Career Pathways Partnership Receives Gold Award for Overall Excellence
The Asheville-Buncombe-Madison Career Pathways Partnership received a gold award at the 2006 College Tech Prep Conference in Greensboro. From left, is Dr. Wandra C. Polk, director of Division Secondary Education for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Pam Silvers, Business Computer Technologies chair; Charlotte Hipps, Career Pathways coordinator; Ned Fowler, dean of Allied Health and Public Service Education; Leland Blankenship, director of Career Technical Education for Buncombe County Schools; and Elizabeth C. Brown, director of Federal Vocational Education for the North Carolina Community College System.
The Asheville-Buncombe-Madison Career Pathways Partnership received a gold award for Overall Excellence in the 2006 Grimsley, James, Stogner College Tech Prep Awards program.
The partnership is comprised of A-B Tech, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Asheville City, Buncombe County, and Madison County school systems.
The Overall Award recognizes consortiums that have used multiple reform initiatives to produce a high percentage of student participation in College Tech Prep, lowered dropout and remediation rates, sequenced courses from high school to the community college, integrated curricula, and involved stakeholders.
Statewide, a total of 16 winners were chosen in four categories. The awards were presented March 22 at the 2006 College Tech Prep Conference in Greensboro.
College Tech Prep is a course of study designed to meet the need for high school graduates to have more technically-oriented educational backgrounds. Through a blending of high-level academic and vocational courses, College Tech Prep prepares students for the collegiate-level courses required by two-year community college programs. Participants in College Tech Prep are consortia consisting of at least one community college, one high school, and industry partners. College Tech Prep is funded through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998.
"It's a great recognition of the quality of our consortium," said Marilyn McDonald, Career Pathways director. "Our team communicates really well. We do what we need to do to make these programs successful."
Through marketing, professional development, and enhanced opportunities for instructors, the partnership has achieved a steady increase in the number of College Tech Prep completers and the number of high school students taking advantage of tuition-free A-B Tech classes. Remediation rates remain lower than the state average and continue to decline.
"I think it's a good opportunity for any student," said Ralph Rice, career and technical education director for Madison County Schools. "I would love to see every student in high school graduate with at least one course from a community college. If they get a taste of it, they may stay with it. I feel like we are a leader in our state with our consortium."
The partnership publishes a Career Development Guide annually, which outlines a seamless program of study that begins in high school and continues through postsecondary education. Distributed to every high school student, the guide includes decision-making tools, career/education planning information, and information about Career Pathways and graduation requirements.
A diverse selection of academic and career-technical course offerings are available tuition free to high school students via the Huskins Bill and Dual Enrollment programs. In 2004-05, 11,836 hours of college credit were awarded to area high school students. In addition to the CTP Enhancement Grant, an Innovative Grant allowed A-B Tech and the Buncombe County School System to create an Advanced Digital Media Program housed at the Buncombe County Career Education Center. The College also has partnered with the School of Inquiry and Life Science at Asheville High School.
Professional Development Opportunities for April
April 3
- General Academic Advisor Basics and CIS Use, 1:30-3 p.m., Rhododendron 117
- Excel Basics and Beyond, 3-4:30 p.m., Balsam 217
April 4
- Colleague/Datatel Advising Refresher College Transfer, 8-9:30 a.m. or 3-4:30 p.m., Rhododendron 117
April 5
- Smart Room and Closed Captioning Brief Basics, 3:15-4 p.m., Elm 216
April 6
- GroupWise Email Workshop, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Rhododendron 117
- Instructors' Institute: Writing Across the Curriculum, 2-3:30 p.m., Elm 130
- CIS Advising Refresher for General Academic Advisors, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Rhododendron 117
April 7
- Best of Photoshop, 1-4 p.m., Balsam 204
April 12
- Using FrontPage for Website Maintenance, 3:30-4:15 p.m. Haynes 142
April 13
- Advising Tools for New College Transfer Advisors Cont. Session B, 3-4:30 p.m., Rhododendron 117
April 27
- Instructors' Institute: Speaking Across the Curriculum, noon 1:30 p.m., Simpson Lecture Room
May 1
- Making Forms With Excel, 3-4:30 p.m., Balsam 217
The registration process for all Professional Development workshops and classes has changed. Please do not send emails to Nicole Martinez. From now on follow these steps to register for Professional Development classes:
Send an email from your campus email address to odpd@abtech.edu.
Put the title and date of the workshop you want to register for in the subject line. You may leave the text section of the message blank unless you have a special request or question. Please send one email per course you wish to register for. You will receive a confirmation by email.
If you have questions about the registration process, call Copper Coggins, 254-1921 Ext. 178. If you have questions about course content, contact the workshop instructor.
To see course details and instructor information visit the intranet website http://intranet/College_Relations/od/default.asp and click the "Spring 2006" link.
Nominations Sought for Continuing Education Instructor of the Year
Nominations are being sought for the 2005-06 Continuing Education Instructor of the Year for A-B Tech.
The individual selected for this honor will be recognized at graduation in August and will receive a monetary honorarium. This is a new award and A-B Tech is excited to offer Continuing Education instructors a chance to be recognized for the excellent work they do.
This person should be someone who really goes above and beyond, makes extra effort to be invitational to students and other employees, helps to make the A-B Tech community better, and is an ambassador of the College to the Western North Carolina community.
A-B Tech faculty, staff, students, or alumni may submit nominations no later than April 13. Applications will be available on the website at www.abtech.edu. If you have questions or need a nomination form, call Rebecca Howell, Ext. 441 or e-mail at rhowell@abtech.edu.
Show your pride in A-B Tech by nominating someone who deserves the recognition for a job well done.
Welcome New Employees
The College welcomes four full-time employees who have accepted staff and faculty positions over the past month.
Jill M. Sparks, assistant director of the Small Business Center and Incubator, earned her B.A. in History, B.S. in Business Administration and M.B.A. from Appalachian State University. She was the director of Development and the director of Career Planning Services for the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University.
Kathleen A. Walsh, administrative assistant, College Relations, received a B.S. in English from Northeastern University, Boston. She has served as the development assistant at the Mission Healthcare Foundation, a program assistant at UNC Asheville, and an interlibrary loan clerk at Northeastern University.
Darlene C. Wilson, director of Distance Learning, has a B.S. in Computer Information Technology from St. Leo University, St. Leo, FL., and an M.B.A. from International College, Naples, FL. She was vice president of Information Technology for International College, a computer network support technician for Richard Bland College, Petersburg, VA, and a Microcomputer Support Specialist for Southside Regional Medical Center.
John C. Witherspoon, Chairperson of Fire Services Education, earned his A.S. in Fire Protection Technology from A-B Tech. He has been a battalion commander for the City of Asheville for more than 17 years. He was also a firefighter/shift supervisor at Skyland Fire and Rescue Department for 13 years.