Vol. 13 Issue 12December 2007
 

Headlines

Vet Med Tech Program Earns Accreditation

Veterinary Medical Technology

David Hinton, an A-B Tech Veterinary Medical Technology graduate, listens to a canine patient's heart during an exam. The College's program has become fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA).

A-B Tech's Veterinary Medical Technology program has been granted full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA).

Accreditation is a process by which an educational institution or program submits to a voluntary, non-governmental review to determine whether it meets accepted standards of quality. An institution or program is considered fully accredited when it is found to meet these standards.

Graduation from an AVMA CVTEA-accredited institution is a prerequisite for licensure or certification for professional practice through the majority of state licensing boards and credentialing agencies in order to meet the educational prerequisites.

AVMA accreditation of veterinary medical programs and institutions assures employers that graduates have achieved specified learning goals and are prepared to begin professional practice.

"This accreditation solidifies what the students and faculty already knew about the quality of the program," said Dianne Cotter, Veterinary Medical Technology chair. "The accreditation team was impressed by the sense of involvement these students already feel within the veterinary community."

A-B Tech began its program in 2004. Students learn how to assist veterinarians in preparing animals, equipment, and medications for examination and surgery; collect specimens; perform laboratory, radiographic, anesthetic, and dental procedures; assist in surgery; and provide proper husbandry of animals and their environment.

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AvL Technologies Donates $50,000 to Small Business Center

AvL Technologies

A representative from AvL Technologies speaks to a participant at the Manufacturing Job Fair held in February at the Haynes Center on the Enka campus. AvL Technologies recently donated $50,000 to the A-B Tech Small Business Center/Incubator.

AvL Technologies has donated $50,000 to establish a revolving loan fund at A-B Tech's Small Business Center/Incubator to support young companies.

"While the development of the incubator program and recruitment of companies has gone well, the program lacked a revolving loan fund to assist its clients," said Russ Yelton, Small Business Center/Incubator director. "We appreciate the support AvL Technologies is providing start-ups through this generous donation."

AvL Technologies started in the Maple Building at A-B Tech in 1998 and became the College's first successful small business incubation. The business employees 75 people, and designs and manufactures mobile satellite antenna systems typically used for live satellite broadcasts from television news trucks.

Three funds will assist clients in completion of prototypes, provide funds for working capital and help student-run businesses.

"This funding is critical as most of these companies are not ready for traditional bank financing and the availability of angel and venture capital is very low in Western North Carolina," Yelton said.

A Student Loan Fund of $20,000, from a previous AVL Technology gift, will be available to A-B Tech students who are approved for inclusion into the Student Incubator to be used for inventory purposes. Loan amounts may be up to $3,000 and there will be no interest or fees charged to the student.

A General Loan Product is intended for companies that are already producing products or services and have existing clients. The funds will be used for additional inventory or to purchase items that will increase the ability of the company to make sales and generate additional revenue. Loan amounts may be up to $20,000 at a 5 percent interest rate. The application fee is $50.

An Early Seed Loan will provide up to $10,000 to companies completing prototypes and entering an early revenue stage. The interest rate would be 5 percent with a payback period of 12 months.

"The development of this fund will complete one of the missing parts of our program that is needed to successfully run a large incubation program," Yelton said. "It will not only serve to give funding to companies already in incubation, but will also serve as a mechanism of recruitment for those in the future."

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Foundation Presents Mini-grants to Faculty and Staff

English as a Second Language class

Students in Michelle Day's ESL class read over their lines before filming for an instructional DVD to be produced as one of the A-B Tech Foundation mini-grant projects.

The A-B Tech Foundation has awarded five $2,000 mini grants to faculty and staff for 2007-08, funding projects such as guest speakers for the Arts and Sciences Division and quality improvement for teaching Nursing.

The purpose of the A-B Tech Foundation mini-grants program is to provide funds to support creative projects, teaching methods or activities that benefit students or for professional development activities that benefit a broad spectrum of the College.

Criteria required proposals to be creative and innovative. Program innovation mini-grants proposals were also required to provide evidence that the project will have a significant impact and a way to measure the impact. Project implementation needed to be realistic and short-term - within a year of the award.

Faculty and staff development mini-grants proposals needed to document how the employee's professional abilities and professional growth will be developed and demonstrate the relationship of the proposal to the employee's Performance Enhancement Plan. The experience should also have shared value to the College and other employees and ultimately benefit the experience of the students.

Mini-grants were awarded to the following projects:

Diversity and Cultural Education Series
Project Coordinator: Michele Hathcock, director of A-B Tech at the Mall and Student Activities/Recruitment

The A-B Tech Diversity Committee is renting storyboards from the Center for Diversity Education. Six exhibits will be displayed in Holly Library throughout the academic year and will depict a variety of subjects that have regional appeal and multicultural emphasis. Exhibits displayed have included the One World: WNC Goes Global exhibit, which featured regional business people sharing their experiences in the global marketplace.

Quality Improvement for Teaching
Project Coordinator: Denise Hansen, Nursing instructor

The North Carolina Board of Nursing recently adopted new standards for professional development activities for nursing instructors. Nursing instructors are required to have 45 continuing education credits by 2010 or they cannot continue to teach. To address this urgent need, the funds will be used to pay for continuing education classes that meet the North Carolina Board of Nursing's standards. Nursing instructors will divide the funds to attend the appropriate classes.

Guest Speakers for the Arts and Sciences Division
Project Coordinator: Kenet Adamson, Arts and Sciences dean

The Arts and Sciences Division needed guest lecturers in their classes. The lecturers will provide expertise in subject areas that instructors don't have. The classroom experience will be enhanced as students meet and interact with the professionals.

Dental Hygiene Professional Delegation to Russia and Poland
Project Coordinator: Carol Little, Dental instructor

The American Dental Hygiene Association invited Little to travel to Eastern Europe as part of an international delegation addressing dental education. Little was one of 40 dental hygienists in the nation to be chosen. This professional development experience, according to the ADHA, "is an opportunity to discuss issues vital not only to Russia and Poland, but also for the rest of Europe, for the United States and for the world at large." Little's experiences will enhance her teaching in the classroom, provide an international focus with faculty members, and will address the College goal of global education.

English Comes to Life
Project Coordinator: Michelle Day, adjunct ESL instructor

Michelle Day and Julie Williamson will use A-B Tech ESL actors to produce DVDs of real-life scenarios to use as instructional material. Participation in the project will benefit students through using the language skills learned. The ESL instructors will be able to use the videos for in-class instruction in the future.

The project will create videos of situations ESL students encounter in daily life in the United States, such as at the doctor's office, bank, and job interviews.

"Books can provide information, but multimedia materials stimulate more of the senses, and are therefore, more effective instructionally," Day said.

Students who actively participate as actors will get their own copy of the DVD to keep.

"The videos will be used for teachers to teach in classes, or students can check out the videos to take home to practice their English." Day said.

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Grinder Made By A-B Tech Grads Headed to Mars »

 

Tech Talk is published by the Communications Office for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Editor: Mona Cornwell, Writer: Martha Ball, Designer: April Sides
Send submissions to: Mona Cornwell, Director of Communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu