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ESCC holds IAA conference

ESCC holds IAA conference

By Justin Blowers

jblowers@southeastsun.com

April 3rd 2019

Enterprise State Community College was home to the Instructional Advisors Association conference on promoting the advancement and development of education programs in the Alabama Community College System on March 7 and 8.

ESCC Director of Workforce Development Ian Campbell started the conference off with a four-hour long leadership conference on March 7.

Each of the instructors introduced themselves along with Campbell and also spoke on their motivations as an instructor.

“If you’ve never thought about this (your motivation), it’s important to that because that helps you make decisions in your job and in your life and to juggle priorities,” Campbell said.

He spoke on knowing the limitations of yourself.

“It’s important to know our limitations not from a standpoint to be able to say, ‘No,’ and not complete something but to be able to know when you need to pull help on—when you need to go outside and find assistance and expertise in other areas,” Campbell said.

During his workshop, he spoke about how the movie “Dirty Harry” and how the title character Clint Eastwood plays, Harry Callahan, actually shows some good leadership qualities. These qualities are:

  • Stay focused: Callahan never loses focus on catching the Scorpio killer;
  • Honesty in advertising: Callahan honestly and accurately analyzed the risk/reward scenario for the bank robber in the famous “You feeling lucky?” scene and lets the robber make his own informed decision;
  • Do what you’re good at: Callahan knows he’s not good at communication so he doesn’t spend all his time on it;
  • Do what you have to: Callahan uses whatever methods necessary to get results; and,
  • Never give up: Callahan never gave up on finding and tracking down the Scorpio Killer.

“It’s kind of a different way to look at leadership skills but obviously fictitious and we don’t need to—especially in education—tote a .44 Magnum around and pull stunts like in the movie, but I think there is some good stuff you can glean from that,” Campbell said.

Campbell also spoke of the importance of knowing yourself.

“If you know who you are and who you’re working with then you’re able to work together better,” Campbell said. “And often times you can navigate potential conflicts by knowing who you are and set blocks ahead of that.”

The second day of the conference opened with ESCC Dean of Student Services Olivier Charles greeting the group and wishing them a good day.

The rest of the day included workshops presented by the other colleges on other topics such as online classes.

Some of the other community colleges attending were Central Alabama Community College, Alabama Coastal Community College, Gadsden State Community College and Jefferson State Community College.

ESCC choir sings at the National Cathedral

ESCC choir sings at the National Cathedral

By Justin Blowers jblowers@southeastsun.com 

http://www.southeastsun.com/home/article_d2ac600e-561c-11e9-ac81-8b18fb9840ff.html  

The Enterprise State Community College Fine Arts Division students made the long trip to Washington D.C. to sing at the National Cathedral.

The ESCC Concert Choir combined with the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Dothan to sing eight selections: “None Other Lamb,” “For God so Loved the World,” “Set me as a Seal,” “Amazing Grace,” “O Jesu Christe,” “Give me Jesus,” “The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee” and “Hear my Prayer.”

ESCC Fine Arts Division Chair Ken Thomas said that the students did a great job performing at the service.

“I think that was the best performance I heard from them all year,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. I get really emotional thinking about what they have done and how far they have come this year. To start off at the beginning of the year, working through the tone quality and blend and then to be there at the National Cathedral to be singing a near perfect performance—I’m very proud of them.”

He said that one specific piece really stood out to him during the performance.

“The performance itself, hearing them sing “Give me Jesus,”—it was very moving to hear them sing that,” Thomas said.

Enterprise Mayor William E. Cooper, Enterprise District 1 City Councilwoman Sonya Rich, Enterprise District 2 Councilman Eugene Goolsby, Enterprise Communications Director Jason Wright and Enterprise Consulting Engineer Glenn Morgan attended the concert as well.

“It was really an honor for us to have them there,” Thomas said. “The fact that they took the time out of their schedule—they were there on city business—to come to the performance meant a lot to me. It tells me that they are invested in this college and the impact this college has on the community.”

