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M AG A Z I N E | T U L SACC . E D U SUMMER 2020

50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

Community Magazine is a publication of Tulsa Community College

CONTENTS SUMMER 2020

Tulsa Community College 6111 E. Skelly Drive, Suite 400 Tulsa, OK 74135 Leigh B. Goodson, PhD. President & CEO

TCC Board of Regents: Robin F. Ballenger, Chairman Samuel Combs III, Vice-Chairman Paul H. Cornell, Secretary Caron Lawhorn, Member Ronald S. Looney, Member William R. McKamey, Member Wesley G. Mitchell, Member

Community Magazine is published each Fall and Spring semester

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Transfer-mation: The Tulsa Transfer Project

50th Anniversary Exhibit

On Mission: Open Educational Resources

50 Notable Alumni

Game Changer

TCC Goes to Washington

Common Book Tackles 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Habla EspaĂąol?

Sivadon Named New Chief Academic Officer

Fall 2019 Graduation

Providing Support For Those Who Served

Five Things with Mackenzie Wilfong

Inspiring Hope: The TCC Student Emergency Fund

Transfer-mation

A Letter From TCC President Leigh B. Goodson A lot in the world has changed since I started my letter for Community Magazine. Originally, I was planning to discuss changes to higher education delivery and university transfer. As we head to print for this magazine, TCC, and the world, have been impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It has affected immediate change in our day-to-day reality and made us focus on our responsibilities to the community, our students and our staff.

perseverance our employees show, but trust me, it’s an honor to work with such great people all dedicated to providing the same high-caliber of learning experience for our students, both in the classroom and online.

In just a matter of days, we fully transitioned all TCC classes and support services to online and remote learning. As you can imagine, that decision was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make. Transitioning away from face-to-face classes will cause additional stressors for some faculty and students, but it’s the right thing to do to keep our students and employees safe. In many aspects, it was the only decision to be made. Simple, but not easy.

In this time of extreme social and economic uncertainty, I’m humbled by the continued generosity of our donors. We started a student emergency fund giving campaign and its wonderful seeing our TCC community support our students during this time of need.

I am so proud of the response by our employees to this new normal. Faculty who have never taught a day of online classes before have jumped head-first into the world of virtual learning. Our Distance and Engaged Learning teams have risen to the occasion and provided real-time support and training for faculty. Our Information Technology team has truly been a bright gold star for the College, keeping all our systems working with increased online demands and developing new ways to transition TCC to this virtual world we find ourselves in.

We have created a special webpage for students and employees with communication and resources related to this transition. If you’re curious, visit TulsaCC.edu/Coronavirus for all the latest updates.

We don’t know when the pandemic will end, but I promise you TCC will be here to continue delivering the same excellent level of learning. As with any adversity, we will come out stronger and even more equipped to serve our students. Education doesn’t end just because we have a pandemic, and the impact it will have on our community will last for years. We all have a responsibility, one we take most seriously, to do our parts to ensure students continue to learn and graduate even as we are a virtual campus.. We are strong individually, but together we are unstoppable. Sincerely, Leigh

I could go on and on about the stories of hope and

TCC 50TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT EXTENDED THROUGH AUGUST Good news … if you haven’t visited the TCC 50th Anniversary exhibit at the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum, you are in luck! The exhibit has been extended through August 2020. Located at 2445 S. Peoria, THS&M hours are Tuesday through Saturday: 10AM – 4PM; Closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays. Children and students are free. Adults are $5 and seniors are $3.

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About the Cover TJC Metro Campus lobby, circa late 1980s The Sinclair Oil Building has been home to Tulsa Community College since day one – Sept. 14, 1970 – when we opened as Tulsa Junior College to a first class of 2,796 students. The entire College consisted of three floors of leased space and 50 classrooms, 48 full-time and 106 part-time instructors and 15-hour class days, and it grew from there. Now Oklahoma’s largest multi-campus community college, TCC serves approximately 23,000 students in college programs annually. Four fully equipped campuses — Metro, Northeast, Southeast and West — populate the Tulsa area, along with several community campuses in the suburban areas.

50 NOTABLE ALUMNI In celebration of 50 years of Tulsa Community College, we’re highlighting 50 distinguished and noteworthy alumni, one a week. You can visit TCC50.com to explore TCC’s historical timeline, the full list of 50 Notables unveiled to date, and experience how TCC has spent 50 years making our community stronger.

Paula Marshall, Ph.D. CEO, Bama Companies TCC Degree: Business Graduated: 1986 As Bama’s Board Chair and CEO, Paula Marshall helps provide strategic leadership and direction to the entire organization. Her vision stands as a beacon for Bama team members, inspiring the organization to achieve the Bama mission – “People Helping People Be Successful...with caring and accountability.” Marshall joined the Bama Companies during her high school years and assumed responsibility as Chair & CEO in 1990, which now includes Bama Pie, Bama Foods, Bama Frozen Dough, 25% owner of Bama China and Bama Europa. In 2018, Bama acquired a 25% interest in a UK company named Evron Foods. They provide bread for Subway in the UK. Under her leadership Bama has expanded to provide a wide variety of hand-held specialty baked goods to fast food chains around the world.  Over the years, Marshall went on to earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. An author of four books, she most recently co-authored The Executive Entrepreneur with New York Times bestselling author Jim Stovall.

