A Newsletter for Friends of Albany Technical College • Fall 2012A Newsletter for Friends of Albany Technical College • Fall 2012

Faculty & Staff Launch “Achieving the Dream” InitiativePage 6

Adult Learning Centers Open in Calhoun and Lee CountiesPage 9

New Labs and Academic Achievement Center Improve Student Success Page 8

More Inside...

Engineering Technology 1 of 3 New GrantsPage 4

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3 Presidential PerspectiveManufacturers select new plant locations based on the availability of a well-trained workforce. According to Albany Tech’s President Anthony Parker, adult literacy is the No. 1 key to Southwest Georgia’s future economic health.

43 Grants, 7 Building Blocks

& 1 Awesome Meal Deal

Dr. Anthony O. ParkerPresident

Shirley ArmstrongVice President of Academic Aff airs/Executive VP

Kathy SkatesVice President of Administrative Services

Lisandra DeJesusVice President of Student Aff airs & Enrollment Management

Matt TriceVice President of Economic Development

Vicki TuckerVice President of Institutional Eff ectiveness

Linda CostonAssociate Vice President of Adult Education

Joe NajjarSpecial Assistant to the President

Wendy HowellDirector of Public Relations & Information

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Lee County High School students are cooking this fall in the ATC dual enrolled Culinary Arts program. In another hands-on endeavor, ATC’s Carlton Construction Academy programs hosted a Careers in Construction event to showcase their exciting offerings. And ATC was a gracious recipient of three generous grants as well...

Albany Technical CollegeSenior Administration

Board of Directors

Foundation Trustees

Fall 2

012

Dougherty County Campus (229) 430-3500Randolph County Learning Center (229) 732-5280

Access is a quarterly newsletter published by the Public Relations and Information Offi ce at

Albany Technical College. Direct inquiries to Wendy Howell at (229) 430-3816 or whowell@albanytech.edu.

ATC does not discriminate on the basis of color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted

or mandated by law). Inquiries should be addressed to the VP of Administration, ATC, (229) 430-3524.2

Joe JamesEmerson Electrical

Cathi JonesProcter & Gamble

Suzanna MacIntoshCommunity Volunteer

Kirt PhillipsApplied Fibers

Glenn Singfi eldArtesian Contracting

Katrina BarankoMerle Norman Cosmetics

Mike ClarkInterstate

Celinda DennisonSB&T Bank

C.W. GrantRetired

Lem Griffi nFlint River Services

Alfredia HamptonSunTrust Bank

Ronnie HinsonMetroPower

Jim WilcoxWALB-Channel 10

Cynthia YoungBank of America

Baker County Representative:

Kent Sanders

Dougherty County Representatives:

Virginia Parker, ChairCol. Stephen Mederios

Joe AustinBen BarrowBetty White

Clay County Representative:

Carl Childs, Jr.

Early County Representative:

Robert Chester

Lee County Representative:

Jay Smith

Randolph County Representative:

Kuanita Murphy

8We’re Getting Better...

With new program labs — such as the Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism labs— a new Academic Achievement Center and two new Adult Education Centers, Albany Tech just keeps improving our services to the community!

Cheering on

the Dream...

Albany Tech offi cially kicked off its “Achieving the Dream” initiative to members of faculty and staff the week of Sept. 17. Kickoff for Albany Tech students was held during the Fall Fest on Oct. 25.

Here’s a sobering statistic: 30 percent of high school students drop out nationwide. There are 1.2 million people in Georgia who are over the age of 16 who are not in school and have less than a high school education. Adult literacy has got to be our No. 1 concern as a community. If we are going to attract manufacturers like Procter and Gamble and Miller Brewing Co. it will because our labor force is work-ready. Work-ready can be defi ned as a labor force where 85 to 90 percent of participants have a high school diploma or GED and have completed at least one year of relevant college education. Work-ready can also be defi ned as individuals who are functional-literate with relevant workplace skills. In prior decades manufacturers located to rural areas because the labor force was willing to work hard. Today, manufactures will likely consider economic utility of the labor force and their ability to work smart. Mercedes Benz located in Tuscaloosa — not because it was the best place. BMW opened in Greenville — not because it was the best location. These cities aren’t port towns; these plants could have found more readily accessible places. Those communities won these contracts by demonstrating they could get together a Level 13 workforce — a workforce trained in skills beyond the high school level. Adult literacy is the key for the growth and prosperity of this area. At Albany Technical College, we understand this and are constantly improving and enhancing our adult education program. Just this fall, we opened a new Adult Education Center in Calhoun County and a new facility for the existing Center in Lee County. Last year, more than 19,000 adult learners earned their GED diploma. Albany Technical College awarded 389 in FY12; more than 40 percent of these GED recipients transitioned to post-secondary education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a person with a high school or GED credential earns $10,000 more per year than a non-high school graduate. The income level increases substantially more for those who go on to complete a college certifi cate, diploma or degree program.

