Summer 2013 Plugged In Newsletter

FA C U LT Y & S TA F F N E W S L E T T E R

KACV Celebrates 2 5 Ye a r s w i t h P B S R i b b o n - Ty i n g S e t f o r New MCC Facility P re s i d e n t i a l S c h o l a r s Enlightened in China General Assembly Shifts to September

S U M M E R 2013 VOLUME V

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

B A D G E R

B R O A D C A S T S

Part of Our TV Lore

By Dr. Paul Matney Amarillo College President

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nother busy summer has passed (with much needed RAIN, thank goodness!), and it’s time to open a new academic year. As we begin the Fall semester, one of AC’s most unique and important partners is celebrating its 25th anniversary—KACV-TV. I remember standing in the television studio on August 29, 1988 with Radio-TV Chairman Joyce Herring, and AC President George Miller, when Regent Bill Quakenbush “flipped the switch,” and, finally, Amarillo and the Panhandle had a public television station all our own.

The image that appeared that evening on Channel 2 television screens all cross the Panhandle culminated 10 years of planning at AC. Over the past 25 years, KACV has distinguished itself as a premier PBS station with quality local productions which have received national acclaim and served national audiences. AC actually owns the station that has earned community and regional support through its outstanding PBS programming and exceptional local productions.

AC’s involvement with television actually dates back to the 1950s when AC professor Jerome McDonough inaugurated a television “major” for students in 1955.

Our current instructional TV studio is named the “Jerome McDonough Television Studio” to honor Mr. McDonough’s pioneering work in educational TV. In the late 1950s, AC began to produce and televise Sunrise Semester. Soon, courses in English, history, literature, and sociology were taught on television by AC faculty. Early morning courses were produced “live” in the old studio in Parcells Hall, which was located at the current site of the College Union Building. A student crew would tape additional classes each afternoon. They were microwaved and recorded at KFDA-TV for broadcast at a later time. All were in black and white.

These TV courses simply involved a professor lecturing from a podium for 30 minutes. No fancy production techniques—just recitation of lecture notes into the

camera. BORING! Even cameramen nodded off during the tapings.

The 1970s led to AC operating a cable station, Cable Channel 2, which programmed more “telecourses” and even specialty programs such as Sports Extra, AC Insight, an aerobic exercise class, Money Matters, and AISD Today.

AC television production students served as directors, technical directors, audio engineers, camera operators, and floor mangers for these program tapings.

But the premier local program was AC Basketball—live from Carter Gymnasium on our campus. Back then, AC had both a men’s and a women’s basketball team—good teams with good coaches, and, yes—cheerleaders and a pep band! Again, students served as production crew members. TV engineers and students would roll cameras and production equipment to the gym on game days and spend much of the day preparing for the live broadcast that evening.

Students would serve as play-by-play announcers and conduct pre-game, time-out, and halftime interviews.

Faculty and students actually thought we were in the bigtime (of course, this was pre-ESPN). After broadcasting first the women’s game, and then the men’s game, we would tear down the equipment and carry it all back to the studio in the Technology Building. By then it was 11 or 11:30 p.m., but it was great fun, and our students learned much from producing live sports broadcasts.

Talk to any former AC radio-TV student during the ‘70s and ‘80s, and they’ll have many memorable stories about working on live AC TV basketball broadcasts. Sadly, our basketball teams were cut from the budget after the 1985 season, and televising live sports faded into AC history.

Congratulations to the staff of KACV-TV—forevermore to be known as “Panhandle PBS,”—on your 25th anniversary of providing quality television programming to improve the lives of our citizens. We’re so pleased you are a vital part of AC.

KACV

Celebrates 25 Years with PBS

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ld standbys on KACV TV, like Charlie Rose, Antiques Road Show and The Joy of Painting, on which landscape guru Bob Ross advocates “happy little trees,” are poised to charm yet another generation.

But there was a time not so long ago when precious few Panhandle folks were privy to the illuminating delights of the Public Broadcasting Service, a non-local version of it, at that.

