March 2014 - West Virginia Northern Community College

Campus
Communicator
MARCH • 2014
Noble Partners on Petroleu m Technology
workforce – developing real-world
curriculum to meet the needs of new
businesses. Collaborations between
industry and education, like this one
between Noble Energy and the Community and Technical College System
of West Virginia, are essential in preparing our students with skilled training to meet the needs of new business
in the Mountain State. These partnerships and the education reforms
underway in West Virginia are vital
to continued workforce development
programs.”
Noble Energy has invested $250,000 to become a founding partner of the Petroleum Technology program being offered at West Virginia Northern Community College and Pierpont Community and Technical College. Meeting with West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, center, are,
from left, Dr. Martin J. Olshinsky, WVNCC president; Dr. Doreen Larson, Pierpont president;
Gary Willingham, senior vice president of Noble Energy’s Onshore Region; and James Skidmore, chancellor of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia.
Noble Energy, Inc. has announced
that it will become a founding partner,
with the Community and Technical
College System of West Virginia, of
the new West Virginia Community
College Petroleum Tech Program.
As a founding partner, Noble Energy
will invest $250,000 as a one-time
donation in the institution’s one-year
certifications and two-year degree
programs focused on shale exploration and production. The WVCTCS
program is one of only 14 in the
United States.
The announcement was made at an
event in Charleston on March 26.
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin
and Gary Willingham, senior vice
president of Noble Energy’s Onshore
Region, were joined by the administrators and students of Pierpont Community and Technical College and
West Virginia Northern Community
College to celebrate the announcement. Both schools are offering the
new program.
“Education and workforce development are essential when competing
for economic development opportunities,” Gov. Tomblin said. “Our
community and technical colleges
have stepped up to the task of giving
companies investing in West Virginia
the opportunity to grow with a skilled
Noble Energy’s contribution will
help participating schools purchase
equipment for hands-on training;
offer scholarships; and fund recruiting efforts to attract students to the
program from around the region.
In addition, Noble Energy will offer
internships to students enrolled in the
program; provide field tours of operations and facilities; and offer employee
expertise in the classroom.
“We worked with CTCS to develop
this partnership to further the company’s purpose - Energizing the World,
Bettering People’s Lives. The grant
helps students achieve the knowledge
and skills needed to participate in the
region’s growing job opportunities in
natural gas exploration and production,” said Willingham. “We intend to
continue our trend of hiring locally
and this program helps build and
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Wheeling Ca mpus
maintain a pipeline of trained, skilled
graduates who will be prepared to
work in this industry, in this region,
for many years to come.”
“This contribution from Noble Energy is a great example of how an
industry recognizes and rewards a
community college who ‘gets it right,’”
Pierpont Community & Technical
College President Dr. Doreen Larson said. “The Chancellor facilitated
deep research with local and national
industries and the Petroleum Technology curriculum was developed to
serve the program, rather than trying
to fit the program into some existing
curriculum. The family of students,
staff and faculty of Pierpont truly appreciate this gift from Noble Energy
and we pledge to put every dime and
dollar to good use.”
“Noble Energy’s generous gift is an investment in the region’s future by supporting community colleges as they
train skilled workers for the oil and
gas industry,” said WVNCC President
Martin J. Olshinsky. “Growth in the
region is dependent on such strong
partnerships between job creators and
the institutions providing training.
The end result is successful college
graduates taking advantage of the
state’s increased job opportunities.”
In the Marcellus Shale region, Noble
Energy’s core operational and exploratory area is in Marshall, Tyler, Doddridge, Gilmer and Ritchie counties
in West Virginia and Washington
and Greene counties in Pennsylvania.
Since commencing operations in the
Marcellus Shale in 2012, more than 85
percent of Noble Energy’s Marcellus
employees were hired regionally.
Fast Track Your FAFSA
If you need help completing the 201415 FAFSA, make arrangements now to
attend one of the FAFSA on the Web
Workshops scheduled next month on
all three campuses.
Any student seeking financial aid
to attend college must complete the
FAFSA. The workshops will be held as
follows:
Wheeling campus, April 1
10 a.m.-noon in Room 406E;
3-5 p.m. in Room 219B.
display, the Rev. Virginia Loew-Shelhammer, with 1-800 Gambler through
Footstep Christian Counseling.
Those attending the free event took
advantage of giveaways and raffles and
loads of information on healthy living.
Weirton campus, April 2
1-4 p.m. in Room 134.
New Martinsville campus, April 3,
1-4 p.m. in Room 210.
