Journal A-B Tech Fall 2015
ACS Superintendent Dr. Pamela Baldwin joins A-B Tech Board A-B Tech partners with Nesbitt Discovery Academy
Education Career and College Promise Program expands in high schools
Chair
Board of Trustees
Joe Brumit
Vice Chair
Autumn11 in Asheville
MandyMaryNathanFrancesJohnKayeRogerRichardMikeWayneBrucePamelaLockeBaldwinBriggsBrigmanFryarB.HurleyMetcalfA.MyersParhamJr.L.RamseyRamseyAnnRiceStone
Student AssociationGovernmentPresident Ana Frady
Mother and daughter attend college and earn scholarships together NSF4
the cover:
Buncombe Cromwell Cromwell is new Workplace Learning Coordinator
On Asheville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Pamela Baldwin
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Don C.
2 abtech.edu | A-B Tech EDUCATION Journal Dr.2 Pamela Baldwin Q & A with Asheville Schools Superintendent and A-B Tech Trustee
AcademyDiscovery
Volume 3 | Issue 3 | Fall 2015 Education A-B Tech Journal
Calendar13 of Events
Equal Opportunity Educational AllInstitutionrightsreserved. No parts of the material printed may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including Asheville-BuncombeisA-Bcost128,500ofsysteminformationrecordingphotocopying,orbyanystorageretrievalwithoutthepermissionthepublisher.copiesprintedataof.16centseach.TechEducationJournalpublishedbytheTechnical
Nesbitt9
Annual fundraising event celebrated the Farmers Market News12 Briefs
NSF grant to increase skilled A-BworkersTech receives scholarship funds for STEM students Aviation5 New program is off to a great start Career6 and College Promise Creates opportunities for high school students Transfer8 improvementsprogram Transfer programs have been streamlined
Community College Office of Community Relations & Marketing.
Construction10 Update
Publisher Dennis King Managing Editor Kerri Glover Writer Martha Ball
Design & Photography
Sean Ainsley Lisa JoshJenniferAlfordMoranWeaver
Family3 Scholarships Grants
County’s newest high school partners with A-B Tech Debbie10
A-B Tech inspires, nurtures and empowers students and the community toward a better quality of life through progressive teaching, bold innovation and support collaboration.
offered in their schools, or attending Buncombe County Early College on our campus.
4 PAMELA BALDWIN
Dennis King
In order to get a head start on college and careers, many high school students are taking PathwayPlacementAdvancedcourses,enrollinginourCareerandCollegePromisePrograms
As we anticipate the beginning of the Spring Semester in January, we particularly look forward to the continued growth of our new programs, such as Aviation, and the opening of two new buildings on our Asheville campus: the Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Development and an event center that will accommodate up to 800 people. It’s an exciting time at A-B Tech.
During my career in higher education, and particularly since I arrived at A-B Tech in 1992 as Vice President of Student Services, one of the biggest changes I’ve witnessed is the growing trend of colleges admitting high school students before they graduate.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Pamela Baldwin. I am looking forward to having her as a trustee of the College and believe you will enjoy reading her thoughts about the collaboration between A-B Tech and high schools.
VISION
This issue also features an interview with the most recent appointee to A-B Tech’s Board of Trustees, Asheville City
A-B Tech EDUCATION Journal | abtech.edu 1
Further, many more high school graduates are choosing A-B Tech for their first two years of college in order to save money. Community college graduates who earn a transfer degree are guaranteed admission to any of our state’s public four-year colleges and universities, as well as most private colleges. The two years at A-B Tech are taught by quality faculty and are comparable to the first two years at any four-year institution. In fact, studies indicate that community college graduates who enter four-year schools as juniors are more motivated to succeed and more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree than native students.
President
MISSION
Locally Committed, Regionally Dynamic, World-Class Focused
Excellence, Learning Supportive Environment, Innovation, Inclusiveness, Continuous Improvement
In this issue, the A-B Tech Education Journal explores many of the wonderful opportunities we offer high school students and recent graduates. If you are a high school student (or the parent of one) who is currently exploring college opportunities, we invite you to schedule a tour of A-B Tech.
VALUES
A Message from the President
6 CAREER AND COLLEGE PROMISE 10 NESBITT ACADEMY
A-B Tech’s Career and College Promise (CCP) Program exposes high school students to “quality college-level classes that allow them to get dual credit, and they’re free! What parent wouldn’t say please sign my child up for that? It’s a win-win,” Baldwin said.
4. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PRIMARY AREAS OF NEED THAT A-B TECH COULD PROVIDE THROUGH CCP?
In addition, many students have expressed interest in Allied Health, Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering pathways.
As a new appointee to the A-B Tech Board of Trustees, Dr. Pamela Baldwin looks forward to more collaboration between the College and Asheville City Schools.
Baldwin, who assumed her post as superintendent last July, said A-B Tech offers many opportunities for students at Asheville High School (AHS) and the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences (SILSA), located on the AHS campus. She agreed to respond to several questions about the collaboration between Asheville City Schools and A-B Tech:
She hopes to partner with A-B Tech in middle-school level career technical education (CTE) programs. “We have CTE teachers who the kids just love. If they could work beside an A-B Tech instructor every week and talk about careers to these kids, we’d get them.”
Baldwin hopes to further facilitate AHS and SILSA enrollment in A-B Tech programs by making them available as options when students register for high school.
“I cannot emphasize strongly enough that this conversation needs to begin at the middle-school level,” Baldwin said. “If we wait until these kids are in high school, it’s often too late. There is too much competition for their attention once they reach ninth grade and a high school campus.”
To learn more, visit abtech.edu/ccp.
“When I was asked to serve as an A-B Tech Trustee, I did not hesitate,” she said. “It’s the perfect place for me to be. I could not think of a opportunitybettertoform a seamless partnership with A-B Tech and be in the conversation about what’s great for our students and our community.”
Baldwin said the school district particularly needs to emphasize the dual enrollment credits that are accepted at all N.C. public colleges. “AHS and SILSA students should be first in line to get some of these credits out of the way during high school,” she said.
Many high school students are only looking at where schools are located and where their friends are going when deciding on a college, while many parents are interested in educational programs and value, Baldwin said.
In many school districts, transportation presents a problem for dual enrollment programs because students have to be transported to college campuses, Baldwin said. “In this case, our students can walk out of the back parking lot onto the college campus. We can almost become one campus.”
1. HOW CRITICAL IS IT FOR HIGH SCHOOLS TO OFFER DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS?
2. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS VIEW AS IMPORTANT WHEN SELECTING A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY?
It’s important for the school district to educate both students and their parents about the options A-B Tech and other community colleges provide both during high school and upon graduation, she said.
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ASHEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT PAMELA BALDWIN JOINS A-B TECH BOARD OF TRUSTEES, Sees Opportunity for Greater Collaboration
Pamela Baldwin
5. WHAT CAN A-B TECH DO TO HELP HIGH SCHOOLS BOOST THE ACADEMIC PREPARATION, ASPIRATIONS, AND FAMILY/PARENTAL SUPPORT FOR FIRSTGENERATION, LOW-PERFORMING STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT BE CONSIDERING HIGHER EDUCATION?
“Community college programs that expose students to real-life work and connect it to what they’re doing in the classroom are irreplaceable. For example, when you can make a connection to something they’re learning in history to a career law enforcement, it becomes real for them.”
3. HOW CAN A-B TECH BETTER SERVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FACILITATING OR STREAMLINING THEIR ENROLLMENT AT A-B TECH, INCLUDING CCP?
As a parent of two daughters in college, Baldwin said she appreciates dual-enrollment programs, as well as transfer degrees that offer substantial savings to families –completing the first two years at a community college may cost up to 75 percent less than at a four-year institution.
In fact, Baldwin said she hopes to explore programming that would leverage the resources of the college and school district. “For instance, students could complete their junior and senior years at A-B Tech and it may even be possible for teachers to teach for both the college and high school. Everyone in education needs to ban together to explore how we can leverage our personnel and space,” she said.
Dual enrollment benefits students are ready for college-level work, as well as students who want and need to build a skill that will apply to their chosen profession, she said. “Getting an early start through a pathway program in their profession especially works here because Asheville is very entrepreneurial.”
“She may understand something differently and then I can explain it the way I understand it,” Caitlyn said. “Our different points of view really work for us.”
