WATC Newletter

Fall 2018 UPDATE

DIRECTOR’S CORNER The 2018 fall semester at UAFS and WATC is over and in the books. We saw our fall enrollment level just short of 450 students. The first day of the semester back in August does not seem that far in the past, and all of a sudden it is the 2019 spring semester! As I reflect on the fall, several things come to mind that highlight the great students, faculty, and staff we have in the WATC program.

The work done by a majority of our students this past fall is something of which to be proud. What a great group of students, faculty, and staff! For the 10th straight year, we have maintained a very high (greater than 85 percent) “in good standing” rate. We are so fortunate to have quality instructors that assist the students in not only their academics, but also help them learn collaboration and study skills. We are proud of the accomplishments of all the students who participated in WATC this fall and look to the spring semester with the same goals in mind: providing excellent dual-credit opportunities for each student from our 21 sending schools. We look forward to another great group of students participating in the statewide competition at SkillsUSA this coming April. Also this spring we will have our first cohort of practical nursing students finish their course and clinical work with cohort two already hard at work as well.

A big “Thank You” to the staff of the WATC office for the wonderful work they do behind the scenes. We are very fortunate to have these dedicated people working for our students. We are still partnering with the Fort Smith junior high schools as their Partner in Education and have been honored to work with all of them again this semester. In addition, we had the opportunity to bring the Greenwood Freshman Academy to campus as well as students from the junior highs from the Fort Smith Public Schools. What a great honor to have those students here learning about WATC and UAFS.

Our integrated instruction, advising, Next Step visits, and SkillsUSA all combine to offer our students the best of academics and student organizations. The WATC staff works tirelessly to make sure all our students receive the best educational opportunities possible.

The Next Step visits started in late January and end in late February. In addition to bringing 10th grade students from most of the high schools WATC serves to the UAFS campus in order for them to see firsthand the WATC experience, this year we will continue to have parent preview nights that coincide with the Next Step visits in order to get parents on campus in the evening hours after their students have been here for their Next Step visit. We anticipate receiving and processing many applications for admission into WATC, and these visits, preview nights, and summer orientations will surely help generate further area-wide interest in WATC programs.

As we look toward spring of 2019 and then fall of 2019, I continue hoping for a great future for WATC and the students that attend WATC classes here at UAFS. What a wonderful opportunity the students have to receive college credit and high school credit for college-level work completed during their junior and senior years of high school. It has been an honor to be a part of the WATC program here at UAFS for the last nine years. The completion of spring 2019 will mark the end of my tenure as WATC director as I retire from education. It is my hope that the spring of 2019 will be full of new and exciting adventures for each of you as we continue to provide training for high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand jobs for our students and our local economy.

D. Chris Rink, Ed.D. Director

Graphic Design Students TOUR CRYSTAL BRIDGES Funded by a grant from Crystal Bridges to bring school groups into the museum, students in the graphic design program got the unique opportunity to receive a guided tour of the art museum. Led by museum educator Donna Hutchinson, on October 24, 2018, students viewed and learned about different techniques and styles displayed throughout the museum.

Students also viewed the featured exhibit at the time, Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, as well as the sculptures and installations displayed along the outdoor trails.

Junior High Students VISIT WATC In an effort to expose students to various career and education pathways, Fort Smith Public Schools partnered with WATC to bring 8th graders onto

Chad Cargill ACT

WORKSHOP

the UAFS campus over several days throughout

ACT expert Chad Cargill

the fall semester. During the visit students learned

gave a test preparation

about all of the programs available in WATC and

workshop on Nov. 1, 2018.

got to see live demonstrations in the automotive,

The workshop was held

welding, and robotics labs within the College of

on the UAFS campus,

Applied Science and Technology. Students also

and more than 100 WATC

visited the College of Health Sciences as well as

students attended.

the School of Education, viewing various health science labs and a mock early childhood education

Cargill took the ACT

classroom in Echols.

18 times while in high school, improving his score from a 19 to a 32. He now travels throughout the country sharing his strategies for doing well on the ACT. Though he may be a master at taking the ACT, Cargill also advises students on obtaining scholarships and financial aid to pay for college.

He also encourages volunteering and giving back to the community.

Trunk or Treat WITH SKILLSUSA SkillsUSA participated in the trunk-or-treat at Haunted Union held on the UAFS campus on October 27, 2018. Students dressed in costume and passed out candy to an estimated 400 kids that attended the event. Along with receiving candy, those who stopped by the SkillsUSA area were also able to play a mini-golf carnival game to win a prize.

Student Artwork Displayed in WINDGATE ART & DESIGN A sampling of finished work by students in the WATC 2D design class of the graphic design program was displayed on the second floor of the Windgate building by instructor Charles Steiner. The point of the installation was not only to show the quality of studio work by WATC students, but also to demonstrate how the students are doing the same assignments as regular undergrads in 2D design. The work remained on display from October 14, 2018, through the end of the fall semester.

IMPORTANT DATES FEBRUARY 28

Preview Night • 6pm • Baldor Technology Center • Room 101

MARCH 5

Preview Night • 6pm • Baldor Technology Center • Room 101

MARCH 7

Preview Night • 6pm • Baldor Technology Center • Room 101

APRIL 8–10

Arkansas SkillsUSA State Competition • Hot Springs, AR

APRIL 30

WATC Awards Ceremony • 2pm • Campus Center • Reynolds Room

MAY 23

WATC New Student Orientation • 6pm • Campus Center • Reynolds Room

MAY 24

WATC New Student Orientation • 6pm • Campus Center • Reynolds Room

MAY 30

WATC New Student Orientation • 6pm • Campus Center • Reynolds Room

MAY 31

WATC New Student Orientation • 6pm • Campus Center • Reynolds Room