Pamela Altstatt Receives Adjunct Faculty Presidential Award

Pamela Altstatt’s passion for providing learning experiences that support students’ physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing was recognized when she received the 2023 Adjunct Faculty Presidential Award.

This award is given annually at spring convocation to the adjunct faculty member who is recognized for excellence in teaching, who has consistently high student evaluations and who supports the philosophy and goals of the College.

Altstatt began her career at TCTC as an adjunct instructor in 2018 for the Academic and Career Foundations (ACF) Divison and became a lecturer in 2020, teaching every semester in addition to serving as an academic advisor in the summers.

“You won’t find a bigger cheerleader for students, employees and the College than Pamela Altstatt,” said Jennifer Hulehan, dean of ACF and the Arts and Sciences Division. “Her commitment to high quality teaching and learning experiences is second to none. She is committed to the ACF mission of cultivating in students the foundational knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors necessary for success in their college career and life experiences.”

Altstatt, a clinical exercise physiologist, leads Sports Fitness Training (SFT-109), a three-hour university transfer course that focuses on improving individual health through knowledge and application.

Through the ACF Division, the class is offered as an option for all students at TCTC. SFT-109 is now a requirement for all Criminal Justice majors.

“This is a clinically-based program,” added Altstatt. We are looking at and understanding disease processes, like high blood pressure, and how to reverse them through diet and exercise,” she said. Students are learning to develop customized nutrition and exercise programs. Other class outcomes are improved mental and physical health and stress management.

“Pamela emphasizes positive lifelong habits that provide lifelong benefits. Students are learning to make better life choices,” said Corey Evans, instructor. “SFT-109 is intentional about building a stronger, healthier workforce and a stronger, healthier community,” Evans said.

When the class was introduced in 2019, there were two sections per semester. Based on her success in the classroom, Altstatt has helped grow this class to more than eight sections a semester.

Altstatt helped develop an obstacle course at TCTC’s Anderson Campus. This obstacle course is specially designed to help Criminal Justice majors qualify for the Physical Agility Test, or PAT, a statemandated requirement for the police academy.

Altstatt was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Service to Students Award at this year’s South Carolina Organization for Student Success (SCOSS) conference. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from California State University and a Master of Science degree in exercise physiology from California State University.

She and her husband, Hamilton Altstatt, a veteran composer/ sound designer whose tracks were used in the “Avengers: Endgame” trailers, live in Seneca.

Pamela Altstatt Is Passionate about Her Profession

Pamela Altstatt is a clinical exercise physiologist who works with professional athletes. She is also an author who contributed a chapter in the book, “Get with the Program,” which won her an Editor’s Choice award. She donates proceeds from the book to a school in Chicago.

Pamela Altstatt was a 23-year-old exercise physiology graduate student in 2000, living in Los Angeles and was about a month away from graduating from California State University when the phone rang one afternoon—and her life took a different direction.

The person on the other end of the telephone identified himself as Avi Amit, director of health services for Centinela Hospital in Inglewood. He said he had read her thesis on how to reduce and reverse disease process in the 40+ population and he was intrigued with her studies and wanted to know more.

It was April 1—April Fool’s Day—and Altstatt immediately thought it was a joke set up by her study team at Cal State. She decided to play along. The gentleman asked if she was interested in interviewing for a job with the Los Angeles Lakers. “I thought it was a practical joke. My study group was a close bunch and I was convinced they were pranking me,” Altstatt remembered. She wrote down the directions and agreed to meet him several days later, fully expecting her friends to be present. Instead, she found herself engaged in an hour-long interview with Amit, who called her when she arrived home and offered her a job.

She didn’t hesitate. “I said yes to the job.”

After completing her master’s degree, Altstatt worked for the owners of professional athletic teams during the week and

(continued on page 13)

Graduation at a Glance

The College celebrated its 2023 spring graduates May 9 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, who delivered the keynote address, wrote on social media:

“SC’s world-class technical colleges do so much to prepare students to join our thriving #SCworkforce and your achievements continue to shift the mindset about higher education options in this country. I wish you all the best as you enter the workforce and live out TCTC’s vision of transforming lives and building strong communities right here in the Palmetto State! Keep dreaming big, working hard, and aiming higher. #AimHigherSC”

Men of Color Student Advisory Board Members Attend Summit

The College sponsored students from the TCTC Men of Color student advisory board to attend the 6th annual Clemson University Men of Color National Summit on March 28 and 29 at the Greenville Convention Center. The mission of the Clemson University Men of Color National Summit is to close the opportunity gap for African American and Hispanic males, from cradle to career. “This was a great experience and opportunity for students to learn and network,” said Travis Durham, director of student engagement and accountability and advisor for the MOC.