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The First Half Paula Marshall, Ph.D. John Bobb-Semple Tammi Holden, M.A.A.L. Dallas Elleman Anna America Ernie Jones, M.Ed. Pamela Ballard, M.H.R. Emeka Nnaka, M.H.R.

Tim Jackson Lisa Riley Michael Willis, M.P.A. Linda Siegmann, M.B.A. Tim Lyons Tiffani Bruton Sharon Bishop-Baldwin Jeremy Moore, M.P.A. Debbi Guilfoyle, Ed.D.

Byron Bighorse Dani Moore Joseph K. Digges, D.D.S. Glenna Cooper, M.A. James E. Jones, Pharm.D. Rose Lynch Tim Bart, M.Ed. Jackie Kouri

Emeka Nnaka, M.H.R. Motivational Speaker TCC Degree: Enterprise Development Graduated: 2015 Emeka Nnaka is very involved in the community, speaks to corporate and civic groups, and advocates for others through his work with the Tulsa Area United Way and The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. Named one of Tulsa World’s People to Watch for 2019, he has continued to speak to groups across the country as a motivational speaker. Nnaka earned an associate degree in Enterprise Development from Tulsa Community College in 2015. “TCC was the steppingstone that I needed to launch to my future,” he said. After graduating from TCC, Nnaka went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Services and a master’s in Human Relations with a focus of Clinical Mental Health Counseling. His work with young people as a mentor at Youth Services of Tulsa, as a counselor at various Tulsa-area schools and his motivational speaking engagements share the same message of determination and hope. He suffered a neck and spinal cord injury in 2009 that left him paralyzed from his chest down and he now uses a wheelchair. Telling his story, he uses his own life-altering experiences to motivate young people to make a new start – to find strength through adversity. He uses the R-E words: rebuild, rewrite, renovate, renew and regenerate. Earlier this year, Nnaka served as the keynote speaker at the third annual Tulsa World All-World Awards ceremony, which honors the best area high school athletes. He also currently serves as a board member for the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority.

TCC GOES TO

WASHINGTON Three TCC faculty members – Dr. Sandra Rana, Dr. Knox Brown, and Professor Sydnee Moyers Pockrus – attended the Senate impeachment trial on Jan. 29, courtesy of Oklahoma Senator James Lankford. All three are full-time political science professors. At the request of Senator Lankford’s office, TCC submitted the names and contact information for the three professors, assuming one would be invited. All three received invitations, and only one Gallery ticket was available, so the faculty members took turns observing the proceedings. The professors traveled on Jan. 28, witnessed the impeachment trial on the Jan. 29, and returned to Tulsa on Jan. 30. “It was very exciting. I cannot thank the College

enough for allowing us to go,” says Dr. Rana. “It was a commitment to allow us to do that, to have the time and to pay for the experience. It was a wonderful advancement of our professional education, and now we’re able to utilize that in our classrooms.” “I always tell my students that a week in a real political environment is worth a semester’s worth of political science,” says Dr. Brown. “Checks and balances are a fundamental part of our government, and my colleagues and I got to witness it up close and personal. “My first impression when I arrived inside the Senate Gallery: seeing Chief Justice John Roberts up close. I teach the Supreme Court every semester, but to see the Chief Justice in person was awe inspiring. I also saw many current and former presidential candidates: Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Mitt Romney, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris.” In addition to the historical weight of the event, Dr. Brown viewed the proceedings through the lens of a political analyst. “Impeachment is 80 percent theater, 20 percent

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politics, and 100 percent partisan,” says Dr. Brown. “At every turn, both parties acted self-servingly: witness selection, cross-examination rules, and the final votes in each chamber.” Dr. Rana says the trip reconfirmed her belief in the American political system. “I always tell my students that I have this bias, that I believe that individuals may come and go, but the American political system is robust and truly does work, and is a government of the people,” says Dr. Rana. “I spent part of my time going to the House of Representatives and visited the offices of quite a few representatives. The energy is still there. That dedication to service and government is still there. “That, to me, is real government. That someone can walk in and communicate directly with their elected official. Government is accessible. You have the ability to go there, to ask questions, to make suggestions. American Government is not just a general education class. It’s not just getting your three hours and going on with your program. This could potentially be a part of your everyday life. Asking questions. Talking to your elected officials.”

“It was a wonderful advancement of our professional education, and now we’re able to utilize that in our classrooms.”