The trip was not solely for the concert choir though, the ESCC Visual Arts students got chances to draw scenes of the city that they can include in their Spring art show. These students also had the chance to visit different art museums and galleries in the city as well.

The ESCC Fine Arts Division students, who were joined by ESCC President Matt Rodgers, ESCC Dean of Instruction Danny Long and ESCC Marketing Director Stephen Schmidt, also took time to enjoy the sites and scenes of Washington D.C.

The group took trips to the Lincoln Memorial, The White House, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington Monument, The Capitol Building and a photo op with Representative Martha Roby who also spoke to the students. Students also had time to free-roam around D.C. and explore the city at their leisure.

Thomas said that overall the trip was success.

“It was a huge success,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better trip where the execution, the performance—it was better than I expected it to be. Other than a few students being late—but not very late—it was a perfect trip.”

He said he hopes the students learn the value of hard work from the trip.

“I hope the students learn that with hard work, you can go anywhere,” Thomas said. “For several students it was their first time to go to our nation’s capital—through the arts. The arts can show you the world. So if they work hard and they’re committed, the sky’s the limit.”

Thomas said he’s already looking outside of the United States for the next big Fine Arts Division trip.

“I’m looking at some cathedrals in Europe,” Thomas said. “And the arts centers in Europe for our visual arts students—maybe Italy, Austria, Germany or the UK—we’ll see. Like I said, ‘The sky’s the limit,’ and if they work hard the arts can take them around the world.”

PTK members wear socks for a cause

PTK members wear socks for a cause

Special to The Ledger 

https://www.dothaneagle.com/enterprise_ledger/news/ptk-members-wear-socks-for-a-cause/article_d5d27024-500a-11e9-a73a-33c8092aa772.html

Members of Enterprise State Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa recently wore their brightest socks as part of World Down Syndrome Day, which celebrates those living with Down syndrome. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, the idea of wearing crazy socks to raise awareness for Down syndrome created a campaign called “Rock Your Socks,” named because chromosomes are similar in shape to socks. Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. People around the world wear their brightest, or most patterned, socks and share pictures with others on social media.

ESCC signs MSSC CPT agreement with local school systems

ESCC signs MSSC CPT agreement with local school systems

 

By Justin Blowers jblowers@southeastsun.com

http://www.southeastsun.com/home/article_bba7ca36-5092-11e9-8e1c-f3adc0fb48af.html

Enterprise State Community College officially signed an articulation agreement for the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council Certified Production Technician certification course with local K-12 school systems.

“Today is a tremendous signal to our community, to our business and industry partners that we are coming together, partnering with out K-12 school districts as one to implement and provide the necessary skills training not only to take care of current existing needs of business and industry but also put our region in the state to be seen in a more competitive light when it comes to recruiting other business and industries maybe looking to locate in our area,” said ESCC President Matt Rodgers.

The agreement allows any school systems that fall in the Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Pike and western Houston Counties to provide MSSC CPT classes as part of its curriculum, according to ESCC Public Relations Director Stephen Schmidt.

The program could be its own stand-alone course, in the same vein as a dual enrollment course, or be integrated into the existing curriculum. This decision will be made by the separate school systems. If a student completes the entire course, they can get their CPT certification before leaving high school.

Wiregrass Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Jonathan Tullos said this is important for the area.

“In terms of business retention and recruitment, these credentials are kind of the foundation of what we’re looking for now,” Tullos said. “In the past infrastructure has been a big key in economic development—whether or not you’re on an interstate or something like that. In today’s environment, workforce is the number one thing companies are looking for.”

ESCC Director of Workforce Development Ian Campbell said that not only can students leave high school with their CPT certification, but the course also allows them to complete up to 12 credit hours at ESCC as well.

