The American Culinary Federation conducted a site visit of Preston Ridge Campus, Dec. 5-7, as part of the reaccreditation process for Collin College’s Culinary and Pastry program. Thank you to Preston Ridge Campus Vice President/Provost Abe Johnson, Dean Jim Barko, Associate Dean Karen Musa, and Chef Tom Severs for their work toward retaining this prestigious national accreditation.
Collin College has been selected as one of the “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®” in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the third year in a row. Collin was once again the only college/ university to make the Dallas-Fort Worth list. The honor recognizes organizations which practice innovative strategies and represent best practices in a variety of human resource measures, based on anonymous surveys conducted by an independent research firm. Collin College was noted for strengths in the categories of: community initiatives; diversity and inclusion; and communication and shared vision. Thank you to everyone who filled out the surveys which reflected so positively on our college and its commitment to its employees.
At the end of November, the 2017 Lift Up! Employee Giving Campaign had raised more than $125,000, with 54 percent employee participation in the campaign (an increase from 32 percent last year!). We are now working toward the goal of 100 percent participation. Every dollar counts and even a small contribution increases our participation rate which in turn helps to gain other larger external donations. All of the funds raised during the campaign will support scholarships for deserving students attending Collin. Thank you to Vice President of Advancement Lisa Vasquez, Director of Development Patricia Gregory, Special Projects Coordinator Kim Dalfonso, and Advancement Services Coordinator Darlene Weingart for organizing the campaign, and to everyone who has taken part thus far, for making student lives better at Collin College. If you have not contributed and would like to join us in our goal of reaching 100 percent participation, please visit: http://www.collin.edu/foundation/give/faculty.html
Collin College received recognition from three separate awarding entities for their commitment to student veterans. The college was recognized as a Top School in the Military Advanced Education & Transition (MAE&T) Guide to Colleges and Universities, ranked nationally in Military Times Best: Colleges 2018 rankings (formerly Best for Vets), and was again recognized as a Military Friendly® School by Victory Media. Executive Vice President Dr. Brenda Kihl, Interim Associate Dean Meredith Martin, Associate Vice President of Institutional Research Tom Martin, Coordinator of Institutional Research Gloria Hurtado Diaz, and Director of Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Alan Pixley collaborated to complete the research necessary to submit each survey.
Director of Purchasing Cindy White and Assistant Director of Purchasing Karen Bell recently completed the Construction Purchasing Certificate Program through the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. The Construction Purchasing Certificate Program consists of four core courses and one elective to be completed over a two-year period. The certificate coursework covered the basics of construction purchasing, project and construction management, and the legal aspects of construction contracts, among other topics.
Collin College’s OneSound a cappella group has been invited to compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) competition. The competition will take place starting with several quarterfinal regional events, with more than 6,000 performers in more than 400 groups taking to the stage in “Pitch Perfect”-style performances. Directed by Professor Kathy Morgan, OneSound is the only group from a two-year school invited to the Feb. 24, 2018, Texas competition at Truett Auditorium in Fort Worth. Professor Morgan encourages as many people to attend as possible. Check varsityvocals.com/events for tickets and buy as soon as possible, so Collin College’s fans can represent at the contest and send OneSound to the next level of competition. Thank you to Professor Morgan and the students who make up OneSound, and good luck!
Associate Culinary Professor Chad Burnett recently filmed a segment for Verify TV on the question, “What should be the state food of Texas – barbecue or chili?” Learn a little about the Texas history of both foods and hear his verdict at https://www.facebook.com/VerifyTV/videos/522454668108987/.
Kelley Reynolds, Professor of Respiratory Care, and Araceli Solis, Respiratory Care Program Director, have been appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Program of Study Committee.
The North Texas chapter of the Information Systems Security Association donated $10,000 (pictured above) to the Collin College Foundation in November. The ISSA is a regular supporter of the college and its foundation, having donated $7,000 last year as well. Thank you to NTxISSA for their support and to all of the Collin College faculty members who have a presence in the organization, helping to enrich students’ educations.
Leonard Evans, Professor of Japanese, presented at the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies at Southern Methodist University on November 17. His paper was titled “The Past and Present Economic Effects of the United States’ Military Bases on Okinawa: Are They Still a Benefit Rather than Just a Hindrance to Further Future Economic Development.”