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for TCC’s faculty members. “This was an amazing opportunity for our faculty members to witness a piece of history in the making,” says Dr. Tracy Skopek, dean of liberal arts and communication. “To be able to come back and share this with their students makes it real instead of coming from a textbook or through the lens of the media. It doesn’t matter what your partisan preference is, it’s something most of our students will not have experienced.”

HABLA ESPAĂ‘OL? TCC Intermediate Spanish 2, Fall Semester, 2019 Metro Campus Instructor, Tony Alonso What do a former Oklahoma State Supreme Court Justice, a medical doctor, a police officer, a nurse, an engineer, and, most importantly, a number of degree-seeking students have in common? They trust TCC to deliver expert instruction in foreign language.

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Fall 2019

GRADUATION

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FIVE THINGS with

MACKENZIE WILFONG As TCC’s General Counsel, Mackenzie Wilfong ensures the College stays on the right side of any legal issues it should encounter. She believes in the power of the Law to provide justice and enable positive social change. Here are her five favorite quotes from female U.S. Supreme Court Justices: 1. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg This reminds me to have patience, change is incremental, sometimes painful, hopefully concluding by consensus where all voices are heard.  2. “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.” – Justice Sandra Day O’Connor I knit and crochet, so the illusion to weaving a tapestry resonates with me and reminds me we cannot do it alone. I am infinitely grateful to my legal network, a talented tapestry, of super-star female attorneys.     3. “Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.” – Justice Sonia Sotomayor

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This encourages me to recognize inequity and seek to fix it. I am so fortunate to get to work every day for a client, the College, whose mission is just this “Building success through education.”    4. “No one has a monopoly on truth or wisdom. I’ve learned that we make progress by listening to each other, across every apparent political or ideological divide.” – Justice Elena Kagan This reminds me to listen (and hear) thoughtfully, purposefully, and carefully. 5. I’ll leave my favorite fifth quote to the fifth future female Justice with the hope she reads these, finds them inspiring, keeps working hard, is equitably rewarded and recognized for her legal acumen, and stands on the shoulders of these great Justices, these wise women, to whom we can all aspire to emulate.     As TCC’s General Counsel, Wilfong serves on the Executive Team and provides legal counsel to the College’s four campuses. She is a Board member of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, and co-authored a chapter on the First Amendment in Higher Education for the recently published book Student Conduct Practice: The Complete Guide for Student Affairs Professionals. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.

TRANSFER-MATION TCC leading the charge to make transferring between highereducation institutions easier

Transferring from one higher education institution to another seems like one of those things that should be easy. Course credits taken at a community college should move seamlessly to a partner university, and a student should not lose any time, money, or momentum in pursuit of their bachelor’s degree.

The back-and-forth theme popped up a lot.

It seems easy … but for many students, university transfer can be complex and frustrating

“Meet with an advisor from both colleges, and ask what they recommend you do, and get e-mail addresses from both for the many follow-ups you’ll have. Then find a mentor who has also gone through the transfer process personally.”

“We know transfer students encounter stumbling blocks,” says Emily Tichenor, TCC director of university transfer. “Regional universities have varied requirements for programs, which means students have to know exactly what they want to do and where they want to go after TCC from almost the initial semester. Sometimes credits are accepted, but as electives, meaning the student still enters their university as a sophomore, not a junior, after completing two years at TCC.” TCC reached out to former students and asked them about their transfer experience. “I was surprised the colleges do not talk. I could not ask an advisor at one school to tell me how to go through the whole process,” says one student. “I had to run back and forth trying to gather the information either I or the other school needed.”

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Another student says, “Make sure all credits taken are credits that will transfer to the other institution so you aren’t taking unnecessary courses. Talk with both schools’ advisors.

The comments amount to a familiar word: barriers. TCC has spent the last several years removing barriers to student success. The College has been systematically making it easier for students to graduate, but the time has come to widen the scope. Students don’t just need any degree; they need bachelor’s degrees. “TCC is not our students’ final learning experience,” says Cindy Hess, TCC senior vice president and chief academic officer. “We’ll have students selecting, not what their goal is here, but what their goal is in life. We have to look at expectations of the university

TCC UNIVERSITY Aiming for your bachelor’s degree? Stay on-time, on-budget, and on-track with TCC2UNIVERSITY.

TulsaCC.edu/Transfer

they’re transferring to. We have to be more aggressive looking at what our regional needs are.”

University of Tulsa, and University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.

The Tulsa Transfer Project

The project was funded by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and supported through work with the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, nationally, transfer students lose an average of 13 credit hours from a community college to a fouryear university. By saving students time and money, producing more individuals with a bachelor’s degree, and having them stay in the region, this work is important to the economic growth of the state.

The three goals of the Tulsa Transfer Project are to increase the transfer rate of TCC students to four-year institutions, increase the percentage of transfer credits accepted toward majors at those four-year institutions, and increase rates of bachelor’s completion.