“By articulating this credit, you’re opening up opportunities for students to matriculate to our degree program, such as with the mechatronics program, and already have 12 hours taken care that they don’t have to pay for,” Campbell said. “You’re talking $1,920 worth of college credit plus you’re expediting their process through the degree program.”

He said that ESCC is recommending that schools start the program as early as possible in their curriculum.

The new mechatronics program, also known as industrial maintenance starts, this fall at the Ozark campus at ESCC.

“Mechatronics is really a combination of mechanical engineering and electronics because today’s manufacturing workforce, today’s production workforce—any workforce—you cannot focus one discipline anymore because everything involves electronics now,” said ESCC Mechatronics Instructor Aubri Hanson. “There’s so much automation, robotics, A.I.—it’s all going that direction—so we need programmers, skilled workers, we need people who can work on robots and automated equipment and do the programming for those systems. These are high skill, high wage jobs. I have student interns that make $25 an hour.”

Coffee County Schools Superintendent Kevin Killingsworth said that New Brockton High School, Zion Chapel High School and Kinston High School will all be starting a MSSC CPT Program this fall as well.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to provide more chances for our kids in the county to able to go and do whatever they want to do—really go out to a two-year college or go into the workforce” Killingsworth said. “They will have the training and the skills necessary to do that.”

Enterprise City Schools Assistant Superintendent Patrick Cain said that ECS is looking forward to learning more about the MSSC CPT certification.

The Sun reached out to Daleville City Schools but did not receive a response.

Ozark’s Alabama Aviation College laboring to recruit students to fill critical U.S. shortage of aviation mechanic

Ozark’s Alabama Aviation College laboring to recruit students to fill critical U.S. shortage of aviation mechanic

Sable Riley 

https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/education/ozark-s-alabama-aviation-college-laboring-to-recruit-students-to/article_a3268886-4ce0-11e9-9d45-939b7c208207.html

Retirement ages are driving trained aviation mechanics out of a booming industry, leaving a projected 38,000 positions open for new hires every year, according to Boeing, the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners.

 

Alabama Aviation College in Ozark seeks to help fill that gap with advanced opportunities, short-term programs, low costs, and strong partnerships with area schools, governments, and businesses.

 

“Tying all this together, we are providing training for not only the region’s most critical needs, but also the nation,” Enterprise State Community College President Matt Rodgers said.

 

Nationally, aviation colleges are only producing about 10,000 aviation mechanics each year, creating a serious shortage that is expected to exacerbate over the next two decades.

 

A unit of ESCC, Ozark’s aviation college currently serves 100 dual-enrollment students from Wiregrass high schools and 250 post-secondary students.

 

“So obviously, that’s not enough to supply that 38,000 new jobs per year,” said Col. Stan Smith, director of Alabama’s aviation college. “But we’re always looking for new students. We’re also looking ahead to the future.”

 

Its flagship course remains its Airframe and Powerplant Mechanical program that produces aviation mechanics recruited heavily by employers.

 

“If someone wants a good paying job, they come here, they get the training, the education, the hands-on experience, the test with the FAA, and job opportunities are unlimited,” Smith said.

 

A two-year degree could gain a graduate access to work opportunities across the world, he added. And after a couple of years, one could earn around $72,000 a year – considerably higher than the U.S. median annual household income of $59,000.

 

However, ESCC’s Director of Workforce Development Ian Campbell said that they are challenged with how to make the field attractive for those coming into the labor force.

 

“It’s a cycle with engaging the new generation,” Ian Campbell said. “One of the ways that we’ve kind of found is pure communication and illustrating and demonstrating what it actually is…”

 

“Even when you throw the money thing in there, it doesn’t really resonate. So, what we’ve found is to allow the students being able to put their hands on some concrete equipment, see the facilities, and observe what’s actually going on – then, you tend to get a much better participation rate.”

 

Studies show that the younger generations want to find more meaning in their work than past generations have, and create more balance between work and personal life.

