Youth Apprenticeship Meeting Held

The College kicked off Black History Month with performances and exhibits held in the Student Success Center.

left: Of Ebony Embers: Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance is a chamber music theatre work conceived and performed by THE CORE ENSEMBLE. The February 3 performance included the works of Aaron Douglas, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, and Countee Cullen.

right: The True Black History Museum is on tour and made a stop here in February. The exhibit features more than 150 artifacts, including

original documents from historic figures, such Frederick Douglass, Mary McLeod Bethune, Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks, George Washington Carver, Angela Davis, President Barack Obama, and many other great African Americans. Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Marci Leake, right, and Janay Craft, the museum’s director of operations, are seen discussing the exhibit.

A strategic planning meeting was held February 10 to develop and grow Youth Apprenticeships in the Tri-County service area. Agenda topics included youth apprenticeship program structures, PAYA (the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship) tools, and a path forward for the AOP. Attending were representatives of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties Career and Technology Centers, Apprenticeship Carolina, and multiple departments at Tri-County.

Pictured from left to right are Amanda Donald, Career and Employability Resources; Ken Kopera, Physical Plant director; Kelli Lancaster, Anderson 1 & 2 Career & Technology Center; Chad Lusk, Oconee County Career and Technology Center; Dana Grant, Anderson Institute of Technology; Ken Hitchcock, Pickens County Career and Technology Center; Carla Whitlock, Apprenticeship Carolina; Douglas Long, Apprenticeship

Carolina; Coni Campbell, Integrated Workforce Solutions; Bryan Manuel, Integrated Workforce Solutions; Chris Marino, Institutional Effectiveness; and Amanda Blanton, High School Engagement and Outreach.

The College’s Speech and Drama Team members brought home top awards at the 2020 South Carolina Speech and Theater Association’s Annual College Festival Competition.

Three University Transfer students competed, along with students from colleges and universities across the State, at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster February 15.

Gracie Stockman placed first in Persuasive Speaking; Elizabeth Rew placed first in Informative Speaking; and Annabelle Matthews placed second in Persuasive Speaking. Gracie is a Special Education major from Lugoff; Elizabeth is a Business major from Columbia; and Annabelle is an Agriculture major from Jacksonville, FL. The Tri-County Technical College Speech and Drama Team is coached by Speech instructors Greg Toney and Kim Harp.

“We have been taking teams to this competition for more than 20 years. This is a great opportunity for students to develop important communication skills and do it in a competitive environment. Everyone worked hard and was deserving of success,” said Greg.

“My goal is to go to these competitions and be competitive,” said Greg. “It’s a challenge to compete every year against schools such as Newberry College or USC-Lancaster that actually have four-year programs in Theater and Speech. We always have success, and this year it was no different as we dominated the categories that we participated in.”

“Communication skills are one of the most important skills someone can take into the workplace today,” added Kim. “Competing in this annual Speech and Drama Festival allows students to sharpen those skills, as well as represent their schools while competing against other colleges from around the State.” The South Carolina Speech and Theatre Association is a professional organization that promotes the study of all areas of performance and oral communication: acting, oral interpretation/ performance studies, theatre, broadcasting, public speaking, discussion and debate, and speech education. Its main purpose is the advancement of the total speech and theatre effort in the educational system of the State of South Carolina. SCSTA serves both public and private schools and colleges and universities in South Carolina through an annual conference and spring festival competitions in the communication arts, and through recognition of outstanding contributors to efforts. Three Tri-County Technical College students placed in each of the events they entered at the 2020 South Carolina Speech and Theater Association’s Annual College Festival Competition. Pictured from left are Elizabeth Rew, who placed first in Informative Speaking; Gracie Stockman, who placed first in Persuasive Speaking; and Annabelle Matthews, who placed second in Persuasive Speaking.

Tri-County Hosts State of Pendleton

The College hosted the annual State of Pendleton meeting January 30. President DeHay talked about Tri-County’s accomplishments and our role in the community. A large crowd enjoyed food and fellowship and presentations by Mayor Frank Crenshaw and Anderson District 4 Superintendent Dr. Joanne Avery.

