Connection Newsletter July 2019

A Publication from the Office of the President

In this Issue ...

Largest Cohort Accepted into Bridge to Clemson This Fall....... 4

Commissioner Hudson Retires......................................... 5

AT&T Continues Support for I-BEST Programs........................ 9

CCE, E&IT, and CIT Host Summer Camps....................... 12

June-July 2019

I Am Proud and Privileged to Be Your President Greetings, colleagues.

I want to start my first column as President by saying a huge thank you to all of you. I am grateful for the many words of encouragement and support I received during my first month, and I have been truly touched by the messages of congratulations and good luck from so many of you.

I feel fortunate to enter this new role with a great deal of experience at Tri-County and the benefit of knowing many of you so well. I look forward to getting to know more of you in the coming months as we begin a new academic year. Your hard work and commitment to student success continues to amaze me and fuels my motivation to lead us to become the premier technical and community college in the Nation. Why? Because our students deserve the best.

Dr. Galen DeHay My first month as President of Tri-County Technical College turned out to be everything I had hoped and planned for – energizing, challenging, and rewarding.

I’ll share a bit about my experiences and activities in the five key areas I have identified as priorities for the first few months: partnerships, outreach and communications, legislative advocacy, strategic planning, and professional development.

One of my highest priorities is to create more intentional partnerships and pathways to benefit our students. The best way to accomplish this is by developing strong relationships with those in our community who play a role in student success. This means jumping in my car and getting out to meet people. By the end of my first month, I had met one-on-one with each of the seven superintendents in Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties to discuss how we can better work together to create stronger educational pathways for our students. I also met with several of our industry partners, including representatives of Robert Bosch and Sandvik. My goal is to listen intently for opportunities to develop solutions that will truly address shared needs and goals rather than bandage short-term problems.

My team and I have developed an outreach and communications plan for my first year that includes 15 strategies, both internal and external. Internally, I want to focus on building community within the College through focus groups, drop-in office hours, and an engaging weekly e-mail. I also want to spend more time with students to help me stay connected to our vision to transform lives and build strong communities. I now have a Twitter account so you can keep up with what I am doing – please follow me at TCTCprez!

Externally, I will be getting out into the community doing presentations that aren’t just information sharing, but include focused calls to action to garner community buy in, involvement,

Passionate people TRANSFORMING LIVES

AND BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES ONE STUDENT AT A TIME.

(continued on page 2)

Connection is published ten times each year by the Office of the President and the Public Relations Department.

Mailing Address (All Campuses) P. O. Box 587, Pendleton, SC 29670 Pendleton Campus 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton, SC Anderson Campus 511 Michelin Blvd., Anderson, SC Easley Campus 1774 Powdersville Rd., Easley, SC Oconee Campus 552 Education Way, Westminster, SC Main Number (864) 646-TCTC (8282) Toll-free 1-866-269-5677 TDD/Voice 1-800-735-2905 Website www.tctc.edu

Tri-County Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Tri-County Technical College.

Tri-County Technical College does not discriminate in admission or employment on the basis of

President Galen DeHay and Surgical Tech team when they competed in the Scrub Bowl July 12.

Proud and Privileged (continued from page 1)

and support as we try to address complex issues like improving educational access for the unemployed, underemployed, and others left behind in our communities.

As a long-time member of this College community, I already have built relationships with many of our Legislators and County Council members. But now is the time to strengthen those connections, continue to educate them about our value proposition, and solidify their unwavering support. This first month I have met and spoken with several of our local elected officials, and I will continue until I have met with all of them one-on-one, face to face.

As many of you know, strategic planning is something I’ve been involved with for many years. Thanks to a great team, we have an excellent process that incorporates an environmental scan, College-wide input, establishes strategic directions, and outlines specific annual initiatives. During the past year, we have done a great deal of work on our next ten-year vision and strategic plan. As your new President, I want to spend time this year listening, learning, and refining our work with the goal to publish the 20202030 Strategic Plan by the end of Spring Semester, 2020.

Finally, professional development. I realize I have a great deal to learn, and I’m working to model lifelong learning through professional development. Earlier this year, I was chosen as one of forty community college leaders nationwide to participate in the year-long Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, which “aims to develop a cadre of exceptional leaders who can transform community colleges to achieve higher levels of student success while maintaining broad access.”