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Tina was a phlebotomist years ago until she had children and stayed at home to raise and educate them through home schooling; as the children grew up, she ultimately was drawn back to the medical field. Her oldest daughter, Stephanie, graduated from A-B Tech as Caitlyn was finishing high Stephanie,school.who has since enrolled at Mars Hill University to study education, received the AvL Technologies Endowed
Tina received the A-B Tech Foundation Scholarship for 2015-16 and Caitlyn was awarded the Pepsi-Cola of Asheville Scholarship.
Mother and daughter Tina and Caitlyn Wallin represent a trend of multiple family members and generations attending A-B Tech. Both women enrolled at A-B Tech this fall to study Medical Assisting and both were recipients of A-B Tech Foundation Scholarships that enabled them to return to college.
Both women are interested in working in a local doctor’s office after graduation. “I want to work with an orthopedic doctor,” Caitlyn said. “I have had surgeries on my ankle and I know what it’s like (for the patients).”
Now that Tina and Caitlyn are in the same program and have some classes together, they find they are very supportive of each another.
“Caitlyn and I both want to express how much we appreciate the scholarships,” Tina said. “We would not be able to attend and be successful in the program without them.”
“You need help to be successful,” Tina said.
Scholarship and the Grace Joan Love Schneider Endowed Scholarship while at A-B Tech.
“Caitlyn and I both want to express how much we appreciate the scholarships,” Tina said. “We would not be able to attend and be successful in the program without them.”
Helpful for Education
F AMILY FINDS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Caitlyn had taken some classes at A-B Tech when attending Buncombe County Early College and it seemed natural to continue her education at the College.
The A-B Tech Foundation has more than 100 different scholarships with various criteria. For more information, visit abtech.edu/scholarships
Dr. Jon R. Wiener
Pam Silvers
The overall goal of the I3 project is to increase the retention and completion of targeted STEM students to have them competitively enter the workforce or transfer to a seniorlevel university in pursuit of a degree in a STEM field. Focus areas include biology, chemistry, math and engineering.
A-B Tech Receives NSF Grant to Increase Skilled Workers
Graduating I3 students will also be supported in finding employment or in transferring to a senior-level university through A-B Tech’s articulation agreements and other resources. A-B Tech is partnering with NC State, Western Carolina University and Appalachian State University to provide transfer planning and internship referrals for its students.
A-B Tech Community College was awarded a $612,232 grant from the National Science Foundation through its Scholarships in STEM Program (S-STEM) to better serve and support targeted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students over the next four years.
“Skilled Workers Get Jobs 2.0: Appalachian Impact” builds upon the results of a previously funded NSF pilot project at the college that evaluated strategies to retain more female
The project will also partner with six other community colleges in the Southern Appalachian Region to replicate successful aspects of the pilot project. There will be gender equity and problem-based learning training for instructors, a Women in Technology Ambassador program, and professional development opportunities.
Students in the I3 project will have a chance to participate in internships and make visits to industry sites to gain valuable employment perspective and experience.
The project will serve more than 4,000 undergraduate students, pre-college students, college faculty and precollege faculty over a three-year period. “This grant will allow us to test drive interventions to see if we can impact not only the number of women pursuing degrees and careers in advanced technology areas, but also help them rise to the top of their class,” said A-B Tech President Dennis King.
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Pamela Silvers, former Computer Technologies Chair and coordinator for the pilot project, will now focus her work on leading and managing the new grant project as its principal investigator. “There is a critical shortage of skilled workers in Technology and Engineering jobs. Increasing female enrollment and persistence in these programs will address this regional problem,” Silvers said.
The project – called Ignite Inspiration and Innovation, or I3 for short – will “provide outstanding opportunities to positively influence a next generation of STEM scholars, by offering scholarships to students who show academic promise and have an unmet financial need,” said Dr. Jon R. Wiener, the principal investigator of the grant. He is the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at A-B Tech.
A-B Tech Community College was also awarded an $898,198 grant from the National Science Foundation to support a project to improve technician training and increase the number of highly skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) priority areas.
A-B TECH RECEIVES $612,232 FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT Students Interested in STEM Fields
college students in two-year technician preparation programs. Over a three-year period, the college increased the number of female students in the specific STEM programs from 12 to 19 percent. The project also worked to improve all technician training.
The I3 project will also offer specialized advising to students, tutoring, and opportunities to participate in seminars, college tours, and service learning.. “Many studies have shown that we will have a shortfall of trained STEM researchers in this country over the next decades. We know that the best way to encourage someone to pursue a career in research is to light that fire by having them actually do open-ended and novel research,” Wiener said.