OurCollegeFamily

in transition

Marcus Guess joined the College in February as our new Chief of Police. He leads all of our law enforcement personnel at each of our community campuses.

Chief Guess, who has worked in law enforcement for 16 and one-half years, spent the last decade at Albany State University Police Department, where he served in various capacities—most recently as interim Chief of Police for the last six months. He rose through the ranks at Albany State as a Police Officer, Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant, Police Captain, and Assistant Chief of Police. Other roles with the university’s Police Department included Traffic Supervisor, Chief Investigator, Internal Affairs Investigator, Training Coordinator, and Lead Sexual Assault Investigator.

His other law enforcement experience includes working at the Georgia Department of Corrections, where he was a member of the Tactical Squad/Hostage Rescue Unit. He also worked at the Adel Police Department and the Florida Department of Corrections.

He earned an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice (2008) and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration (2010) from the University of Phoenix. He holds a Master of Science in Public Safety Administration from Columbus State University (2018) and graduated from the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College Columbus State University in 2018.

Over the years Chief Guess earned the following Georgia Law Enforcement Advanced Certifications: Marijuana Examiner, FTO (Field Training Officer), General Instructor, ALERRT Instructor (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training), and CRASE Instructor (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events). He is a member of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Georgia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. Chief Guess said when he began to research career opportunities, he saw the opening at Tri-County and was attracted

Chief Marcus Guess

to the College’s connection to the community.

“Working in college law enforcement gives me a chance to make a difference in the lives of our students,” he said. “You really get to know them, and I love working in a communityoriented police setting.” He added that he “immediately picked up on a friendly, welcoming vibe” during his interview.

Although he has been on the job less than a month, in addition to introducing himself to faculty, staff, and students and getting acclimated in his new role, he is looking ahead to pursuing accreditation for the department. Advantages to accreditation include availability of funding, as well as the opportunity to attract better officers. “It will take time and a lot of work, but it is worth it,” he said.

Pursuing accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) demonstrates that a department has met specific standards of excellence and operates according to norms established by State and national law enforcement practitioners.

Chief Guess lives in Anderson and has two children.

We Support Local Veterans

The TCTC Association of Political Scientists (TAPS) Club sponsored a supply drive for the Richard Campbell Veteran’s Nursing Home and delivered the items March 2. Faculty, staff, and students donated toiletries and personal hygiene items, along with candies, diabetic socks, entertainment books, board games, puzzles, paint, and paint brushes.

Jonathan Warnock, Comprehensive Studies English instructor and a Tri-County alumnus, has been awarded the Cengage Adjunct Developmental Educator Scholarship to the Kellogg Institute. Each year, this prestigious scholarship is awarded to an instructor who demonstrates a commitment to implementing best practices in developmental education. Applicants from all 50 US States are considered.

The Kellogg Institute is designed to further educators’ knowledge in the theory and best practices of postsecondary developmental education. Seminars combine expert-led presentations with practical applications promoting student persistence and retention. The summer residency provides a dynamic living-learning community with opportunities for sharing ideas and experiences. Networking among professionals representing a variety of backgrounds from across the United States is a key benefit. Medical Assisting Program Director Laura McClain was elected Education Peer Group Chair for the S.C. Society of Medical Assistants. She is responsible for overseeing communication, facilitating collaboration, and networking with other S.C. Medical Assisting educators across the State. Another responsibility is to be in charge of the Bowl of Knowledge at the State conference each year. The Bowl of Knowledge is a friendly game that tests Medical Assisting students’ cognitive information relating to the field (as students). As Education Peer Group Chair, Laura also sits on the board of the organization. Director of Grants Laneika Musalini was the keynote speaker at the S.C. General Assembly Women’s Caucus Luncheon held February 26 in Columbia. In addition, Lanieka has published another article in the latest issue of the NCURA magazine. Laneika is Chair of the organization’s President’s Taskforce for Diversity & Inclusion. Check out her article: https://ncura.edu/Publications/NCURAMagazine.aspx Two Medical Laboratory Technology faculty members presented at the National Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC) Feb. 27-19 in Orlando, Florida. Jennifer Porter co-presented with a faculty member from Spartanburg Community College. Their session was titled “Bringing Clinical Microbiology Training to Campus: Our MLT Programs Are Making it Work.” Program Director Deborah Brock co-presented with multiple faculty members during a pre-conference workshop for new faculty titled “New Educator Workshop.”

