Collin College’s first Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) class started in May. The nine-month certification is the only one of its kind in Texas and one of only 11 in the nation. Surgical technologists who have already earned their associate of applied science degrees may choose to return for this advanced technical certificate (ATC) in surgical assisting. Graduates of this program can sit for the Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) examination sponsored by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. Students are on campus each summer for the skills portion, and they take the lecture classes online during the year. Thank you to Central Park Campus Vice President/Provost Jon Hardesty, Academic Affairs Dean Gary Hodge, program coordinator Donna Smith and everyone who helped with the launch of this program.
Dr. Salena Brody, Professor of Psychology at the Preston Ridge Campus, won the 2018 Innovative Teaching award for the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues based on a classroom activity developed to teach about classism. Congratulations to her on this achievement and her ongoing commitment to excellence.
The Preston Ridge Campus Career Exploration Fair on April 12 drew more than 250 students and more than 45 companies, many from the college’s workforce advisory committees, as well as six university partners. The career fair included an opening speaker from Indeed and closing speaker from LinkedIn, in addition to smaller breakout sessions on communication skills, interview etiquette, social media rules and more. Overall, the event was a great success, and its organizing committee raised $3,000 for Collin College Foundation Scholarships. Thank you to Vice President/Provost Dr. Abe Johnson, Associate Dean Karen Musa, Administrative Assistant Nancy Huff, guest speakers Aaron Schwartz and Lucinda Ruch, and the organizing committee for all of their hard work on this fair.
Lee DeBoer, Professor of Criminal Justice, graduated May 11 with his Ed.D. from Texas A&M University-Commerce, after completing his defense of dissertation in March. Congratulations to Professor DeBoer on this achievement.
English associate faculty Barbara Morgan received her Ph.D. in English Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Texas at Arlington on May 11. Her dissertation title is “The Rhetoric of Academic Discourse: A Qualitative, Phenomenological Study of Students’ Self-Investigation of the Acquisition of Academic Discourse in First-Year Writing Courses.” Congratulations to Professor Morgan on this achievement.
Larry Robertson, Director of Benefits, Compensation and Human Resources Systems, has been selected to serve a three-year term as a director on the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) National Board. His term starts in July 2018. Congratulations to him on this honor. It will provide significant exposure for Collin College among the institutions of higher education in the country.
Dr. Dani Day, Vice President of Academic Services, has been elected president of Texas Women in Higher Education. Dr. Day was the first community college representative appointed to the organization’s board and has successfully advocated for representative inclusion of community college women and community college issues throughout the organization. Dr. Day has previously served as the organization’s treasurer and concurrently represents Texas to the American Council on Education’s Diversity Network. Congratulations to her on her new position.
Dr. Diana Hopes, Dean of Academic Services, was invited by Universidad InterNaciones de Guatemala to participate in their esteemed speaker series. Dr. Hopes conducted a webinar presentation for students, faculty, administrators, and other educators on evidence-based strategies and practices in curriculum, instruction and assessment for the effective implementation and evaluation of foreign language teaching programs. Dr. Hopes’ presentation built on the curriculum and assessment work she developed, facilitated and supported while serving as a Fulbright Scholar in 2013-2014. The webinar was conducted on May 17 at the main campus and broadcasted to the satellite campuses across Guatemala. Thank you to Dr. Hopes for representing Collin College well.
State Farm presented a check for $97,500 to college officials on April 18 to fund programs and scholarships at Collin College. State Farm will fund 21 scholarships and provide support for student child care expenses ($25,000), Veterans Resource Center programs ($15,000) and Career Center initiatives ($30,000). Collin College appreciates the support of the local business community in its efforts to put students first.
Arianna Gray, Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs, has earned all 17 professional credentials from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). The NASFAA credential program provides a nationally-recognized standard in financial aid training, and the 17 rigorous credential tests cover information from all of the major areas within financial aid. Gray is one of 17 people nationwide to earn all 17 credentials offered by NASFAA and only the second person in Texas. Congratulations to her on this exceptional achievement.
Lishan Desta and Rosalinda Valenzuela, Associate Government Faculty, presented a paper at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago, April 5-7. Ryan Rynbrandt, Professor of Government, also attended the conference.
