GTCC Newsletter Summer 2014

SUMMER NEWSLETTER • JUNE 2014

Mikayla Hutchinson (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)

GTCCGuilford Technical Community College celebrated its 48th Commencement on May 8. Approximately 800 students participated in the commencement ceremony held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Dr. Stuart Fountain, a member of the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges and past chair of the GTCC Board of Trustees, presented the North Carolina Community Colleges Academic Excellence Award to Dustin Darnell, an Associate in Arts degree graduate with a 3.9 GPA. This award recognizes one student from each of the 58 N.C. community colleges who has completed a minimum of 12 semester hours in an associate degree program and has a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25. Dr. Alison Wiers, associate vice president of student support services, awarded four graduates for their outstanding traits of leadership, good citizenship and academic excellence: • Outstanding Graduate in a Diploma program, Seyoung Park, Culinary Arts; • Outstanding Graduate in a Technical program, Mikayla Hutchinson, Early Childhood Education;• Outstanding Graduate in a Transfer

program, Dylan Roberts, Associate of Arts;

• President’s Medal, Heather Ebert, Associate of Arts.Jarvis Harris, chair of the GTCC

Board of Trustees, presented the Board of Trustees’ Teaching Innovation Award to Adrian Wright, department chair for

Mechatronics Engineering Technology. “By utilizing resources outside of

the traditional classroom setting, Adrian continues to demonstrate his commitment to developing innovative teaching strategies; not only to provide his current students with the tools they need for success, but to model and demonstrate that they can, and must, serve as mentors to the next generation,” Harris said.

Jimmie E. Ford, a member of the N.C. State Board of Community Colleges recognized Ed Bowling, executive director of Completion by Design at GTCC, as the BB&T Staff Person of the Year Award recipient. The award recognizes excellent performance and commitment from one non-teaching staff person among the 58 community colleges in N.C. In receiving the award, Bowling was recognized for his commitment to the Completion by Design initiative, a five-year program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to significantly increase completion and graduation rates for young, low-income students.

– Heather Ebert

GTCC Celebrates 48th Commencement

From left to right Dr. Randy Parker, Heather Ebert and Dr. Beth Pitonzo.

(Carla Kucinski/GTCC)

From left to right Dr. Randy Parker, Dylan Roberts and Dr. Beth Pitonzo.


From left to right Dr. Randy Parker, Adrian Wright and Jarvis Harris.


From left to right Dr. Randy Parker, Ed Bowling and Jimmie E. Ford.


Dustin Darnell (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)

GTCC student Amelia Satterfield has graduated from the Student Leadership Development Program (SLDP). The year-long experience was developed by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) to broaden leadership training opportunities and to better prepare community college students for professional and civic responsibilities.

Satterfield, who lives in Thomasville, was among 30 students annually accepted by the SLDP to participate in a series of workshops, seminars and activities where students learn the fundamentals of leadership and are challenged to put their knowledge to work through group and individual projects.

“I gained valuable skills that continue to help me succeed in my academic and personal life as I prepare for my future career,” said Satterfield, who is pursuing a degree in early childhood education.

Satterfield is interning at the Haynes-Inman Education Center in Jamestown and looks forward to applying for a position as a teacher assistant.

The smartest culinary students in the South-east represent Guilford Technical Community College, according to the American Culinary Federation (ACF). The GTCC team won overall in the ACF Southeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl during the 2014 ACF Southeast Regional Conference April 26-29 in North Charleston, S.C. They will go on to compete for the national title in Kansas City, Mo. in July.

This is the third win for GTCC. This year’s team included: Aisha Boston, Jessica Bower, Alexia D’Egidio, Kirsten Darnley and Michael Nasrallah. Patrick Sanecki, assistant professor of culinary arts at GTCC, and Michele Prai-rie, culinary instructor at GTCC, coached the team.

“This year’s team was a true team effort and our motto was ‘work hard, play hard,’” Sanecki said. “We had four new knowledge bowl team members this year and have been practicing since August 2013. Just 24 hours before the competition, we were on a fishing boat applying the knowledge they had learned by identifying, butchering, cooking and eating the fish they caught. Balancing hands-on learning and team-building activi-ties like this one with traditional studying is what truly made us a success.”

Created in 1992, the Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl is a “Jeopardy”-style culinary competition. Competition questions are drawn from five nationally published textbooks for culinary professionals that cover topics such as nutrition, safety and sanitation and the art of modern cooking.

