The number of credentials awarded by Collin College for 2020 grew by 26 percent over the previous year for an unofficial total of 5,154. The number of awards is 23 percent over the college’s goal of 4,195, a mark set to comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 60X30 TX plan. Under that plan, Collin College was charged with increasing its credential awarding by 241 additional students each year through 2030. Chief Student Success Officer Dr. Jay Corwin credits the increase to excellent work by faculty and staff throughout the district as well as great work by the students.
Collin College and Tarrant College have signed an articulation agreement giving all Tarrant Associate of Applied Science degree graduates in Cybersecurity conditional admission into Collin’s Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity program. This is Collin College’s first articulation agreement as a bachelor’s degree granting institution, though more are in process. Congratulations to Ervin Frenzel and the Cybersecurity program.
Dr. Millie D. Black, political science professor at the Wylie Campus recently had an article published in the Journal of Education Inquiry. You can find the article titled “Exploring relationships between a teacher’s race-ethnicity and gender and student teaching expectations,” at the following link: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20004508.2020.1824343.
Full-time math instructor Bryan Valenzuela, who works in the Anthony Peterson Center for Academic Assistance at Wylie, represented Collin College in a STEM panel given by the University of North Texas, Nov. 3. Panel members explained via Zoom how they use their degrees in a typical day.
Michelle Millen, dean of academic affairs and workforce at the McKinney Campus, was named president-elect of the Texas Health Information Management Association (TxHIMA) board of directors. TxHIMA is a component state association of the American Information Management Association (AHIMA). The association is recognized as the leading source of health information management knowledge and a respected authority for rigorous professional educations and training.
Photography students Paola Monreal and Cesar De La Cruz had their work published in the November 2020 issue of The HAND, a magazine devoted to reproduction-based art. Professor Elizabeth Mellott submitted a few students’ work which had grown out of the Spring 2020 shelter-in-place order. When classes moved fully online, Mellott’s Book, Design & Presentation class created personal books that addressed how the first two weeks of the pandemic felt. Monreal and De La Cruz’s works were part of that group. Congratulations to them all on their publication.
The Texas Board of Nursing is listing the Collin College Registered Nurse pass rate for 2020 at 90.73 percent. Last year the BON reported Collin College at 89.42 percent. The national average is 87 percent.
Keith David, adjunct faculty for English, was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the (Special Forces) Regiment (DMOR) in an online presentation from U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS) in November. David was a chief warrant officer 3 when he retired from the U.S. Army in 2001. He then started a non-profit organization for veterans. After retiring from that organization, he came to teach English at Collin.
Philosophy professor Dr. John Macready completed a book manuscript, “A continental Guide to Philosophy,” which will be published next year by Edinburgh University Press. All of the royalties from the book sales will be donated to the Collin College Foundation.
English professor Dr. LaToya Watkins accepted a two-book deal (a novel and a story collection) with Penguin/Random House/Dutton/Plume called “Tiny Reparations.”
Quest: Collin College Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Journal has published four faculty-mentored student manuscripts so far this year. Together, the articles have been downloaded more than 2,000 times worldwide. Two more manuscripts and original cover art will likely be posted before the end of the year. Quest continues to be a district-wide faculty/student collaboration success story, making the academic work of Collin students visible to a global audience. See the journal at https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/quest/.
Collin College was one of 66 international colleges and universities that participated in the National Model United Nations (NMUN) virtual conference in Washington, D.C. in November. The Collin College Model UN team won a Distinguished Delegation Award (Second Place) at the conference. This win is especially significant as the team was made up entirely of students who have never participated in a NMUN conference and this is the first time for Collin College to participate in the conference virtually. The students represented the nation of Norway on three committees: General Assembly 1, United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA), and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Collin students who were named Distinguished Delegates are: Achint “AJ” Nagasamudra, Cameron Crow, Guadalupe “Lupita” Benitez, Kirby Morgan, Stephen Pierce Petry, and Yoosuf Mughal. Thank you to the students who participated and Collin College Professors Sonia Iwanek and Tracy Meyer, who serve as advisors for our Model UN Team. The Frisco Academic Affairs Division is very proud of the students and advisors of Collin College’s Model UN Team.
