout will continue to interact this academic year with other scholars through sharing and discussing best practices via SharePoint portal software. More information about the ABET IDEAL program can be accessed at: http://www.abet.org/ideal.shtml

Congratulations, Dr. Sigmon and Dr. Stout!

If you are aware of other faculty and staff that have received similar achievements, please email jnesbitt@yorktech.com. I want to make sure others are recognized as well.

Recognition for Excellence in Teaching

Congratulations to Dr. Martha Macdonald, English Instructor, on being selected as one of four finalists for the South Carolina Governor’s Professor of the Year Award in the two-year college category. As the recipient of the York Technical College President’s Award for Instructional Excellence, Dr. Macdonald and thirty-five faculty from other SC institutions were nominated for the Governor’s Professor of the Year Award. Dr. Macdonald was recognized at a luncheon last week at the University of South Carolina in Columbia for her excellence in teaching. Congratulations, Martha!