Student Spotlight: Amelia Satterfield

GTCC named culinary knowledge bowl champions

GTCC Culinary Knowledge Bowl Team will compete for the national title in Kansas City, Mo. in July. Members are from left to right Aisha Boston, Jessica Bower, Alexia D’Egidio, Kirsten Darnley and

Michael Nasrallah, with coach Patrick Sanecki.

Amelia Satterfield

GTCC sweeps Brand Your Biscuit ChallengeBiscuits. They are an uncontested southern staple, beloved for their flaky, buttery goodness and their ability to pair well with just about everything from crispy bacon to fresh strawberries.

So imagine the possibilities students at Guilford Technical Community College encountered when they took on the Brand Your Biscuit Challenge, an annual contest in which Greens-boro-area college students have an opportunity to pitch their most creative lunch menu product to Biscuitville, a local-ly-grown and scratch-made restaurant chain. GTCC swept the competition, winning first, second and third place for its innovative entries. Thirty-nine teams submitted ideas.

Students Rebecca Follweiler, Pamela Oliver, Kathleen Reeves and Mackenzie Sullivan won first place and $1,000 for their Pretty in Pink dessert biscuit, featuring strawberries and cream cheese.

Students Holly Causey, Sharee Hankins, Dee Sicola and Christine Summer won second place and $500 for their Sweet Potato Country Ham Biscuit made with a sweet potato puree.

And students Sheree Ingram and Tammy Snow won third place and $250 for their Gardenville Salad with Biscuit Croutons and a choice of three different dressings: grape jelly vinaigrette, bacon vinaigrette and strawberry jam vinaigrette.

The students pitched their idea for their creative product to Biscuitville corporate leaders, including Biscuitville President and CEO Burney Jennings, on April 5 at the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship in Greensboro. Teams were given five minutes to pitch their idea and explain why their product would be successful in the food market.

Linda Beitz, an associate professor of Hotel and Restaurant Management at GTCC, incorporated the Brand Your Biscuit Challenge into her Marketing for Hospitality course. She views the Biscuit Challenge as an opportunity for students to develop their marketing and branding skills and to foster teamwork. “Students worked on the marketing process and what it takes to get a customer to buy your products,” Beitz said. “The students not only had fun in the learning process but also really learned how hard it is to get a concept to market.”

Brand Your Biscuit is part of Greensboro Collegiate Biscuitville Week, a week-long spring celebration of Greensboro, North Carolina’s thriving entrepreneurial community, its seven colleges and universities and its 50,000 college students. Biscuitville Week is a collaboration between Biscuitville, Opportunity Greensboro, Action Greensboro and synerG Young Professionals. For more information visit www.biscuitvilleweek.com.

– Carla Kucinski

A new telescope at GTCC’s Cline Observatory was installed May 14 on GTCC’s Jamestown Campus. The new 24-inch reflecting telescope will replace the observatory’s existing 16-inch telescope and allow star gazers to see farther into the universe and observe fainter objects with greater clarity.

Cline Observatory’s new telescope is a PlaneWave Instruments CDK24 Corrected Dall-Kirkham Astrograph telescope with an f/6.5 aperture, allowing users to see fainter asteroids and moons and dimmer stars in the Milky Way. The telescope’s optical design provides astroimaging quality that exceeds the performance of most commercial telescope designs, including Cline Observatory’s previous 16-inch telescope. The telescope also features a camera.

With the installation of the CDK24, GTCC’s Cline Observatory will be the third largest permanent telescope at an educa-tional institution in North Carolina, tied with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Morehead Observatory. Both Three College Observatory - operated jointly by UNC-Greensboro, North Carolina A&T State University and Guilford College – and Appalachian State University’s Dark Sky Observatory feature 32-inch instruments.

– Carla Kucinski

Cline Observatory installs new telescope

First place winners of the Brand Your Biscuit Challenge are from left to right GTCC students Rebecca Follweiler, Pamela Oliver and Kathleen Reeves.


On April 17 Guilford Technical Community College and Bennett College signed a co-admission agreement, giving GTCC students a clear pathway from an Associate in Arts (AA) degree to a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from Bennett College. Under the new agreement, select students will be co-admitted to both GTCC and Bennett College simultaneously and will offer a variety of benefits

including a seamless transition between both institutions, improvement in student access to undergraduate education and advancement in graduation rates. The agreement sup-ports one of GTCC’s major initiatives to increase completion and graduation rates for students through Completion by Design, a Bill & Melinda Gates initiative that GTCC is lead-ing across the nation and the state.