Our city, state, and geographic region falls slightly below the national average in number of bachelor’s degrees. The Tulsa Transfer Project was created in the spring of 2018 to address this deficiency and to increase the talent pipeline in the region. Participating institutions include TCC, Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, Rogers State University, The

“We know an individual’s earning potential significantly increases with a bachelor’s degree — by nearly $20,000 annually compared to those with just a high school diploma, according to Census data on median earnings in Tulsa County. In supporting this collaborative work, we are increasing the likelihood that TCC students will have clear transfer pathways to the regional universities participating in this project, which will lead to higher rates of bachelor’s degree completion, a stronger workforce, and regional

the Transfer Project into workable transfer agreements and processes that benefit students. economic growth,” says Michael DuPont, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Program Officer. During fall of 2019, the partner institutions released the Tulsa Regional College Transfer Report, which summarized the findings and accomplishments of each partner institution, and outlined priorities for each as they seek to collectively improve the way they serve transfer students in the region. “It forced us to really talk about our own policies and practices,” says Tichenor. “For TCC, it helped us realize where we needed to improve, where we weren’t communicating with students early enough. Students told us where their concerns were, which were chiefly financial. How much was it going to cost? Where would they live? They wanted that seamless transition not in just their course work, but for their lives.” Now the real work begins – integrating the findings of

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“It’s working with our partners to advocate for students to make sure they have a unified educational experience,” says Tichenor. “Our partners are all committed to that. They want students to come from TCC and be successful, and they want them to do it on time and on track.

What’s Happening Now Beginning in 2020, TCC will launch a new TCC2University program that aims to provide a clear, seamless, and supported pathway from TCC to a bachelor’s degree. A redesigned university transfer website will allow students to search bachelor’s degree options at partner schools and then connect to an associate degree at TCC to get them there. “Making transfer pathways visible to our students early in their time at TCC is critical,” Tichenor says.

“Our students need to be able to see what is available and have early conversations with their advisors and faculty about how to achieve their goal.” The Tulsa Transfer Project has also committed to building four-year degree maps from TCC to all area bachelor’s degrees. This work will ensure that if a student starts and stays on a degree map, their credits will be 100% accepted with the partner university. “Students can come to TCC and get their first two years for free through Tulsa Achieves,” says Tichenor. “This is building on that promise. If your goal is a bachelor’s degree, start at TCC. We’re going to plan for the end with you, even if that end is not with us.” “We’ve seen peer community colleges around the country who are doing a great job of this, and we know Tulsa can, too,” says Tichenor. The Transfer project is also committed to shared student supports across institutions, and to data sharing to ensure students are successful. Institutions are also committed to students earning an associate degree before transferring. Students who transfer to a four-year institution after achieving an associate degree have a much higher success rate in achieving a bachelor’s degree.

Where We Are Headed All of these changes are necessary as TCC enters its second half-century of operation, and in line with the College’s new mission and vision – to build success through education through an educated, employed, and thriving community. With over 60 percent of TCC students enrolled in a university transfer degree program, the success of the Tulsa Transfer Project is critical for Tulsa. “I’m excited about this,” says Dr. Leigh B. Goodson, TCC president and CEO. “We’re taking something that was clunky and awkward and building a higher education ecosystem. By associating with these universities, it breaks down these barriers.” In the end, it comes back to student success. “Everything we do is with the student’s desired outcome in mind,” says Tichenor. “TCC2University and supporting our students in earning a bachelor’s degree here in Tulsa will really change the economic trajectory for students and their families.”

ON MISSION:

OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES  TCC works to offer free and low-cost textbooks A foundational belief of TCC is that quality education is affordable, but the word affordable is subjective. So many different things can be affordable to one student, and unobtainable to another. Open Educational Resources have a huge impact on affordability. OERs are educational materials – books, labs, articles and more – that are freely available and accessible without any fees. Free textbooks. That is definitely on Mission. Spearheaded by Jennifer Kneafsey, TCC faculty department chair for life sciences, and Lisa Haldeman, TCC library director at the Northeast Campus, the OER program at TCC has grown rapidly. “During the 2017-18 school year, we estimate TCC students saved almost $1.2 million through OpenStax and OER,” says Kneafsey. “It’s probably my favorite thing I’ve done at TCC. You know how much it helps a student. If you save that student $75 or $80, that’s tanks of gas, bags of groceries, or part of an electric bill. It’s reducing our students’ debt load, and it helps in the short term by reducing barriers to their being successful at TCC.”

to give the biology book a try. Our students loved free books. Then colleagues began using the books.” The process rolled from there. The College applied to be an institutional partner with OpenStax, a nonprofit ed-tech initiative based at Rice University. Since 2012, OpenStax has created peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks, which are available in free digital formats and for a low cost in print. The most expensive printed versions are no more than $60 at the bookstore. The non-majors Biology textbook in use at TCC costs just $28, should a student want or need a printed copy. According to Kneafsey, approximately 85 percent of students using OpenStax access free online versions of textbooks. Next, the TCC Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to support faculty adoption of OpenStax books as part of the institutional partnership, which turned out to be a gateway for other subjects to begin using the books. The grant was a one-time part of launching our institutional partnership with OpenStax, and was modeled after programs at peer institutions. According to Kneafsey,

