A-B Tech Graduates Record Number of Students

State Sen. Steve Metcalf adresses the graduating class of 2003.

A-B Tech graduated a record class of 600 students Friday during commencement exercises attended by a standing-room-only crowd at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. State Sen. Steve Metcalf, the commencement speaker and a former member of A-B Tech's Board of Trustees, told students graduation does not signify the end of their education.

Sen. Metcalf spoke of his own mother, who dropped out of high school in the 1930s to help care for her 11 siblings after his grandfather died. He said he once asked his mother why she had chosen to return to school two years later, even though it was during the Great Depression.

"She said, 'Son, I wasn't finished.' Let me hold up to you that you know now what my mother knew then: Education is never finished," Sen. Metcalf said.

Pointing to a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson - "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" - Sen. Metcalf told the students that what lies within them is character. Despite their different backgrounds, they have much in common - determination, perseverance, focus, and vision, he said. During the ceremony, President K. Ray Bailey presented Sen. Metcalf with a plaque in appreciation for his service as a trustee and his support of the college as a member of the General Assembly.

President Bailey also recognized three A-B Tech employees chosen for honors by their peers. Dental Hygiene Instructor Sherry Shields received the Faculty Member of the Year Award; Adjunct Developmental Studies Instructor Lorraine Silverman, the Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year Award; and Skye Myrick, executive director of Occupational Training and Public Safety, the Staff Member of the Year Award.

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Dr. Joe B. Roberson, Sr. Receives President's Award

President Bailey presents Dr. Joe B. Roberson, Sr. with The President's Award, A-B Tech's highest honor.

The President's Award, A-B Tech's highest honor, was presented to Dr. Joe B. Roberson, Sr. during the college's commencement exercises Friday.

Dr. Roberson, an Asheville dentist, served on the original advisory committee set up to explore the concept of offering dental hygiene and dental assisting programs at A-B Tech more than 30 years ago.

"Thanks to him and a few other visionary dentists, our college has served as Western North Carolina's sole provider of dental assistants and dental hygienists for the past three decades, training more than 800 students who, for the most part, have gone to work in dentists' offices in our area after they graduated from A-B Tech," President K. Ray Bailey said.

President Bailey also cited Dr. Roberson's service on the college's Board of Trustees since 1972, including two terms as chairman and his fund-raising work in 2002 for the first major renovation of A-B Tech's dental clinic in its history.

"Thanks in no small part to Dr. Joe's generosity and hard work, A-B Tech is now able to provide students with access to state-of-the-art equipment, train more hygienists and assistants than ever before, and offer a high-tech facility where local dentists can receive continuing education," President Bailey said.

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A-B Tech Culinary Wins Silver Medal in Final Four Competition

Members of the Hot Food team pose with their medals and certificates. From l to r: Young Nae Shin, Kether Smith, Eric Baker, Deric McGuffey, and Ashley Ware

A team of A-B Tech culinary students earned silver medals at the American Culinary Federation's national student team championship - the "final four" of culinary competition - in Washington, D.C., in July. Coached by Hospitality Education Instructors Vince Donatelli and Mark Moritz, the Hot Food team competed against teams from Michigan, New York, and Seattle, WA. Its members were Eric Baker (the captain), Ashley Ware, Kether Smith, Young Nae Shin, and Deric McGuffey.

Both A-B Tech's Hot Food Team and its Knowledge Bowl Team advanced to "final four" competition, held as part of the ACF National Convention July 25-29, by winning at the Southeast regional level in February. The Knowledge Bowl team was coached by Hospitality Education Instructor Charlie Widner and former Instructor Brian McDonald. Its members were Peter Gordon, Emily Sims, Clay Crabb, Patricia Sodano and Bronwen McCormick.

Teams that make it to the ACF championship have proven themselves "worthy of the challenge to compete at ACF's national convention" through personal sacrifice, a sense of adventure, and a high level of achievement, according to the organization.

Vice President of Instructional Services Sharon Morrissey, who attended the competitions, said the Knowledge Bowl team performed well although it did not place in its event. Both A-B Tech teams were the only ones that came from a community college, she added.

"No one knew who we were, people couldn't pronounce our name. But they were very impressed with what our teachers are doing and with the skills of our students. Many, many people complimented our chefs and our students on their work ...."

"I'm really proud of them for hanging in there, for showing their professionalism and their incredible skills, for being the underdog at the competition and for the Hot Food Team coming out with a silver medal," Morrissey said. "I think that's phenomenal."

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A-B Tech Foundation Board Member Appointed To State Board of Community Colleges

A-B Tech Foundation Board member Jim Daniels of Daniels Business Services

A-B Tech Foundation Board member Jim Daniels has been appointed by the North Carolina House of Representatives to serve on the State Board of Community Colleges. Daniels' six-year term will begin Aug. 15. As a member of the State Board, he will be responsible for setting policy, distributing finances, and approving programs for institutions in the North Carolina Community College System. The State Board also makes the final vote on college presidential appointments.

The State Board meets once a month, and has a joint meeting with the State Board of Education and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors once a year. Daniels has been a member of the A-B Tech Foundation Board since 1999. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Daniels Business Services, Inc., a family-owned business in operation for over 50 years that engages in printing, mailing, fulfillment and call center operations.

Along with his business responsibilities, Daniels is committed to many community organizations. He is currently chairman of the Buncombe County Economic Development Commission, a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute at Biltmore and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Advisory Board for Wachovia Corporation.

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Kudos For McDonald

Marilyn McDonald, who coordinates the Asheville-Buncombe-Madison Career Pathways Partnership, was commended in a letter to President Bailey from Allen H. Johnson, the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for Asheville City Schools. He writes, "Mrs. McDonald has been very helpful to our students, teachers, counselors, and administrators. Her support and efforts....have enabled our students to excel academically."

EMS and Nursing News

Nancy Crawford, A-B Tech EMS instructor, was praised by an employee of Mission St. Joseph's (MSJ) in its newsletter, SCOPE. He writes, "She is so kind and gentle to our patients and helpful to nursing. Her students follow her around like a mother duck." Sixteen of the 25 newest nursing externs at MSJ are enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program at A-B Tech. They were pictured in the July edition of SCOPE. Also featured is ADN graduate Amanda Banks, who enrolled under the Career Advancement Program (CAP) at MSJ. Under this program, employees of MSJ are able to work part time and go to school full-time, while retaining their full time pay and benefits. Banks is one of the first graduates under this program.

Penland Apponted To Committee

The State Board of Community Colleges has appointed A-B Tech Trustee Talmage Penland, along with other representatives from community colleges, to serve on a committee to "establish rules and procedures for use by the State Board in withholding funds to a community college, should the need arise."

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