Winner of Tuition Drawing Wins Again

"...women make better welders," says Aurethia Scott.(above) The one-time textile worker, is about to graduate from the welding program.

Imagine this: You've just lost your job as a folder for a local textile company while you are in school at A-B Tech to become a welder. Walking the streets of Asheville during its famous Bele Chere festival, you have little direction as to where you will gain employment next.

You never really liked your job anyway but your skills are limited and graduation from the welding program is more than a year away. Suddenly, you come upon a booth manned by A-B Tech employees holding a drawing for free tuition. You fill out a form, hoping and thinking of the possibilities.

Such was the life of A-B Tech student Aurethia Scott, 35, who not only won the drawing last year but also ended this semester in the Welding program with a 4.0 GPA. Scott was the 'Outstanding Student' and 'Academic Award' winner for the Welding program this spring.

Guided by Job Link's Work Incentive Assistance (WIA) program, A-B Tech has changed Scott's life. In a little over a year, she has gained skills she is excited about using. She will graduate from the program this December with the help of the drawing money, which paid in full for two semesters, and WIA, which is sponsoring her to finish the program.

"I've been told that women make better welders," says Scott, adding, "I have always been attracted to metal work." Her other interests include auto repair, calligraphy, carpentry and rock and glass work.

Scott says she wasn't happy with her previous job, but loves welding. "Just being in class, even on my worst days, it relaxes me. I am definitely a hands-on person." Return to top

OD Corner Happy New Year!

The new fiscal year brings a new OD Calendar and with it, new programs. The OD Plan and the OD Calendar are on the intranet and have been sent to most employees via email. Employees who are not in the email system should have a copy posted in their areas. If you have trouble getting a copy, please call me at ext. 178. I will continue to send an announcement at the beginning of each month.

All employees are welcome to participate in any of the general interest programs that we offer. Some of the safety programs are required for certain positions, as noted in the program description. Focused programs are geared for a particular employee group. If participation is required, this is stated in the program description. If you wish to attend a program, but you are not in the designated target group, talk with your supervisor and contact me to determine the applicability of the program and the availability of seating.

The new fiscal year also brings us further along in our SACS accreditation process. The Compliance Review Team has been busily working on the compliance component of the process. The Quality Enhancement Team (QET) had its first meeting at the end of July. Led by Deborah Lonon, the QET will guide the college toward developing its Quality Enhancement Plan, a new and exciting component of the accreditation process. The kick-off for the QET initiative will be at Professional Development Afternoon on Thursday, Sept.19, from 12:00 to 4:30 at our Enka Site. Mark your calendars now!

There have been some changes to facilitate our accreditation work. The Engineering and Applied Technology Division has graciously agreed to share the Engineering Department Office with the SACS team. As of August 1st, Deborah Lonon and I are working at that location (Elm 200) with Vera Williams for the duration of the SACS accreditation process. Our phone numbers remain the same. They are ext. 341, ext. 339, and ext. 178 for Vera, Deborah, and me, respectively. Stop by and visit!

(For more details, see the OD Calendar or contact ext. 178) -Carol Rovello Director of Employee and Organization Development. Return to top

Nursing Scholarship Named After Former Chairperson

Ruth W. Geddings, nursing instructor at A-B Tech and eventually the chairperson of the Practical Nurse Education program worked well into her 70s and through bouts of cancer.

"She was hard working, a good role model, very strict with students so they could achieve their dreams and become good nurses," explains Nursing Chairperson Brenda Causey, who added Geddings was a pioneer in establishing some of the school's first partnerships with area hospitals in the early '60s.

Geddings died of cancer in 1985 at the age of 76, but her name will live on in a scholarship founded recently by her daughter, Sandra S. Guill, and co-worker Jane Smith. Through the Ruth W. Geddings Scholarship Fund, Guill, a retired nurse, hopes that more women will become nurses.

"We hope that this scholarship fund will help girls go through the training because we need more nurses," Guill said. Both Guill and her mother were registered nurses at the Veterans Administration Medical Center of Asheville. Her mother left the VA to teach at A-B Tech. "She was well-respected as a nurse and teacher," Guill said.

Causey adds, "She demanded the best of her faculty and students ... she was always supportive of the faculty she supervised."

To donate to the Geddings Scholarship fund, call 254-1921, ext. 179 or mail checks to the A-B Tech Foundation Office, 340 Victoria Rd. Asheville, NC 28801.

A-B Tech also has experienced huge increases in its ESL classes. During the 1994-95 school year, 154 students were enrolled in ESL. By 2000-01, that number had jumped to 1,144. Return to top

Author! Author!

Celia Miles, retired instructor and chairperson of the English Department, has written a book titled Mattie's Girl: An Appalachian Childhood. In this story, she chronicles the experiences of nine year old June as she learns the traditions of 1940s Appalachia.

Memorial Scholarship

The Human Resource Development Department has established a scholarship in memory of Mary Hay Gwynn, the director of the HRD program from 1991-2002. Mary had assumed the role of coordinator for Focused Industrial Training and New and Expanding Industry Training before her death earlier this year.

Organizational Development August Activities

• 5th Email Management
• 6th GroupWise Time Management
• 7th File Management
• 8th Train-the-Trainer
• 9th Using the Intranet
• 28th On-Campus Massage (register with Holly McCurry)
• 29th Facilitating Effective Meetings
• 30th Facilitating Effective Meetings
• Fall Fest (activity schedule for curriculum classes)

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