“It’s very easy to say that almost every single student in the College will be impacted by OER,” says Haldeman. At TCC, it began with an ad in an academic journal. “It advertised free peer-reviewed books for your college,” says Kneafsey. “I investigated it, and decided

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OpenStax textbooks are used in over half of U.S. colleges and universities.

that included history, physics, American Federal Government and a many sciences. During the institutional partnership, Kneafsey reached out to TCC Librarians for assistance. “I created a textbook for one faculty member, which is still in use, and it took off from there,” says Haldeman. “We started to see more and more people interested in it.” “At that same time, the College Success Course instructors developed their own OER, so students had no cost for that, and it helped them get used to OERs and how they worked,” says Kneafsey. Haldeman assembled an OER team, with librarian liaisons for all seven academic schools at TCC. The librarians reach out to faculty to see if there are questions and what their needs are. They help find research materials, and sometimes, they create (or compile) entire textbooks and manuals. “We’re not curriculum experts,” says Haldeman, “but we can find information anywhere. We’re the research people.” As work progressed, the OER team saw the need to become licensed through Creative Commons, a nonprofit “dedicated to building a globally-accessible public commons of knowledge and culture.” Licenses through the organization “give every person and organization in the world a free, simple, and standardized way to grant copyright permissions for creative

and academic works; ensure proper attribution; and allow others to copy, distribute, and make use of those works.” “The Creative Commons license helps the whole OER community because we don’t have to recreate the wheel,” says Kneafsey. “It saves you starting from scratch. It’s simpler and less intimidating.” The whole TCC staff of librarians are now certified in Creative Commons. “We’re the residential experts,” says Haldeman. “We can use that certification to inform faculty for pulling OER and adding it to their curriculum. If a faculty member asks us for assistance, we have a pretty good idea where to find the OER source they need. We’ve actually pulled full textbooks for sources. We reassure our faculty they are not doing this by themselves. The library can find information anywhere it might exist.” Faculty are coming on board. Students are embracing the low-cost advantages of OER. So what’s next for the College? Continued expansion of the number of courses using OER materials, and a small pilot allowing students to search for courses that use no cost/low cost materials. “The potential exists that in the future, a student can navigate an entire associate degree without ever buying a textbook,” says Kneafsey.

“When living paycheck to paycheck, $200 might as well have been $2 million,” Jimmieka Mills

GAME CHANGER Same game, different ballpark

Tony Alonso doesn’t look “retired.” He’s tall, tanned, with good posture, an easy smile, and an affable manner. There’s a vitality to him, like maybe his best is still to come. He looks like he just walked off the golf course, or perhaps a ball field, which, depending on what day it is, might be the truth.

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For Alonso, former TCC chief diversity officer, “retirement” has been more of a change of venue than a change in mission. Within one month of his retirement from TCC, after 41 years of work in higher education, he hopped into the dugouts of the Tulsa Drillers and the OKC Dodgers. “My job is to teach their international players from countries where baseball is ingrained in the culture – The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Japan, Korea – English, and teach the American players Spanish,” says Alonso. He also teaches them the cultural components that go with teaching a language, such as beliefs and values, geography, climate, religion, economy, art, food, music, equity, diversity and inclusion. “But language is number one as the organization wants their players to be able to communicate with their coaches, teammates and the media,” says Alonso. If you’re into baseball at all, which Tony is, it’s a cool job, and one he sort of fell into. The Los Angeles Dodgers contacted TCC in 2015, the same year Alonso retired, and described the position and who they were looking for. It wasn’t just someone who could teach their ballplayers English and Spanish – they also wanted someone with cultural sensitivity and experience. They hit a home run finding Alonso. “I had been the chief diversity officer at TCC,” says Alonso. “That was the deciding factor for them. It’s a class act organization. In 1947, they broke the color barrier. To know that I’m working for them, that the climate of inclusion has continued all these years, it’s pretty special.”

language,” he says. “They see the value of learning English and learning Spanish. These guys are players, coaches, managers, administrators for the Drillers and OKC Dodgers, and they see the learning of the language as a bonding opportunity. It enhances their jobs. “They’re just like the students at TCC. You give them the language and the vocabulary, and then you build up their confidence so they can speak the target language. That’s the payoff. I want them to be confident. They are very respectful and their dedication strikes an emotional chord.” Alonso often takes his ballplayers to visit his classes at TCC (that’s right; he still adjuncts for the College). “I like my students, the players, to talk to my Spanish classes, because I like students to hear how Spanish is spoken in different countries and regions. It’s the same language, it’s just intonated a little differently,” says Alonso. The ball players don’t just visit his TCC classes, they go with Alonso into the community, and are especially inclined to visit programs, areas and schools where there’s poverty and underrepresentation. Last summer, many players visited a summer bridge program that included a large number of students living in poverty. “I offer the players an opportunity to perform community outreach by speaking to elementary, middle, and high school students who live in poverty and attend schools with a high number of students on free and reduced lunch programs,” says Alonso. “The players gear up for this educational activity, volunteering to speak to students in our community, wearing their Tulsa Drillers jerseys. I don’t have to convince them to do it.”