I attended the first week-long session in late July. Without any doubt, the first session brought awareness to what it means to be a President rather than “a VP on steroids.”

I believe this will be a transformational learning experience in my overall leadership development.

Once again, thank you for your support as I begin this journey. I feel proud and privileged to be your new President, and I’m looking forward to working together to transform lives and build strong communities, one student at a time.

In your service,

race, color, religion, sex, qualifying disability, veteran’s status, or national origin.

2 • CONNECTION

D. Galen DeHay, Ph.D.

ADN Grads’ NCLEX Scores Surpass State and National Rates Our recent Associate Degree Nursing graduates earned a “Faculty help these students learn how to read and answer 92.59% first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensing these NCXLEX-style questions. They really learn to hone their Exam (NCLEX). study skills and become more motivated,” she added.

Their performance on this exam surpasses both State and Another success strategy was to incorporate ATI assessment national pass rates. tools in all Nursing classes to familiarize students with the According to the National Council State Board of Nursing, the NCLEX format and to enhance and fine tune their critical-thinking State pass rate is 92.42%, and the national average is 89.27%. skills. ATI Nursing Education is an assessment tool training Following May graduation, 54 first-time candidates took the program to prepare students to take the NCLEX exam. It offers computerized licensure exam, which tests a graduate’s basic educational products that test students’ knowledge in a variety nursing knowledge and decisionof content areas, such as nursing making ability on commonly fundamentals, pediatrics, medical “We are so proud of our graduates’ success on encountered health-care situations. surgical, psychiatric, community this exam.

I’m also proud of our faculty and their Graduates of our RN program must health, and obstetrical nursing. determination to put our plan for success into pass the exam to work as registered Jackie said in the final class, nurses in the State. action. It really paid off.”

Nursing 221, students must take “We are so proud of our graduates’ —Jackie Rutledge a comprehensive predictor test, success on this exam,” said Nursing which encompasses material Department Head Jackie Rutledge. from the past two years. “It’s our “I’m also proud of our faculty and their determination to put our comprehensive look at how prepared they are to pass the NCLEX plan for success into action. It really paid off.” on their first attempt. It also indicates areas students need to Jackie said she and faculty members collaborated to identify work on to be successful,” she said. strategies for student success, which included identifying at-risk Clinical partners also play a role in students’ success by students when they enter the program and playing an active part providing a setting for students to apply this knowledge content, in their learning. These at-risk students are assigned a faculty she said. member who works with them on test-taking strategies and time Our Associate Degree Nursing Department is fully accredited management skills on a weekly basis throughout the program. by the State Board of Nursing in South Carolina and the “This one-on-one relationship is key to their success,” said Jackie.

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

ADN Program Granted Continuing Accreditation The Associate Degree Nursing program has been granted full, continuing accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The Board of Commissioners granted continuing program accreditation through fall 2026.

ACEN is a national accrediting body that provides accreditation to schools offering diploma, associate, bachelor’s, and post-bachelor’s degrees.

Accreditation is a process that ensures all schools and programs are held to the same high-quality standards.

“We were reviewed by the ACEN Commission, and they gave us the highest recommendation—continued accreditation for eight years,” said Jackie Rutledge, nursing department head.

Jackie says the department submitted a self-study report in the spring of 2018, and it was followed by a three-day site visit from ACEN program evaluators in fall 2018. Following the self-study report and program site visit, the ACEN Board of Commissioners granted continuing accreditation she said.

In their report, evaluators commended the program strengths, which include compliance with all accreditation standards; compliance with all six standards that the program was evaluated on; and a Learning Commons that features a hightech, modern library with a rich collection of online resources for students in the area that is historically underserved.

June-July 2019 • 3

Bridge to Clemson students learn about Clemson and Tri-County services and resources.

Largest Cohort Accepted into Bridge to Clemson This Fall The largest cohort to date—968 freshmen—have been accepted to the Bridge to Clemson program this fall.

In June and July, orientation sessions were held for students who will join us this fall. These students will attend Tri-County for one year, earning 30 transfer credits during their two semesters and must transfer to Clemson with a 2.5 GPA. Students will live on the Clemson campus in the Lightsey Bridge and Calhoun Courts communities, and a small population will live in McCabe Hall.