 

“I think this program is very marketable,” Campbell said. “It allows a lot of freedom for movement.”

 

Completing the program enables graduates to not only work on planes and aircraft, but also technology as varied as roller coasters to space shuttles. The college has graduates working at Disney and Virgin Galactic.

 

Recruiters are working fervently to attract students to aviation and bringing free college courses to high school students. Through workforce development funds, educators bring curriculum to Houston County/Dothan, Enterprise, Dale County/ Ozark, Troy, Geneva County, and Andalusia at no cost to students. They also provide free summer courses and night classes for secondary students.

 

Students can be halfway done with the degree program by the time they graduate high school, and there are no shortage of openings in the Southeast’s hub for aviation mechanics.

 

Stephen Schmidt, public relations director, said part of the difficulty has been breaking the mentality of Gen Z that they must attend a four-year university for academic pursuits to be successful in today’s world.

“What we’re trying to teach the superintendents, counselors, principals – everybody — is not only can you go to a two-year program here, but you actually can be more successful in the job market,” Schmidt said. “I think that’s the big push for us, is that we want student success high – with affordability.”

 

At the heart of the Wiregrass, the college is placed at the doorsteps of the Southeast Alabama’s largest single-location employer, M1 Support Services at Fort Rucker. With more than 3,000 employees, the aviation maintenance company provides service to any type of aircraft and often calls the aviation college when it has openings. It is also positioned down the road from Commercial Jet.

 

The school has the support of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has awarded $3.5 million to the college to reinvest in their campus over the last two years to implement new programs and upgrade facilities.

 

Campbell said their primary goal is to support the needs of the workforce today, but also be proactive about their future needs to extending their reach with new programs.

 

“They all provide a vital pulse to our economy,” Campbell said. “They’re already providing jobs. They’re already contributing to the community. So we want to make sure that we support them with the workforce they need.

 

“From an economic development standpoint, if you’re not providing for your current industry, new industry will not want to come in.”

 

The college is starting two new programs in the fall, adding a composites course and mechatronics, which is an industrial maintenance program, to help supply the local workforce.

 

The college also boasts an avionics program and a CDL truck driving certification program it started in the fall to address Alabama’s No. 1 workforce shortage.

 

There are no requirements for high school graduates to enter the program. The application is free, and the college offers help through financial aid.

 

For more information, interested parties can visit escc.edu or submit questions to its full-time recruiter, Jenna Strickland, at jjudah@escc.edu.

 

ESCC holds vocal performance master class

ESCC holds vocal performance master class

By Justin Blowers jblowers@southeastsun.com

http://www.southeastsun.com/home/article_3ab668e4-4b27-11e9-abce-2f047106b485.html

Enterprise State Community College held a voical performance master class for its music students on March 1.

Graduate Coordinator in Music Voice Area at the University of South Alabama Thomas Rowell was the guest speaker.

Students took turns performing a piece for Rowell before he gave them tips and pointers on how to improve their performance.

“Knowing the big picture context of your song is really really important,” Rowell said.

He spoke about one technique that he picked up in a master class.

“When you have a long introduction (in a piece) and your collaborator or accompanist has set the mood for everything, you want to breathe as if you’re already singing,” Rowell said. “Instead—what we normally do is—we stand there thinking, ‘I’m about to start, I’m about to start, I’m about to start and I’m in.’ We take a shallow, quick panicky breath and then it’s over.”

He said that every musician and vocalist goes through stage fright and a certain ritual that helps them through it, but that the feeling never goes away. He also said that every performer forgets their lines every now and then and that it’s all about not letting the audience know that you forgot is the key.

ESCC Music Instructor Erin Smith said the master class was actually Rowell’s idea.

“Last year at our student auditions, Dr. Rowell asked me when he could come visit ESCC to work with our students, but it took a year for us to actually align our schedules,” Smith said.

Smith says that master classes such as this are important for the students.

