Governor Haley Supports SC Technical Colleges

I had the pleasure of meeting with Governor Haley yesterday along with the other SC Technical College Presidents, SC Technical College System President Dr. Darrel Staat, and SC Commission on Higher Education Chairman Ken Wingate. I was encouraged by her understanding of what we do, her support of the technical college system, and the changes that are needed to improve the educational opportunities for the citizens of South Carolina. Click on the following link to view a video of the press conference that was held after the meeting: http://scbusinessblog.com/?p=263

Students Speak

Yesterday, I dropped by Heather Eddy's BIO 210 class. After I introduced myself, many of the students began bragging about their experiences at York Tech. Please take a moment to watch the video I recorded.

The comments by these students are yet another testament to the great work we do to support students!

Staff Recognition

Charlene Goodson said it best, “people are so quick to complain when they have a problem, but most don’t take the time to write a praise about someone.” That statement seems all too true. We tend to hear from students when they are unhappy with a person or process, but rarely do they take the time to commend someone. However, Charlene Goodson has done just that. The following letter written by Ms. Goodson praises Yolanda Atkinson Feaster, WIA Case Manager, for her excellent service and words of encouragement. What I found most profound in her letter was the following:

“She made it clear she was happy to help me because my success in my courses was what mattered most. I could tell these weren’t empty words, but that she really cared about my success as a student, which has meant so much to me.”

Thank you, Yolanda, for your outstanding work with our students!

I realize that good things happen all the time that no one may ever know about. I want to say thank you for each and every effort you make to be better than we have to be!

The Hive

On January 10, 2011, York Technical College, along with Winthrop University and Revenflo, will open The Hive. Located in Old Town Rock Hill on the third floor of the Citizen’s Building, this pilot project is a workforce development/small business incubation program with an industry focus on internet marketing, communication, and technology. The Hive will serve clients by helping to boost their success while using the work as curriculum to train students. Approximately thirty-five students will participate in the first semester from both Winthrop University and York Technical College. The Hive also supports economic development by bringing more energy and people to Old Town and training students for the new knowledge-based services economy. In addition to Winthrop University and Revenflo, major partners include Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation, City of Rock Hill, and Comporium Communications. Edie Dille, Associate Dean for Business and Information Technology, and Jason Broadwater, President of Revenflo, will lead this initiative. We anticipate great success with this project and look forward to the challenges and rewards that will come with it. This is a prime example of how York Technical College continues to utilize innovative thinking to stay ahead of the curve in a world where student and community needs constantly evolve. I encourage you to learn more by visiting The Hive website.

*York Technical College student, Bill Wagner, developed the above design.

Excellence in Teaching

On November 4, I had the pleasure of attending the Governor’s Professor of the Year Award luncheon in Columbia with Jyron Baxter, Department Chair for Information Technology, and his wife, Aramis. As the 2010 recipient of the York Technical College President’s Award for Instructional Excellence, Jyron and thirty-six faculty from other SC institutions were nominated for the Governor’s Professor of the Year award. Congratulations to Jyron who was recognized and presented an award by Mr. Craig Garner, President, SC Higher Education Foundation, and Ms. Betty Davidson, Office of the Governor (pictured above). Last year, Dr. Janie Sigmon was recognized as our nominee for the Governor’s Professor of the Year award. She was presented an award by Ken Wingate, Chairman, SC Commission on Higher Education (pictured below).

I am grateful to all of our faculty for their hard work and dedication to helping our students reach their goals! Thank you!

Campus Master Plan

In fall 2007, we held “listening sessions” where you shared your perspective on things that were most important for the future of the College. The input received formed the College’s six strategic themes: Student Success, Programming, Partnerships, Branding, Organizational Development, and Campus Environment. Based on your input, we embarked on a Campus Master Plan process that would address future building locations, parking, traffic flow, landscaping, etc. Watson Tate Savory was selected as the firm to complete our College’s Campus Master Plan. Throughout 2009, employees, the Commission, and the Foundation were all invited to participate in visioning and design meetings. Thanks to your input, we have a comprehensive Campus Master Plan that supports our efforts to provide an engaging and inspiring place to learn and work. Copies of the Campus Master Plan will be available in the division offices and the library.

Mission Statement

Earlier this year, I solicited your help in reviewing our current mission statement. Our goal was to update and condense our mission statement and to develop a one or two-sentence statement that best captures the essence of our mission. Based on your feedback, we have updated our mission statement and developed a one sentence statement that is both concise and compelling while best summarizing what we do: “Building Our Community Through Maximizing Student Success.” The new mission statement was approved by our governing board in April and was then submitted to the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) for approval. We received an approval letter from CHE last week. Thank you for your input!