Started in 2006, Bridge to Clemson, a first of its kind in South Carolina, is an invitation-only program that blends the traditional academic experience at Tri-County with the social

and cultural experiences of being a Clemson University student.

It is specifically designed for recent high school graduates who narrowly missed admission to Clemson because of limited space and high demand.

The information fairs were held in our Student Success Center, following information sessions in the Anderson Hall Events Center. Bridge students and their parents visited a variety of tables to learn about Clemson and Tri-County’s services and resources including CU Health Services (Redfern and Healthy Campus), TCTC Student Support and Engagement and EDGE leaders, financial aid, honors program, and Clemson campus recreation, student activities, tutoring services, and parking.

MLT Graduates Continue Perfect Pass Rate on ASCP Exam The Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) graduates report a “These graduates were a positive, cohesive, hard-working perfect pass rate on a national certification exam. group,” said Deborah. “I am pleased to report they performed The 10 graduates who received their MLT degrees in May well on the exam and am excited to see they are finding continue their 100 percent pass record on the National American employment at hospitals within the surrounding area. All but Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) exam, said MLT Program one of this year’s graduates were hired before graduation or Director Deborah Brock. Only twice immediately after by area hospitals, since 2008 has a graduating class and one student is waiting until the “Our success rate is the result of a collaborative not achieved a 100 percent pass fall to seek employment,” she said. effort between students, Tri-County faculty, both rate. Tri-County’s program average Tri-County’s seven hospital affiliates full-time and adjunct, and our clinical faculty.” score was 608, and the national are AnMed Health, Bon Secours Saint average score is 545.

—Deborah Brock Francis, Self Regional Health Care, The exam is a computerized, Baptist Easley Hospital and Oconee competency-based exam. Students Memorial Hospital (Prisma), Stephens are tested on seven areas: chemistry, microbiology, hematology, County Hospital, and St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital. immunohematology, urinalysis and other body fluids, Tri-County’s MLT program is accredited by the National immunology, and laboratory operations. There are 100 multipleAccrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). In choice questions to cover these seven major areas of clinical 2017 program’s accreditation was extended for another 10 years laboratory science. Medical Laboratory Technicians analyze following a successful self-study and site visit. The program had blood and other bodily fluids for disease processes in hospitals no deficiencies or recommendations. The next self-study is due and doctors’ offices. in 2026, followed by another site visit in 2027.

4 • CONNECTION

SCWINS Scholarship Recipients Can Take Four Courses for Less than the Cost of One This fall more than 500 full- and part-time students will receive a significant savings on tuition—up to 81 percent—if they are enrolled in classes in a critical workforce field like engineering technology, health care, and information technology.

The South Carolina Workforce and Industry Needs Scholarship (SCWINS) is a Statewide technical college scholarship program designed to address workforce shortages in the State while giving students in these critical needs majors a tuition discount, opening the door for more Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens county residents to attend college.

The SCWINS scholarship, paired with Lottery Tuition Assistance, covers any tuition and mandatory fees remaining after all other scholarships and grants are applied.

Students taking six hours or more in these three workforce fields will pay $210 out of pocket, plus the cost of fees, per semester. For full-time students (12 credit hours), the cost is $420 plus fees per semester.

“These major discounts can reduce tuition for service-area residents from $185 per credit hour to $35 per credit hour,” said Adam Ghiloni, director of financial aid.

“This opportunity gives residents a path to economic mobility by enabling them to get the education needed for in-demand careers – not just a job,” said Adam. “College can be affordable

and manageable for both full- and part-time students pursuing degrees, diplomas, and certificates at all of our campuses.”

“This is a great opportunity—and we’re here to help,” he said.

Recipients must be enrolled in six credit hours with at least three hours being in one of the critical needs areas. Engineering Technology majors include Auto Mechanics and CNC (also available at the Oconee Campus) while health care includes programs such as Nursing, Surgical Technology, and Medical Assisting, as well as Veterinary Technology. The College has a new EMT program beginning this fall which also qualifies for the scholarship.

Jenni Creamer, dean of College Transitions, reiterated, “This scholarship program is literally a win-win opportunity.

Students can take four courses in one semester, or over multiple semesters, for less than the typical cost of one course. If financial constraints have been the reason you’ve chosen not to enroll, this scholarship can remove those barriers. We’re here to help you address any other challenges and help you get started, or restarted, on your educational journey. It really is possible for you.”

