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Campus News Read the latest news and press releases about Gaston College. |
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August 26, 2010 GASTON COLLEGE RECEIVES Gaston College has been awarded a grant of just under $1.1 million from the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program through the US “This grant, in combination with Gaston College’s Learning Center and Early Alert System plus the Title III grant we received last year, will enable us to provide more targeted support services for those students who need it most,” comments Dr. Patricia Skinner, Gaston College president. “The TRIO grant allows us to add significant institutional support for students at risk of dropping out or not completing their degree programs. It is an important element in our efforts to increase retention and graduation rates of students at the college.” According to Dr. Silvia Patricia Rios-Husain, Gaston College’s Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management who will oversee the TRIO program, “Each year we will serve 140 low income, first generation, or disabled students with a variety of services. Our goal is to foster an institutional climate supportive of success by helping our students stay in school, graduate and transfer to four-year colleges.” Gaston College serves approximately 30,000 students each year from three campuses located in Dallas, Lincolnton and Belmont, NC. The college offers over 100 programs of study leading to associate degrees, diplomas, or certificates. Courses are offered in four curriculum areas: Arts & Sciences; Health Education; Business & Information Technology; Engineering & Industrial Technology. The college also offers Economic & Workforce Development services through Corporate Education, Life Skills, Community Education and Public Safety divisions, as well as through the BioEd Center and Small Business Center. For additional information about Gaston College programs and services, visit the college website at www.gaston.edu . August 26, 2010 GASTON COLLEGE RECEIVES Few people have been as supportive of Gaston College as Cherryville’s Grier Beam and his wife During their lifetimes, the couple donated thousands of dollars to the college and Mr. Beam, in particular, helped raise thousands more. He was chairman of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners when Gaston College was created, and later served as a long-time member of the Gaston College Board of Trustees and chairman of its building and long-range development committee. Mrs. Beam was a charter member of the Gaston College Foundation’s Heritage Society. “We are extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Beam for their investment in Gaston College and the students we serve,” comments Dr. Patricia Skinner, college president. “They were supportive during their lives and their generosity will continue to benefit Gaston College students for generations to come.” The couple was a major contributor for the Dallas Campus’ Beam Administration Building in 1968. Their concern about nursing and health programs resulted in the Lena Sue Beam Building which formerly housed the college’s health education classes. It will soon be renovated and is expected to house the Early College Program. Mr. Beam grew up on a farm in Lincoln County, worked his way through Weaver Junior College-now Brevard College- and then majored in animal husbandry and poultry science at NC State, graduating in 1931. He worked briefly in the poultry business in Florida before buying a second-hand truck and starting a business hauling coal for the Lincoln school system. In 1931 he started Beam Trucking Company, the forerunner to Carolina Freight, during the height of the Depression. He and three partners founded Carolina Freight Carrier Corp. in 1937, and he became the sole owner several months later. He died in 1992 at age 86. Mrs. Beam, born Lena Sue Brawley, grew up in Mooresville, attended Elon College and graduated from Appalachian State University where she received her teaching certificate. She taught for nine years at Northbrook, and at the age of 50, went back to Appalachian to receive her Bachelor’s degree. She was an accomplished pianist and organist, and was a member of the Cherryville Garden Club and the DAR for many years. Mrs. Beam was 93 when she died in 2008. Gaston College offers over 100 programs of study leading to degrees, diplomas, and The Gaston College Foundation, Inc. encourages and secures financial gifts in support of Gaston College and its programs. Gifts to the Gaston College Foundation are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information call 704. 922.6511 or email gcfoundation@gaston.edu. August 5, 2010 Items of Interest About Gaston College In-person late registration for fall classes is Thursday, August 19 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Dallas and Lincoln Campuses. Registration through WebAdvisor will be available at 6:00 a.m. Register through WebAdvisor and avoid waiting in line! Medical Terminology I (MED 121) will be offered on Monday and Wednesday, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in room 219 at the Kimbrell Campus in Belmont. The course will focus on a variety of topics including medical vocabulary and terms that relate to the anatomy, physiology, pathological conditions and treatment of selected systems. For more information on the course, call 704.922.6377. A+ Workplace Skills classes are now available for the unemployed, underemployed or those who wish to improve their essential employability skills. These master building workplace-related “soft skills” are what today’s employers require. The two-week series of classes will be offered Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. – 12 Noon, Dalpiaz building, Room 219, Dallas Campus. Start Dates for the classes are September 13 and 27 and October 11 and 25. Key areas to be covered include: Confidence, Personal Power and Leadership, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Life, Work and Money Management, Teamwork, Work Ethics, Employer Expectations and Job Success and Advancement. For more information, contact Laurel Morrow at 704.922.6547. The 2010 Teaching and Learning Conference for teachers and support staff who need to obtain continuing education units to keep their certificate or license will be held on August 11 and 12 on the Dallas Campus. Each