Presidentialperspective

3

Did You Know...

The Adult Education Program at Albany Technical College is designed for adults who need assistance with basic academic skills.

We offer fl exible program hours to work with your busy schedule!

In addition to adult basic education and GED® preparation, the Adult Education Program offers workplace literacy programs, English Literacy (ELP), family literacy, job readiness and life skills classes.

Albany Tech Adult Education staff are on hand to explain what’s needed to sign up for the GED preparation classes that are always free to every Georgian. They can explain how the cost of taking the full set of GED tests shouldn’t be a deterrent to anyone because grants and other fi nancial assistance, including a scholarship provided by AT&T, are available. Many of our Adult Education sites offer a look at the new computer-based GED test, which will be used statewide by the end of the year.

Adult Education provides these services:•Assessment of present skills •Counseling and advisement •Personal attention •No cost instruction •Special reading instruction •Computerized instruction

“We’re actively campaigning to help people throughout Georgia understand that we can help them prepare for the GED test and, with a little effort, they can earn a GED credential,” says Beverly Smith, the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) assistant commissioner for adult education. “After that, we’ll assist with their transition from GED diploma to college degree or into a better job.”

In Georgia, there are 29 counties where more than 30 percent of the adult population does not have a high school education. The majority of the counties in the service delivery area of Albany Tech are included in the 29 counties and have a tremendous effect on economic development of our communities.

“Working together, we can create stronger families, communities and a literate workforce,” says Linda Coston, associate vice president of adult education.

For more information about Albany Technical College’s Adult Education Program, call (229) 430-1620. For a listing of an Adult Education Center in your county, visit www.albanytech.edu.

4

Sept. 27 saw Albany Technical College’s sixth annual “Careers in Construction” event in the College’s Carlton Construction Academy. Each year, the event is geared toward 8th through 12th graders interested in pursuing a career in the construction and energy fi elds.Thank You! to this year’s co-sponsors:

The Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) • Associated General Contractors of Georgia Inc. (Georgia Branch) • Pellicano Construction • MetroPower • Georgia Power • ProBuild • Flint Equipment Company • Newell Construction • Short & Paulk Supply Co. • Oxford Construction • LRA Constructors Inc. • James Unlimited General Construction • Artesian Contracting Company Inc.

The Carlton Construction Academy at Albany Tech hosted several vendors for the day who provided various demonstrations where students engaged in hands-on experience for each occupational area. Seven areas were represented, including masonry, electrical, carpentry, welding, HVAC, heavy equipment and general contracting.

Career Building BlocksLCHS and ATC Are Cooking Up Credits!

LCHSCulinary Arts

Students

Albany Tech has teamed up with Lee County High School to offer juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn a Culinary Nutrition Assistant Certifi cate from the college while still enrolled in high school. The dual enrollment program curriculum teaches classes in Culinary Safety and Sanitation, Principles of Cooking, Introduction to Culinary Nutrition, Culinary Nutrition and Menu Development and Interpersonal Relations and Professional Development. LCHS students who are enrolled in the program earn a college Technical Certifi cate of Credit prior or upon graduation from high school. “The students are thrilled about it,” says Betty Steel, high school coordinator at Albany Tech. “I am on the Advisory Committee, and the students prepared dinner for us at one meeting. They are just really enjoying it.” “On cooking lab day, six teachers are chosen as ‘random taste testers’ and are surprised by a culinary student dressed in chief’s hat and coat at their classroom door with a sample,” says Kevin Dowling, LCHS principal. He is one of the culinary students’ biggest fans. Once the certifi cate is completed, students may go on into the Culinary Arts diploma program. Juniors who started the program this fall could complete the diploma by the end of summer semester after high school graduation. They would then have the option of continuing in the associate degree program, fi nishing in the fall semester. This is the fi rst year the certifi cate has been offered at LCHS. Albany Tech offers other dual enrollment options at Monroe High School (Child Development Specialist) and Calhoun County High School (Child Development Specialist and Law Enforcement Specialist). For information on any of these dual enrollment programs, contact Bette Steel at (229) 430-1972.