Alonso gets all the behind-the-scenes perks you could imagine. He sits in the dugouts with players during some games, translating on the fly and helping them communicate. He holds language classes before games, often in the luxury suites at the ballparks. He’s even attended Dodgers spring training.

Again, it’s been a change of venue, not of mission. Diversity, equity and inclusion has been his professional mission, and it began when he was a child in Cuba. Alonso’s family fled Cuba to the United States in 1961. They arrived with nothing and had to rebuild their lives. But his awareness of inequity began before they left home.

“I like the fact that I get to work with players who are highly motivated and dedicated to learning the

“I came from a family that did well in Cuba, but lost everything coming here, and we have a high level of

social conscience,” says Alonso. He remembers learning about inequity firsthand while in middle school. He attended a private school for white Cubans in Havana, and one day, a group of Afro-Cubans were bused to his school. “They were wearing the same uniforms we were,” says Alonso. “They were there to attend mass, and then go back to their school. That day, I went home and asked my father, who was an attorney, ‘Where do they go to school? Why don’t they come here?’ He took me to a part of Havana I had never seen. It didn’t look anything like our school. My father’s answer was that the country kept people apart based on the color of their skin. “It’s interesting that in 1989, I saw that at TCC. It was like déjà vu. But it was definitely for a different reason.” Back in 1989, Alonso caught the eye of Dr. John Kontogianes, then Provost of TCC’s Northeast campus. While in graduate school, he worked as an adjunct, and Dr. Kontogianes took his advanced Spanish class. “That particular semester, he was looking for a dean of student services at Northeast,” says Alonso. “In essence, that entire 16 weeks became an audition. He encouraged me to apply. He mentored a lot of people at TCC. He was a really special person.” By the end of that semester, Alonso was offered, and accepted, the job. Almost immediately, he noticed a problem. “There were very few students of color on the Northeast campus in the 1980s,” says Alonso. “That bothered me, especially because of that campus’s location and its immediate constituency. I got the impression someone had built a moat around the campus.” So he and his team of directors, counselors and coordinators – and Alonso gives credit the TCC’s staff, administration, faculty, students, and student organizations – set about inviting underrepresented communities to the College. He made it a point to provide programming of substance, things that would prepare students and their parents to attend college.

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“When we began all this at TCC, we really had to change the culture. We started a really aggressive outreach program that sent the message that TCC is everyone’s College,” he says. “It went from 2,000 minority students to 10,000. We were establishing community partnerships with anyone who wanted to help us diversify the student body.” Alonso gives credit to all his staff and the “people of TCC” for making it all happen. “They worked very, very hard in creating a climate at the College that values diversity, equity and inclusion. They deserve a tremendous amount of credit. The work that was put in place, it was a total college-wide effort. Our goal was to diversify our student body, which we did.” Word got out. Not just in the community, but across the country. The College began receiving national awards, and TCC staff were being called to speak as subject matter experts. The American Association of Community Colleges recognized the College with its st prestigious student services award – the “National Council on Student Development: Contribution to Knowledge and Exemplary Program Award” for the College’s work in the area of diversity and civic engagement. The press called, to the point where Alonso was unable to handle all the interviews himself. “We were getting requests from institutions all over the country,” he says. “’Come and tell us how you did this.’ We received a lot of support from many entities and people as a result of getting the word out. It brought much honor to the College. When I think about the number of TCC students, the lives we have impacted over the past 50 years, helping them achieve their academic and career goals, moving onto better jobs that positively affect their families, giving them hope – it’s been an insuperable experience.” Alonso may not be Dean of anything these days, but he’s an ambassador of the College’s mission, whether he’s standing in front of a classroom or translating in the bullpen. “I’m actually retired, but not.”

COMMON BOOK TACKLES

1921 TULSA RACE MASSACRE Tulsa journalist Randy Krehbiel’s Tulsa 1921: Reporting a Massacre, is TCC’s 2020-21 Common Book, and sure to set the stage for a number of courageous conversations. “This is a big issue for the Tulsa area for the upcoming year,” says Lori Coggins, TCC’s Common Book coordinator. “We’re not sure how much our students know about it coming into college. The Race Massacre happened in our community and we need to have discussions about it.” Coggins and a 20-member committee from across the College gathered input from the TCC community, and made an effort to include more feedback in the book’s selection. The committee issued a call for nominations, with the stipulation that the book should focus on the theme of the Race Massacre.

says Coggins. “It’s interesting to see what the Tulsa World and what the Tulsa Tribune wrote about it, what the papers all over the country reported about it. We talked to Randy, and there’s a lot to talk about related to this book. There’s a lot we can dig into. Students can do research. We can visit actual places where these events happened. And then we can have conversations so we can better understand what happened and become better citizens. “People had to run for their lives. They had to escape. It’s pretty powerful stuff.” TCC initiated its Common Book program during the fall of 2019. The purpose of the program is to provide a shared foundation for students to engage with ideas and perspectives that can be very different from their own, leading to intellectual conversation and personal growth.