“We know that too few young people are preparing for careers in the STEM fields which can lead to good jobs,” said Asheville City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Pam Baldwin. “This new project at A-B Tech will go a long way to helping us encourage and incentivize students in this direction,” said Baldwin.
hours that all other graduates across the state must obtain,” said Corman. “The reduction in hours is due to the thorough academic curriculum taught through A-B Tech and the depth of flight training provided by our certified flight training partner, WNC Aviation.”
A-B Tech’s new Aviation program is soaring with enrollment exceeding projections, its first student flying solo after only two months of training, and others close to qualifying for solo flights.
Four $1,000 scholarships also have been awarded to Aviation students, including three Corman Family Scholarships and the Brigadier General Carl L. Trippi Scholarship. There will be a fundraiser for the Trippi Scholarship from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. December 10 at Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville. The cost is $10 at the door and there will be a tasting of Flyover red and white wines from the Foris Vineyard in Rogue Valley, Oregon, as well as aviation themed beers from Big Boss Brewing in Raleigh.
“It’s been exciting to get the program underway and see the students making good progress,” said R.J. Corman, Chair of Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology and Dean of the Business and Hospitality Division.
A-B Tech is the first ,and currently only, school in the Carolinas authorized for the R-ATP, which allows graduates from select institutions to enter the workforce as a passenger or cargo airline pilot with less than the required number of flight hours mandated by the FAA.
New students currently are being accepted for the Spring Semester, which begins January 11. For more information, visit abtech.edu/aviation.
Aviation program off to a great start
“It’s been exciting to get the program underway and see the students making good progress,” said R.J. Corman, Chair of Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology and Dean of the Business and Hospitality Division.
A-B Tech EDUCATION Journal | abtech.edu 5
Students who are veterans also may be eligible for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which covers all costs of the degree except pilot supplies. It covers only the minimum number of hours needed, which may lead to some expense for veteran students, but the total should not exceed an estimated $4,000, Corman said.
“Graduates from A-B Tech have to obtain 1,250 flight hours to earn a position as a First Officer instead of 1,500 flight
The program also has received Restricted Airline Transport (R-ATP) certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, which means students in A-B Tech’s Aviation program are able to complete pilot training faster and obtain employment much sooner than counterparts at other flight schools across the Carolinas.
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A-B Tech’s Career and College Promise Program has exciting new pathways and partnerships for high school students, including a certificate in the College’s popular Aviation program. Juniors and seniors in Career and College Promise Program will be able to work toward the Private Pilot Basic Certificate starting in Fall 2016 at A-B Tech South.
New Opportunities for High School Students through Career and College Promise
Career Technical Education Pathways lead to a certificate or diploma aligned with a high school Career Cluster. This program is designed for accelerated high school juniors and seniors who are ready to get a head start on careertechnical courses that will lead to a career.
It is also open to junior and higher level students in the cooperative innovative high schools – Buncombe County and Madison Early Colleges, Middle College, SILSA at Asheville High School, and the Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. Discovery Academy.
PROMISE PROGRAM Skilled Pathways IN TECHNICAL PROGRAMS GIVE STUDENTS AN EDGE • Automotive Technology Diploma • Basic Fire Protection Certificate • Computer Aided Drafting Certificate • Computer Basics Certificate • Criminal Justice Exploration Certificate • Early Childhood Basics Certificate • Entrepreneurship Certificate • Heavy Equipment and Transport Technology • Hospitality Management Basic Certificate • Human Services Studies Certificate • Industrial Maintenance Certificate • Machining Technologies Diploma • Welding Certificate
students will be able to enroll in the Hospitality Management pathway to help fill the growing need for skilled employees in the area’s growing tourist industry.
Career and College
To learn more, visit abtech.edu/career-college-promiseoverview or call 828.398.7715 or 828.398.7516.
Through Career and College Promise, students are afforded the opportunity to earn college credit tuition free, while simultaneously enrolled in high school, paving the way towards continued education at A-B Tech and success in future careers.