“At ESCC I am the only voice teacher and we have one other choral teacher, Dr. Ken Thomas. This means that students do not get to work with other vocal teachers on a weekly basis,” Smith said. “By bringing in a clinician, we expose our students to other teaching styles and different terminology for the same concepts that we are already studying. It is also a great way for students to make connections with teachers at the larger universities and open their eyes to all of their options.”

She said that master classes benefit her as an instructor as well as the students.

“My favorite part of any master class is when I learn something new or learn a new way to teach a concept,” Smith “I loved hearing about the start of the ‘barf’ reflex to refer to low space in the back of the throat. It is new, and I will use it for the rest of my career. The real joy, however, comes from seeing my students blossom in front of my eyes as they work to make the adjustments asked of them.”

ESCC set to host golf tournament to raise funds for athletic department

ESCC set to host golf tournament to raise funds for athletic department

By Josh Boutwell sports@southeastsun.com

http://www.southeastsun.com/sports/article_74e0ae5e-4a81-11e9-b59e-5bff922ae5f6.html

Enterprise State Community College will host the Boll Weevil Golf Classic on April 15 at the Enterprise Country Club.

The golf tournament is being sponsored by the ESCC Foundation and will be a fundraiser to raise money for the school’s athletic facilities.

“We are excited to host the Boll Weevil Golf Classic sponsored by the ESCC Foundation,” ESCC President Matt Rodgers said. “This is a great time to enjoy the game, connect with the college and contribute to our fundraising efforts that will have a positive impact on future upgrades to our athletic facilities. We look forward to a great day on the course as we support our Boll Weevils.”

The entry fee is $100 per player and check-in begins at 11 a.m. with tee time at 12:30 p.m. There will be awards and door prizes given out at dinner at 5 p.m. following the tournament.

ESCC takes in D.C.: School singers perform at National Cathedral

ESCC takes in D.C.: School singers perform at National Cathedral

Leah Lancaster 

https://www.dothaneagle.com/enterprise_ledger/news/escc-takes-in-d-c-school-singers-perform-at-national/article_a7ac2fa6-45d7-11e9-96f4-5702ac4ec8d5.html

Enterprise State Community College’s Fine Arts Department recently received the opportunity of a lifetime and visited Washington, D.C. for a special performance in the National Cathedral.

ESCC joined with the Adult Choir of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Dothan to present a “Prelude to an Evensong” in the cathedral. According to Fine Arts Division Chair Ken Thomas, the performance was a breathtaking experience and a resounding success for his students.

“It was a huge success, just a huge success,” said Thomas. “I performed in that space before so I knew what it would be like, but our students had no idea. They were in awe of that space. Being in a place like that, our imperfections were kind of hidden because of that beautiful space. There were no imperfections in our performance.”

Students were also given a chance to explore the nation’s capital in between rehearsals. Thomas said the experience brought so much more to the table than just an opportunity to perform.

“A student came in this morning and said it was more than she expected it to be and she learned more about our country than she expected. She’d read some things but being there, visiting the monuments and the capitol, she learned a lot more than she would have otherwise,” Thomas said. “They got to, within our group, hang out with people they never really socialized with, and one young man said to me, ‘You know what was so cool about this trip? I got to hang out with the homecoming queen, and I never would have done that in high school.’ It brought us all closer together.”

ESCC’s next big performance, its Spring Student Art Show and Fine Arts Division Spring Concert, will be held April 22 in the school’s Multipurpose Room. Thomas said that some of the art presented during that show was drawn by fine arts students who participated in the D.C. trip, and some of the locations the students visited will be reflected in their works.

For more information on ESCC Fine Arts, contact Ken Thomas at 334-347-2623, extension 2319.