As recently as the mid-1980s, when cable television was not nearly as widespread as it is today, cableconnected households hereabout were subject to the metropolitan whims of PBS programmers down Dallas way. Our noncable neighbors simply did without; for them, Sesame Street wasn’t even an alley.

That all changed with the flip of a switch on Aug. 29, 1988, when AC’s television station, KACV, was christened a fullfledged, non-commercial affiliate of PBS. Not only was Mr. Rogers happily accessible in all our neighborhoods, but our neighborhood stories were finally being told on local PBS. KACV is taking the opportunity of its 25th anniversary to officially change its name to Panhandle PBS and to commence an extended, multifaceted celebration of its longevity that naturally will include acknowledgement and appreciation of its many supporters.

“Twenty-five years is a big deal,” Linda Pitner, the station’s general manager said. “It’s a milestone worth celebrating, to be sure, but more than that it’s a direct reflection of the amazing support we receive, locally from the College and the community, and from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”

“The generosity and encouragement of those three entities—College, community and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—are what keep us in existence.”

Diverse celebratory plans are in the works: a party Aug. 25 at Wonderland Park; a gala event later this fall; costumed PBS characters like Curious George roaming the Washington Street Campus

These familiar folks surrounding Clifford the Big Red Dog have helped KACV achieve 25 years of memorable affiliation with PBS.

as greeters on the first day of school; free concerts with the Otwell Twins—some in conjunction with a concentrated tour of regional libraries, where videographers will collect remembrances of Panhandle residents to preserve for future generations.

All that and a name change, too.

“Market research tells us that ‘Panhandle PBS’ is really what viewers think of when they think of KACV,” Pitner said. “KACV doesn’t really roll off the tongue, but we are PBS and we do serve the Panhandle, so changing our name just makes sense.

“We’re thrilled to now make it official: Panhandle PBS.”

Much admittedly has changed since the 1988 launch of a PBS affiliate at AC. Back then, the very notion of channel surfing was, well, remote.

Today channel surfing is a national pastime. Yet those who lock onto Panhandle PBS, even though they might

find Sid the Science Kid in place of Bill Nye the Science Guy or The Primal Grill instead of The French Chef, still identify with the comfort zone that is PBS—a bastion of continuity likely to refresh but never to repudiate its mission.

“I believe right now that the quality of our content is the best it’s ever been,” Jackie Smith, director of program operations, said. “Yes we’re different than in 1988, but in a way very little has changed. What we set out to do, and what we still strive to do, is engage, entertain, and empower viewers.

“And honestly, when other channels are showing Duck Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, we are always here to turn to with staples like Nature and Nova.

It’s what we do.”

TV broadcasting was not new to AC in 1988. The College actually began offering instruction on local commercial stations way back in 1955, and AC established its own radio/TV academic department in 1971. Soon thereafter, Badger basketball games and other local fare hit the airwaves.

AC began full-time operation of Cable Channel 2 in 1982, then withstood an (Continued on next page )

(KACV continued) FCC licensure tug-of-war with another non-commercial group that vied to operate on Channel 2.

The dominoes fell quickly after that. The FCC issued AC a permit of authorization in 1986, and in 1987 AC received a $1 million equipment grant from the Department of Commerce. About $550,000 was raised locally that same year, enabling building expansion. PBS affiliation then came swiftly.

Panhandle PBS now serves the 26 counties of the Panhandle and reaches 140,000 households and about 412,000 individuals.

Its birth was 25 years ago this month, in 1988, when Rain Man won the Oscar, and a certain presidential candidate asked that we read his lips, and the cost of a first-class postage stamp skyrocketed to 25 cents, and the street of Sesame was finally paved, from Tulia to Perryton, skirting happy little trees along the way.

Anniversary Events Aug. 21-23 – Library Tours | PBS costumed

characters will visit various area libraries to encourage kids to read. One such visit, not at a library, will be to the Child Development Lab School on AC’s West Campus: 3:15 p.m. and featuring Buddy the Dinosaur.

