Invitational Education Conference In Asheville Sept. 21-23
The International Alliance for Invitational Education (IAIE) will hold its 23rd annual meeting and world conference Sept. 21-23 in Asheville, giving A-B Tech employees an opportunity to attend without having to travel.
The conference theme is Education as an Inviting Work of Heart. It is designed to bring together educators, school administrators, business and community leaders, and other service professionals for discussions and exploration of issues and solutions within an invitational education framework.
"Participants are coming from around the globe with presentations by educators from Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, Canada, and throughout the United States. The conference will provide a rich opportunity for a multi-cultural experience focused exclusively on education," said Dr. Debby Harmon, Director of Counseling.
A-B Tech is a co-sponsor of the conference held at the Renaissance Hotel, along with Western Carolina University College of Education and Allied Professions, Kennesaw State University and Radford University College of Education and Human Development.
"I applaud President Bailey's decision to co-sponsor this event. It is yet one more way that he demonstrates his belief in the power of the invitational education model," Harmon said. "A-B Tech is a great institution, but we still have unlimited, untapped potential to realize. It takes each and every person on this campus to create an environment where all students and all employees are cordially summoned to learn, grow and achieve individual and collective dreams."
Internationally acclaimed educators Drs. William Purkey and Betty Siegel, co-founders of IAIE, will speak during general sessions Sept. 23.
The conference will feature program sessions that detail engaging practices in teaching for understanding, responding to the diverse needs of students, developing democratic classrooms and integrating the arts in education. There will be presentations by Inviting School Award winners including A-B Tech and roundtable discussions.
Other highlights include action labs that examine research on the power of relationships in education presented by Western Carolina University and local schools. There will also be sessions on recent developments in Invitational Education.
"Anyone who seizes the opportunity to participate in the conference will realize a rewarding and memorable experience," said Harmon.
To register for the conference, please visit www.invitationaleducation.net. A special day rate of $95 has been negotiated for Sept. 22 or 23 in addition to full conference rates.
Four New Programs Available to Students During Fall Semester
A-B Tech will offer four new programs this fall, including Information Systems Security. The other programs are Industrial Systems Technology, Web Technologies and a certificate in Infant and Toddler Care.
A-B Tech has expanded its curriculum offerings and will start four new programs during the fall semester. Infant/Toddler Care, Information Systems Security, Industrial Systems Technology and Web Technologies will be available starting Aug. 18.
An Infant and Toddler Care certificate prepares individuals to work with children from infancy to three years of age in diverse learning environments. Students will combine learned theories, competency-based knowledge and practice in actual settings with young children under the supervision of qualified teachers.
The three other programs award associate in applied science degrees at completion.
Information Systems Security provides students with the skills required to implement effective and comprehensive information security controls with coursework including networking technologies, intrusion detection and security administration. Graduates will be prepared for employment as security administrators. According to Dr. Sharon Morrissey, vice president for Instructional Services, "Every small business has networked computers, and we have identified a strong need for people who can install firewalls and other protections."
Industrial Systems Technology is designed to teach students to safely service, maintain, repair, or install equipment. Students in the curriculum will learn blueprint reading, mechanical systems maintenance, hydraulics/mechanics, welding and diagnostic and repair procedures. "When we conducted the feasibility study for this program, we were astounded at the number of jobs available for technicians with these skills," Morrissey said.
The Web Technologies curriculum prepares graduates for careers in the information technology arena using computers and distributed computing to disseminate and collect information via the web. "Much of the programming that is done today is web-based," Morrissey said. "These new programs illustrate how A-B Tech works hard to offer and maintain quality programs that meet workforce training needs."
Student Finds New Career Path In Vet Med Tech Program
David Hinton was a charge nurse running a busy day center for the elderly mentally ill within a large hospital in Worcester, England.
"In the English National Health System, I was a psychiatric nurse or RMN," said Hinton. "I worked mainly with the elderly, mentally ill people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease and depression."
He met his future wife, Monica, in 1972 when they were both working at a camp in upstate New York for mentally ill children. "We became friends when I turned 21 and she was 17 and it blossomed, very slowly, over the next 16 years."
After many cross-Atlantic visits, they married in 1988 and Hinton came to live in the United States.
"I quickly found that my RMN qualification was not recognized by the USA. It was regarded as too specialized," he said. After weighing his options, and deciding not to pursue a nursing degree again, Hinton went to Western Carolina University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in biology. After graduating magna cum laude, Hinton successfully applied for a case manager position with Smoky Mountain Counseling Center in Waynesville.
In 1996, Hinton returned to England and spent the next two years working in psychiatry in the same hospital in Worcester, but with acutely mentally ill adult patients. After moving back to Asheville, he worked as admissions director for Asheville Health Care Center. Three and a half years later, and after the death of his mother-in-law who had lived with Hinton and his wife, he resigned his position and spent time remodeling the house and doing website design.
"Then there was the day that changed everything," Hinton said. "The 2004 Fall Schedule that came in the mail from A-B Tech - the document that pointed me in a new direction. I read about the new Veterinary Medical Technology program and thought that it would be right up my street. "
At age 53, Hinton enrolled full-time in the program. "As the course has gone along, it's confirmed to me that I made the right choice in applying," he said. "It brought together my love of animals and people. It's certainly been a hard course, but the staff and my classmates, have been very supportive and even put up with my quirky English sense of humor and corny jokes."
During the past year, Hinton worked as a driver for the program, picking up animals from the Buncombe County Animal Shelter for practical classes at REACH. "This gave me plenty of valuable handling experience with cats and dogs," he said. "I also picked up animals the day after our class at REACH - the ones not spayed or neutered in class - to take to the Humane Alliance in Asheville."
Through the driving job he learned about Buster, a black Labrador that had been hit by a car. Buster's injuries were major, usually meaning that euthanasia would be the only option, but a heartfelt plea for help by an employee at the shelter followed by a group discussion in class involving program staff and veterinarian, Dr. Jim Guenther, led to Buster being successfully treated in the next scheduled class.
"I learned some time later that Buster was adopted by a wonderful elderly lady who visited Buster every day at the shelter until he was ready to go to his new home," Hinton said.
Hinton also set up a website for his classmates for a few semesters, featuring pictures he took in class as well as links to relevant material and PowerPoint presentations.
This past summer, he interned at Skyland Animal Hospital while preparing for August graduation. "It's a wonderful two veterinarian practice with a great group of staff." Dr. Freeman has already been helpful to the Vet Tech program by offering the use of his orthopedic instruments in Buster's hip surgery. "Both he and Dr. Warner have been generous with their time, patience and support. I'd be lucky and very happy to work in such a friendly small animal practice," Hinton said. "The long range plan is to continue working in small animal practice and eventually be involved in the Vet Tech program. I do enjoy teaching. I always have."
Veterinary Medical Technology student David Hinton works with a Boxer puppy during his summer internship at Skyland Animal Hospital. He entered the program after being a registered mental nurse in the United Kingdom.