Sixteen books were suggested, some fiction, some non-fiction. The committee split the titles amongst themselves, with everyone reading a couple. There were many criteria for selecting the book. It could not be too long, nor too short. It had to be challenging, but accessible. It had to appeal to many disciplines across the College so as to be easily worked into different curricula. And the committee was more interested in a non-fictional take than a novel. “It was important that our students would get important historical information and really learn about the Race Massacre, as well as get to focus on the book and the author,” says Coggins. The committee selected Krehbiel’s book for a number of reasons, including the fact that the author is a local, and well respected in the community. “He looks at how this event was reported and recorded,”

SIVADON NAMED NEW

CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER TCC’s incoming new Chief Academic Officer, Angela Sivadon, knows the life-changing power of a community college from personal experience. She’ll be the first to tell you that, without it, she would not be where she is. “I had to try three times before college was successful for me,” says Angela. A first-generation college student, Angela earned her first nursing degree at Tulsa Junior College, now Tulsa Community College, and then worked 14 years as a cardiac nurse in the Tulsa community. “After about 10 years, I realized that to do more, I had to have more education. That’s why I went back to school. I got my bachelor’s, master’s and then my doctorate back to back to back. TJC gave me my first career as a nurse and has given me my second career in higher education.” She joined TCC in 2010 teaching as a full-time faculty member in the Nursing program after teaching as an adjunct for two years. She developed and launched the College’s Cardiovascular Technology program to meet the growing demand from community hospitals. In February 2019, she was appointed Provost for the Metro Campus, where she oversaw the Schools of Allied Health, Business & IT, and Nursing, including Corrections Education programming. While serving as Faculty Association President, she co-chaired the implementation of Guided Pathways for the college and presented nationally on the process of integrating guided pathways and strategic planning to ensure student success. This work has helped her be a strong advocate for marginalized and minoritized students in obtaining their degrees and goals at TCC.

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She credits nursing for making her a better educator, and now, a better administrator. “In nursing, as long as you always kept the patient at the center, you were doing the right thing,” she says. “With education, it’s the same way. As long as you keep the student as the middle of the conversation, and do the right thing for the student, you can’t go wrong. “So the question is, ‘how to do the best thing for our students, especially our marginalized and underrepresented students, to make sure they can obtain their goals and enter a family-sustaining career? That they know how to maneuver the system, and how to accomplish their goals?’” She’ll officially step into her new role on August 1, but she’s already been working hand-in-hand with Dr. Cindy Hess, who’s retiring from TCC this summer. Angela considers Hess a mentor and role-model. “I learned a ton from Dr. Hess,” says Angela. “She really focused on the student experience and taught me the importance of asking the right questions. What I’ve learned from her, I’ve incorporated it into my own processes and strategies, and will take it to the next level. She also liked to have fun, and I like people that like to have fun. I’m all about the fun.” Part of the fun comes from having good, meaningful relationships between people across the College, and it’s something she’s seen improve during the pandemic. “We show each other a lot more grace than we did before,” she says. “We need to make sure we’re working together, and through this pandemic, we’ve gotten a little better at figuring that out. It may seem counterintuitive, but there are a lot of silver linings to this pandemic.”

Angela believes the challenges of dealing with the pandemic brought to light possibilities to make the College better. “It’s obvious that higher education and TCC are not going to be the same as they were in February. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help frame that, to help identify what that is, and to help figure out how we reimagine TCC to be the best it can be for our students in the post-pandemic environment. It will take all of us working together to achieve the best results for our students and I’m excited to lead that endeavor. “I am passionate about the community college mission. It changed my life, literally,” says Angela. “For me now, in the Chief Academic Officer position, I want to help lead other people to discover what their passion is.”

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PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO SERVED On a chilly day in January, Shannon Matthews, a 1997 TCC business graduate, dropped by TCC to visit. A Purple Heart recipient, Matthews was already in town to speak to a group of Nathan Hale High School students about the Army’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He did not stop by TCC to sell the virtues of the JROTC, however. He wanted to talk to the TCC Foundation about scholarships, specifically the one he created in 2010 for older veterans seeking to better themselves through education. It’s a path he’s walked. A Purple Heart recipient, Matthews has led a life of service, first in the military, and then through the civil service with the Office of Veterans Affairs. A Gulf War veteran, he received the Purple Heart in October ‘94 while participating in Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. He retired from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2012 after 24 years of combined service. “I did my time the long way around,” says Matthews. Education played a large part in his career. After getting out of the Army, he brought his GI Bill funds back home to Tulsa and enrolled at TCC. He majored in Business. When he finished at TCC, he transferred to OSU Tulsa and graduated with his Bachelor’s in 2001. He is listed on the Who’s Who for both institutions. Matthews a first-generation college graduate, though his daughter has followed in his footsteps, graduating from Oklahoma State University

