Outstanding Alumnus Ernest Grant Speaks At A-B Tech
Outstanding Alumni recipient and A-B Tech graduate Ernest Grant spoke at the March 8 general staff meeting.
Ernest Grant already has big shoes to fill - his size 15s were a concern when he first came to A-B Tech more than 25 years ago - and now he's building a legacy that will leave even larger shoes to fill for anyone who may attempt to follow his footsteps.
A 1977 graduate of the Practical Nursing Education program, Grant, whose initial trip to campus drew questions on whether he would be able to secure proper nursing shoes in his size (fortunately, he did), has turned his education and passion for helping people into an incredible journey.
The journey has led Grant to the White House to be acknowledged as Nursing Spectrum magazine's 2002 Nurse of the Year, to New York City to volunteer in the burn center at New York Presbyterian Hospital at Cornell University during the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks, and to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill, where he has spent the past 22 years as a nursing education clinician in burn outreach.
There will also be a stop in Minneapolis, MN, later this month where Grant will be honored by the American Association of Community Colleges as one of six Outstanding Alumni Award honorees. Fellow award winners include film director George Lucas of Star Wars acclaim, and U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona.
Big Shoes To Fill: Ernest Grant proves he can find, and fill, size 15 shoes.
Grant shared his journey, and his gratitude for the education he received at A-B Tech, as the featured guest speaker during the March 8 general staff meeting in Ferguson Auditorium. "It's truly been a wonderful career, and I got my foundation here," said Grant, who added that he constantly works as an ambassador for the college as he travels across the state and country.
"I am extremely proud to let people know that I graduated from A-B Tech." In high school, Grant knew he wanted to go into health care and his initial dream was to work as an anesthesiologist. However, during a discussion with his guidance counselor, it was suggested that Grant visit A-B Tech to explore the possibility of enrolling in the college's nursing program.
"One year in the program, and I realized that I had another calling," Grant recalled. "Nursing was where my heart truly was. It fed a hunger in me."
After graduating from A-B Tech, Grant went on to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree and started working at the Burn Center, where he teaches emergency burn management to EMTs, paramedics and hospital personnel who transfer patients to the center. He also conducts fire and burn safety classes across the state, highlighted by his Learn Not To Burn curriculum that is implemented in all North Carolina public school fourth-grade classrooms.
Through his tireless efforts, it is estimated, according to research done for his 2002 Nurse of the Year nomination, that Grant is directly involved in educating more than 8,000 people a year about burn prevention.
"I'm in the rare position of actually trying to work myself out of a job," said Grant. "There are times I dream about getting home and getting the phone call that says I don't need to come to work, because no one's getting burned in North Carolina or anywhere else. Until that day happens, I'll continue to put forth that effort."
The Birth of Balsam
A-B Tech and members of the community celebrate the official opening of the Balsam Computer Technology Center.
In what was described as an historic event for both the college and the community, A-B Tech marked the official opening of the $5 million Balsam Computer Technology Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 23.
President K. Ray Bailey said the three-story, 36,150-square-foot building is the first in Buncombe County to be completed with funding from the 2000 Higher Education Bond Referendum. The $3.1 billion bond package, the largest ever in the state of North Carolina, brought the college $14 million for construction of two buildings, Balsam and a new Hospitality Education Center, as well as several renovation projects.
"The impressive margin of victory in the bond referendum - 3 to 1 here in Buncombe County - indicated the strong commitment our citizens have to the educational and economic development opportunities A-B Tech provides to our region," Kaye Myers, chair of the Board of Trustees, told the crowd gathered for the ceremony.
Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Vice President of Instructional Services, said Birch Building, which previously housed the college's computer programs, was never designed for that purpose and reached its capacity for labs about six years ago. She said Balsam is evidence of A-B Tech's dedication to student success "because it was designed to give students hands-on experience with cutting-edge computer hardware and software and because it was designed to be an inviting place to study and learn."
Dr. Joe Franklin, Dean of Business and Hospitality Education, thanked faculty and staff who served on the design team and added that the new building will allow the college to offer computer training to more students than ever before.
Likening Balsam to a tool, Microcomputer Lab Coordinator Chris Smart said: "As we all know, tools require skilled users to accomplish a goal. We are fortunate to have many masters of their skills in this division that will put this tool to good use."
Second-year student Kathy Mikolajczyk expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to attend classes in Balsam. "The instruction I have received, the technology I have used have always been excellent. Those are now combined with larger classrooms and work areas," she said.
The ceremony also included the unveiling of a plaque in honor of A-B Tech Foundation Board member Jerry Dave, whose company, Dave Steel, adjoins the college and who donated about an acre for the Balsam project. Dave has a long history of service to the college, serving as vice chair and chair of the Foundation Board and endowing a scholarship in Engineering and Applied Technology in memory of his father in 1979.
A-B Tech Acquires "Industry Standard" Instrument
Have you ever looked at a molecular compound and wondered what its mass and identity was? Now with the acquisition of a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) instrument for the Department of Chemistry and Physics, you can accurately and reliably get the answers to those questions.
Considered an industry and four-year institution standard, the GC/MS is "quite a leap for a community college to have," according to Chemistry Instructor Dr. Glenn C. Ratcliff. Students will be able to substantiate a compound's identity to determine whether or not an experiment was successful. The GC/MS is not only instrumental in a chemistry lab, it will also be "very useful in the biotechnology curriculum," says Ratcliff. Hands-on experience with this instrument will make the transition from the academic lab to a job or a four-year institution much smoother for A-B Tech's students.
The Arts and Sciences Division allocated 38% of its equipment budget for the acquisition of the GC/MS, while Chemistry Instructors Wes Adams, Matthew Fender, and Glenn Ratcliff worked with the A-B Tech Foundation to procure the additional $30,000 through the Cannon Foundation. The Cannon Foundation began in 1943, with giving focused on communities where Cannon Mills were located. Now an independent foundation, virtually all its giving is in North Carolina, primarily to healthcare and education.