Remember to bring the following
documents: student and spouse (if applicable) 2013 IRS tax form and W-2s;
student and spouse (if applicable)
2013 documentation of any untaxed
income.
If dependent, parents’ 2013 IRS forms
and W-2s; parents’ 2013 documentation of any untaxed income.
Don’t forget student and parent (if
applicable) PIN numbers to sign your
FAFSA electronically. (PIN numbers
can be obtained at www.pin.ed.gov.
FAFSA on the Web Worksheets can be
printed online at www.fafsa.gov.)
Health & Wellness
The Office of Student Activities Annual Health & Wellness Fair was held
March 20 in the Education Center
MPR, Wheeling campus, from 11
a.m.-1 p.m. The free event was well
attended and featured the following
vendors:
Altenheim Resource Center, American Lung Association, CentreTown
Fitness, Easter Seals Rehabilitation
Center, Grand Vue Park, Hillcrest,
Northwood Health System, Ohio Valley Medical Center, The Health Plan,
Victim Assistance Program, OVMC/
EORH Community Outreach, Wheeling Health Right, West Virginia Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Said
Leghlid, faculty member, beekeeper
Nancy Albert, director of records/registrar,
meets with Linda Holmstrand, regional tobacco prevention coordinator with the American
Lung Association in West Virginia, at the
association’s booth as part of the WVNCC
Annual Health & Wellness Fair.
Radiography Stand-outs
Two Radiography Program students
learned recently they will be continuing their education after graduation
from WVNCC.
According to Misty Kahl, radiology
program director, Lauren DiRemigio has been accepted into the WVU
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI )
Program, and Emily Lescallette was
recently notified that she has been
accepted into the WVU Radiation
Therapy Program.
“Only four students are accepted each
year for each of these specialized programs so congratulations are due to
both of these graduates,” Kahl said.
Easter & eBooks
Nancy Nosko, library tech assistant on the
Weirton campus, displays one of the Easter
Baskets all College libraries are offering as the
prize in a drawing next month. The contest is
promoting the College’s new eBook collection.
Policy Commission and the Community and Technical College System in
West Virginia.
Earhart was the first female pilot to
fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
She received the U.S. Distinguished
Flying Cross for this record and set
many other records, wrote best-selling
books about her flying experiences
and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. During
an attempt to make a circumnavigation flight of the globe in 1937 in a
Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10
Electra, Earhart disappeared on July
2 over the central Pacific Ocean near
Howland Island and the whereabouts
of her remains continues to be a mystery.
Pat Stroud, library director at West
Virginia Northern, has announced a
special promotion for the new eBook
collection to commemorate National
Library Week April 13-19.
The NCMPR conference is always a
great learning experience. With community colleges from all over the U.S.
attending, many different outlooks
and ideas are shared. The Community
Relations office always comes back to
WV with fresh ideas for new projects.
To celebrate Easter and eBooks at the
library, faculty, staff and students can
enter a contest to win a Russell Stover
Easter Basket to promote Northern’s
new EBSCOhost eBook Community
College Collection.
Mardi Gras Fever
One Easter Basket for each campus
Patty Sue Cooper portraying Amelia Earhart
library will be available. Stroud said
speaks to a full auditorium.
each library will have information and
entry forms on how to win the Easter
Basket in April.
Big Win in the Big Easy
Lunch & Learn Takes Flight
Patty Sue Cooper of the West Virginia
Humanities Council portrays Amelia
Earhart at a special Lunch & Learn on
the Wheeling campus March 24. The
program, which was duplicated on the
New Martinsville and Weirton campuses later in the week, was held to
commemorate National Women’s History Month. All were well attended.
The program was made possible by a
grant through the Diversity for Equity
program of the Higher Education
co Free.” She and graphic artist Anna
Brandi were at the NCMPR conference in New Orleans, March 19-21,
when the winners were announced.
This is the second time in three years
that Northern has won a Paragon.
WVNCC was also awarded the Gold
in 2012 for its website design.
Hilary Curto, graphic artist and webmaster for the College, was awarded
the Bronze in this year’s Paragon
Awards contest of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. This is the most prestigious
awards program for marketing at
two-year institutions.
NCMPR awards gold, silver, and
bronze in dozens of categories. Hilary’s national recognition was for the
poster she created regarding Northern’s tobacco-free campus, stating
“Breathe Easy - Our Campus is Tobac-
Community Relations wasn’t the only
one to experience New Orleans! Students were given a taste of the city at
the annual Mardi Gras party held Feb.
27. Students were served a free lunch,
played games, and of course, were able
to stock up on beads and masks!