with a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering. “Education has been immense in my life,” says Matthews. “It wasn’t something I wanted to do. I wanted to stay in the Army and make a career out of it. But I realized I needed it. When I was on active duty, you think you’re smart. You think you’re educated and no one can tell you anything. When you get out, you find out you’re not as smart or as educated as you think you are.” With a couple degrees under his belt, Matthews wanted to continue his educational journey, and enrolled in graduate school. He discovered there weren’t many scholarship opportunities for older veterans. “I searched for scholarships for veterans, but there weren’t any for those who got out before 9/11,” he says. “It was all for current vets. When you get older, the benefits are not as readily available as they were when you were 18, 20 years old. So I created one.” With the help of the Foundation, he funded a $1,000 scholarship. He choose to do this at TCC because he’s an alumnus and understands $1,000 goes a lot further at a community college than it does at a four-year institution. “It’s just something for an older veteran,” he says. “They can look at TCC and say, ‘Hey, there’s something for me.’ I hope it allows them the opportunity to finish their degree, or to get it started.” And as an alumnus, he knows first-hand the quality of a TCC degree. “I would encourage anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, whatever, to give TCC a try. Give the College an opportunity,” he says. “Show them you want to be exposed to higher learning, and TCC will do the rest.”

INSPIRING HOPE:

THE TCC STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND Jeff Mulder is so close to graduating with his Science degree. He has just six hours in the summer to take. His wife is also a student at TCC and together they have two young children – a two-year-old toddler and a sevenmonth-old baby. “It is a crazy time – taking care of them and all of the changes we experienced in March,” says Jeff. The pandemic impacted his job, the only source of income for his family. He applied to the Inspire Hope: TCC Student Emergency Fund for help. “I am worried about paying bills and worried about college expenses for the summer semester because it is only two months to come up with the money for the classes I need to graduate,” says Jeff. TCC’s priority is to take care of our students and help them remain in school, ultimately completing their

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degree. Due to the sudden impact of the pandemic, TCC students were confronted with unemployment, food insecurity and housing challenges. Jeff is but one example. Palmer Tetley is another. An electrical engineering major, he completed his degree requirements in the spring but is still considering whether to transfer or take another semester of prerequisites at TCC. Due to COVID-19, his part-time job at a local venue disappeared. No events, no work. Plus, his father was laid off from the oil industry, which means less support from his parents. “I was already worried about finances, then with the switch mid-semester to online classes, I was struggling even more,” says Palmer. “I want to say a huge thank you to those who have been able to help. The Emergency Fund eases the burden I feel and has provided me some relief.” Before COVID-19, the College had an Emergency Fund to support currently enrolled students with essential

expenses due to a temporary or unexpected hardship. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inspire Hope: TCC Student Emergency Fund committed to helping more students through this difficult time. “We had community members and philanthropic organizations asking, ‘How can we help?’ Through this fund, we all have been able to inspire hope during a bleak time,” says Leigh B. Goodson, Ph.D., TCC President and CEO. With those generous donations, the TCC Foundation provided more than 360 students and employees with a cash infusion during a four-week period in March and April for such things as utilities, rent, food, internet and tuition.

make it one more week, one more month,” says Kari Shults, Interim VP for Advancement & Pres. of the TCC Foundation. “The way our TCC family and the Tulsa community pulled together these past few months is remarkable.” But the work has not stopped. Donations keep coming in and requests for emergency funding are still being approved. “This gives me hope to see the Tulsa Community College Foundation providing some help. It truly is nice to see the College sticking together and supporting students like myself,” says Jeff. If you can help, visit Inspire Hope: TCC Student Emergency Fund.

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Notice of Non-Discrimination: Tulsa Community College is committed to establishing an environment for its students and employees that fosters inclusion, values equity and diversity, embraces and respects the dignity of people, and provides equal educational and employment opportunity. In compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations the College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable discrimination law in its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational programs, activities, or services. The Civil Rights Compliance Administrator, 3727 E. Apache Room AB218, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Phone 918-595- 8487; email: TCCnondiscrimination@tulsacc.edu has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies. The Title IX Coordinator, 909 S. Boston Ave, Room 505, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Phone 918-595-7842; email: TCCTitleIX@tulsacc.edu has been designated to handle inquiries regarding sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, pregnancy, domestic violence, and stalking. This publication, printed by Meeks, is issued by Tulsa Community College as authorized by Title 70 O.S. 4413. 1500 copies have been prepared and distributed at a cost of $5,400 ($3.60 per copy). This publication is issued by Tulsa Community College authorized by Title 70 O.S. 4413 and is located at the following website(s): TulsaCC.edu/CommunityMagazine.