Aug. 25 – Wonderland Day | The public is invited to enjoy PBS

costumed characters like Daniel Tiger and Sid the Science Kid and all the park’s amusements from 1-6 p.m., with half the gate going to benefit KACV.

Aug. 26 – Welcome Back to Campus | Costumed characters will greet folks from 9-11 a.m. on the Washington Street Mall.

Sept. 24 – Otwell Twins in Pampa | The first of a quartet of free

concerts by the twins who won fame on The Lawrence Welk Show, this one is at 1:30 p.m. in Pampa’s MK Brown Auditorium. Subsequent appearances are Nov. 14 in Tulia; Feb. 21 in Dumas; and sometime in April at Clarendon.

Nov. 2 – Anniversary Party | A BBQ dinner with open bar and live music for dancing provided by Atteberry Station starts at 7 p.m. at the Event Centre, 4600 N. Western. Cost is $120 per couple or $400 per table of eight.

March 17 – Big Idea Challenge | Teams of necessarily clever folks will be pitted against each other to solve puzzles and brain teasers. Teams will begin forming in November, so stay tuned.

KACV and the Community . . .

While segments from all will be posted to the KACV website, some ultimately will be shown on air.

KACV is the catalyst for much more than meets the eyes of its television viewers.

Community engagement efforts—all lofty, some extraordinary—are a continual priority for AC’s workforce at the PBS affiliate.

“We place a high value on education, partnerships and meaningful relationships that help us extend programming beyond the television screen,” General Manager Linda Pitner says.

To those ends, KACV recently threw its weight behind such endeavors, among others, as the American Graduate, a nationwide effort to raise public awareness of high school dropouts; the Texas Graduate Initiative, a Texas PBS effort to help Texans with GED preparedness and completion; and Texas Feeding Minds, in which KACV coordinated a statewide PBS awareness campaign focused on childhood obesity and hunger.

It therefore comes as no surprise that KACV has developed something special to complement its 25th Anniversary

“We have so many residents whose wonderful memories are at risk of being lost,” Cullen Lutz, KACV’s community engagement specialist, said. “We want to capture our history through face-to-face communication with those who hold the keys to our past. celebration: The Panhandle Stories Project.

Funded through a grant from the Payne Foundation, this project launches at Pampa in September and will take KACV videographers once each month to a different regional library, where their aim will be to collect personal stories from willing Panhandle residents.

Everyone who shares a personal story with KACV—it might be about farming and ranching, arts and culture, church life, sports or everyday living—will immediately be given a keepsake DVD of the interview.

Copies also will be housed for posterity at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.

“This is an effort to create a repository of empirical communication to be preserved for future generations.”

One need not be from an outlying area to take part in the Oral History Project.

Lutz says a toolkit will be available at the KACV website to anyone who wants to participate—near or far.

The Panhandle Stories Project is just one of many special events to help KACV celebrate its anniversary. The station also will coordinate concerts by the Otwell Twins of The Lawrence Welk Show fame, a library tour with PBS costumed characters, a celebratory party in November, and special on-air and online programming celebrating the region.

KACV

AND YESTERYEAR . . .

KACV and the Common Reader . . .

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ACV is committed to supporting AC’s Common Reader program, and did so a year ago by producing local programs on the topic of the Dust Bowl, including a oneon-one interview with author Timothy Egan.

As for those festivities associated with last year’s Common Reader, The Worst Hard Time, the dust has settled. So KACV is now pouring its efforts into this year’s selection, Wine to Water.

KACV will offer screenings this year of a 2012 documentary that aired on PBS called Water Pressures. The program details the collaboration between an impoverished, waterscarce desert community in Rajasthan, India, and students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., whose campus rests on one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world.

Top: Texas Gov. Preston Smith tours the station in 1969 with J.C. McDonough.

Above: J.C. McDonough, director, instructs his student crew.

Right: Richard Mixon’s math lessons were beamed to the Panhandle in 1959.