SCWINS recipients cannot be LIFE scholarship recipients.

The SCWINS scholarship will be awarded on a continual basis provided the recipient maintains a 2.0 GPA until completion of the degree, diploma, or certificate program.

Commissioner Hudson Retires After 19 years of representing Oconee County on the College’s Commission, Ham Hudson retired in June. “It’s been a rewarding experience.

I look forward to staying in touch from a distance,” he said. Mr. Hudson has represented Oconee County on the Commission since 2001 and previously served as Chairman and Vice Chairman.

Here, Dr. Booth, who retired June 30, presented Commissioner Ham Hudson with a gift at the June Commission meeting, the last for both.

June-July 2019 • 5

Our College Family excellence through service Congratulations to Commissioner Helen Rosemond-Saunders, who was named Chair of the SC Association of Technical College Commissioners (SCATCC) to serve a two-year term, which began July 1, 2019. The purpose Helen Rosemond-Saunders of SCATCC is to foster cooperation and communication and improve the dissemination of information regarding the System’s colleges. The Board of Directors serves as a forum to discuss issues affecting the colleges, the Association, and the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.

Mrs. Rosemond-Saunders also was honored with a Presidential Citation Award for Education Advocacy at the 2019 SC State Conference NAACP Freedom Fund Celebration. The South Carolina NAACP’s 80th Freedom Fund Banquet is held in honor of its longstanding advocacy for civil rights.

Laneika Musalini, our director of Grants, has been chosen from 300 nominees as one of the best and brightest men and women under the age of 40 in South Carolina. Laneika was honored at the SC Black Pages and Black Expo South 2019 Top 20 Under 40 Awards reception July 17.

Lou Moritz, manager of Laneika Musalini Administrative Services, is part of RedShelf’s new ad campaign and is featured on its Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Lou was asked to participate after working successfully for a year with RedShelf, a software company for inclusive access to digital textbooks.

6 • CONNECTION

Congratulations to President Galen DeHay, who was awarded a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Clemson University August 8.

Congratulations to employees who graduated from community leadership programs during the 2018-19 academic year: Tim Jared, Oconee Campus manager, Leadership Oconee County; Mia Tensley, instructor, Comprehensive Studies, Leadership Clemson; Tammy Fiske, director of Annual Giving, Leadership Anderson County; Dr. Chris McFarlin, department head, Public Services, Leadership Pickens County; and Scott Jaeschke, coordinator of Community Standards, Leadership Pendleton, Lynn Smith, career counselor, Career and Employability Resources, Leadership Pendleton; and Cara Hamilton, vice president, Business Affairs, Leadership Pendleton.

Tri-County Technical College received the 2019 Community Advancement Award at the annual Anderson County United Way Community Awards Luncheon June 25.

Accepting the award on behalf of the College is Linda Jameison, assistant vice president for Student Support and Engagement and a member of the Anderson County United Way board of directors.

Presenting the award to Linda Jameison is Scott Robertson, chief volunteer officer for United Way.

Congratulations to Mark Dougherty, dean of Student Development, who was awarded an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management from University of Pittsburgh in August.

The Learning Commons Tutoring Services is now Stage One, Level 1 CRLA ITTPC (International Tutor Training Program Certification) certified.

The College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) provides a standardized process by which a tutoring center can become certified. Now that we have satisfied the many rigorous requirements and processes to achieve certification, we can extend certification to our tutors based on the standardized criteria. In the Learning Center and Tutoring field, this is a wellrecognized, industry–standard certification. We have also been given permission to use the CRLA ITTPC logo on our website to highlight this certification standing.

TCTC Supports Anderson County United Way Day of Action A team of nearly a dozen Tri-County faculty and staff pitched in to support the Anderson County United Way Day of Action Saturday, June 22. Their assignment was to paint and refresh the offices of AIM, a non-profit organization that meets the needs of struggling individuals and families in Anderson County. Linda Jameison, assistant vice president for Student Support and Engagement, who serves on the board of directors for Anderson County United Way, was joined by Jenni Creamer, Sisireia Simmons College Transitions; Glenn Hellenga, Amanda Donald, and Berdina Hill, Career and Employability Resources; Mandy Elmore, Engineering and Industrial Technology; Cara Hamilton, Business Affairs; Gabe Hollingsworth

in transition Dr. Ahmad Chaudhry joined the College July 1 as Dean of our Health Education Division. He replaces Dr. Lynn Lewis, who retired earlier this year.