Lee County High School Culinary Arts dual enrolled students above, left to right:Back Row: Instructor Lillie Parker, Austin Schlarb, Rachel Reimer,

Ty Matthews, Antwan Waters; Middle Row: Heather Hiers, Yaunna Taylor, Maria Jaime, Leandrea Johnson, Drew Aultman, Haley Craft;

Front Row: Taylor Corley, Madison Noyes, Kaitlyn Jaser, Caitlyn Adams 5

Albany Technical College was recently one of three technical colleges in Georgia to be awarded a share of a $13.6 million dollar grant designed to enhance or add programs to prepare students to meet the needs of companies in the area of engineering technology. Albany Technical College, Athens Technical College and Atlanta Technical College were all awarded a Consortium grant in the amount of $13,551,923 for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Training (TAACCCT) initiative from the U.S. Department of Labor. Albany Tech’s share will be approximately $1.2 million over the next three-year period. In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act amended the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program. On March 30, 2010, Pres. Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, which included $2 billion over four years to fund the TAACCCT program.

The three sister institutions, all part of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), will develop an integrated strategy that will add and/or enhance associate degree programs in the Engineering Technology fi eld. This will be achieved by introducing embedded certifi cates to allow students in closely related programs, such as Industrial Systems Technology, to bridge into the engineering technology programs. The goal is to increase the number of graduates of associate degree programs in engineering technology in an effort to meet current and future workplace demands. In order to meet this goal, the three institutions must not only increase the number and types of programs available, but also implement initiatives that support students in accomplishing their educational goals, thus reducing the number who drop out of college. The integrated strategy will embed basic skills development into entry-level occupational courses, redesign the delivery of learning support coursework, provide additional methods of technology-enhanced instruction, expand prior learning

assessments, introduce contextualized, problem-based pedagogy, and provide wrap-around support services. Since Albany Tech currently offers the associate degree programs in civil engineering technology and electromechanical engineering technology, the college plans to enhance these programs by adding much needed instructional equipment and introduce embedded certifi cate programs as they are developed. Each of the three colleges will develop a protocol for “prior learning assessment,” in which students can obtain college credit for skills they’ve mastered previously in their jobs. In addition, the colleges will partner with several state universities, including Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, where students will be able to enroll if they desire to pursue a bachelor’s degree after completing a two-year associate’s degree in engineering technology. Albany Tech has had an articulation agreement with Southern Polytechnic in engineering technology for approximately two years.

Albany Tech recently received two grants to help with GED testing changes and medical program equipment purchases. One is from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation in the amount of $10,000 and the other is a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant in the amount of $54,000.

Dollar General Generosity:This academic year, GED® testing in Georgia will transition to a computer-based test format. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant will provide computer literacy skills to students that are enrolled in Albany Tech’s Adult Education programs, which will enable a successful completion of the new requirements for the computer-based GED® test. “These funds will assist students to gain computer skills to be successful with the new computer-based GED® Test,” says Linda Coston, associate vice president of Adult Education at ATC. “The new test will require students to type the essay, as well as use basic functions such as drop and drag, point and click. Tests are timed and students must have the ability to type at a rate of speed when completing the essay to complete the test. The assistance from this grant will help students gain basic computer knowledge,” adds Coston.

USDA Rural Business Enterprise to the Rescue:The USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant will allow ATC to purchase equipment that will train students in the acute care medical scenarios utilizing Human Patient Simulators in Practical Nursing, Medical Assisting and other Allied Health programs.

ffffffSince the healthcare fi eld is evolving and requiring higher critical thinking skills, ATC is staying abreast of the changes by increasing its technology-savvy experience for nursing students. The USDA Grant will allow the program to purchase a computerized life-like METIMan mannequin for its upcoming simulation lab. The mannequin will be able to mimic body functions such as bleeding, breathing, blood pressure and heart rate, as well as corresponding patient responses. With these mannequins, the students are able to make mistakes and learn from them, as well as practice procedures multiple times so they can review their decisions and techniques. Students will have the ability to train for situations and health conditions that may not present themselves during a clinical learning situation.

Granted, Times Two

ATC Awarded $1.2 Million For Engineering Technology Programs

The computerized life-like METIMan mannequin will be purchased with USDA grant funds.

