October 2008

October 25, 2008

TWENTY-ONE SCHOLARS RECEIVE DAVID BELK CANNON FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FROM GASTON COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Twenty-one Gaston College students’ recipients of the 2008-2009 David Belk Cannon Scholarship were honored at a luncheon Wednesday, October 15 in the Jeanne Rauch Gallery, Rauch Science and Fine Arts Building, Dallas Campus.

Students receiving awards were: (First row) April M. Rice, Betty L. Collins, LeShea W. Carrier, Sherrie E. Bell; (Second row) Susan R. Holland, Bradley A. Flatts, Rhonda A. Dixon; (Third row) Brenda A. Chillcott, Lisa B. Houser, Aundria L. Horton, Justy B. Hope; (Fourth row) Heather D. Martin, Tonya C. Lane, Helen H. Hovis; (Fifth row) Johnetta D. Robinson, Dina M. Young, Mandi L. Scronce, Brooke E. Sain, Jina L. Capdepon. (Not pictured) Whitney J. Calhoun and Eddie J. Odom. The majority of scholars received a $750 scholarship and two students were awarded $1,350 to attend Gaston College.

The keynote speaker for the luncheon was April M. Rice, a Gaston College Alumni who is now an English major at Gardner-Webb University. She is the recipient of the $2,000 continuing education scholarship. Ms. Rice who always dreamed of going to college waited 20 years before going back in 2005 to Gaston College. April and the other scholarship recipients will be working with Ernie Charles, Coordinator in Student Programs to work with a mentor in their specific discipline. Each student is responsible for finding a mentor.

April Rice and Ernie Charles
Coordinator, Student Program

The David Belk Cannon Family Scholarship was established in 1996 at Gaston College as a memorial to Mr. David Belk Cannon's son, David Belk Cannon, Jr. and his daughter, Rebecca Cannon, both of whom died in a tragic fire. The scholarship now also serves as a memorial to Mr. Cannon who died in 1998. The recipients are selected based on academic achievement and need.

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October 23, 2008

GASTON COLLEGE NURSING FACULTY RECEIVE AWARDS

Janet B. Arthurs and Leslie J. Pressley of the Gaston College nursing faculty recently received the Home Health Endowment for Nursing Faculty Enrichment Award through the Gaston College Foundation.

Arthurs, department chair and instructor of Associate Degree Nursing, and Pressley, instructor in the Practical Nursing Program, each received $800 and will use the award money to further their education. Arthurs, a Gastonia resident, is seeking a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UNC-Charlotte while Pressley lives in Lincolnton and is enrolled in the Masters in Nursing Education program at the same institution.

Arthurs has been with Gaston College for nearly 25 years and is a member of the Associate Degree in Nursing Council of North Carolina which awarded her the Robert Wood Scholarship earlier this year. She is also a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society for Nursing and UNC-Charlotte’s Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Arthurs serves on the board of directors of Hospice of Gaston County and is a member of Gaston County Schools’ Health Advisory Board.

Pressley has been a full-time Gaston College faculty member for three years. She is a member of the North Carolina Council of Practical Nurse Educators and holds a Nurse Educator Certificate. She serves on the Gaston College Faculty Senate and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society as well as the National Honor Society.

The Home Health Endowment for Nursing Faculty Enrichment was established by the former Gaston County Home Health Agency to provide funds for enrichment and professional development of Gaston College nursing faculty. The agency’s board of directors donated $10,000 to the Gaston College Foundation when the agency was dissolved in 2000.

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. Call the Gaston College Foundation at (704) 922-6511 if you have questions about making a gift in support of Gaston College.

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October 22, 2008

GASTON COLLEGE TO HOLD INFORMATION SESSIONS
ON COLLEGE TRANSFER PROGRAM

Information sessions on Gaston College’s Transfer Program will be held Tuesday, October 28 at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in room 216 at the Lincoln Campus. The Campus is located at 511 South Aspen Street in Lincolnton. The sessions will review the Associate in Arts Degree (AA) and opportunities for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Under the State’s Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, graduates of Gaston College’s AA Degree program who have met all transfer requirements are assured admission to one of the 16 institutions in the University of North Carolina System.

Completion of the Jerry W. Cochrane Science & Technology Building on the Lincoln Campus is providing the classroom space needed for transfer classes. The building will be ready for classes that begin on January 12. With its opening, local residents have the opportunity to complete the College Transfer Program in Lincolnton beginning with the spring semester. A dedication ceremony for the Jerry W. Cochrane Science & Technology Center will be held in early 2009.

The addition of the College Transfer Program in Lincoln County makes it easier for working adults to earn transfer credits close to their homes and jobs. For more information or to register for the upcoming sessions, please call Gaston College’s Lincoln Campus at 704-748-1055.

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October 17, 2008

ITEMS OF INTEREST ABOUT GASTON COLLEGE

• The play, The Fannie Lou Hamer Story, will be held on Wednesday, October 22 at 11 am in the Myers Center Cafeteria and 7 pm in the Myers Center Auditorium, Dallas Campus. The play depicts the struggles of the 1960’s civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer who fought to gain the right for African Americans to vote and to be involved in the political process. Ms. Hamer, who is described as a “freedom fighter”, promoted voter registration with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and grass-roots anti-poverty projects. This event is sponsored by The Minority Affairs Committee and Student Government Association. For more information, call 704.922.6200.