Dr. Chaudhry brings with him a wealth of experience in higher education programs focused on health education. He served as Dean of the Dr. Ahmad Chaudhry Biology and Health Sciences program at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL; Chair of the Public and Allied Health department at Bowling Green State University; and Associate Dean (interim) for Research and Faculty Development for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont. Other experience includes DNA Microarray Core Facility Founding Director and Radiation Therapy Program Director, both at the University of Vermont.

He holds a B.Sc. in Zoology and Chemistry, an M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Punjah, Pakistan, and an M.Sc. in Cancer Biology from the University of Manchester.

Dr. Chaudhry received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK, and completed postdoctoral research work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the University of Pennsylvania as a Senior Research Investigator. Dr. Chaudhry held an endowed professorship at the University of Vermont as a tenure track faculty member, received tenure, and later was promoted to full professor.

Dr. Chaudhry is the author of 45 peer reviewed articles and 47 abstracts. He is the recipient of 14 funded grants, and he

Ken Kopera

Amanda Donald

and Sisireia Simmons (and her daughter Kiera Coleman), TC Central; Ken Kopera, Physical Plant; and Diane Nowak, MLT Student, and her fiancé Marc Lockner. has reviewed more than 100 manuscripts for 41 international scientific journals. In addition, he reviewed research grants for the National Institute of Health and for international funding agencies from Australia, Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

He presented his research work at international scientific conferences and chaired symposiums at the meetings. He served as an editorial board member on four international scientific journals.

While at the University of Vermont, he received the Dean’s Outstanding Faculty Award (College of Nursing and Health Sciences) in 2008, the Faculty Recognition award in 2008 and 2009, and was nominated for the Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009.

David Graybeal is the Curriculum Consultant in the Instructional Support Department. He holds a B.S. in Special Education from Appalachian State University and an M.Ed. from Southern Wesleyan University. Daniel is currently working on an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from USC. For the last two years, he served as the Educational Technology Director at NEXT High School in Greenville. Previously, he David Graybeal was a Special Education and Theatre teacher for 12 years for the Pickens County School District. He is a member of East Pickens Baptist Church, and he and his wife, Debra, have five children, Sarah, 18; Ashton, 11; Brenna, 9; Ian, 8; and Jonathan, 5. They live in Liberty.

June-July 2019 • 7

Foundation News “Together, our employees contributed $41,265! Every dollar you donate is important to the success of our students and the community, and we thank you for your continued generous support.” —Grayson A. Kelly

Foundation Surpasses Goal – Most Successful Fundraising Year to Date Dear TCTC Colleagues: The most recent fiscal year was an incredible one for the Tri-County Technical College Foundation and the Institutional Advancement Office. Including money raised through the Foundation and the submission of grant proposals, we received a total of $2,734,686!

Our fundraising goal for Fiscal Year 19 (FY19) was to raise $1,000,000, and we surpassed that goal by raising $1,650,875 from 536 donors. This made FY19 the most successful fundraising year to date with an increase of 59.74% over FY18. Interestingly enough, our top nine donors all gave $50,000 or more and collectively gave a total of $971,775.

We also had 239 new, first-time donors who made gifts totaling $207,754.

One other important piece of data we look at when measuring our fundraising success is employee giving. Together, our employees contributed $41,265! Every dollar you donate is important to the success of our students and the community, and we thank you for your continued generous support.

Contributions are, of course, a great measure of fundraising success, but we also look at how these contributions are used to support the work of the College. For FY19, the Foundation contributed a total of $445,589 toward student scholarships, which were awarded to approximately 400 students. We also made $210,900 available to faculty/staff for professional development, and we allocated an additional $153,400 to the College for technology purchases and other priority needs. We are still working to finalize all the numbers associated with our expenses, but when that is done, it will show that the College received benefits totaling more than $1,000,000 from the Tri-County Technical College Foundation.

One other major component of the Foundation is the management of our endowments. As of June 30, 2019, we had a total of $24,580,142 invested, and we are thrilled that these investments experienced a 6.16% return for FY19, which compared favorably to the balanced index return of 5.98%. The success of our investments equates to additional funding for the College in the form of more scholarships and professional development opportunities.