6 7

Participating colleges commit to the Achieving the Dream Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the Model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low-income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certifi cate or degree. Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s fi ve-step process provides practical guidelines for helping keep the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream Coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement

data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success. Achieving the Dream is a national nonprofi t leading the nation’s most comprehensive non-governmental reform network for student success in higher education history. The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network, including nearly 200 institutions, more than 100 coaches and advisors, and 15 state policy teams — working throughout 32 states and the District of Columbia — helps 3.75 million community and technical college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity and achieving their dreams.

Achieving the Dream

Signifying a strong commitment to student success and completion, Albany Technical College (ATC) was one of the 26

institutions selected in September into the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network — the nation’s most comprehensive

non-governmental reform network for student success in higher education history. ATC has already started the groundwork to identify strategies to close achievement gaps and to increase student retention, persistence, and completion rates. “This new cohort of colleges will collectively help 275,000 students succeed,” says Beverly Fletcher, senior director of organizational development and change for Achieving the Dream. “And the success of each student means much more than just a personal goal secured. It means improved skills, better employability and economic growth for their community and our nation as a whole.” As an Achieving the Dream Institution, ATC will continue to develop and implement research-based policies and practices based on quantitative and qualitative analyses of its institutional strengths, problem areas and achievement gaps. Albany Tech is committed to assessing the effectiveness of these policies and practices, institutionalizing the approaches that prove successful, and sharing the fi ndings widely.

Through Achieving the Dream, ATC will have the opportunity to learn from other Achieving the Dream

Institutions and to receive assistance from experienced practitioners in building a culture of evidence campus-

wide, using data to identify problems, setting priorities and measuring progress toward increasing student success.

“The work of closing achievement gaps and improving student success is extremely diffi cult and critically important,” says Fletcher. “Being an Achieving the Dream Institution takes courage, discipline and a tenacious institution-wide commitment to student success and equity. Albany Technical College should be applauded for helping tackle one of society’s most daunting challenges: success for more college students.”

For the first time in U.S. history, the current generation of college-age Americans will be less educated than their parents’ generation, yet our workplaces require higher-level skills than ever before. A healthy economy and democracy depend upon an educated citizenry, and increasingly, because of rapidly changing demographics and record levels of poverty, that means creating the conditions for more low-income students and students of color to attain postsecondary credentials.

Community and technical colleges are a vital component in returning the U.S. to its place as a global leader in higher education degree attainment, however, fewer than half of all students who enter community college with the goal of earning a certificate or degree have met their goal six years later. And those numbers are much worse for low-income students and students of color. More than just their hopes and dreams are at stake: the very foundation of our economy depends on increasing student success.

To foster an enduring movement for community college student success and completion, Achieving the Dream, Inc. leads the nation’s most comprehensive network of forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to college reform. The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network includes nearly 200 colleges, 15 state policy teams, more than 100 coaches and advisers, and more than 20 investors, who have forged a common commitment to a shared agenda for student success while building an understanding of the challenges we’ll overcome together.

The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network was founded upon three pillars: 1) a student-centered vision, 2) equity and excellence and 3) evidence-based decision-making. These pillars lend strength, discipline and focus as we work to close achievement gaps and accelerate student success nationwide. This work is advanced through four carefully designed approaches: 1) guiding evidence-based institutional improvement, 2) influencing public policy, 3) generating knowledge and 4) engaging the public.

Source: www.achievingthedream.org

ATC faculty and staff kicked off the Achieving the Dream program with a series of events in September. On Sept. 18, in the Kirkland Conference Center, Kenneth Cutts, District Director for Sanford D. Bishop’s office, delivered a keynote speech on “Equity,” which is one of the five principles of Albany Tech’s Achieving the Dream initiative. The next day, students took part in a special “football game” designed to showcase obstacles they may face as college students and how to overcome them and complete college.

