March 2007

March 27 , 2007

Items of Interest About Gaston College

• Registration for summer semester is April 2 - 5 and April 23 - 27.  Current and returning students will have the opportunity to register during both time periods with new students registering the week of April 23 - 27.  Registration will end at noon on the 27th.  Summer classes will begin May 21.

• The following meetings are scheduled for the Gaston College Board of Trustees and will be held in the Myers Center Board Room:

  Monday, May 7 – 4 p.m.

  Finance/Facilities Committee
  Monday, April 30 – 3 p.m.
   
  
  The following meetings are canceled:
  Finance/Facilities - May 14
  Board Meeting - May 21

• The list of non-credit classes being offered May through August is now available on the college website at www.gaston.edu.  A variety of computer classes as well as certification and license renewal options are available.  Be sure to check out all the on-line options as well.

• The Jeanne Rauch Art Collection will be on display in the Rauch Science & Fine Arts Building April 11 through May 11.  The 14-piece collection that includes works by Picasso, Renoir, Jackson, and Bearden was a gift of Senator and Mrs. Marshall Rauch. A reception is planned for Thursday April 19 from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m.

• The 2007 Ashbrook High School Visual Arts Student Show is on display in the Beam Gallery of the Center for Visual Arts at Gaston College.    The show will end on March 30.  For information call 704.922.6344.

• WSGE 91.7 FM will hold its spring fund drive April 9 – 14.  For more information, call 704.922.6552.

• Gaston College will hold an Adjunct Faculty Job Fair on all three campuses in April.  The dates and locations for the Fair will be Thursday, April 19 at the Dallas Campus (cafeteria); Tuesday, April 24 at the Lincoln Campus (2nd floor commons room); and Thursday, April 26 at the East Campus (ECC 188, auditorium).  Each will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Gaston College’s Health Promotion Committee will host a Health Fair to be held in the Myers Center breezeway on the Dallas Campus on Thursday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Displays, brochures and information will be available for students, staff and faculty.  For information, call Judy Blankenship at 704.922.3299.

• A new machine that analyzes the content of fabric has been added to the textile area at the East Campus.  This machine is an infrared micro spectrometer and will do analysis of fiber, yarn, fabric, and liquids to determine a spectrograph which can then be compared with a known library to determine the fiber type, dye or finish components.

CONGRATULATIONS TO….

• Brad Rivers, 2006 Chair of Lincolnton/Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, who was named as the Chamber’s first “Top Ambassador of the Month” for 2007.

• Michelle Byrd who has been named Associate Dean in the Business and Information Technology Division.  Michelle will be assisting with accreditation efforts and other projects relating to continuous improvement.

• Tonia Broome who has been named Associate Dean in the Arts & Sciences Division.  Tonia will assist with general education outcomes and other projects.

• Calvin Craig who was awarded the North Carolina Community College Learning Resources Association Achievement Award, which is presented to a member of NCCCLRA who has made a significant contribution to the learning resources profession.  Calvin Craig has served as the Web Editor for the Association for the past four years.

• Dr. Pearlie Brown who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Carolina Community College Learning Resources Association.  Dr. Brown recently retired from Gaston College, December 2006, after 40 years of service with the Morris Library.

March 27 , 2007

Porter Receives 2007 Altrusa Award

Nancy Porter, Dean of Health Education at Gaston College, has been awarded the 2007 Altrusa Award for Excellence.  Martha Rockett, a member of Altrusa International of Gastonia, made the presentation at the college’s annual faculty/staff appreciation luncheon on March 23.

The Altrusa Club of Gastonia established the award through the Gaston College Foundation to recognize excellence among Gaston College employees. The award is presented to a fulltime employee of Gaston College who personifies the mission of the college and the ideal of lifelong learning through their life both on and off the campus.

Candidates were judged on their involvement with students and their impact on the educational life of Gaston College. Porter’s entire life has focused on health education. She served as a class representative for the Junior Red Cross in 1957 and began working as a nursing assistant three years later. In 1962 she was the organizing state president of the Health Career Clubs (now (HOSA). She gave her first speech in health care recruitment as a senior in high school in1963, addressing the national convention of the American Hospital Association in Chicago on the topic “Teen-age Volunteers Equal New Recruits.”   