Last, but certainly not least, our office received $1,083,811 in grant funding for the College that is not included in the Foundation’s fundraising numbers above. These grants will support program development/implementation for some of our Corporate and Community Education programs, and the largest grant valued at $263,865 from the S. C. Department of Education (Perkins) will support students enrolled in career and technical education programs as they prepare themselves to enter the workforce.

Thank you for all you do every day to support Tri-County Technical College and our students. Your expertise and monetary support is critical to us as we work together to transform lives and build strong communities one student at a time.

Sincerely,

Grayson A. Kelly Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Business Relations

8 • CONNECTION

AT&T Continues To Support I-BEST Programs AT&T awarded the College $7,500 to support the I-BEST programs which are designed to meet workforce needs and are offered, free of charge, to individuals who qualify.

I-BEST programs focus on immediate employment and pathways to careers requiring an associate degree.

They blend college credit, non-credit training, and industry-recognized skills certifications. They also build confidence and competence for jobs that pay familysustaining wages and for continued college study.

Terrance Ford, director of legislative affairs for AT&T South Carolina, left, is pictured with Grayson Kelly, vice president for Institutional Advancement and Business Relations at the College.

ARC Grant, Donations Provide Short-Term Training in Heavy Equipment Operation, Truck Driving The College is offering short-term training that can lead to long-term careers for area residents interested in Heavy Equipment Operation and Truck Driving.

For folks who qualify, it’s a small commitment with a big payoff, made possible by a $235,705 matching grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and donations from community partners.

“With just an eight-week training commitment, these individuals will be qualified for these in-demand jobs at local companies,” said Dr. Rick Cothran, dean of the Corporate and Community Education Division. “We are offering two QuickJobs programs - the new Heavy Equipment Operator training and the existing Truck Driving (CDL) training—that can quickly put people to work in jobs paying a sustainable wage.”

These training programs are designed to help unemployed and underemployed individuals, said Rick, adding that recentlyreleased ex-offenders with low-level offenses are urged to apply.

This training can open the door for employment opportunities that are not available to these individuals in many other industry sectors, he said.

The national credential-based Heavy Equipment Operator training and CDL Truck Driving training programs are being offered to meet the critical workforce needs in road construction, commercial construction, mining, and transportation companies in Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties.

Workforce scholarships, funded by the State, can aid persons who are unable to afford the cost of training.

Other funding sources include the College’s capital expense funds and privately-donated funds by local companies. Prompted by a need to secure employees with a specific skill set, Vulcan Materials organized a clay shoot fundraiser last fall in Clinton, South Carolina, to raise money to purchase equipment for the heavy equipment program. Vulcan representatives presented a $47,933 donation (from proceeds of this fundraiser) to the College earlier this year.

“This program aligns with industry needs. Due to these donations and the ARC grant, heavy equipment and truck driving skills development will be affordable for most people to take the class, get certified and go to work,” Rick said.

“There is not another heavy equipment operator training program in the Upstate,” said Rick. “Tri-County’s program will give individuals the basic skills so they can understand and learn to safely operate heavy equipment.”

Commercial truck drivers are equally in high demand and the grant will fund an instructor who will teach heavy equipment and truck driving classes during the first year. Currently, the demand for CDL training is so high that Tri-County has a waiting list, said Rick. This instructor will teach both types of classes to maximize the number of individuals who can be trained for these jobs.

Heavy equipment classes start August 26. Evening CDL classes start August 12, and day classes begin August 14 and September 25. For more information contact Julia Lee at jlee42@tctc.edu, or 864-646-1707 or attend an open house (schedule is available at www.tctc.edu/learn).