◄ Achieving the Dream Model► Committed leadership► Using evidence to improve programs & services► Broad engagement► Equity► Systemic institutional improvement

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Albany Technical College recently opened new labs for the Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management and Marketing Management programs. The new Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management provides students enrolled in the program an opportunity for extensive hands-on training in all areas of Hospitality Management. Students are able to work in hotel rooms, a cruise ship cabin, travel agency, hotel lobby, as well as handle the front of the house in a restaurant. Classes also teach them how to check-in hotel guests, book travel packages, plan events and handle all aspects of management from human resources to legal issues. “This new lab will provide an opportunity to train potential employees with tools they will use in the workplace,” Lisa Riddle, chairperson for the Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management program, said at the Aug. 23 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Our state-of-the-art facility will benefi t Albany’s hotels, restaurants, and tourism facilities, as well as provide students training that can be used all over the world.” The new Marketing Management classroom houses 30 Apple® MacBooks that are installed in the desks and more easily accessible, which will create opportunities for more classroom use than ever before. The new lab is equipped with a 16-foot display window, new mannequins, installation equipment and accessories, which allows the Marketing students to get a hands-on look at the retail and space creation elements included in the fi eld. “The new and improved Marketing Management lab and classroom will help to foster more creativity and technology utilization through new resources offered in the space,” said Kristel Baranko, chairperson for the Marketing Management program, at the opening event. Both new labs establish further examples of the type of training available to Albany Tech students. The College is always looking for ways to redesign other program labs to simulate the workforce environment, which further prepares graduates to be more than prepared when entering the job market.

Albany Tech’s Academic Achievement Center (AAC) was initially created as part of a 2009 grant to focus on initiatives in the college’s Quality Enhancement Plan. However, since its inception, the AAC has expanded its services to include other areas students are needing assistance in, including mathematics, English and several other specialized services. The new AAC was created to offer specialized learning in one Center instead of scattered over the campus. Within the new AAC, separate labs exist for each discipline staffed with highly qualifi ed specialists. Learning Support students utilize the AAC to supplement their class activities by using a variety of hands-on and online methods. Supplemental instruction provides academic support intervention that incorporates both instructor and peer-assisted study sessions. The service targets both foundational courses, as well as other course in which students may be experiencing diffi culty. The Retention Division of the AAC provides counseling and assistance helping students overcome barriers to academic success. In addition to serving the needs of Learning Support students, the new center will also provide existing degree students with an emphasis on college algebra. The center houses new iStudy hotspots with specialized apps to help students achieve success in algebra. In addition, the center will offer supplemental instruction for targeted courses such as anatomy and physiology, chemistry and psychology. These services are also available in the iStudy hotspots, which are loaded with high-end academic applications. For more information on the range of services offered by the AAC, visit www.albanytech.edu and click on the Student Services/Academic Achievement Center sublinks.

Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism &

Marketing Management Programs

Get New State-of-the-Art Labs

Academic Achievement Center

Goes Hi-Tech

We’re Getting Better All the Time...

Top down: A new lab in the Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism program. Attending the ribbon-cutting

(left-right): Pres. Anthony Parker, Virginia Parker, Lisa Riddle, Rep. Winfred Dukes, Rep.

Gerald Greene and Rep. Carol Fullerton.

The new Marketing Management lab. Attending the ribbon-cutting: Pres. Anthony Parker,

student Patrick Jenkins, Rep. Winfred Dukes, Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, Rep. Carol Fullerton

and Rep.Gerald Greene.

9

Albany Tech cut the ribbon on its newly relocated Adult Education Center in Lee County in September. The new center is located at 1346-G U.S. Highway 19 South (next to Meatslanger’s). The Lee County Adult Education Center serves citizens in Lee County 16 years old and over. The program has produced a minimum of 75 GED graduates per year for the past 5 years. Students in the Lee County Adult Education program have been awarded honors: A Golden EAGLE Award winner (Ms. Jimmie Walls) for being the oldest graduate in the state of Georgia in 2005; and an EAGLE Delegate, Ms. Keonna Tumblin, in 2011. Tumblin has recently been nominated for the GED Graduate Award and recently authored a book. During FY 2012, the Lee County Adult Education Center enrolled 186 students with the majority of students 16 to 18 years of age. An impressive 110 students achieved at least one academic level and 29.4 percent of students enrolled transitioned to post-secondary education. In addition to the Lee County Adult Education Center, Albany Technical College offers Adult Education services on its main campus in Albany, as well as in Baker, Clay, Calhoun, Randolph and Terrell Counties. For more information about Albany Technical College’s Adult Education Program, call (229) 430-1620. For a listing of Albany Tech Adult Education Centers, visit www.albanytech.edu and go to the Adult Education link.

Calhoun County Opens

New Adult Education Center

ATC Opens Relocated Lee County

Adult Education Center

Albany Technical College cut the ribbon on its new Adult Education Center in Calhoun County on October 4. The Center is located at 665 Manry Street in Edison.