She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the UNC-Chapel Hill in 1967, and later a Master’s from UNC-Greensboro. Her career includes work at the Durham County Health Department and Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing where she was an instructor. She joined the North Carolina Community College System in 1976, working at Richmond Community College in various positions including Director of the Associate Degree Nursing Program and Chair of Health and Human Services. 

Gaston College hired her as Dean of Health Sciences in 1997.  The next year she accepted a position as Dean of both Health and Business, continuing in that role until late 2005.  Under her watch, enrollment in nursing and related programs has increased and the Emergency Medical Science curriculum program was re-established.  In addition, Porter added two unique programs to the health area, Therapeutic Massage and Dietetic Technician, the latter program is currently the only one offered in North Carolina. She also added three programs in the Business Division including Medical
Transcription.

Porter is a past recipient of The Great 100 of North Carolina; a grassroots peer organization that annually recognizes nurses in the state who demonstrate excellence in practice and commitment to their profession. She is currently president of the Charlotte Area Health Education Center’s Nursing Education and Practice Council, organizing president of the North Carolina Community College Deans and Directors, and a member of a variety of groups including the North Carolina Nursing Association Education Commission, the Gaston Chamber of Commerce Health Commission, the Southern Regional Piedmont Nursing Workforce Alliance, and State Teachers and Employee Wellness Committee.  She is a former member and vice president of the Emerald Care Home Health Agency Board of Directors and has been listed in Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals as well as Who’s Who of American Teachers.

Porter, who is scheduled to retire in June, has personally helped hundreds of nurses and other health education students reach their maximum potential by being a caring and nurturing instructor. But it is her career-ending push for a multi-faceted health education institute that is her legacy.  The concept of the David Belk Cannon Health Education Institute with five centers focusing on health careers, professional development, recruitment and senior health promotion was developed by Porter.  Construction of this facility is expected to begin in late summer.

“We are pleased that the Altrusa Club of Gastonia has chosen to invest in Gaston College and its employees,” commented Dr. Patricia Skinner, Gaston College president.  “We are grateful to the club for its support and are appreciative of their many contributions to the community.  They provide annual scholarships for two Gaston College students and support various other organizations in Gaston County.”

Porter received an engraved plaque and a check for $750 in recognition of her selection as recipient of the 2006 Altrusa Award for Excellence.

March 15 , 2007

Gaston College Students Sheridan and Cherry
Recognized for Academic Achievement

DALLAS, NC - Two Gaston College students will be recognized for their academic achievement at the North Carolina Community College System Academic Excellence Awards Luncheon.  The awards ceremony will be held at the Hilton North on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, in Raleigh.

The recipients are:

Gaston College faculty members use the following criteria for selecting the recipients:

• Must be currently enrolled.
• Must have completed at least 12 semester hours in an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science or Associate of General Studies degree.
• Must have a cumulative grade point average of not less than 3.25.

March 1 , 2007

Timken Officials Visit Gaston College

Representatives of The Timken Company and The Timken Foundation were in from Ohio recently, visiting Lincoln County organizations that have received gifts or grants from the company or the family foundation.

(L-R) Timken officials Wayne Lowe, Manager-Human Resources Lincolnton Bearing Plant, and a member of the Gaston College Board of Trustees; Nancy Knudsen, Secretary/Treasurer of The Timken Foundation; and Elizabeth (Betsy) Engels, Manager-Community Relations of The Timken Company stand before the donor tree of recognition with Rosalind Welder, Dean of Gaston College's Lincoln Campus, during their visit to the College.

The Timken Foundation's most recent grant to Gaston College was for the new Jerry W. Cochrane Science & Technology Center to be built on the Lincoln Campus. Construction is expected to begin this summer with completion next spring. The Timken Foundation was also a major donor when the College renovated the old Lincolnton High School into the current Lincoln Campus.

2007 Press Releases

2006 Press Releases

©2007 Gaston College -  All Rights Reserved.