Karen Musa, executive dean of Corporate College and Continuing Education, co-authored a recent blog post for the Columbia University-based Community College Research Center titled “Aligning Credit/Noncredit Workforce Programs: Lessons Learned from the Capital One Working Group.” View the post at https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/easyblog/credit-noncredit-workforce-alignment.html.
Amber Allen, director of polysomnographic technology, was selected as secretary of the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists, a national organization representing polysomnographic technologists.
The 109th Basic Peace Officer Course received special recognition from Congressman Van Taylor. The cohort started during the district’s pandemic response, as it was considered an essential program for cadets to complete. After graduating, each graduate and Collin College Staff member associated with the course received individual “Certificates of Congressional Recognition” from Taylor’s office in Washington D.C. Staff there relayed that the congressman saw the graduation on the College’s Facebook page and wanted to personally thank them.
Collin College’s Public Relations department won multiple honors in the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District 4 Medallion Awards for its work publicizing programs externally. The department earned gold in the Book or Specialty Publication category for the development of the 2020 Forces Literary Journal with the assistance of English professor Scott Yarbrough, who edited the book. It earned silver for the article “Collin College Technical Campus Balances Hard Work with Latest Technology,” bronze for the creation of mobile app cards, and bronze for Collin’s “First Time in College” brochure.
Collin College has been honored with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 23rd 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. Thank you and congratulations to 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.
Fire Science faculty member Carl McMurphy recently conducted a hands-on fire extinguisher training class for 17 Collin plant operations personnel. Employees representing campuses throughout the district were trained on the proper selection and use of portable fire extinguishers and observed a fire sprinkler activation.
Dulce de Castro, professor of foreign languages, co-authored an article with Meenakshi Beri, professor of economics, and Diana Hopes, dean of academic services (and soon-to-be executive dean of the Farmersville Campus), titled “Establishing a Faculty-Driven, College-Wide Appreciative Education Committee.” The article was published in the Special Issue on Appreciative Advising in the Community College of the Journal of Appreciative Education, which is available online at http://libjournal.uncg.edu/jae/article/view/2036 .
McKinney Makerspace Success Stories
- Collin student Luca Faro found an abandoned project (a movable car transmission model) in the McKinney Campus Makerspace and decided he would figure out how to finish the project. After planning out which pieces he needed to complete the project, he spent the Fall semester printing and building the transmission model, which is now on display at the Technical Campus Library.
- Elisa Maclean, a pastry arts student, came to the Makerspace after learning she could make custom stencils to use in her pastry class. She was intimidated at first by the technology but was a quick learner and started to create custom stencil designs on our vinyl cutting machines. Maclean soon learned she could use this helpful machine for her own pastry business. She started to train herself on the machine, learning how to design on the software and how to cut using different materials. After graduation, Maclean started her pastry arts business and purchased her own vinyl cutting machine so that she could create custom designs for her customers.
- When Mekhi Brooks arrived at the Makerspace, he had no knowledge of sewing or how to use vinyl cutting machines. After a few visits and learning how to use the equipment, Brooks and his cousin, Khyree Ali, became avid users of the Makerspace’s vinyl machines. Brooks started creating his own artwork on design software and bringing it in to cut. Using the vinyl stencils he made in the Makerspace, he also learned how to screen print these designs onto t-shirts and other clothing pieces. Brooks soon became passionate about creating his own custom clothing pieces and started his own online business to sell his artistic creations. Soon, he was interested in learning how to create his own clothing from scratch. So he began learning how to sew using the makerspace sewing machine. After creating pieces for his collection, he went on to host his own pop up store and fashion show to promote his creations. He also purchased his own personal vinyl machine and sewing machine to expand his fashion business and creations.