Headlines

• Fall enrollment sets new record
• Knott named head of BioBusiness Center
• Morrissey tapped as VP for System Office
• Nursing and drama collaborate on mental health
• Automotive tool sale offers variety of vendors
• Early College students learn about cob building
• Food Ventures Marketplace showcases local delicacies
• Gift of Smiles starts at A-B Tech
• A-B Tech hosts art exhibition by inmates at Avery Mitchell Correctional Facility
• Student writes book to help others understand grandson
• Pitch in and make new recycling program a success
• Students gather for plant dedication to student Reed Ignizio
• Diversity committee presents Seeds of Change exhibit
• Wasp waists and huge hoops featured at Smith-McDowell
• WCU congratulates A-B Tech on 50 years
• Tech Notes

---

• Back Talk:
  Previous issues of Tech Talk
• A-B Tech homepage

Fall enrollment sets new record

Students enjoy the College's fall festival and 50th anniversary celebration. Enrollment at A-B Tech has hit a record high of about 7,500 students for the fall semester.

A-B Tech's fall semester enrollment has reached a record high, according to the registration summary as of Sept. 17. The College has enrolled 7,495 curriculum students, a 6.7 percent increase over the 7,020 students from fall 2008.

"A-B Tech's curriculum registration has reached about 7,500 this semester. We're delighted that we can have this large impact on the education of Buncombe and Madison County residents," said Dr. Dennis King, vice president of Student Services.

College transfer programs have the largest enrollment with more than 1,400 students, followed by Allied Health programs, including Medical Assisting, Veterinary Medical Technology, Surgical Technology and Emergency Medical Science.

"Our students realize that with smaller classes, taught by instructors who focus on teaching instead of publishing, they will receive excellent preparation to be successful wherever they transfer," said Kenet Adamson, Arts and Sciences dean. "This is borne out by the state's community college performance report documenting that our graduates outperform the North Carolina colleges' and universities' native students as juniors. Our significantly less expensive tuition in today's economic environment also helps convince students to choose A-B Tech as a means to reduce the escalating cost of a higher education."

"The employment outlook in health care and public service occupations has remained relatively strong during the recent cycle of higher unemployment and economic uncertainty. Enrollment in A-B Tech's Allied Health and Public Service programs has also remained strong and in many cases increased as workers look to change careers or move forward in their current profession," said Ned Fowler, Allied Health and Public Service dean. "Health care and public service programs continue to be an attractive option for students at the community college."

Return to top

---

Knott named head of
BioBusiness Center

Paul Knott

Paul Knott has been selected to become the manager of the BioBusiness Center, after serving as curriculum coordinator at the center for the past four years.

"The cumulative efforts of Center staff and our many partners and collaborators over the last four years have led to increasingly tangible results in the natural products sector. By January we will have training, testing and manufacturing resources for medicinal herbs at the Enka location. The most recent development, a new medicinal herb manufacturing suite at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, was funded through a grant received from the NC Biotechnology Center," Knott said. "This is an important milestone and something we have been working toward since the creation of the BioBusiness Center in 2004."

The BioBusiness Center, part of the NCCCS BioNetwork, is located at the College's Enka site, and serves as a local, regional and statewide service resource for North Carolina-based entrepreneurs, business counselors and economic developers. The BioNetwork and its seven Centers are strategically and geographically located across the state to support the workforce and economic development mission of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Through its classes, materials and referrals, the BioBusiness Center provides life science enterprises with start-up information, educational programs, business direction, and mentoring. Most of its work in North Carolina is coordinated through the state's 58 Small Business Centers.

"We are able to help people start with a business idea, consider its feasibility, plan their business approach, assist in finding capital and, hopefully, begin serving customers. One of our most valuable and unique assets is the Natural Products Lab. The lab, the only one of its kind in the state, possibly in the region, provides product testing to enable natural products companies to attain high quality and product purity," Knott said.

When the lab was initially planned in 2005, it was expected to serve as the core laboratory resource for the A-B Tech prototype life science incubator. As the business needs and life science assets of Western North Carolina became more evident, the lab's focus shifted from general laboratory support for life science companies to be more responsive to the needs of the evolving natural products sector. The lab now primarily provides analytical testing services for medicinal herb and other natural products companies and entrepreneurs. "The needs became clearer and we realized we didn't need a lab for a non-existent pharmaceutical industry, but one for natural products and food-related products," Knott said.

Knott plans for the center to continue to serve natural products and other related life science enterprises. "We expect to focus our efforts on local, natural and sustainable businesses in Western North Carolina and throughout North Carolina. Despite the current tough economic times, there is a great deal of interest in our programs and we will continue to provide our assistance to build existing, and new businesses in the life sciences arena," he said.

Biotech Natural Products Laboratory   BioBusiness Center Classes

Return to top

---

Morrissey tapped as VP for
System Office

Dr. Sharon Morrissey

Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Vice President of Instructional Services at A-B Tech from 2001 until 2008, has been named Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Services and Chief Academic Officer for the North Carolina Community College System. Her position in Raleigh will begin March 1.

Morrissey is currently serving as President of Richmond Community College in Hamlet. She was recruited for the new position by System President Dr. Scott Ralls, who cited her 10 years as a chief academic officer at two community colleges, previous work experience as Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Services at the System Office, and experience as President of RCC as making her uniquely qualified for this position.

"In my new role, I will provide leadership at the System level to develop and implement new initiatives designed to increase graduation and completion rates and help more students achieve their goals in North Carolina's community colleges. I will be especially mindful of the resource challenges experienced by small, rural colleges," Morrissey wrote to her staff in an announcement.

Return to top

---