The story demonstrates how understanding, education and collaboration can lead to sustainable solutions, particularly between developing and developed countries.

KACV also is working with Susan Burgoon, assistant professor of biology, to develop multi-disciplinary, collegelevel lessons connecting the Common Reader to the Water Pressures documentary.

Local, state and national water-related resources will be available at kacv.org throughout the year.

Those are just a few of the ways KACV contributes to the academic and social fabric of the College. There are others, as you soon shall see.

Reaffirmation of Accreditation Monumental for AC A

marillo College received monumental news June 20. That’s when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges officially informed AC that it has earned reaffirmation of its accreditation for another 10 years.

The announcement is significant in that SACSCOC granted its reaffirmation with no follow-up, a supremely clean bill of health for the College, and it also serves as a ringing endorsement of AC’s Quality Enhancement Plan, the cornerstone of our reaffirmation efforts.

“I am grateful to our entire Amarillo College team all across our campuses who labored long and tirelessly to ensure a quality reaffirmation experience and positive outcome,” President Paul Matney said. “Few things are more important to us as an institution than accreditation, and my special thanks goes to those who assumed leadership roles in this process.

“This is a significant event in the history of AC—it is a vital mark of quality and success.”

To maintain national accreditation, every SACSCOC-accredited institution must undergo an intensive evaluation every 10 years, concluding with an on-site study that examines all aspects of the institution, including its mandatory QEP. The three-day visit to AC was conducted Sept. 17-20.

“The passion of faculty, staff and students is alive and evident on the campuses of Amarillo College every day,” said Dr. Anthony Wise, president of Pellissippi State Community College, who chaired the SACSCOC team that conducted the on-site visit to AC.

Timber!

This casualty of the tornadic, hail-packing storm of May 28th greeted the Washington Street workforce early the next day. The tree that grew for so long between Lynn Library and Russell Hall actually toppled in early evening on the 28th but did not interrupt a meeting of the Board of Regents that was ongoing in the CUB. Maybe trees have to fall in a forest to make a sound.

General Assembly Shifts to Friday, Sept. 6th Not only will more people be able to attend General Assembly this year, nobody should have to stand due to overcrowding. The all-AC tradition will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6th at the Amarillo Civic Center’s Heritage Room.

The agenda is as follows

Reasons for the change include the following:

8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

10:45 a.m.

Student Success Break-out Sessions

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•

•

•

• •

Allow the week of August 19 – 23 for advising/registering students, preparation for the beginning of fall classes, and departmental meetings Allow more student services and business office employees to attend General Assembly Provide a larger space to accommodate all employees at Fall General Assembly Allow for employee break-out sessions on student success after General Assembly Enjoy an All-College lunch provided by Sprouse Shrader Smith Law Firm Luncheon presentation by AC Presidential Scholars and presentation of AC Employee “Super Hero” Awards

(Civic Center Heritage Room):

9 a.m.

General Assembly

Noon Lunch

• Presentation by AC Presidential Scholars on their trip to China

• Presentation of Super Hero Awards to AC Employees

1:30 p.m.

Adjournment

Judges Dote on MCC Float

Oaths of Office

Melissa Bates, assistant director of academic services at the Moore County Campus, at left, is joined by students who helped AC capture the prize for Most Original Float at the 2013 Doggie Days Parade on June 15th in Dumas.

The float was anchored by a large globe and featured flags from around the world. Large banners proclaimed “Amarillo College Moore County Campus—Melting Pot of the Panhandle.”

This foursome of Regents, elected by city voters on May 11th, was sworn in at the May 28th meeting of the Board of Regents.

They are, from left, Board newcomer Johnny Mize, second-term Regents Dr. Paul Proffer and Mary Jane Nelson, and Dr. David Woodburn, who has served on the Board since 2000.

AC-MCC to Commemorate Technical Training Center Pictured on the cover of Plugged In, the new Center is set to open

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C Moore County Campus will dedicate its sparkling new Career and Technical Training Center during a ceremonial ribbon-tying event at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 23.