“This co-admission agreement opens more doors for our students and provides them with a clear pathway to a bache-lor’s degree at Bennett College and an opportunity to pursue a promising and fulfilling career in the social work field,” said Randy Parker, GTCC president. “GTCC is committed to delivering quality educational programs through our part-nerships with institutions like Bennett.”

The co-admission agreement is expected to take effect in the 2014-2015 academic year. This is the first co-admission agreement between GTCC and Bennett College and the second co-admission agreement GTCC has signed with an area educational institution within the last year. In March 2013, the college signed a co-admission agreement with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s College of Engineering.

– Carla Kucinski

GTCC, Bennett College sign co-admission agreement

GTCC shines at SkillsUSA contestGuilford Technical Community College excelled at the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference in Greensboro, where 19 GTCC students placed first in the competition. Seventeen of those stu-dents are eligible to compete in the 50th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Con-ference (NLSC) June 23-27 in Kansas City, Mo.

This year, 69 GTCC students competed in 26 contest areas including automotive, avia-tion, CNC milling and CNC turning, criminal justice, cosmetology, dental assisting, carpentry and collision repair. Of the 69 who competed, 43 placed in the top five in their respective contests. The competition was held April 9-11 at the Greensboro Coliseum, Joseph S. Koury Convention Center as well as GTCC’s James-town and Greensboro campuses.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organi-zation serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for ca-

reers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. Through its local, state and national competitions, students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills.

Guilford Technical Community College excelled at the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference

Bennett College President Rosalind Fuse-Hall and GTCC President Randy Parker shake hands during a co-admission signing event

April 17 at Bennett. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)

GTCC cosmetology student Clarice Brown partici-pated in the Fantasy Hair and Makeup category at

SkillsUSA. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)GTCC student Heather Mathis (left) and Jazmine Wilkerson (right) placed third in the Fantasy Hair and Makeup category at SkillsUSA. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)

EMS program receives national accreditationGuilford Technical Community College’s Emergency Medical Science (EMS) curriculum program has been awarded ac-creditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

In order to be accredited, programs must meet a set of nationally established standards and undergo an intensive process that includes a peer review and on-site visitations conducted by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoA EMSP) and CAAHEP’s Board of Directors. Those standards encom-pass not only faculty but also administration, resources, facilities and clinical partnerships related to the accredited pro-gram.

GTCC is one of five community colleges in North Carolina with a CAAHEP accredited Emergency Medical Techni-cian-Paramedic program. It also is one of only eight CAAHEP accredited programs statewide.

“Accreditation demonstrates the EMS program’s commitment to our students to present a quality experience in the class-room, lab and field that will help them become successful in their chosen career,” says Joseph Yow, GTCC paramedic pro-gram director. “Accreditation also demonstrates to the EMS community in the region and the state that we are committed to graduating capable, competent professionals who will be an asset to the profession. Accreditation serves our local commu-nity by ensuring that we are doing all we can to enhance the quality of EMS patient care wherever our graduates choose to work.”

– Carla Kucinski

Founder’s Day essay contestThis year in honor of Founder’s Day, GTCC sponsored a student essay contest to celebrate the founding of the college. Each participating student wrote a short essay on how GTCC has impacted their life. A winner and runner-up were selected from each of the college’s main campuses. First place winners received a $100 gift card to the campus bookstore, while runner-ups received a $50 gift card also to the bookstore. The winning essays were read at a ceremonial luncheon on each of the campuses. Congratulations to the following GTCC students:

Greensboro CampusKristen Murphy – First placeMalia Minton – Runner-up

High Point CampusIndira Manring – First placeGary Robinette – Runner-up

Jamestown CampusTiffany Luther – First placeChelsea Frye – Runner-up

To read their winning essays, please visit www.gtcc.edu/news/FoundersDay2014.aspx.

– Heather Ebert

Indira Manring reads her student essay at the High Point Campus. (Antionette Hinton/GTCC)

From left to right Vice President of Student Support Services Dr. Quentin Johnson, student Chelsea Frye and GTCC President Dr. Randy Parker.


From left to right Vice President of Student Support Services Dr. Quentin Johnson, student Chelsea Frye and GTCC President Dr. Randy Parker.

Malia Minton and Dean of the Greensboro

Campus, Manuel Dudley.

Model UN Club earns regional recognition

Several students in the GTCC Model UN Club recently received honors at two regional competitions: the Southeast Regional University Model Arab League competition March 14-16 at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. and Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) conference April 10-12 in Charlotte, N.C.

Three GTCC students were recognized for their achievements in representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the Southeast Regional University Model Arab League competition.

