HCC president outlines changes in student population

Educators meet for annual conference

Applicants for KDMC jobs tested at ACTC

Kentucky New Era
October 8, 2003

HCC president outlines changes in student population

With a full-time enrollment of more than 2,000 students and a $9.8 million general budget, Hopkinsville Community College is a "big business."

"I tell people that I run a business," said Dr. Bonnie Rogers, HCC president and chief executive officer. "We're open and accountable to everything we do."

Rogers presented a college update at this morning's Hopkinsville-Christian County Chamber of Commerce eye opener breakfast at the Holiday Inn on Fort Campbell Boulevard. The hotel and HCC sponsored the event.

Like any business, the college has challenges to overcome. Rogers noted that Kentucky is last in the nation in the percentage of adults 25 and older who have a high school diploma.

About 53 percent of Kentucky students attend college after high school.

"These are things we have to try and overcome," Rogers said.

HCC recently conducted a survey of its students, showing that 48 percent of its students are first-generation college students. If HCC did not exist, 30 percent of the students said they would not have pursued college at all.

"I think we've turned the tide somewhat on that," said Rogers, who became president of the school in 2000. "When you have an educated citizenry, the community will have a better quality of life."

sand teaching strategies.

"They learned differently than we did, and we have to sometimes change the way we teach," she said.

Rogers also explained how the role of the college has changed since its opening in 1965, from an academic transfer institution to a comprehensive community college.

"What we have found is that the students do better or just as well as students who attend a four–year university," Rogers said.

That factor is apparent in the college's increased enrollment. For fall 2002, 2,025 students were enrolled full–time, compare to approximately 1,600 students the previous fall semester.

"That means more students are taking more credits than ever before, and that's most important," Rogers said

The Daily Independent
October 9, 2003

Educators meet for annual conference

ASHLAND An annual conference for educators is expected to draw about 500 people to downtown Ashland Friday and Saturday.

The 11th annual Teaching/Learning Conference brings educators up to date on research, technology and techniques in the teaching field, said conference chairwoman Cris McDavid. The conference is sponsored by Ashland Community and Technical College.

The conference's theme, achieving teaching excellence in tough times, reflects the increasing constraints that educators are working under, McDavid said.

In fact, only about half as many people have registered for the conference as last year, largely because budget constraints restrict their travel, she said.

Bringing nationally-known speakers to Ashland is a chance for local educators to attend seminars that otherwise would be difficult to afford, she said.

Among the speakers are:

*Mamie McCullough, a former business executive, high school principal and author.

*Vincent Ruggiero, professor emeritus at the State University of New York and a pioneer in making creative and critical thinking a central emphasis in education.

*Debra Peppers, one of only five teachers to be inducted into the National Teachers' Hall of Fame and an author, university instructor, TV host and newspaper columnist.

*Carolyn Chapman, author, teacher and international consultant on educational issues.

*Cheryl Sigmon, former high school teacher, university instructor and South Carolina Department of Education consultant and now freelance consultant.

*Mark Jon Snyder, guest lecturer in the summer program at Penn State and a university teacher of education, business and computer science.

*Jon Wagner, humorist and inspirational speaker.

Among those attending will be faculty from Morehead State University, Marshall University, Ohio University, Shawnee State University, and several Northeast Kentucky school districts, including a large contingent from Ashland schools, McDavid said.

The conference should send newly-motivated educators back to their classrooms Monday, she said.

"We hope everybody will go back not only raring to go but challenged to take that motivation and pass it on to their students."

The Daily Independent
October 1, 2003

Applicants for KDMC jobs tested at ACTC

ASHLAND Applicants for jobs at King's Daughters Medical Center are going to Ashland Community and Technical College for pre-employment testing under a six-week pilot program, college and hospital officials said.

Under the two-week-old program, applicants for a wide range of jobs at the hospital are being tested at the college, said ACTC dean of community, workforce and economic development Gary Bradford.

The arrangement provides for more testing hours -- the test facility at the College Drive Campus is open Monday through Friday where King's Daughters only could offer testing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, said hospital spokeswoman Julie Marsh.

It is also better for the applicants' privacy, because the hospital's human resources department is somewhat cramped, she said.

Having a third party administer the test adds a layer of reliability, Bradford said. The college makes a slight profit, but sees the program more as a community service, he said.

King's Daughters has found the program to be cost-effective, Marsh said.

"We're exploring to see if this can become a long-term tool," she said.

ACTC has done assessment testing for other companies, Bradford said.

King's Daughters has a history of cooperative ventures with higher education. ACTC recently agreed to grant college credit for students in KDMC's radiology technology program.

ACTC nursing students also get clinical experience at KDMC.

There is a possibility that ACTC will develop a permanent testing and assessment center to offer similar services to other companies, Bradford said.