They also participated in a “Top 10 Lessons Learned in 30 Years of Teaching.”

Mathematics instructor Hubert McClure joined colleagues from other technical colleges across the State as a presenter/ speaker at the South Carolina Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (SOCMATYC) February 29. We hosted the conference at our Pendleton Campus. The theme was “Leap onto 2020 with a Stronger Vision of Improved Mathematics.” From the Anderson Campus, Hubert delivered his presentation about the Polycom videoconferencing system that allows instructors to teach synchronously across the network. Dr. Amoena Norcross represented the Academic Development office at South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) conference with a presentation on

digital badging for faculty development .

Other faculty/staff who presented were: Meredith Dickens, Laura McClain, Dr. Mark Dougherty, Matt Simon, Dr. Jerry Marshall, and Dr. DeHay. Jonathan Warnock Laneika MusaliniLaura McClain

At a recent PACE board meeting, Bryan Manual, dean of Integrated Workforce Solutions, standing, gave an update on the proposed Youth Apprenticeship initiative, which will serve as an on-ramp into higher education, and a route to earning a family sustaining wage. The initiative will deliberately target underserved youth but the program would be available to all students. Another goal is to engage with small businesses.

Oconee Campus a Dream for Horton HR Manager

(continued from page 1)

workforce, graduates, interns, and co-ops, will feed the future of Horton,” said Kellie.

“We want to collaborate with Tri-County and the Hamilton Career Center about the educational goals of our future employees,” said Alicia.

“We are super excited about the Oconee Campus and its proximity to the plant, making it easier for our associates to take classes,” Kellie said.

In addition to their pre-start-up tasks, Kellie and Alicia also are spending time traveling to Horton facilities in Indiana and the headquarters in Minnesota to learn about the products and applications and to recruit several associates to the Oconee facility.

Horton’s engine cooling solutions are found around the globe—almost any place you find engines with optimized cooling systems. The company manufactures fans and fan clutches for on- and off-road diesel applications, such as heavy, medium, and light-duty trucks, on motor coaches and buses, on construction, agricultural and mining equipment, and on generators and industrial compressors.

The tentative opening day for the plant is in May, and they hope to hire 30 associates this year, with the remainder being hired in 2021. They are working with Bobby Brothers and the College’s readySC team to gear up for pre-hire training at the Oconee Campus.

“From the first time I met with Horton’s management team as a prospect looking to grow their business in SC, I’ve felt very

confident that they would be a great fit for the Upstate,” said Bobby, area director for readySC. “Horton not only plans to create great job opportunities; they also are committed to giving back to the community they reside in, making them an excellent addition to Oconee County’s corporate partners. I’m looking forward to working with them.”

“Having the Oconee Campus available has been very beneficial,” said Kellie. In late April, readySC classes will begin in preparation for the May opening.

The plant will begin with one eight-hour shift. The plan is to hire an additional 80 next year and a total of 125 associates over five years.

In addition to operators and technicians, Kellie also will hire those who have completed the SCMC class taught though Tri-County’s Corporate and Community Education Division. The SCMC training is a 200-hour curriculum that includes the opportunity to earn 11 nationally-recognized credentials.

Although a degree is usually preferred, it isn’t essential,” said Kellie, who has worked in HR for 16 years at various manufacturing facilities. She says she also values work ethic and punctuality. “I give someone an opportunity to obtain experience and grow professionally through degrees or certifications,” she said. She says one way to do so is through Horton’s tuition reimbursement plan for its associates.

Kellie urges interested persons to go to the company’s website—www.hortonww.com—to submit resumes and cover letters or to get general information and/or learn about products.