Austin Hanna of Raleigh, N.C. received the Distinguished Delegation Award for his participation in the Joint Defense Council. The award signifies Hanna as one of the top five delegations in their committee of 23 member states. Bilal Shah of High Point and Leigh Jones of Greensboro received the Outstanding Delegation Award for their work in the Economic Committee, which signifies they were one of the top two delegations in their committee of 23 member states.

The GTCC Model UN Club then went on to compete at the SRMUN conference where they received the Outstanding Delegation Award for representing the Czech Republic. The award is the SRMUN’s top overall delegation award and is only given to the top three delegations at the conference. Fifty-seven delegations competed in the conference. GTCC finished in the top 3.

In addition, the following GTCC students received individual honors. Leigh Jones of Greensboro and Zacchary Riddle of Greensboro received the Outstanding Delegate Award for their

performance in the General Assembly 1st Committee. This award was given to only four of the 57 delegations represented in the General Assembly 1st Committee.

Tam Tran of Greensboro and Austin Hanna of Raleigh, N.C. received the Outstanding Delegate Award for their work in the United Nations Population Fund, which is given to the top four of 29 delegates in the committee.

“In a little over a year, we have gone from a group of novices to becoming one of the top Model UN teams in the Southeast,” said Matthew DeSantis, the club’s academic advisor and an assistant professor of political science at GTCC. “We have gotten to the point where four-year universities are starting to recruit GTCC Model UN delegates to transfer to their school after graduation in order to continue to compete in Model UN for their university teams. The club has already opened a lot of doors to our students and I look forward to that continuing.”

– Carla Kucinski and Heather Ebert

Photo courtesy of Matthew DeSantis

Financial aid director recognized as ‘MVP’The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) featured Lisa Koretoff, director of financial aid at Guilford Technical Community College, in its Most Valuable Professional (MVP) series published online in February. The Q&A feature recognizes a different NASFAA member every few weeks.

You can read the full Q&A with Koretoff at the following link: http://www.nasfaa.org/mkt/MVP/MVP_Lisa_Koretoff.aspx.

Marcia Weston of the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority nominated Koretoff for the MVP feature. She describes Koretoff as “one of those ‘behind-the-scenes’ people who does a great deal to promote higher education opportunities.”

“Lisa is always going that extra step in helping students and families navigate the financial aid process in order to access the financial resources necessary to further their education,” Weston wrote. “Lisa is very patient and takes the time to explore options and opportunities with students who may have extenuating circumstances to ensure that their higher education experience is able to enhance and fit into their working and family lives.”

NASFAA is comprised of nearly 20,000 student financial assistance professionals at approximately 3,000 institutions of higher education.

– Carla Kucinski

The Student Life Office and Student Government Association awarded Courtni Battle and Indira Manring for their outstanding commitment to enhancing the student experience during the SGA end of year lunch in April.

Courtni Battle was awarded the Ray Moody Leadership Scholarship Fund which commemorates GTCC’s first Director of Student Activities and Alumni Affairs. This scholarship is awarded once a year to one student who shows evidence of improvement in the quality of student life at GTCC; has a minimum GPA of 2.5; and demonstrates evidence of community involvement.

Battle, who served as the 2013-2014 SGA Vice President for Clubs, dedicated herself to improving the quality of student life by encouraging and assisting 48 student-led clubs and organizations at GTCC to meet goals, plan events and develop leaders. Battle also participated in GTCC’s Domestic Leadership Exchange with the University of Massachusetts Boston and is actively involved with her church and The ARC of Greensboro, a nonprofit organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Indira Manring, who served as the 2013-2014 SGA Aviation Representative, was selected by the SGA as Representative of the Year. In her position, Manring reached out to local companies, such as TIMCO and Honda Jet,

to coordinate networking and learning opportunities for aviation students through events including the Lunch and Learn luncheon and a job fair. Furthermore, Manring encouraged her peers at the Aviation Campus to participate in activities at the Jamestown Campus. Manring will continue on her journey at GTCC as the 2014-2015 SGA Vice President for Clubs.

– Heather Ebert

GTCC students recognized for campus involvement

Courtni Battle

Indira Manring

Lisa Koretoff

GTCC students awarded SECU scholarshipsState Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation has awarded six Guilford Technical Community College students with an SECU Continuing Education Scholarship each valued at $750. The scholarship recipients are: Bianca Engram, Alexandra Boylan, Karlah Burton, Terri Coltrane, Ashley Mitchell and Traci Mack.