The leaders of the festivities, from left, Shannon Payton and Ida Williams, show off some
of their Mardi Gras bling.
WVNCC Travels to Tuscany
(The following is a column written by Linda Comins in the March 23 Sunday NewsRegister, and is reprinted in a shortened version.)
Distinguished educator and dedicated community leader Dr. Mary Marockie of Wheeling shone in the spotlight at the annual Friends Dinner,
presented by the West Virginia Northern Community College Foundation and the Friends of the College group, last weekend.
Marockie was recognized as this year’s honoree by the college entities,
in appreciation for her continuing service to Northern in advisory and
leadership roles. She has served as president of the college foundation’s
board of trustees for six years.
Nick Zervos and Dr. Mary Marockie share smiles as she is
honored with a plaque and bouquet of flowers.
The reception and dinner were held in the Education Building on the
college’s Wheeling campus
Saturday, March 15. The theme
for the festivities was “An
Evening in Tuscany,” in a nod
to Marockie’s Italian heritage.
Northern’s culinary arts department prepared an authentic six-course Italian repast
for the dinner. The honoree
proclaimed the feast “the best
ever.”
Table decorations and background decor in the building’s multi-purpose room and dining room were designed
and executed by talented Northern staff members Rana Spurlock and Hilary Curto.
To set the Tuscan mood, strolling accordion player George Hvizdak entertained
guests during the reception preceding the dinner. Prior to the serving of dinner, the
accordionist and tenor Mitchell Spurlock serenaded Marockie with “Bella Notte”
(“Beautiful Night”), an Italian musical selection. Robert DeFrancis, Northern dean of
community relations, served as emcee for the event.
Nick Zervos, president of the Friends of the College, introduced Marockie and presented the 2014 award to her. He noted that she has given her time generously to
help the community. Referring to a biographical sketch printed in a program for the
evening event, Zervos remarked, “That two pages doesn’t even touch all that she has
done.”
➌
Zervos cited Marockie’s leadership, vision and hard work. “She’ll do anything we ask
to improve students’ opportunities here at the college,” he said.
He told the honoree, “I enjoy your persistence, your leadership, your insistence to do
something right.”
In a brief, heartfelt acceptance, Marockie said that upon being told by Zervos that she
was to be the 2014 award recipient, she responded, “I’m not famous enough, Nick.”
She then told the audience that she was honored to have been chosen by the Friends
of the College’s board of directors.
Marockie recalled that about 12 years ago, the late John Paull, an executive of Eagle
Manufacturing in Wellsburg, recommended her for service on the college foundation’s
board of trustees. She said she soon learned the purpose of WVNCC and its impact
on the community.
She thanked Dr. Martin J. Olshinsky, Northern president, who, she said, “has supported the foundation without reservation.”
1. Draped ceilings with shimmering lights, and burlap table runners and chair ties set
the mood for an evening in Tuscany. 2. Accordianist George Hvizdak accompanied
Mitchell Spurlock (husband of Rana Spurlock) as he sang “Bella Notte.” 3. Culinary
Arts students, from left, Brian Terry and Jacob Carpenter enjoyed serving Italian hors
d’oeuvres to the guests. 4. Jim Baller and wife Connie took their seats at the fully
decorated table while awaitng the first course.
➍
New Idea - Big Success!
Weirton Ca mpus
“Meet Your Advisor Week” is a new, major initiative that occurred March
17-20 on the Weirton campus, and it was a resounding success.
As envisioned by Cristina Riter, professor of nursing, with assistance from
Counselor Lisa Soly and Dean Koon, the event was an effort to increase
student retention. “Students are more likely to ask for help if they know
the person, in this case the advisor. It is also an effort to decrease anxiety
and increase the feeling of belonging which would also aid in retention,”
Riter said.
Seated, Lovie Zago talks with Ca’Nisha
Howard about “Meet Your Advisor Week.”
Each day a specific division was highlighted, determined by the day the
most students for that discipline are in class which is also the day the instructor would be on campus teaching, it was pointed out.
The schedule was as follows: health sciences and science, Monday; criminal justice and human services, Tuesday; liberal arts (history, English,
sociology,) Wednesday; and math, business and CIT, Thursday.
Faculty members were provided information to give students on how to
register and when to register. As an added incentive, each student visiting
advisor had his or her name placed in a drawing for a prize.
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Kinsey Poole purchases a cupcake from Lori Dennis, a tutor, at left,
and Sarah Blankenship, Student Government Association representative, on the Weirton campus. The sales, in honor of St. Patrick’s
Day earlier this month, benefit the Easter Seals program.