The challenge for Albany Technical College as well as other service providers of adult education is:

♦ Changing the mindset of the population regarding the importance of education

♦Helping society move from poverty to self-suffi ciency through education

♦Recruiting and enrolling students to complete basic skills, GED, post-secondary education/training or work

♦Addressing motivators for men to acquire education

♦Determining which outreach strategies work best

♦Understanding what type of class structure or schedule would encourage participation for the male population

Calhoun County provides some tough challenges for educators. It is one of 35 counties in the state that has a 30 percent or greater adult population having no secondary degree. The adult population (18+) in the county totals 4,812. Adults age 18-plus with less than a high school diploma equals 1,504, and the percentage of adults with less than a high school diploma or GED for the rural Southwest Georgia community is 31 percent! “The community is a stakeholder in improving the literacy rate, and ATC has partnered with the school system, County Commission, banks and businesses in building a new facility,” says Linda Coston, associate vice president of adult education.” Linda Coston

At the ATC Lee County Adult Education Center’s ribbon-cutting are (left-right): Katrina Towns,

instructor; Linda Coston, program administrator, Dr. Anthony Parker, president; and

Virginia Parker, board chair.

Faces

10

◄ 1

2 ►

◄ 3

4 ▼ 5 ►

▲ 6 7 ►

8 ▲ 9 ▲ 11

& Places▼ Nelly’s Echo, contestant on “The Voice,” rocked our world Sept. 26 at the Student Center in the Logistics Education Center. ATC Student Activities sponsored the event, which also included local saxophone player Fred Williams, Jr.

2 Recently, the drafting technology program at ATC was asked by Chehaw Park to provide some drawings for solicitation of donations to build exhibits. The fi nal drawings were presented to Chehaw Park on April 11. Pictured (left to right): Shirley Armstrong, VP for academic affairs; Joshua Johnson, drafting student; Edrian Mallory, drafting student; Ben Roberts, Chehaw associate curator; Chinelo Ochie, drafting instructor; Kevin Hils, Chehaw zoo director; and Garrin Harvey, drafting student.

3 As part of a $2.4 million grant received last year by the Department of Education, ATC held a Summer Robotics Camp to encourage students to pursue careers in the areas of Engineering Technology via the SASET (Students Achieving Success in Engineering Technology) Project. The 10-week program was designed to encourage students to use their analytical and critical thinking skills as they learned to build robots through troubleshooting and solving problems

4 Natasha Bridges was awarded the Chamber’s 2012 Helpful Hands Award, which honors the Circle Leader who dedicates the most time “paying it forward” by giving back to the community through volunteerism. Natasha is enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Program at ATC.

5 The newly opened Titans Café offers students, faculty and staff breakfast and lunch items Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

6 ATC recently cut the ribbon its new 5,575-sq. ft. bookstore. Pictured (left to right): Nick Crawford, bookstore associate; Dr. Anthony Parker, president; Phillip Monfort, bookstore coordinator; and Guerry Ousley, plumbing student.

7 ATC received a visit from U.S. Coast Guard Academy personnel to preview the Engineering Technology programs offered by the college. Pictured (left to right): Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Dr. Anthony Parker, president; Master Chief Lloyd Pierce, Command Master Chief; and Lt. Lindsey Seniuk, Military Aide.

8 Albany Tech Foundation, Inc. was presented with a check in the amount of $1,000 from Holy Victory Deliverance Temple, Inc. on behalf of Thomas F. Henry, Sr., a current student at Albany Tech. A scholarship fund will be set up in memory of Henry’s wife, who had also been a student at Albany Tech. Pictured (left to right): Dr. Anthony O. Parker, president; Johnnie Lee Henry; Thomas F. Henry Sr.; Annie Leola Myers; and Wendy Johnson.

9 Jeannetta Miles, an ATC Architectural and Mechanical Drafting student, is a 2012 winner of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s Strive2Thrive award. She is pictured here with her instructor Ms. Chinelo Ochie. Photo courtesy of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce/Todd Stone Photography.

1 Abi Permenter, a 21-year-old Design Media Production Technology (DMPT) graduate, is stepping out onto the music scene. Permenter, who has been writing and composing music since age 14, recently performed at FlintFest2 and the Georgia Throwdown. Although she wants to pursue her dream of becoming an international musician inspiring people throughout the world, Permenter says she learned a lot about photography, design and printing in the DMPT program at Albany Tech, which will help her in her music career.

1704 S. Slappey Blvd.Albany GA 31701