June-July 2019 • 9

College and SWU Form Transfer Partnership Southern Wesleyan University and Tri-County have formed a “At Tri-County, we are committed to increasing access to partnership designed to enhance the transfer of students from higher education for the citizens of Anderson, Oconee and TCTC to SWU. Pickens counties, including access to a bachelor’s degree by The collaboration is intended to serve students by providing way of applied associate degrees in our career programs,” said program support and services which facilitate the transfer Dr. DeHay. “Many of our students complete a two-year applied process and prepare and acclimate students desiring to associate degree in a career program so they are prepared matriculate at SWU. for immediate entry into the Students who complete any workforce. We have made “With this agreement signed, a bachelor’s associate degree at TCTC will be a concerted effort to create degree from Southern Wesleyan University will guaranteed admission to SWU pathways that will allow them to be accessible, affordable, and available to our upon successfully completing all go on to earn a bachelor’s degree, all our graduates.” steps for enrollment. Students will should they choose to do so, have the option of completing their without loss of time, credits or —Dr. Galen DeHay bachelor’s degree program at SWU money,” he said. by taking courses fully online, on“With this agreement signed, campus or a combination of online and on-campus. a bachelor’s degree from Southern Wesleyan University will be “It is a privilege and honor to partner with our friends at Triaccessible, affordable, and available to our all our graduates,” County Technical College in serving students across the upstate added Dr. DeHay. to provide a clear pathway to a bachelor’s degree at Southern The Connect program will begin in the fall of 2019. Individuals Wesleyan University,” said Dr. Todd Voss, president of Southern can contact Kristen Karasek, director of Bridge Programs and Wesleyan University.

Educational Partnerships at kkarasek@tctc.edu.

Blue Jay Gets New Home English instructor Amy Borders and her children Artie Duncan, pictured here, and Reid (not pictured), adopted Blue Jay at the Veterinary Technology Pet Adoption held July 19.

Executive Staff Summary • EXECUTIVE STAFF ROLE: Began discussions about the role of Executive Staff and how it will function to support the new President and the College as a whole. Brainstormed a variety of topics, including specific goals to achieve in the next six months; finalizing strategic directions for the next 10-year vision and strategic plan; and supporting the desired culture. Topics also included integrating iCARE services standards; data needs for decision making; improved communications; leadership; and employee engagement.

• SOUTH CAROLINA WORKFORCE AND INDUSTRY NEEDS SCHOLARSHIP (SCWINS): Planned communications at an Executive Staff level to complement College efforts to promote this new program designed to address workforce shortages and provide tuition assistance for students enrolling in critical needs areas.

• OTHER: Diversity and Inclusion project for Fall Semester; enrollment trends for Fall Semester; Summer Commencement; Fall Convocation; policies and procedures updates; and the July Commission meeting.

10 • CONNECTION

Focus Groups Identify Industry Needs Representatives from local industries participated in focus groups (held over several days) to discuss their collective need for multiskilled technicians and what specific skills our graduates in Industrial Electronics, General Engineering Technology, and Mechatronics must have to fill these jobs.

Here, participants from Schneider Electric, Bosch, and Michelin engage in discussion while Sarah Shumpert, curriculum manager, top, and Curriculum Coordinator Robin Long, lower photo, both from the Instructional Support Department, served as facilitators for each workshop.

TCTC Hosts Surgical Tech Scrub Bowl Tri-County hosted the S.C. Surgical Technology Scrub Bowl competition July 12, and the TCTC Girls were third-place winners. Pictured from left are Ermira Parker, Brittany Miller, and Stefani Cosma.

The day-long event drew a total of 137 people—116 students and 21 faculty from eight S.C. Community/Technical Colleges. This event is hosted every year in July at a different college to prepare Surgical Technology students for the National Certification Surgical Technology boards that they will take by the end of July.

June-July 2019 • 11

CCE, E&IT, and CIT Host Summer Camps

The Engineering and Industrial Technology Division held an annual robotics camp, Interactive Art and Games, June 24–June 27 for rising fifth through eighth graders. Participants used math, electronics, programming, and problem-solving skills to create animatronic and robotic projects. Using

Arduino© controllers as “brains,” each camper created projects using sensors, lights, and motors to detect and respond to lights, sounds, and movements in the environment.

This summer the Corporate and Community Education Division sponsored several new Black Rocket Technology Summers camps that include STEM activities that are fun, productive, and creative. The Make Your First Video

Game showed them the keys to designing their first 2D platformer game.

Students created games that are available on a password-protected Black Rocket website to share with friends and family.

Rising sixth–eighth graders explored the diverse world of Information Technology in a three-day Code Build 1.0 Camp where they built and programmed robots. At left, instructor Christine Plumier assists

William Johnson, center, and Tyler Fiori, son of CIT instructor George Fiori, with assembling a vex robot. At right are rising seventh graders Katie Kilborn, Sitara Veerabagu, and Kiera Coleman.

12 • CONNECTION

Funding for the camp is provided by Robert Bosch LLC.