The ribbon-tying is symbolic of the joining of Moore County Campus with Dumas-area industry in a concerted effort to both expand educational opportunities and address the community’s burgeoning workforce needs.

Commemoration of the $4.6 million center will take place onsite: 115 Success Blvd., in the Dumas Economic Development Corporation (DEDC) Business Park on the north edge of the city—it’s on the east side of U.S. 287.

The DEDC donated approximately 11 acres to the Moore County Campus for the new facility, which is funded by revenue bonds.

The Career and Technical Center consists of about 30,000 square feet of space and houses classrooms, labs, shops and equipment that support the inclusion of career and technical programs into the expanding mission of AC Moore County Campus.

When the Center opens for classes this fall, students who live in the Dumas area will be availed of quality technical training in their own backyards, while area employers can look forward to a trained and willing workforce in areas such as renewable energy, electronics, industrial maintenance and more—high-demand fields intended to sustain local industry.

“This is an exciting milestone for the Moore County Campus,” Executive Director Renee Vincent said. “Our students will benefit from these expanded educational opportunities, our industry will benefit from an expanded, better-trained workforce, and our community will be the greatest beneficiary of all.”

P R E S I D E N T I A L

S C H O L A R S

Enlightened in China

Presidential Scholars under the tutelage of Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart and Judy Carter, co-coordinator of the Honors Program, marveled in May at the wonders they discovered in China

By Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart Vice President of Academic Affairs

W

e learned a proverb from some newfound Chinese friends this past May when AC’s Presidential Scholars visited China. “It is better to have travelled ten thousand miles than to have read ten thousand books,” the saying goes.

Educators are obviously strong proponents of reading, as am I, but this proverb struck a chord with the students and with me. We read a lot about China – its people, culture, structures, government, history – in preparation for our journey. These books gave us context for our learning experience. However, actually walking the Great Wall, or being in Tiananmen Square, or playing with the children of Sun Village, or sitting in the classrooms of a Beijing school, these experiences brought China into our lives in a profound way that literature, however outstanding, could not.

Presidential Honors Scholar Zozan brought this point home with her observation: “There were many wonderful places that we went but my favorite has to be the Great Wall of China. I remember reading about it in my history class. Reading about it was nothing compared to seeing it for myself. I never knew that it would be so difficult to climb and that the steps are steep and not flat. Even though I didn’t conquer it this time around, maybe I’ll come back.”

Zozan is a voracious reader. This trip brought her readings to life because she actually experienced what she had only read.

Our amazing students gained a deeper understanding of the China dialectic – growing freedoms versus communism, beautiful landscapes versus overwhelming population, the completely modern city of Shanghai versus the more traditional and “authentic” Xi’an. With over 1.3 billion people, China is a country on the verge of tremendous growth and power across the globe. Yet, this influential economy has not changed the impoverished lives of many of its people. Our students truly experienced these dialectics and engaged in insightful philosophical debates about their implications for the Chinese people and the United States.

The dialectics, these contradictions, could have created a cultural barrier between our students and the country we experienced. Instead, our students grasped important life lessons, as noted by Angel, who said, “I’ve been able to be more accepting and understanding towards people that are different than me.”

Underlying all of our experiences was a deep connection with the people we met. We learned that despite the politics, economics, geography, and history, people are more alike than different. We fell in love with the idealism and wisdom of our central guide, Juan, who knew more about our country than we did his.

We laughed with Mr. An, who shared stories about the famed Terracotta Warriors (and insights to Chinese dating practices).

We cried as we left the children of Sun Village, who were without parents but not without love. We marveled at the complete dedication of the Beijing students who study 12 hours a day. The people our students were most surprised to meet, however, weren’t just new Chinese friends; they also marveled at the new people they, themselves, became.

As Micah said, “I realized that it only takes compassion, commitment and determination from one individual to make a change. Going to China pushed my personal boundaries, helped me take the first step towards breaking off fears and trying new things. It opened my eyes to how rewarding international travel can be. I cannot wait to explore more countries.”

