Three Collin College students have been honored with Leaders of Promise Scholarships from Coca-Cola. Brianna Becker and Taylor Vandersmitte have been named 2017 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars and Mateo Rivera has been selected as a 2017 Coca-Cola Military Leaders of Promise Scholar, an honor reserved for students who are active personnel or veterans of the U.S. Military. The students were selected based on scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership potential. Each of the scholarships are for $1,000. Coca-Cola partners with the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as part of the selection process. The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship actively encourages the completion of a college credential, an associate degree or certificate among college students.
Collin College has been honored with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 20th year in a row. Awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA), the certificate is the highest form of recognition offered in governmental accounting and financial reporting. The honor is based on an organization’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), which is judged by an impartial panel to determine if it meets the industry’s highest standards, including clear communication of the organization’s financial story.
Recently retired International Students Office Coordinator Rebecca Crowell has been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Region 111. The organization is dedicated to building leadership for the global community and using international education to help create a more interconnected world. Crowell was hired at Collin College in August 1985, shortly after the college’s founding and served in a variety of capacities during her time here.
Dr. Lupita Murillo Tinnen has been honored as a finalist for a Women of Visionary Influence (WOVI) Award. WOVI recognizes and celebrates women from across the Dallas/Fort Worth area whose mentoring has made a difference in the lives of other women. Dr. Murillo Tinnen was honored at a WOVI event on Oct. 20 in Richardson. Dr. Murillo Tinnen also presented at a conference and has photographs in two group exhibitions this month. Her presentation, “The Post Documentary: Connecting Social Awareness with Art in the Digital Age” focused on the potential social and political power of contemporary documentary photography. She has work in the exhibition “CRITICAL MASS: A Survey of UT Dallas’ Visual Arts Alumni 1997-2017” through Nov. 11 at the University of Texas at Dallas campus, and in the exhibition, “This, That, or The Other: Emerging Trends and Vernacular in Photography,” through Oct. 28 at The Art Center of Waco.
The college has released its 2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which collects crime and fire statistics at all Collin College campuses for the past three years that the statistics are available. Visit http://www.collin.edu/studentresources/deanofstudents/AnnualSecurityReports.aspx to view the report.
Associate Physics Professor Mark Wessel recently published a paper, “Energy Considerations for Lifting the Greenland Ice-Melt from the Earth’s Gravitational Well.” In it, he explores the possibility of removing excess water caused by the predicted rise in sea levels by lifting that water into space. Wessel concludes that it is theoretically possible using solar energy, but would require a major effort by governments around the globe. Read the paper here, http://arxiv.org/abs/1710.02523.
Chief Public Relations Officer Tom Delamater was asked by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Academic Engagement to moderate a panel discussion on crisis communication during the annual National Seminar for Institutes of Higher Education, which took place Oct. 10-11 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. This year’s conference focused on emergency preparedness and the prevention of cyberattacks. Other Collin College representatives in attendance included Chief of Police Bill Taylor, Dean of Students Terrence Brennan, Executive Director of Facilities Dr. Bill King, and Executive Director of Academic Technology and Network Services Shane Ammons.
Chief Public Relations Officer Tom Delamater provided the McKinney Chamber of Commerce Government and Legislative Affairs Committee and the Plano Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee with college updates in September.
Brett Adams, Professor of History, coordinated “A Celebration of Frisco and Texas History” at the Frisco Heritage Museum, Oct. 7. The event included a lecture by TSHA (Texas State Historical Association) Endowed Professor of Texas History at the University of North Texas, Dr. Richard B. McCaslin, titled “Washington on the Brazos: Where Texas Became Texas,” a Frisco student and Collin College photography exhibit and reception, and a film screening of The First Texan at the museum theater. The event was sponsored by Collin College, Heritage Association of Frisco, Inc., Frisco Heritage Museum and Humanities Texas. A portion of the event was funded by a grant through Humanities Texas.
Faculty members Kimberly O’Neil, Steve Saunders were featured in an Allen Image article titled “Professors Bring Real-World Experience into Classrooms” in that magazine’s October issue. Photos by Nick Young and Vernon Hadnot were used in the article.
Collin College Trustee Adrian Rodriguez, Vice President/Provost Dr. Jon Hardesty and Associate Vice President Raul Martinez made a presentation on Plano Independent School District and the Health Science Academy at the Association of Community College Trustees Leadership Conference in Las Vegas.
Health Information Management Director Michelle Millen made multiple presentations at the American Health Information Management Association Convention in Los Angeles in early October.
Dr. Raquel Rivera, Associate Professor of English was named one of McKinney’s 10 Most Beautiful Women in The Art of Living Beautifully magazine. See her entry and the full list at www.theartoflivingbeautifully.net/mckinneys-10-beautiful-women.
Professors of Dance Tiffanee Arnold and Meghan Cardwell-Wilson took part in the Dance Council of North Texas’s podcast, Art and Stage, on Sept. 5. The pair discussed their experiences with dance, Collin College’s dance program and Dancers Network, an event held at Preston Ridge Campus in early October. See the podcast interview at https://livestream.com/onairmedia/events/7606550/videos/162369212.
“Texas Winds,” a piece by Professor of Art Theresa Traweck, was selected for Art in Atrium 15, an exhibition at The George A. Purefoy Center in Frisco. The piece is up now and will be part of the exhibition through March 9, 2018.
Dr. Ann Beheler presented as a panelist at the National Science Foundation ATE Principal Investigators Conference in Washington, D.C., Oct. 23-25, on the National Convergence Technology Center’s (CTC) Business and Industry Leadership Team model. CTC also held two breakfast roundtables on collaboration and effectively gathering evidence of success as well as holding a showcase of its work. The CTC is based at Collin College and has a national reach in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, and Communications.
Two Collin College students presented research posters at the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Annual Convention in August. Kendra Suell presented a poster on academic self-regulated learning. She was one of four authors of this poster, which had previously been presented at the regional Southwestern Psychological Conference. Michelle Borckhardt presented a poster on dog therapy. Authors of both posters received certificates of recognition for their research. Psi Beta Advisor Pat Coble accompanied the students to the convention.