The Medical Assisting Pathway will be offered primarily to students at Madison High School and Madison Early College. “We are also expanding our course offerings in other pathways such as the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science pathway to both Madison High and Madison Early College students,” said Becky Garland, College Liaison for High ErwinSchools.HighSchool
“Local law enforcement, aware of a need and invested in supporting higher education overall and specifically training opportunities for future law enforcement/emergency services, responded immediately in support of A-B Tech and our local public schools to provide necessary materials,” said Enrollment Services Director Lisa Bush.
“Support is sometimes needed to assist with the delivery of these programs and A-B Tech’s strong relationship with area public schools and strong support from local agencies, such as the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office, has afforded further opportunities for local students to prepare for the future through higher education and training,” Bush said.
College Transfer Pathways lead to completion of at least thirty semester hours of transfer courses, including English and mathematics, for qualified junior and senior high school students.
For a complete list of requirements, please visit abtech.edu/career-and-college-promise
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A-B Tech also is expanding and growing recruiting efforts in Madison County by scheduling weekly office hours on the sites of Madison High and Madison Early College. The College hosted tours of the Asheville campus and A-B Tech Woodfin and has plans to add tours of its Veterinary Technology program and the new Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Additionally,Development.MadisonHigh will host an open house for its new Computer Integrated Machining lab in November to highlight its Machining pathways partnership with A-B Tech.
A-B Tech also is increasing offerings at Nesbitt and SILSA –two of the college’s Cooperative Innovative High School partnerships. “Those partnerships are quite strong and we are very proud of the successes we’ve had thus far and the opportunities they have provided,” Bush said.
Expanding Partnerships
Recently, the A-B Tech Foundation and Educational Partnership offices worked closely with local law enforcement agencies, including the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, to support the Criminal Justice CCP programs in local public schools, including a Criminal Justice Exploration pathway at Asheville High.
For more information, visit abtech.edu/career-and-college-promise.
Cooperative Innovative High Schools are designed for motivated students looking for a nontraditional high school experience. These small high schools partner with A-B Tech to provide local students with a comprehensive and accessible education. Early colleges are rigorous programs in which students can earn a high school diploma and associate degree simultaneously. Early college students start in the ninth grade and can complete the program in five years. A-B Tech has two partner early colleges: Buncombe County Early College, located on the Asheville campus; and Madison Early College High School, located in Mars Hill. Buncombe County Middle College is also a cooperative-innovative high school. Located on the Asheville campus, it provides juniors and seniors with a nontraditional setting for completing a high school diploma and earning college credits.
The Career and College Promise Career-Technical (CTE) pathways are designed to give motivated high school students a jumpstart to develop career focused skills by completing a certificate or diploma while still enrolled in high school.
“Our goal is to be sure (our graduates) will really be ready to go as a junior. We think this is important because financial aid has changed and there is not an unlimited pot of money. If they spend less time here at A-B Tech, it gives students more financial aid to use at the university, which costs more,” Stewart said.
AT A-B TECH STREAMLINED
From there, students will be assigned to a meta-major and to a specific College Transfer Success class. “By the end of their first semester, we are going to ask them to make more decisions. We are going to ask them what they really want
to major in. Instead of math or science, they will pinpoint something specific, like biology.”
Students also will be asked to select a first and second choice for a transfer university. A-B Tech is focused on correlating transfer programs to its three main feeder institutions –Western Carolina, Appalachian State and UNC Asheville.
The goal is for A-B Tech to give full-time students the tools they need to complete an AS or AA degree in two years, or approximately three years for part-time students. Specific semester schedules are what students in many Associates in Applied Sciences programs are already using.
“We also will ask students if they plan to go full time or part time because we are going to have pathways for both. We will want to know if they are planning on taking only morning classes or more online classes. Based on those decisions, we are going to hand them a schedule for the rest of their time at A-B Tech,” Stewart said.
“Our goal is to get students through the program quicker,” said Beth Stewart, Dean of Arts and Sciences at A-B Tech.
Transfer Degrees
The Pathway Project will assure that students who intend to transfer to four-year institutions after graduation from A-B Tech know exactly which classes to take each semester, based on their intended major and university of choice.
“Going into that first semester, we want them to have an idea of what they want to study, whether it be science, math, engineering, communications or social and behavioral sciences, which are some of the major categories or metamajors we are looking at now,” Stewart said.
The College Transfer Program at A-B Tech will be easier to navigate beginning in Fall 2016, with the addition of newly streamlined pathways for the Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees.