We studied. We served. We toured. We observed. We learned.

As Amanda pointedly said as we sat in the Shanghai airport awaiting our trip back home: “First we travel to lose ourselves, then we travel to find ourselves.”

Our students were tremendous representatives of AC. Their learning honored the outstanding work our College has done to teach and support them. The impact of this trip on their lives will change all of ours.

FACULTY & STAFF

Accolades Nursing Advisor Lauded for Caring Heart

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ny award is worthy of note, but some have an extra-special quality, like the Caring Heart Award, which instead of being doled out annually is conferred only when someone is deemed meritoriously deserving.

Susan McClure, advisor for the nursing programs, received such a distinction May 9th at the ADN pinning ceremony when she became only the fifth recipient in the past 10 years of the prestigious Caring Heart Award.

Susan McClure

The award is reserved for those who “demonstrate the caring qualities that are associated with nursing in unique or special ways.”

Among the many comments submitted during the nomination process were these: “She has a real gift of talking to students in a way that lets them know they are important and heard,” and “… she serves as a fairy godmother of sorts by helping students realize their dreams.”

Dr. Claudie Biggers, associate professor of biological sciences, in June was named program coordinator for the Biology Program. In selecting Dr. Biggers for the post, Vice President Russell Lowery-Hart noted: “She brings a strong track record for putting students first, a vision for course redesign, and a long history of service to the institution and her colleagues.”

Debby Hall, assistant professor of associate degree nursing, and Khristi McKelvy, instructor of ADN, have been asked to present a poster and then to speak at the National League of Nursing (NLN) Health Information Technology Scholars (HITS) conference this Oct. 13th in Pittsburgh, Pa. Their poster project is titled “Telehealth and Video Conferencing.” Their double-inclusion at this conference is a mark of their pioneering excellence when it comes to the use of technology in nursing education.

Lee Colaw, chief information officer, and Patsy Lemaster, associate vice president of teaching and learning, represented AC at a Blackboard conference in July at Las Vegas, where they presented “Showing our Cards: Migration to Blackboard Learn.”

Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, vice president of Academic Affairs, is one of four communication professionals chosen to comprise the inaugural membership of the Communication Hall of Fame in the Department of Communication at West Texas A&M University. The foursome will be honored at a special event Sept. 20 at WTAMU. Lowery-Hart, who joined the AC administration in 2010, previously served as associate provost for academic affairs at WTAMU and, prior to that, as director of forensics, guiding his team to a pair of individual national titles and a third-place national ranking.

Bellah Gives Mead Money to Finishers

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r. Mike Bellah, recipient in May of AC’s prestigious John F. Mead Faculty Excellence Award, swiftly concluded that the Finishers would receive the $1,000 windfall that accompanies the recognition.

Bellah, professor of English, immediately made his contribution to the organization he inspired in 2011—the Finishers—through which students unite and mutually strive to overcome obstacles to college completion. His donation bolsters the Finishers’ operational fund.

Bellah was largely nominated for the award, which is named after AC’s second president, by various members of the student body, many of whom belong to the Finishers. Accepting the award and donating the money, he said, was to “honor their belief in me.”

One of the many nominations of Bellah put it this way: “Dr. Bellah goes beyond the call of duty to help students, not just his. He takes the time to get to know everyone he can, and he wants to make sure that all of the students at AC finish school.”

The Finishers emerged, Bellah says, from informal talks he had early this decade with students and other faculty, discussions about retention issues and how students’ dreams sometimes die.

“We talked about starting a support group, but that was about as far as we got,” Bellah said. “Then a spring semester rolled around and I started getting requests to join my group. My first thought was ‘what group?’”

It’s an association that has grown from about a dozen students at first to as many as 70 at times. They meet regularly at a local restaurant and occasionally plan outdoor adventures, such as hiking up the tallest mountain peak in New Mexico. The main thing, though, is they provide support for each other while being steered to resources for dealing with life issues at least as adverse as poverty and homelessness.