session consists of 10 hours of instruction or one CEU credit. For more information contact Jackie Ammons at 704.922.2241. The Fast Track GED class will be held on Saturday, August 21st and 28th, from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon and 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Life Skills Building, Dallas Campus. Students must take the Placement Test and qualify to be referred to the class. To register or for more information, call 704.922.6545 or 704.922.6548. Gamma Beta Phi will meet on Thursday, September 16 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, September 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon in the Myers Center Cafeteria, Dallas Campus. This honor-service organization promotes scholarship, leadership, and good character. Membership is open to all students who have successfully completed twelve or more credit hours of college-level work and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5. The Gaston College Chapter, which was chartered on March 23, 1966, is a member of the national organization. For more information, contact Bob Blanton at 704.922.6339 or blanton.bob@gaston.edu. “Ask GC" is a new on-line service to assist students and the general public with frequently asked questions about a variety of topics including registration, scholarships, curriculum and continuing education classes and more. If you have a question and want to receive a quick answer, visit www.gaston.edu/askgc for more information. Congratulations to: Debra Hissom, Chief GED Examiner/Testing Coordinator, Leah Mackey, Interim Adult High School Coordinator, and Lisa Woodall, ABE/GED Coordinator who have recently attained national prominence as Certified Managers in Program Improvement (CMPI). These three staff members from the Life Skills Department each received this national certification, which is the first of its kind in the adult education literacy field and signifies them as a member of an elite group of professional managers. To receive this credential, they were enrolled in the Leadership Excellence Academy through the North Carolina Community College system and were required to meet an extensive set of criteria during an intensive two-year program and then complete a program improvement project. North Carolina is one of only nine states in which adult educators have achieved this national certification. The Leadership Excellence Academy was developed by the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium and ProLiteracy to support continuous improvement and high quality educational services for adult learners. Also, the two-year intensive program that each completed is based upon current research on adult learning and best practices for adult education and literacy programs. Dr. Kimberly Van Wie who has written a chapter entitled “Career Development for Undecided Transfer Students” for the Monograph on Transfer Students in Higher Education. The chapter focuses on the development and implementation of effective programs, policies and procedures for helping undecided community college students make satisfactory and satisfying career decisions within one semester of transferring to a four-year institution. The monograph is being published by the University of South Carolina's "National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition" and is to be released later this year. She is the Coordinator/Activity Assistant Director for the Persistence and Retention office. Betty Jones who just had the 4th edition of her textbook, Comprehensive Medical Terminology published! The publisher is Cengage/Delmar Learning and a workbook and set of flash cards for the students who wish to use them has been added. Betty is chair/instructor of the Medical Assisting Program and Phlebotomy. Leonard Martineau who is the co-author of Cengage Learning (formerly Thompson Delmar Learning): Instructor's Manual to Accompany Theory and Practice of Therapeutic Massage, 4th Edition, 2006. He is an adjunct instructor in Health Promotions. James Sisk who is the co-author of an article published in the Journal of Economic Issues in September. The article is entitled “Financial Crisis and Economic Stability: A Comparison between Finance Capitalism and Money Manager Capitalism.” He is a business instructor in the Business and Information Technology Division. Ervin Sims who is the author of an apocalyptic fiction book End of the Age: The Ascendant which explores what it might be like to live in the time of peace and plenty that takes place after the Battle of Armageddon. End of the Age is his first novel, and plans for two follow up books are underway. He is a part-time History instructor in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Division. Lori Metcalf and Wendy Stubblefield who are co-authors of Understanding Psychology, 2nd Sandy Holmes who is a Licensed Practical Nurse major at the college. She is the author of a book on stem cell transplant recipients entitled Stem Cell Transplant through the Eyes of the Patient. It can be purchased at https://www.createspace.com/3444523 or from amazon.com. Mrs. Holmes was a caregiver for over seven years to her husband Harry who was diagnosed with cancer. Because of a stem cell transplant Harry Holmes beat the odds living 6 more years than expected. |
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Previous Press Releases
Previous Press Releases
Previous Press Releases
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Department of Education. The five year grant will be used to help increase the persistence, graduation, and transfer rates of low income students, first generation college students, and students with disabilities. Services to be provided with the SSS funding include customized advising, individualized financial aid assistance (including completing the FAFSA), specialized tutoring, and financial planning workshops. The grant will also cover planning activities for transfer to four-year colleges and universities, interest and career assessments, and a summer pre-enrollment college program, among other activities.
Lena Sue. Now Mr. Beam’s estate has left Gaston College $1.3 million, one of the largest gifts in the college’s 46 year history. Funds will establish the C. Grier and Lena Sue Beam Family Scholarship Fund to be permanently held in the Gaston College Foundation with the interest providing scholarships and other financial assistance.