On April 26, Southwest Airlines hosted several students from Associate Professor Fred Kuglin’s Leadership and Negotiations and Conflict Management class. The theme was the leadership qualities at Southwest Airlines. Representatives from Southwest explained how the company could sustain its status, year in and year out, in the Top 10 of Fortune Magazine’s annual survey of Most Admired Companies in the U.S. (In 2017, they ranked No. 8.) Luke Stone, Manager of Campus Reach in Southwest Airline’s People Department, presented their corporate strategy and human resources approach to recruiting quality talent into the “Southwest Airlines Family.” Thank you Professor Kuglin and his students for representing the college well on the trip and to Renee Long and John Hines for contributing items for leave-behind gift bags for Mr. Stone and his team.
Dr. Dallie Clark, Professor of Humanities, recently displayed an exhibit at the request of the TEDxPlano director at a TEDx lecture in the Plano Courtyard Theatre lobby.
Dr. Dallie Clark and Pam Sawyer, Professor of Integrated Reading and Writing, presented a joint workshop on “The Art of Letters,” April 10, at the Smith Public Library in Wylie.
Two Collin College faculty members were appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board field of study (FOS) advisory committees. Dr. Kristi Clark-Miller was appointed to the THECB Sociology Field of Study Advisory Committee. Professor William Ardis was appointed to the Mathematics Field of Study Advisory Committee. The charge of both committees is to identify the block of courses that students may transfer to a general academic teaching institution. The announcement of the appointments was made at the THECB quarterly meeting in April. Congratulations to Professor Ardis and Dr. Clark-Miller on their selections to the FOS advisory committees. We are confident they will represent the college well.
Andy Galloway, Associate Professor of History, won an award of merit from the Global Shorts Festival for his documentary, The Eviction. It is also an official selection to the CV Film Awards and the Pinnacle Film Awards. Congratulations to him on this achievement.
Craig Leverette, Academic Affairs Dean at Spring Creek Campus, served on a panel at the Texas Women in Higher Education Conference on April 17, along with Dr. Thom Chesney, President of Brookhaven College, and Dr. Stuart Dorsey, President of Texas Lutheran University.
Dr. Sunita Rangarajan, Professor of Biology at Preston Ridge Campus, and the Rotaract club held a food drive and collected 260 pounds of food for Feed Frisco. That amount of food is equal to 216 meals. Thank you to Dr. Rangarajan and the students for all the work put into the food drive.
The Halstead Design Challenge Exhibition in Portland, Oregon accepted work by Professor of Art Chris Tinnen, in conjunction with the Society of North American Goldsmiths Annual Conference. Congratulations to him on this honor.
Robert Aronoff, Professor of Speech, has been invited to conduct a four-part seminar over the next 12 months on “Persuasion and Human Decision Making” for the University of Central Florida Foundation.
Dr. Levi R. Bryant, Professor of Philosophy, published “Folds of Being: Acts of Architecture,” in The Secret Life of Buildings, Vol. 21, Michael Benedikt and Kory Bieg, ed., Austin: Center for Architecture and Design, 2018.
Associate Dean Dawn Richardson attended The Chair Academy conference in Denver from April 2-6.
Collin College has been honored with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 21st 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 basis for receiving the honor is 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. Thank you and congratulations to Chief Financial Officer Ken Lynn, Associate Vice President Julie Bradley, Associate Vice President Barbara Johnston, and all of the members of Collin’s Administrative Services department on this honor, and on continuing to uphold the level of financial services which have led to more than two decades worth of recognition.
At their annual end of year celebration, April 26, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Implementation Team recognized faculty and staff who have served in the QEP Academic Planning Coach Program (APCP) initiative since the program was piloted in the 2013-2014 academic year. Students who participated in the APCP this academic year and demonstrated superior growth in academic readiness, career planning, and goal setting were also recognized with the Excellence in Academic Planning Award. Collin College offers congratulations to them on the awards and a thank you for their service and participation.
Collin College hosted the National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s D1 National Tennis Championship, May 14-18. The event attracted 26 teams from around the nation to the Spring Creek Campus for a week of competition. Thank you to Senior Vice President of Academics, Workforce and Enrollment Services Dr. Sherry Schumann, Vice President of Student and Enrollment Services Albert Tezeno, Spring Creek Campus Vice President/Provost Dr. Abe Johnson, Director of Intramurals and Fitness William Mitchell, Coach Marty Berryman, Assistant to the Vice President for Athletics Susan Ketcham, and everyone else who helped with the tournament.