ESCC holds Boll Weevil Central ‘soft opening’

ESCC holds Boll Weevil Central ‘soft opening’

By Justin Blowers jblowers@southeastsun.com
Mar 13, 2019
http://www.southeastsun.com/home/article_d84d874c-4594-11e9-9f90-5b531d37edb7.html

Enterprise State Community Celebrated the ‘soft opening’ of its brand new study, advising and tutoring area, Boll Weevil Central on Feb. 20.

The celebration featured finger foods and a meet and greet with ESCC’s new success advisors and professional tutors.

ESCC Matt Rodgers spoke to the crowd and thanked everyone for their help in getting Boll Weevil Central set up.

“You build something with good people, and we’ve done that —I just want to commend Dr. (Felisha) Ford and Mrs. (DaNean) Pound for her team of tutors and advisors,” Rodgers said. “Great things are happening in this little place; we’ve got some great things that are coming. We’re putting in new carpet in the next few weeks—we’ve got a bid out—we’re going to be doing some painting here, we’ve got new furniture coming in, and we want to make it great for you guys. We want it to be a place that you want to come and get the assistance that you need. I see tutors and different things going on at different tables, and we’re certainly going to do our part to make it a great place where you can get assistance. This is an entire team effort; we want to provide you guys with the support and assistance you need.”

Renovations including new carpet, chairs, couches and study rooms for students to use are planned and in the works. The goal is to make Boll Weevil Central a one-stop shop for students.

Boll Weevil Central, located in the library, started taking students for advising and tutoring at the beginning of February and ESCC English Instructor DaNean Pound said that close to 200 students have already used the services. She stressed that some students are “repeat customers,” which increases the numbers.

Pound is heading the tutoring side of the Boll Weevil Central and said the tutoring is something she’s been pushing for.

“I’ve been a huge advocate for this for many years and just to see it come to fruition and to see how excited students are makes my heart warm,” Pound said.

This marks the first time that ESCC has had tutoring for students who don’t qualify for it through Student Support Services.

ESCC Director of Counselling and Student Success Dr. Felisha Ford is leading the advising portion, which includes transfer and career assistants.

Boll Weevil Central currently three professional tutors, four peer tutors and two success advisors.

Students who want to use the services Boll Weevil Central offers just need to go to the library. It is open to ESCC students from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.

Council welcomed to ESCC

Council welcomed to ESCC

By Michelle Mann mmann@southeastsun.com

http://www.southeastsun.com/home/article_88b78c50-4594-11e9-ab37-afbeb898d903.html

“We want to do whatever we can to support our community. We want to be our community’s college.”

With those words Enterprise State Community College President Matt Rodgers welcomed the Enterprise City Council to a council work session held March 4 at the college’s Multipurpose Room.

Rodgers told the council that the renovated multipurpose room is part of the more than $7.5 million renovations taking place on the college’s Enterprise and Ozark Campuses.

The college is expanding its mission, Rogers said. “For a long time we have focused strictly on the academic transfer student.

“People looked at me like I was crazy when I said we were going to put a (Commercial Drivers License) program at the the Ozark campus but the No. 1 job that is needed right now is CDL truck drivers,” Rodgers said. “Our job is to provide a well trained work force. That is our commitment to you every single day.

“In creating employees to fill the industry needs, a successful journey will not always end in Enterprise but we can make sure it starts here,” Rodgers told the council. “We’re continuing to build a career technical education by responding to regional industry needs allowing for a broader range of skills.”

“In 1965 we made a promise to this community to be a catalyst for change in the Wiregrass,” Rodgers said. “Half a century later our roots are secure and expanding throughout the Wiregrass and our branches stretching to new heights.

“Whether it is through academics, liberal arts or athletics, we offer direct pathways to continued career opportunities,” Rodgers said. “It’s an honor to work alongside of you as we work to advance the City of Progress.”

Enterprise State Community College

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Enterprise State Community College offers excellent academic, technical, and workforce training programs in order to prepare students for jobs that are in demand! Our faculty and staff are committed to the educational success of all ESCC students!

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