They've Come A Long Way, Baby
Dean of Business and Hospitality Education Dr. Joe Franklin addresses the gathering at the ribbon-cutting of the Balsam Computer Technology Center
Dr. Joe Franklin, Dean of Business and Hospitality Education, remembers when he was the envy of his colleagues because he had the coolest office on campus. It wasn't Franklin's sense of style that made them jealous: It was the air conditioning unit that provided the climate-controlled environment for the mainframe computer nearby.
"That really was a perk," Franklin recalled with a laugh as he reminisced recently about the changes that have occurred in computer technologies during his nearly 24 years at the college. "I came to work here in August of 1980 and at that time, the college had two computers a Univac 90/25 (mainframe) down in Birch and a small payroll system up in the Business Office." As Franklin watched the hardware shrink- from mainframe to minicomputer to PC - he saw the number of computers and the demand for classes explode. "Back when I first came here in 1980, we had two day sections and one evening section (of Introduction to Data Processing), and that was it,'" he said. "Now, we teach about 110 sections a year of Introduction to Computers. About 95 percent of all our students take the course before they graduate."
That's one of the reasons Franklin is so excited about the opening of the Balsam Computer Technology Center. "You won't see any fluff in this building," he said. "It's going straight to instruction - there's nothing being diverted to administrative overhead. It's straight to classroom/labs and faculty offices."
Balsam's classrooms - about twice as large as those they replace in Birch - are designed "to optimize the efficiency of the learning process," Franklin said. "If you go to the Balsam Building and walk into a classroom, ... you'll see hardware labs with slide drawers so students can pull out the computer they're working on, take it apart if they need to and then at the end of the hour, all they have to do is slide the door shut and lock it. We minimize the set-up and tear-down time in each class. That's no small issue because it takes so long to get hardware out and arranged properly so students can access it. Then it takes almost an equal amount of time to put everything up at the end of the period and that's really lost time."
In addition to customized casework, Balsam features non-glare lighting, two network connections for every workstation, custom-designed data projection equipment and synchronized software that allows an instructor to capture an image on a student's screen and project it so the entire class can participate in the problem-solving.
"One of the interesting things about Balsam is that this is a technology building designed by technology faculty," Franklin said. "We used their collective judgment and input so we could design a facility that would meet our students' needs."
And Franklin wants to ensure those needs are met not only now, but in the future. "When we designed Balsam, we realized we didn't have a crystal ball, and we didn't know what the future would hold, so our objective was to ... leave as many options open to us as possible. Let me give you an example: We have about 37 miles of cat 5 networking cable in Balsam right now, but we may consider wireless technology in the future. The faculty wanted to make Balsam flexible so it could grow with the technology, depending on which direction the technology goes."
Students Honored As Outstanding Employees
Compensatory Education student Rob Powell, along with four of his classmates, were honored as Outstanding Employees.
A-B Tech Compensatory Education student Rob Powell greets everyone he meets with a huge, infectious smile. Before you know it he's got your name, birthday, and favorite color.
That Rob has never met a stranger is the general consensus of Rob's employer, fellow employees, and customers at the Weaverville McDonalds where he has been employed for the past 13 years and was recently named Employee of the Month for the second time.
"Rob is a delightful person," says Naomi King, second assistant manager at the McDonalds where Rob works. "If you are having a crummy day, all you have to do is see Rob, and he'll make your day. Sometimes we catch him singing."
A dedicated employee and admitted "people person,"Rob has been enrolled in A-B Tech's Compensatory Education Program for the past seven years. With a heavy emphasis on academics and life skills, Rob is learning reading, math, social science, community living, consumer education, health, and vocational education. "(The classes) help me learn how to calm people down and let them know that someone cares about them," says Rob. Along with his studies and working, Rob is also an active participant on the Special Olympics basketball team, where he is "the rock of the team."
Rob and fellow A-B Tech Compensatory Education students, along with their employers, were recognized at the recent Goodwill Community Employment Services Banquet.
- Jennifer Michalove was honored for her 11 and 1/2 years as an employee of the Great Smokies Lab. She now works part-time at her father's optometry office.
- Ronnie Garrett won an outstanding employee award at Burger King.
- Kim Kindley works at Community Family Practice and was recognized as an outstanding employee.
- Mark Winton, in the traumatic brain injury program, won for a second consecutive year the outstanding employee award at a Goodwill retail store.
Business Is Springing
Marcelle Martin, an accountant with a private practice, talks with one of the participants of Spring Into Business.
A-B Tech's Small Business Center hosted a Spring Into Business event March 25. Those interested in starting their own business were able to hob-nob with knowlegeable people about how to obtain business loans, write business plans, get business licenses, manage their accounting, and other fundamentals of running a business.
According to the staff at the Small Business Center, the event exceeded their goals, and they are getting feedback from it on a daily basis.
Great Eats At Culinary Meet And Greet
Guests enjoy some of the delicious and eclectic samples of food at the recent reception in honor of the American Culinary Federation's on-site accreditation visit to the Culinary Technology Program. The reception was hosted by Hospitality Education and attended by faculty and staff, advisory committee members, and members of the community.