“Our goal is to get students through the program quicker,” said Beth Stewart, Dean of Arts and Sciences at A-B Tech. When transfer students first arrive at A-B Tech, they will be asked some very broad questions about a potential major or career, according to Stewart. Advisors will get an idea of where the student may want to transfer and a general area of study.
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According to Beth Stewart, Dean for Arts and Sciences at A-B Tech, the partnership began with a meeting this past winter when the academy was in its first year of operation.
“Students as early as ninth grade are enrolled in college courses, which is helping them learn and improve skills that will give them a jump start on future education. Students can leave high school with several college credits completed, which not only saves money, but can lead to a higher college graduation rate.”
Currently, students at Nesbitt can take college-level sociology, psychology and music classes. Stewart sees future opportunities for partnerships, especially with the new Associate in Engineering (AE) degree at A-B Tech.
“A-B Tech wants to keep offering classes so students can be ready to continue their education when they finish high school. We look forward to working with them for years to come,” Stewart said.
Nesbitt Discovery Academy Partners with A-B Tech
“My first impression was how excited faculty were to not only teach at the academy, but to build partnerships with us,” Stewart said.
“In a few years when Nesbitt has a full school with all four years of students, many of them will be able to get a majority of the AE degree completed while in high school,” she said.
“The Nesbitt Discovery Academy is fortunate to offer our students college courses right on our school campus thanks to our partnership with A-B Tech,” said Felicia Carter, Counselor at the Nesbitt Discovery Academy.
A-B Tech has partnered with Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. Discovery Academy and began offering classes this fall. Nesbitt Academy is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) high school with a focus on career and college readiness in the Buncombe County school system.
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In one of her visits, Stewart spoke with a student working on robotics. “The explanation of her work and the detail she went into showed wisdom beyond her years. The kids over there are sharp in remarkable ways,” she said.
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For the college, WBL also helps enhance and improve motivation, attendance, and graduation rates.
“In addition, I helped guide students throughout their programs by developing an Individual Guidance Plan for academic success. Along with the recruitment and guidance, I began a successful venture building on-industry partnerships to establish job internships and permanent employment opportunities for our students,” Cromwell said.
Construction has been completed on A-B Tech’s new Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Development, a public Event Center, and parking garage. All three facilities will open for use in January. The three projects were funded by a ¼-cent sales tax from Buncombe County, as well as a $5 million donation by Jack and Carolyn Ferguson for their namesake building. A dedication ceremony, including special recognition of the Fergusons, is scheduled for December 1.
New A-B BuildingsTech TO OPEN IN JANUARY
Cromwell Connects Students
“Work-Based Learning programs can be a very integral part of a company’s recruiting strategy, building on the goal to fill the talent pipeline,” Cromwell said.
The event center, which accommodates up to 800 people, will be available for College and public use. An adjacent 650-space parking garage will provide ample parking. To discuss rental opportunities, please call 828.398.7901.
company’s recruiting strategy, building on the goal to fill the talent pipeline,” Cromwell said. “WBL includes internships, mentoring, and apprenticeship. It’s a way to ‘test-drive’ a career. Students have the opportunity to earn course credit for work-based learning, allowing them to do two things at once.”
When Cromwell joined A-B Tech in March 2012, she was hired as part of grant for the North Carolina Advanced Manufacturing Alliance. In her position, she recruited and assessed workers who had been dislocated or threatened by foreign trade for enrollment in the college’s advanced manufacturing training programs.
Debbie Cromwell has been named Workplace Learning Coordinator at A-B Tech to provide a connection between students and quality, safe and legal work-based learning (WBL) Cromwellexperiences.willserve as the liaison between A-B Tech and local industries for work-based learning opportunities. She will partnering with A-B Tech divisions and departments to connect A-B Tech students (Curriculum and Continuing Education) into workbased learning opportunities and local Cromwelljobs. is a graduate of Florida State University and Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Florida. She has many years of experience as a vocational director performing and supervising all vocational services, including “Work-Basedassessments.Learning programs can be a very integral part of a
WITH WORK EXPERIENCE
“I am very passionate about my job. I have the utmost respect for our faculty and students and delight in providing quality students to this community helping shape the careers that will sustain them for a lifetime.”
WBL has benefits for students, schools and employers, according to Cromwell. WBL can help students connect what they learn in the classroom to the real world and provide a great career exploration experience. WBL helps employers reduce recruitment and training costs, while bridging the skills gap by connecting the classroom to a career and promotes workforce diversity.
Nearly 200 guests and members of the college community were in attendance at A-B Tech’s annual Foundation fundraising event on October 1. Autumn in Asheville, with an Autumn Farmers’ Market theme, showcased the talents and expertise of the culinary and hospitality students and its faculty. The $51,000 raised during Autumn in Asheville through ticket sales, an auction and sponsorships will support the work of the Foundation and the Culinary and Hospitality departments.
Autumn in Asheville
Farmers Market Grow ~ Gather ~ Give
Autumn in Asheville celebrated the Farmers Market
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IRVIN NAMED CBI DIRECTOR
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Kristina Hyatt, a 2014 A-B Tech Dental Hygiene graduate, was named Miss Native American USA at a pageant held in August in Tempe, Ariz. She was also the winner of the 2011 Miss Cherokee pageant, representing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Prior to A-B Tech, Kristina also received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
“I decided to enter the Miss Native American USA pageant as a way to create awareness of the importance of dental health with a focus on preventing early childhood cavities,” Kristina said. “I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to make my voice heard, whether I won the pageant or not. Access to dental care and early childhood cavities continues to be an issue throughout Indian Country. I have a duty to share my knowledge as a dental hygienist and help create beautiful, healthy smiles among our Native American people. I have several projects in mind that I can’t wait to share throughout the coming year.”
News Briefs
A-B TECH GRADUATES WINS MISS NATIVE AMERICAN USA
Kristina is currently a dental hygienist with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Children’s Dental Program. “I work directly with the children in our orthodontic program. I absolutely love my job! I often times feel as though there are never enough hours in the day, but I try very hard to balance my time wisely,” she said.
CULINARY TEAM RANKED THIRD IN NATION
Jeff Irvin has been named Director of the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast at A-B Tech. Irvin was hired as Brewmaster at the College in July 2013. Graduating with a degree in biology from Iowa State, he enrolled in the University of California –Davis Master Brewers program. After completing, he became the Master Brewer for Olde Main Brewing Company in Ames, Iowa. For more information, please visit abtech.edu/CBI.
A-B Tech’s first woman only Student Culinary Team was ranked third in the nation in August at the American Culinary Federation’s annual national competition in Orlando. In a tight contest, only two points separated them from the first-place team. Teams are judged on knife skills and floor skills, along with presentation and taste of the food. This marked the third consecutive year and ninth time overall that a team from A-B Tech has made it to ACF national competition. Aloft Asheville Downtown Hotel and its parent company, McKibbon Hotel Management, Inc., sponsored the team this year.
He received his B.A. in History and Political Science from Warren Wilson College and his Master of Library and Information Studies from UNC Greensboro. For more information, please visit abtech.edu/library.
November 16 Early registration for new and returning students November 25 No classes November 26-27 Closed Thanksgivingfor Holiday November 30 Registration opens for Spring 2016 Semester December 1 Dedication of Ferguson Center for Allied Health and Workforce Development December 11 Last day of Fall Semester classes December 21 – January 1 Closed for Winter Holidays January 11 Spring 2016 Semester begins
“We’re about education and we’re about helping and serving our students,” Taylor said. “That’s what I am here to do – to serve that population. And to make sure they have the resources they need to complete their education.”
The Center for Diversity Education at UNC Asheville has selected A-B Tech Student Services staff member Philip Cooper for a 2042 ASCORE Leadership Awards. Cooper is also an A-B Tech alum and a current part-time student. The award program is named for the year projected by demographers that ethnic and racial minority groups will comprise a majority of the U.S. population and in honor of ASCORE (the Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality). The awards recognize the work of five young adults who exemplify the characteristics that made ASCORE and ASCORE members so successful.
News Briefs
A-B Tech EDUCATION Journal | abtech.edu 13
Russell Taylor has been named the Director of Library Services for Holly Library at A-B Tech. He previously served as the library director at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, a position he held for almost 12 years.
Calendar of Events
COOPER TO RECEIVE ASCORE AWARD
TAYLOR SELECTED AS LIBRARY DIRECTOR
Taylor worked at Lees-McRae for more than 19 years, also serving as Director of Career Services, Director of Information Systems and Technologies and Associate Librarian before being named to his most recent position.
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