Humanities Professor Dr. Dallie Clark was honored with the 2017 University of Texas at Dallas School of Arts & Humanities Distinguished Alumni Award at the school’s annual Thanksgiving awards ceremony. The School of Arts & Humanities annually recognizes alumni for extraordinary professional achievements.
Dr. Dennis Kratz, the dean of the School for Arts & Humanities at UTD (pictured with Clark) praised Dr. Clark’s ability “to combine the creative arts with humanistic inquiry to reveal new levels of meaning expressed by the handwritten letter in the age of digital communication.” Dr. Kratz said the awards committee was impressed by Dr. Clark’s receipt of the Lebrecht Chair – and by her use of that opportunity to bring her research to the larger public. The award also recognizes Dr. Clark’s superb record as a professor.
Dean Brenda Carter was recently elected chair of the McKinney Housing Authority City Board.
Drs. J.D. Isip and Dallie Clark helped organize the TEDxPlanoSalon on “Civil Discourse and Social Justice” in coordination with the City of Plano. Associate Dean Dr. Mary Barnes-Tilley gave the welcome address.
Associate Dean La Tanya Thomas has been asked to serve as a board member for the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation. The foundation provides scholarships, educational planning, and other resources to students from Plano’s senior high schools.
On November 10, students in Leadership Development Institute courses attended the ropes course as an assignment or experiential activity. The students challenged themselves and learned teamwork and problem solving skills. Students in the photo were from classes taught by Professors Debra St. John, Mike Rose, and Judi Wohead.
Professor of English Marc Azard successfully defended his dissertation for his Ph.D. in English from Texas Woman’s University, titled “Beyond Johnny Can’t Write: Tracing the Identification of Basic Writers as Deficient, Disabled, and Foreign Others in Developmental Composition Textbook.” In his own words, the study explores how contemporary composition textbooks employ writing pedagogy that stigmatize students and their writing as deviant and inadequate.
Associate Professor of History Jack Andersen successfully defended his dissertation for his Ph.D. in United States History with an emphasis on Texas History from the University of North Texas titled, “Service Honest and Faithful: the Thirty-Third Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Philippine War, 1899 – 1901.” Anderson explains that his dissertation is a study of a volunteer infantry regiment that was recruited in Texas, the South, and the Midwest and successfully fought as a front-line infantry unit and as a constabulary force during the Philippine War.
Collin College hosted the University of Texas at Arlington for a mock trial scrimmage on November 4. Collin’s Mock Trial team exhibited great courtroom skills and were gracious in victory. Thank you to the Mock Trial Team, Mock Trial Advisor Julie Hershenberg, Associate Dean Mary Barnes-Tilley and Administrative Assistant Deborah Hall for helping to make it a successful event.
Every Collin College campus participated in events during Veterans Week, honoring the service of armed forces members and student veterans. Events included: partnerships with Blue Star Mothers for items to be shipped in APO boxes for deployed service members; Letters to Soldiers: Thank our Troops via www.amillionthanks.org; events at the Veterans Resource Centers; a presentation on career paths and graduate programs specifically for veterans from the Preston Ridge Campus Career Center and community leaders interested in mentoring student veterans from the business sector; a lecture from Vietnam Veteran Bruce Sweatmon, who spoke about Lessons from the Front; a research poster initiative with posters displayed around Preston Ridge Campus; meals and other food events for veterans; and Tango Bravo: A Veterans Photographic Exhibition. Thank you to all of the faculty and staff who helped organize these events to recognize the contributions and service of our student veterans.
The Collin College Lady Cougars rank 21st in the nation according to the latest National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Women’s Basketball Poll. The Lady Cougars are at the top of their conference with a 10-1 record and have had three NJCAA Region V Players of the Week this season – Jordynn Hernandez, Jazmine Jackson, and Ashtyn Beal. Congratulations to the Lady Cougars, Head Coach Jeff Allen, and Assistant Coach Larry Carter.
Congratulations to our Fall 2017 Wellness Team Challenge participants:
Tier 1: First Place: Gym Rats Second Place: New ABC’s
Tier 2: First Place: Nutty Professor Second Place: Fab 5
Tier 3: First Place: Dental Hygenious Second Place: Fit and Fab
Thank you to Professor/Wellness Program Coordinator Linda Muysson for her leadership and to all of you who participated in the Challenge.