• Approximately 60 children attending the Gaston College Childcare Development Center will participate in the Annual Halloween Parade on Friday, October 31 at 8:50 a.m. The children, infants to four-years dressed in festive costumes will leave the center via a hay ride and walk to various offices around the Dallas Campus. For more information, call Laura Keener, 704-922-6427.

• The membership drive for WSGE 91.7 FM, Gaston College’s radio station, starts Tuesday, October 28 at 6:30 pm and ends Saturday, November 1 at 7:00 pm. Volunteers will be on hand to take phone calls from listeners to accept membership pledges. For more information, call 704.922.2233 or visit www.wsge.org

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October 1, 2008

ITEMS OF INTEREST ABOUT GASTON COLLEGE

• The annual Morris Library Book Sale will start Monday, October 6th from 8 am to 5 pm. A large assortment of books and magazines will be available for purchase on various subjects including Nursing, History, Business, Math, Computer, and lots more. The sale is open to the public.
• Supervision I will be offered on October 7th, 9th and 14th and Supervision II on October 21st, 23rd, and 28th from 6:00 - 9:30 pm, Dalpiaz Student Success Center (DSC), Room 206, Dallas Campus. The registration cost for each course is $52.00. You must purchase the textbook “The New Supervisor's Survival Manual" which is available at the Gaston College bookstore.
• The Gaston College Small Business Center is offering a two-part session on QuickBooks Pro for Beginners on Tuesday, Oct. 7th and October 14th and QuickBooks Pro Intermediate on Tuesday, October 21st and October 28th from 6 – 9:00 pm, Room 212 at the Gaston College Lincoln Campus. The cost for each course is $89.00. Seating is limited to the first 20 people who register for each program. To pre-register, contact Cynthia Cash at 704-922-6447 or cash.cynthia@gaston.edu.
• Learn how to file tax form schedules C-EZ, C, SE & Form 1040-ES in Step V of the Small Business Center Tax Education Program on Tuesday, October 7th from 6:30 – 9 pm, Dalpiaz Student Success Center, Room 208, Dallas Campus. This free class will focus on the sole proprietor and figuring profit or loss, self-employment tax, and payment of social security taxes and estimated income. To pre-register contact Cynthia Cash at 704.922.6447 or cash.cynthia@gaston.edu.
• Come see Gaston County Bond Funds at work at the Open House and Reception for the Gaston College East Campus on Wednesday, October 8th at 4:30 pm in the general classroom building, 7230 Wilkinson Boulevard, Belmont.
• A workshop on “How to Do Business with the Federal Government” will be held on Tuesday, October 14th from 8:30 am to 4 pm, Dalpiaz Student Success Center, Room 140, Dallas Campus. Registration is scheduled from 8 to 8:30 am. This workshop is hosted by the Gaston College Small Business Center and North Carolina Military Business Center. To pre-register contact Cynthia Cash at 704.922.6447 or cash.cynthia@gaston.edu.
  
• The Regional Emergency Services Training Center will sponsor Fire Control Weekend: Level I or II for firefighters on October 17-19. Each class is limited to 30 participants. Pre-registration is required. Call 704.922.6256 or 6257.
• The Small Business Center is presenting Marketing II- Strategy, a free workshop that will focus on the importance of perception, impressions, and reality from 6:30 to 9 pm on Thursday, October 23rd, Dalpiaz Student Success Center, Room 215, Dallas Campus, and Monday, October 27th, Room 118, Lincoln Campus. To pre-register contact Cynthia Cash at 704.922.6447 or cash.cynthia@gaston.edu.
• A workshop on “Tax Implications for Starting a Business” is scheduled Thursday, October 30th from 2 – 4 pm, East Campus in Belmont. This workshop is hosted by the Small Business Center of Gaston College and the North Carolina Department of Revenue. To pre-register contact Cynthia Cash at 704.922.6447 or cash.cynthia@gaston.edu.
• Representatives from a variety of private and public 4-year colleges and universities will be available on “College Day” Thursday, November 6th from 8:30 am - 10:00 am at the Myers Center Campus Café, Dallas Campus. Colleges attending the event include: Appalachian State University, Belmont Abbey, East Carolina University, Fort Hays State University, Gardner Webb University, Gardner Webb University - GOAL Program, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Montreat College, Montreat College - Charlotte Campus - The School of Professional and Adult Studies, NC State University, Queens University of Charlotte, Queens University of Charlotte - Hayworth College, Strayer University, UNC Asheville, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Western Carolina University, Wingate University, Winthrop University, and University of South Carolina – Upstate. For more information, contact Alice Williams, Counselor, at (704) 922-6222 or williams.alice@gaston.edu

Congratulations to:

Medical Assisting Program students who had 100% pass rate on the Certified Medical Assistant exam this year. The average pass rate nationally for this year was 68% .The average score on the Certification Exam for Gaston was 582 while the national average score was 478. Compliments for a job well done to the program instructors and staff members Betty Jones, Betty Garvin, Lynn King, Penny Ewing and Dena Bridges for their efforts with their medical assisting students

Gaston College students Michelle Busler and Susan White, recipients of the Biogen Idec Student Scholarship. Twenty five students statewide were selected to receive the scholarship. The Biogen Idec Scholarship program was created to assist students interested in obtaining an Associate's Degree in the Biotechnology field, help them pursue a related four-year degree, or join the ranks of the biopharmaceutical industry. The scholarship program is a joint program of the North Carolina Community College System BioNetwork and Biogen Idec.

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