If you didn’t know it, in addition to his career in education—he came to AC in 1999—Bellah has long been recognized as a newspaper columnist and magazine contributor. He also is the author of three books, including Baby Boom Believers, which in 1989 was a finalist for a Christian Booksellers Association Gold Medallion Award.

CONGRATULATING

BEVERLY An enchanting reception hosted

by Faculty Senate in honor of 2013 Professor Emeritus Beverly de la Bretonne proved popular May 8th in the CUB. Dr. Paul Matney presented the guest of honor with her official Emeritus recognition, and dozens of family, friends and colleagues provided plenty of applause and support.

Beverly, who worked full time at AC for 25 years, was instrumental in helping establish the Suzuki Program and today is in her 34th year playing violin with the Amarillo Symphony.

She continues to direct the Suzuki Program, too.

Just Desserts Dr. Jim Rauscher was recognized for 25 years as chairman of the Music Department during a ribbon-cutting and open-house celebration Aug. 15th at the newly renovated Music Building. This cake didn’t last long as a large crowd turned out congratulate Jim on his return to full-time teaching and to take tours of the beautified building.

AC Plays Leading Role at Mission of Mercy

Can Do

With two members of the Board of Regents leading the way, some generous folks from AC helped put smiles on hundreds of faces at the Texas Mission of Mercy.

In the photograph, Maggie Baucum, left, and Clarissa Cepeda, were among more than two dozen Amarillo College dental hygiene students who volunteered their skills June 2829 at the free dental clinic, which provided more than 800 area citizens with free dental care at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Under the watchful eyes of 10 faculty members, including Donna Cleere, director of the Dental Hygiene Program, and Dana Scott, director of the Dental Assisting Program, AC students helped pre-screen about 200 of the patients in the days leading up to the main event.

And that main event was masterminded largely by longtime Regent Dr. David Woodburn, who served as lead dentist and a primary local organizer of the event, and Chairman Don Nicholson, who recruited and mobilized the many dozens of volunteers who helped make the two-day event possible.

Filling paint cans with goodies kept members of the Administrators Association busy on the afternoon of May 16th in the basement of the CUB. Led by Melissa Wilson, association president at the time, the administrators filled 100 buckets that ultimately were given to fifthgrade graduates during San Jacinto Elementary School’s May commencement.

A Driving Force: Simulation Education A

C is in the market for a high-dollar truck-driving simulator, maybe two, and so the turnout was pretty good June 18th when a sales representative from Simulator Systems International demonstrated a high-tech model at the East Campus.

Equipped with three large LCD display monitors, the simulator not only replicates the feel of driving a truck, but multi-view instant replay allows instructors to review the driver’s performance Thanks to recent federal grant awards, AC is looking at acquiring a simulator for the Truck Driving Academy on the East Campus, and another for the new campus that’s fast on the rise in Hereford.

SUMMER RECIPE

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler Recipe contributed by Lee Proctor, director of engineering at KACV TV Ingredients

1 Dutch Oven (10”)

1 Spice Cake Mix

2 Cans Peach Pie Filling

Ground Cinnamon

Charcoal (20 pieces)

1 Stick of Butter

Directions I like using a metal “oil change” pan as a “fire pit” when I cook in my Dutch oven.

I place the “fire pit” on two bricks to just to keep it off the ground. Make sure the “fire pit” is level. Place about 20 pieces of charcoal in a charcoal chimney, set the chimney in the center of the “fire pit.” Light the charcoal; it will be ready when it turns gray.

Next poor the pie filling into the Dutch oven, poor spice cake mix on top (do not stir), cut one stick of butter into small pieces and place on top of the cake mix, and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Lee Proctor demonstrates how you can stack Dutch ovens and make two batches of cobbler at once.

When the charcoal is ready poor it into the “fire pit” and arrange 8 pieces of charcoal in the center of the “fire pit” evenly spaced to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Place the Dutch oven directly over the coals. Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Evenly space 12 pieces of charcoal on top of the lid. Cook for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

The cobbler is bubbling hot in about 30 minutes.