Launched in 2013, the scholarship program focuses on assisting the needs of North Carolina’s unemployed and underemployed citizens, military veterans and members of the North Carolina National Guard seeking short-term job training for new careers or retraining to advance current job skills. Scholarship funding will be applied to tuition and other expenses associated with their eligible program of study through the Community College System’s Back-to-Work Program and continuing education courses.

The Good Morning Show on WFMY News 2 featured a cooking segment with GTCC culinary instructor Keith Gardiner and GTCC culinary student Renea Myers, promoting healthy recipes for children. The segment showcased their recipe for Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower and Apple Pear Waldorf Salad (recipe follows).

Apple Pear Waldorf Salad Start to finish: 10 minutesServings: 2 (or 3 cups)

1 cup apple, chopped1 cup pears, diced 1/2 cup celery, chopped1/2 cups cranberries, chopped1/2 cup seedless green grapes, halved1/3 cup raisins1/4 cup walnuts, chopped1/4 cup orange juice to prevent apples/pears from browning1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon8 ounces vanilla yogurt, preferably Greek

Place diced pears and apples in orange juice for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of ingredients. This keeps them from turning brown. Drain apples and pears before mixing salad. Mix all ingredients together and chill.

Culinary program promotes healthy eating on WFMY

Place diced pears and apples in orange juice for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of ingredients. This keeps them from turning brown. Drain apples and pears before mixing salad. Mix all ingredients together and chill.

Tracey McCain of WFMY News 2 (left) on the set with GTCC culinary instructor Keith Gardiner, GTCC student Renea Myers and her son, Nick.


From left to right: Kendra O. Adams, senior vice president of the SECU High Point Westchester Branch; Bianca Engram, GTCC student and scholarship recipient; Dr. Randy Parker, GTCC President; Dwight Story, a member of the State Employees’

Credit Union’s local Advisory Board. (Antionette Hinton/GTCC)

GTCC hosted its annual Spring Job Fair on March 19 on the Jamestown Campus. The free event attracted approximately 3,000 job candidates who networked with more than 80 employers in the Triad, including BB&T, Fastenal, Caterpillar Inc., North State Aviation, UPS, Time Warner Cable, Aeroteams and Deuterman Law Group. This year’s participating employers spanned a wide range of fields from aviation and advanced manufacturing to medical assisting and information technology. – Carla Kucinski

Chinese delegation makes first visit to GTCC

Job fair draws 3,000

Approximately 150 students attended GTCC’s first Aviation Job Fair in March to explore employment opportunities in the growing aviation industry and network with various employers including Honda Aircraft Company, TIMCO Aviation Services, Landmark Aviation, Atlantic Aero and Graham Personnel Services staffing agency. As a result of the job fair, five students are currently working at Honda. The Student Government Association co-sponsored the event.

– Carla Kucinski

GTCC hosts first Aviation Job Fair

In April, GTCC hosted a delegation of 12 Chinese officials during their visit to the United States to meet with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations working in higher education and international student services. An escort and interpreter also accompanied the group. GTCC President Dr. Randy Parker met with the delegation to discuss and answer questions regarding the role of community colleges in higher education and provide an overview of GTCC and its services.

Dr. Carol Schmid, professor of sociology at GTCC, was instrumental in arranging the delegation’s visit. In summer 2013, she traveled to China as part of the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program administered by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education.

–Carla Kucinski

GTCC staff members defeated the women’s basketball team 75-72 in a basketball game fundraiser for the GTCC Food Pan-try on April 22 at the Ragsdale YMCA. Coach Bobby Allison scored the winning three-point shot with seconds left on the clock. GTCC collected approximately 120 cans of food for the food pantry. Thank you to the players, coaches and everyone who donated canned items.

Staff and Lady Titans hit the court for a cause

On May 30, the GTCC Foundation hosted the GTCC Sporting Clays Challenge at Shane’s Sporting Clays in Summerfield, N.C. Proceeds from the event will be used to benefit student veterans and the college’s public safety and educational programs. Organizers look forward to building on the success of this year’s tournament. (Photo credit/Cheryl Hemric.)

Foundation hosts Skeet Shoot Challenge

The GTCC Newsletter is produced quarterly by the Office of Marketing and Public Information.

PO Box 309Jamestown, NC 27282336-334-4822www.gtcc.edu

EDITORCarla KucinskiDESIGNERAntionette HintonCONTRIBUTORSCarla KucinskiHeather EbertPHOTOGRAPHYCarla KucinskiAntionette HintonCheryl Hemric

GUILFORD TECHNICALCOMMUNITY COLLEGE

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GTCC Newsletter Summer 2014